Another Don't Comb Dry Question
 

Ok, I've heard and read many different things, some say don't comb while hair is wet, other say don't comb while it is dry. But one thing that I'm confused about is, places that I've read that you're supposed to wet it some before combing, a lot fo people have said you can use dog conditioner, put some in a bottle and water it down real good, and mist them with that before you comb them. My question is this, if we're supposed to make sure we get all the shampoo and conditioner out of them when we bath and rinse them, isn't it bad to mix the conditioner with water and spray mist them with it? I mean, we'd be leaving it on their hair. I'm so confused. Anyone here mix their furkids conditioner with water and spray mist them with it before combing and leave it on them??

Shampoo should be thoroughly rinsed out, but not necessarily conditioner which helps the hair. There are many leave-in conditioners for both dogs and humans.

I have used watered down conditioner as a brushing spray and I found I prefer products specifically formulated to be brushing sprays. I believe they are lighter and don't attract dirt as much.

Thank you for your reply Maximo, I sure do appreciate it. If you don't mind me asking, how much conditioner did you mix to how much water? I think I may try it for a week and see how I like it.

Hi Tessa, I don't think we'll ever get everyone to ever give the same answer. I've asked so many people and read so many things, and everyone has different answers. I've even went to different grooming forums and read totally different things there.

The mix is dependent on the product and its concentration. Some were meant to be diluted when bathing, others not. The highest concentration I used was 1 teaspoon conditioner for 8 ounces of water. I also used combinations lighter than that. Play around with it. It doesn't take much conditioner. Mix thoroughly.

I wouldn't brush when it is soaking wet. Use a wide tooth metal comb (or fingers) when soaking wet.

Brush with a conditioning brush spray applied to the brush to distribute it evenly while using the least amount of product possible. Some people apply directly to the dog. I can't do that with my guys or they end up a big, sticky mess. :p


http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...n-its-dry.html

If your fur baby is in a short cut, no need to use any conditioning sprays unless there's a mat you want to work out.
It's best to spray the hair w/some sort of conditioning spray before brushing to avoid breakage, static, & to help work out tangles.

One way to tell if the spray is good: I like spraying the product on my hands & distribute it where I need it. That way, you can get a 'feel' of the product. I like ones that leave a silky powdery feel, no stickiness.

Just wanted to add, that I also spray Momo who is in a short cut, just to give him a refreshing smell between baths.

I spray the brush and then brush their hair with a detangler. I use Yorkie Sheen which I think is great. I love it for the in between bathing days. Makes them smell good again!

I thought the saying was "Don't brush a dry coat and don't comb a wet coat." I don't think the saying is that important, and is more a “Rule of thumb.” Breeder who show, live and die by tips on how to grow a long healthy coat as fast as possible, it’s just not that important for pet owners. I can tell if what I'm doing stresses the hair or the dog. I do mist lightly before brushing and finish with a comb to make sure all tangles are out. I think starting at the end and slowly moving the wide-end of the comb up towards the body and inch or so at the time, causes very little stress on the dog. I finish with the narrow end of the comb. I don't have to be so careful with Joey, he rarely even tangles, but my foster has a blended coat and does tangle, especially after wearing clothes. When the hair is wet, I don’t use a comb or a brush, I use my fingers, and as it dries, I start using a wooden pin flexible brush.

I agree and I think everyone has to develop what works best for the dog's coat.

When I mentioned combing a wet coat, I meant a really, really wide tooth comb -- and only on perfectly detangled hair. My hair is very similar to Max's and that is what my hairdresser has always told me to do before blowing it out (which happens rarely on my head :p). Mostly I use my fingers when I dry the boys and wait to comb until they are completely dry.

Yes, I agree a wide tooth comb would be fine, I'm just too lazy and use my hands. :p

Thanks a bunch, I'm gonna try it and see how it does. Jazzies has a silky coat and doesn't really matt, her hair seems to be in pretty good shape, at least to me, but I'm no professional either. I'd like to do things the right way and keep it looking good.

My Rosie is a silky coat also. Her hair is very fine. One of the most important things, IMHO, is to use a good shampoo and conditioner. Also, I have found that I have to be careful what I use or her hair will look "heavy". The nice thing about a detangler is easy access to it for daily brushing. With Rosie, I brush her hair at least twice a day. That is one of the reasons I spray the Yorkie Sheen on the brush and not her.

She only goes to a groomer about once every 6 to 8 weeks. Basically, just to trim certain areas and keep her nails cut.

When I bath her, I will use the dryer on her until she is over half dry moving her hair around with my hands. Then use my brush to start smoothing her out. Also a good brush and comb is very important. I prefer the Madan brush and comb. Is your pup's hair long and silky?

Mikki has the shorter hair and it is a lot less maintenance. I really think that makes a major difference as well. Here are a few pictures of how Rosie's coat looks at this point. I think it looks healthy. :) Hope that helps.

Attachment 361854 Attachment 361855 Attachment 361856 Attachment 361858

You don't have to be a professional to develop a good routine. I appreciate all of the input of the professionals (like Jenny above) and exhibitors, and fellow pet parents. With that info, you grow and learn working with your pup's coat.

Max is silky and does better with as little product as possible added. I use Vellus anti-stat when I brush him. It is super light. I am careful not to over-brush him. Teddy needs a little more constant care.

