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Originally Posted by goldcupmom Ok all you experts.... I NEED HELP!!!!!
1. How do you keep cotton in their ears when you bathe in order to keep water out? I've tried everything I can think of short of duck tape and it just doesn't stay in.
I use the squeezeable ear plugs that you can squeez very thin then they expand in the ear and prevent water from getting into it.
2. What is the ear powder - does that help keep ears dry or is it just for friction when you pull out the hair? What brand/type is best. I don't want her to have another ear problem.
The powder does both, helps keep the ear dry but is mostly used for removing hair from inside the ear
3. TANGLES!!!! Despite trying to comb 10 - 30 min a day Mia's tummy is a mess of teeny dreadlocks. Should I snip them and start over? seems to be her puppy fur. Same on the back portion of her back, haunches and legs - especially the back legs. Her head, chest front legs and the front 2/3 of her back (seems to be where she is changing color) is becoming silky and easy to maintain. Is this normal? Her back 1/3 is now almost like a different kind of fur than her front 2/3.
I just spent almost 2 hours bathing, drying, combing and tried every treat I could think of. She still wanted to tear me apart. I know the tangles hurt and she is quite the drama queen, but I don't want her to develop a fear/hatred of being combed or she'll have to be the Kojak (oops, did I just date myself??) of Yorkie Land. She also HATES the hair dryer even though I use a diffuser dryer and keep it far away.
When they are losing the puppy hair it does tend to get into tiny knots, I use a slicker brush to remove these, start by gently pulling the matt apart then brush from the bottom of the mat up. I hold the hair between their skin and the mat to prevent the pulling that seems to hurt. Sometimes you just have to work the mat a little at a time.
4. Teeth - I haven't ventured into tooth brushing yet. What kind/brand of brush/paste do you use?
There is chicken flavored tooth paste made especially for dogs, and you can just put some of this onto the gauze pads and rub their teeth as well as you can. With their tiny mouths I find it hard to try to get a tooth brush into them, even a baby toothbrush
5. It seems the minute I get her combed, she looks like a ragamuffin again. Not that it isn't cute, but..... Any suggestions????
A conditioning spray does help when combing or brushing them. While they are puppies I find that it is hard to keep them looking groomed.
6. Toenails don't seem to be a problem - clipped those w/o a wriggle. She does seem to have 2 'dew' claws, though. Should they be removed?
If puppies are started very young with their nails they very seldom fight this. I start clipping my puppies nails the week they are born and do it weekly so that they get used to it, it makes it much easier when they are grown. The dew claws should have been removed when the tails were docked, but it is not a necessity unless they cause a problem
7. Color - Does their hair change color, or does it just grow in the new color and you eventually trim the old color off?
The hair changes color as it grows, and by trimming the older color is removed, and also when brushing, some of the hair comes out in the brush, just as it does for you. If you don't trim the hair, you may see 2 or 3 different colors on their coats.
Thanks for ALL your help! Not sure what I'd do if I hadn't found you! I'm sure I'll have more questions!
TIA
Julie |