I bathe my Reagan as I do my own hair. I shampoo first then rinse that out. I then dry the coat a little to get rid of excess water and then put the conditioner on. I will sometimes comb through the coat before I rinse the conditioner off (if I think she's full of matts). I will leave the conditioner on for 3-5 minutes then rinse it off really well. I use a hair dryer to dry her. What I've found to work best for that is I will sit somewhere with my legs spread in a V shape and put Reagan between my legs. I then hold the dryer away from us and aim it towards us to dry Reagan. This way she won't run away because my legs are on each side (so I can easily get her is she ran that way) and the dryer is stopping her from running straight out between my feet. She's gotten used to it so now I have more freedom with how I dry her.
I haven't had any problems with matts for a while now. I'm now using Plush Puppy products. I bought the set that included the Natural Conditioning Shampoo, Natural Silk Protein Conditioner, Swishy Coat , and a Protein Coat Balm. I've been very happy with these products. I think that a good conditioner is key to helping keep the matts away. I'm sure that different conditioners work differently for different dogs and different coats so try a few and pick what you like.
Also daily brushing is a must. We don't brush Reagan's coat everyday because she doesn't matt really anymore. We try to bursh it everyday but I'm not worried if we miss a day every now and then.
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Courtney |