[Shaena]

As far as food goes, make sure you are feeding your dog a high quality, high protein dog food. A nine month old should still be eating food that is appropriate for puppies. You should also make sure to brush him daily. This helps the oils from the skin to spread out into the ends of the fur. A leave in conditioner or detangler/ grooming spray is good for spraying on the coat before you brush it. For bathing, it would be best to use a shampoo and conditioner that is formulated for dogs. Human products are designed for a different ph balance and can often dry out a dog's skin. Pippin had a dry skin problem a while back and most people recommended that I switch to Buddy Wash and Buddy Rinse shampoos and conditioners, or Petsilk. I now use buddy wash and rinse on Pippin and his skin and coat are looking much better.