We've had a bad (hair) day

S

SKNerissa

Forums Enthusiast
My little Riley went to the groomers last week so that he would look his best for Christmas pictures this year as we are having a semi-family reunion.

Today I went to the bus depot to pick up my sister and, being in training for service, Riley went with me. When we went to get my sister's bags the stupid bus driver used the air brakes! The bus was parked and the driver thought it was funny when Riley jumped. :mad: Being a Sheltie, I have taught him to sit rather than run when he feels skittish. So Riley did what he was taught and sat right there in the mucky sand and salt used for deicing and whatever else you find at a bus depot. :cry:

It took me 5 shampoos to get all the grunge out of his coat and bottom of his little paws are still grey.

So my questions are:

1. What can I do to minimize dryness since he has had so many washes in such a short time?

2. What can I use to get the bottom of his paws white again?

3. Is there anything that will make his coat sit more like when he comes from the groomers than when I do the bath at home?

Any advice would be greatly appreciate! Thanks in advance!
 
I would looking online or at a saddlery/tack store for horse shampoo. There are several brands of shampoo that are for grey/white horses. Some brands I have found are QuicSilver or White N Brite. I imagine if it works for a horse, it would work for a dog.

How did you teach your Riley to sit instead of run?
I would like to teach that to my Riley.
 
hmmm

to get him looking like he came out of the groomer, you need to brush him, which frankly you should be doing reguarlarly anyway. You cannot wait for for the monthly or bi-montly bath to groom your dog. Your groomer will hate you!

As for mucky sand, etc.....well...I'm surprised that you can't get the sand out. I have a cottage with a muddy stream running behind. Bacca's first stop is to stand in the muddy stream. I usually just towel him down and wait for him to dry off. The mud flakes off.

If I was talking the dogs in salt and mudd, then I would put boots on them.

One thing you can do is get a dry shampoo (water it down) and rub it over his body, then brush out. Follow up with a diluted leave in conditer and brush again.
 
Rileys mom said:
I would looking online or at a saddlery/tack store for horse shampoo. There are several brands of shampoo that are for grey/white horses. Some brands I have found are QuicSilver or White N Brite. I imagine if it works for a horse, it would work for a dog.

How did you teach your Riley to sit instead of run?
I would like to teach that to my Riley.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip - I will try to find something along those lines today.

As for teaching him to sit vs. run, the first step was to work on his stop-sit-stay proceedure when there was nothing around to make him uneasy but lots of fun things happening. I would tell him to sit in the middle of playing, going for walks, playing with the cat etc. and then had him stay for increasing amounts of time. If he did it right I praise him like crazy and if not, we would try again with a shorter stay until he got it. When we were out I use a hands free lead with a traffic handle so that I always have complete control over how far he was from me. So when he started to back away I was close enough to step behind him so he would back into me and then I would tell him to stop, sit and then stay stay. It took a couple months but he started to sit without the command and then finally started sitting without me standing behind him. The other thing I did was not to release him until he settled down and then very cheerfully would say "good job! Let's go!". If he started to get skittish again, we would repeat the sits as many times as needed for him to walk forward without showing any hesitation. It meant really long shopping trips for a while but he now sits without trying to back up and it seems to calm him down more quickly. I think it may be because it directs his attention onto a task rather than focusing on the thing that makes him nervous. The result is that there are fewer and fewer things that he gets nervous about now and he is starting to handles those things like a pro :smile2:

Another plus, is that when he tries to chase something I can just tell him to "Stop. Sit." and the chase stops. Of course he gives his best puppy eyes and looks quite put off with me when I call him back instead of giving in but at least I know he is safe and don't have to worry about those moments between when the car door opens and when I snap the leash on. We practiced at the off leash dog park and it worked when he chased a squirrel or was trying to heard other dogs - I was so proud of him!
 
BarbV said:
hmmm

to get him looking like he came out of the groomer, you need to brush him, which frankly you should be doing reguarlarly anyway. You cannot wait for for the monthly or bi-montly bath to groom your dog. Your groomer will hate you!

As for mucky sand, etc.....well...I'm surprised that you can't get the sand out. I have a cottage with a muddy stream running behind. Bacca's first stop is to stand in the muddy stream. I usually just towel him down and wait for him to dry off. The mud flakes off.

If I was talking the dogs in salt and mudd, then I would put boots on them.

One thing you can do is get a dry shampoo (water it down) and rub it over his body, then brush out. Follow up with a diluted leave in conditer and brush again.
Click to expand...

