How do you keep bows in their hair?
 

I'm having trouble keeping bows or clips in Grim's hair. I'm not sure why but the clips seem to just slip right out. I have super tiny ones, and he has a nice bit of hair on his head, but they always slide out. Any suggestions?

Also the elastic bows..how do you put them in so that they stay upright? I keep trying and the bow always looks in a mess and doesnt rest pretty on his head. I have a couple that I really wish would work!

sorry i have no advice for this...mine will get it out in 2 seconds flat so i gave up trying....they dont like da bows. wait they do make doggie hair gel...i have some...used it once but that might help.

Mine also takes it out right away! I can't even get a pic of him in one =( he notices its on his head and he rips it off if it hasnt slipped off already!

You can gather up the topknot hair, divide it into a front half and a back half, put a band on the front half, then put the bow on with it's band, then join the back half to the front half with a 3rd band to keep the bow from slipping out. Clips may slide out anyway...some do hold better than others.

For daytime wear, my kids only get a scrunchie now, so if they slip them off...or conspire together and take each other's scrunchies out..:rolleyes:...I only have the worry of where the scrunchie went and hopefully NOT down a Yorkie throat. Mia is not 'obsessed' with it, but Brody is so much so that he will grip a 'liberated' scrunchie in his teeth, duking it out with you 'tug toy' style, until 'lightning strikes' and I am not all that 'into' colorful, fuzzy poop, intestinal blockages, etc., myself. :p:D

I also would like to know how to keep the bows with elastic in their hair in an upright position....everytime I try it winds up side ways...lol.

As for the clips, I use Espree show style gel...its light and it keeps the clips in Raelle's hair. Her hair is silky and fine, Jersey has thicker hair....nothing I do keeps a bow in her hair longer than a day.

Excellent idea..I bet doing it in sections is easier! By band do you mean elastic? If so what kind of elastics do you use??

And the whole yorkie boy eating the bow..thats a wholeeee other situation that I have to consider also! My Grim will eat anything edible or non edible lol oh my those little silly butts lol

Mine wind up sideways too...grrr I wish it was easier because I love the look of the bows!! Hair gel is an idea..his hair is cottony though and it still doesnt work. Might be something I will have to look into if I can't get them in without it! I want mine to have a bow so bad!

How does everyone know what hair needs to be gathered in the top knot? I find Grim's head so fuzzy so whenever I'm twisting the bow around, more hair is getting caught up in the elastic and its so difficult to get it looking nice..I have a project for after work today.. get a bow in his hair if its the last thing I do! LOL

:thumbup::p:D

Here are illustrations:

Placing Bows - Photos : Dog Bows, Quality Dog Bows - Yorkie, Maltese, Shih Tzu - by BowBiz

Dog On Top - Preparation of the TopKnot

Thanks Maximo!! I will have to get some of those little grooming bands! I'm sure I've seen something similar at the drug store down the road!

Another Canadian member BowBiz, whose site I linked, sells the bands too. I buy from her (Susan) and Jenny (a US YT member Mimimomo) at www.toplinepet.com

Thanks for the heads up! Those were really great links that went into detail on how to do the top knot..I never knew you were suppose to pull hair from the back of the head as well.

My poor Grim was brought to a HORRIBLE groomer who shaved him right down. He used to be cuter with his long coat. He might look silly with the bow in and such a short cut on his body. Here is a pic of him when his hair was longer..cant wait for it to grow out again.

I know exactly how you feel lol. Mya would sit calmy and let me put it on and the minute I was done she would slide her head up and down the hallway to get that bow off. lol. Miki squirms too much to even get one on good but I saw a bow that snaps closed that I'm thinking about trying. The clips are too easy to come off.

I put Mina's hair up in a regular ponytail (just like my daughter's),then I slide the clip under the hair just infront of the band,snap it shut and it stays. I do not use bows with band or aligator clips. I use actual hair clip,tiny ones,just like I did for my DDs. She hasnt ever tried to take it out,but if she did I'm pretty sure it would pull and she would stop. Mina has had a bow in almost everyday sense she came home,it is just part of her morning and doesnt seem to mind. It is all taken down every night and her little head gets a good rub from Mom.

I use several kinds of bands, (scrunches, tiny rubber band and the tiny coated pony holders) For bows I use the tiny rubber ones and than put the bow on wiggling it in between the hair that I just pulled up into a top knott.