I brush him for an hour three times per week starting with the rake then pin brush, slicker and finally a comb but somehow the hair never sits quite the same way after a home bath :(. I do wonder if it has to do with the dryer i am using. I use one that looks like it is for human hair but was designed for use on pets and doesn't have the heat setting. Perhaps I should be investing in one like they use at the groomers?

As for paws, I have been trying to track down a pair of boots that fit him well and that our vet approves of (the first set got a thumbs down for being shaped like human shoes). We tried 12 different pairs but either the strap didn't sit in the right place or the they were too slippery on indoor flooring or they were too warm. The better ones I tried were the all-weather Muttluks and Ruffwear's Summit Trek. The Muttluks were slippery but I really liked the Summit Trek and they would have been perfect but the seam/straps were right over his carpal pads - otherwise it would have been perfect. My budget for dog footwear is C$110 but still, the search continues. My next consideration is one of the Neo-Paws sets but I want to talk to our vet first as they seem to hold the paw at an angle.

In the meantime, I have been using Musher's Secret and wiping his paws with a wet cloth when we get in the car and when we get home. So far it has worked well and I have gotten the sand off his paws - it's just that the undersides are now greyish instead of gleaming white like his mane. I think it may have had to do with oil or something that was on the ground - which is why I gave him so many shampoos - I wanted to be sure I got everything out that could irritate his sensitive skin.

Also, I usually bath him once per month and use a leave-in shampoo/conditioner 1-2 times per week (I use grooming spray the other times I brush) but this last trick of his was way beyond the powers of a leave-in. The groomers would have done him for me but they were swamped 2 days before Christmas. If not for Christmas pictures I would have been okay with the results but I want my angel to be "picture perfect" for Christmas :( (usually I take him to the groomers every 3-4 months and do the other baths myself).
 
Be careful with whitening shampoos... some can dry the skin out and a lot of them will actually yellow the coat.

Also, it could very well be the dryer you are using that makes him not look like he came from the groomers. Being a professional groomer, that would be my guess :)
 
You'd probably get the just from the groomer look if you had a high velocity dryer. Before I had mine I used my hair dryer with the heat off to dry the dogs and there is no comparison with how they looked then compared to how they look now with the HVD. It also helps with the shedding as it will get right down to the skin and blows out a lot more of the loose undercoat.

I have the K9II but there are a ton of brands/options just make sure it's not heated. The air on mine gets a little warm just from passing the motors but you don't want actual heat like human hair dryers have.

Good luck :)
 
For dryness put some baby oil on your hands and run it through the ends of their coat. I live in a dry climate and dry coat means lots of bindis and grass seeds sticking to their coat. I love the feel when they are soft from the baby oil.

If you want to invest in a force dryer it does give them a more professional finish. Otherwise when they are dry a coarse boar hair brush (like a Mason Pearson) gives them that just groomed look in seconds. It also spreads their natural oils through to the tips of their coat.
 
Barb, I don't mean to sound rude, but she never said she didn't brush him regularly. :)
Karen

BarbV said:
hmmm

to get him looking like he came out of the groomer, you need to brush him, which frankly you should be doing reguarlarly anyway. You cannot wait for for the monthly or bi-montly bath to groom your dog. Your groomer will hate you!

As for mucky sand, etc.....well...I'm surprised that you can't get the sand out. I have a cottage with a muddy stream running behind. Bacca's first stop is to stand in the muddy stream. I usually just towel him down and wait for him to dry off. The mud flakes off.

If I was talking the dogs in salt and mudd, then I would put boots on them.

One thing you can do is get a dry shampoo (water it down) and rub it over his body, then brush out. Follow up with a diluted leave in conditer and brush again.
Click to expand...
 
Update: I tried Furminator's natural deOdorizing Waterless Spray and works great! Riley was prancing around in the sun just after being sprayed and combed today and the guard hairs were moving free of the undercoat - really silky and beautiful looking - just like I get from the groomers! It also did a wonderful job of getting his paws white again.

Thanks for the advice on the high velocity dryer - I will start saving and hopefully be able to get one before Riley begins to blow his coat in the spring as I always have trouble getting out the short hair on his legs :smile2:

As for ice melting crystals, I got Riley a set of Summit Trek boots made by Ruffwear. I was concerned at first that the Velcro was going to rub on the carpal pad but I called the company and was told that a little vet tape around the paw will prevent any problems. Riley has worn them three times now and although he isn't very happy about it, he is starting to get the hang of walking normally with them on. They were quite expensive but worth not having to wash his paws so often and I feel better knowing his paws are protected against chemicals.
 
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