If you want the top knott to stand erect you have put more hair in it or you can just put a small on in the very front closer to the forehead area.

Allegator clips work best because they have teeth that grip the hair but it still best to use a rubber band first. Remember not to twist them too tight / they can and will putt out the hair. It best to cut them out when in need of a change.

I buy the snap in bows and love them. They are great and stays on her hair without rubber bands. However, they only hold a very small amount of hair. I will be ordering a couple more and asking her to make it so that it can hold more hair.

Here's a demo I found on youtube. This is showing how to put the elastic band (groomer type) bow in the dogs hair.


and another...

Thanks for all of your help guys! See this is why I love this site! I got a bow in his hair tonight! I went and bought those tiny little clear elastics from Shoppers Drug Mart and used one of those. Then I used an alligator clip type that has jagged teeth and clipped it over the elastic. I haven't tried his other bows yet because it was such a pain to get him to sit still! And even harder to get a decent pic of him with the bow.. Here is a pic of the results!

Thanks again everyone for the great advice!

Wow the videos are great . . .now if I can get Galen to sit still . . . .

Good luck keeping him still! It took a lot of patience to get the bow in for me. But it was in really good and he didnt rip it out! Yay!

Don't ask me... Between Stella rubbing her head on the ground and Guinness pulling out Stella's bows I am at the point of thinking superglue might work lol

I have been training jasmin with treats. Now she will lay down with her head on the ground until I am done. Like I tell her..the sooner I get the bow in her hair the sooner she can play.

Great job! The bow looks wonderful! :)

Ruby is so use to me doing her top knott that when she knows it is loose or all funked up she comes to me to have it redone. They useually stay in pretty nice up to three days and than they need redone.

Just work with your boy and treat him each time, he'll grow to love having it done!!

It depends on how I am putting it up and often how long I intend for it to stay up. I have both latex and non-latex bands, and terry scrunchies, and an assortment of clips. To make a topknot that will stay put with a bow, I would use either a latex or non-latex band. I usually put latex bands on the bows themselves. I also build bows on scrunchies for casual outings, or just for everyday, I just use the scrunchie, which can just be pulled off and re-set if they rub or scratch it out, but I try to make sure the topknot is not uncomfortable or tight, or pulling anywhere so hopefully they will ignore it while I am not with them.

I don't have a photo at the moment of the bows on the scrunchies, but here are some pix of my kids with decorated scrunchies, with two (2) contrasting color scrunchies (red and white) together, and bows with latex bands, and the scrunchies themselves...which sell for approx. $2/pkg.

He hates anything in his hair or on. He loves to be free and wild. He takes his little paws and tries to grap if off his head. I try with treats but still nope lol. But I am hoping once the puppy stage is over he will calm down a little bit lol :sidesplt: :lol tears



wishful thinking !

Those are absolutely gorgeous bows!! Grim ripped all bows out until I used that latex band. The band really secured it and he seemed to not notice it was in!

Oh and thank you! I am quite proud lol

Thank you!

The latex bands are very light in their hair and do hold very well, and I use them for bows always rather than the non-latex bands, but they can cause breakage if they scratch or pull at their hair. I prefer the scrunchies during the day while I am at work 'cuz they don't pull hair like the bands, especially the latex bands, and if the kids 'slide' them out of their hair, then I can just put them back and until I do, they just have hair in their eyes but absolutely no breakage. When the scrunchies stretch out a bit too much, I put them in a lingerie laundry bag and wash them...they do not require attention from the dryer after my washer spins them at 1,200 rpm :eek::p:D and then I re-use them. The only drawback to the scrunchies that I have found is they need a certain length of hair to hold and in my kids' very silky hair, I must use 4 wraps. I was not wrapping tight enough at one point, and when I first started trying to use them, their hair was too short, too, and the scrunchies would fly out as soon as they shook their heads. YT'ers' encouraging words caused me to try again until I got it right and I love them as much as I thought I would when I first tried my granddaughter's old 'baby scrunchies' on Brody and Mia.

I am glad the bands are working for you! :)

Where do you buy these? I tried the seller on etsy but have had no response.

Thanks for the links. I would love to get Galen to sit like the lovely pup on the Dog on Top site. He fights with me when I am trying to gather his hair. I wish I know an easy way.