The best thing I can do for both of my boys' coats is to keep them clean. It's when they are dirty that damage occurs.

Hi BabyGirl Rosie,
I use Tropiclean Papaya Plus 2 in 1 Shampoo, I love how it works and it's also all natural. They Also have a SPA line (all natural as well) and I recently purchased the Renew Bath Shampoo and the Nourish Vitamin Conditioner, it also has an anti-static agent in it, oh and I bought the Fresh Facial Scrub (Blueberry/Vanilla) cause I want to use it on her face, I don't want her getting tear stains. I also us the Papaya Mist Cologne which conditions your pets coat and reduces static. I haven't got to use the shampoo on her yet, but can't wait to, I hope it does as well as the Tropiclean. I have a brush just like the Madan brush, but I can't remember the name of it, I use that on her first and then the comb last. Jazzies hair is long and silky, not real long, but it's getting there. Here's a pic of her. Your baby is ADORABLE by the way :-)

She looks fabulous!!!! I too use the Spa Fresh Facial Scrub! :) Her hair looks very good. And very pretty!! Looks like you are doing everything just fine!! :):):) Just keep it up!

Awe, thank you so much:) I haven't used the facial scrub yet, what's your experience been with it? I've read a lot of awesome reviews on it though from groomers.

:thumbup::thumbup:

We use the Spa Facial Scrub too. It cleans very well, but is so gentle on the eyes (very important for Max). The boys don't mind me washing their faces with it.

I like it. There are not a lot of options on facial scrubs here. My groomer recommended it and it is pretty good. It doesn't get rid of the tear stains on Rosie completely. But it does help. I think you will like it.

I can't wait to use it, she's due for a bath tomorrow, was going to do it today but we had company come over unexpectedly, hate when that happens, lol. I like to stay on schedual with my furbabies, but it's to late tonight to give her one. I have another question as well, ok, actually two questions, lol. I've read where others say they use a salve or something in the eyes before they bath them, do any of you here do that? If so, what's it called and should this be done every week when I give Jazzie a bath? And for the last question, do you all put cotton balls in your furbabies ears before you bath them? I've never done it but have read how others do, is this something I should be doing?

I do not do either. But I am very careful around the face area. I also make sure not to get water in the nose. I use a wash rag that is full of water to get the snout area. I know I am weird. Lol. :D

Lol, no, you're not weird, I've been doing that with Jazzie since we've had her. Or wait, maybe we're just both weird, lol.

:sidesplt::sidesplt:

I don't do the eye salve or ear plugs. Never had a problem with ears, but I do use an ear cleaner with a drying agent occasionally after a bath.

The eye salve scares me. Many people have success with it and our vet offered it to us when Max went through his problems, but I have also heard that it can trap soap under the salve and hurt the eyes. Like BabyGirl Rosie, I'm just careful with the soap. I use soaking wet cotton balls to get into the corners of the eyes and to do the snout, and I don't run the soap all the way to the eyes when I do the top of the head. One of the great things about the Spa Facial Scrub is that it rinses really easily.

I just bought some cotton balls today so I can do Jazzies facial, she's normally pretty good at holding still when I groom her, hopefully she'll do as well when I do the facial with the cotton balls. I've been using an ear cleaner on her with every bath so far cause when she first came to us, OMG her ears smelled TERRIBLE!! Doc checked them, there was no yeast infection and no ear mites, just a horrible stinky smell. It's gotten a lot better now though, so I was going to talk to the doc and see if it was ok to step back some and do it maybe every two weeks.

It is confusing isn't it? Don;t brush wet, don't brush dry, many pros and cons for one or the other.

One tip on growing coat... sry I can't remember who posted the pic of her beautiful silky shiney coat...but the ends of coat were a tad "ragged". Just trim maybe 2x per month or once per month the very tips/ends of the coat. this will help to strengthen the hair, and help to stimulate the hair growth.

Also believe it or not, massaging of the dogs coat will stimulate blood flow. I do that weekly when Razz has his bath, and we let the conditioner "rest" for 10 or more minutes in his hair. I do small circular motions from root of hair down about half way.

I've also found ( I live in a cold climate), that winter months are differently stressful on the coat versus summer months. It gets pretty dry in our house, (even with a humidifer), and Razz loves to lay over the heating vents. So I use a very heavy conditioner on his coat, and a heavier wrapping oil.
In the summer time, sun/and water does their thing to dry out coat, but I've found less so than winter time. I use a lighter oil, and also reapply some oil prior to having him swim. This works for all my pups, and the coat is much easier to "brush" out after swim time. Actually for Yorkies I use a wide tooth comb, and for the Blackies who have a much more rugged coat I use a brush.

Like others have said, you need to experiment with your dogs' coat. Find out what works for you and your pup.

Hi Gemy, was it Jazzies coat you were talking about? I posted the pic of her up above. We've had her just a wee bit over 2 months now, she's my very first pure yorkie so I'm very clueless on trimming the coat. What parts of her would need trimmed? The whole coat, or just the part that hangs down on her sides? I don't think I'd be comfy doing it myself since I've never done it before, perhaps taking her to a groomer for the first time and seeing if they can show me how to do it would be best. Does this really help them to grow their coat out better and stronger? How much do you think should be trimmed off?

I think Gemy meant just snipping the ends of the hair. After reading her reminder this morning, I did Max's hair because I have been negligent in doing it. Snipping the tips fights off the damaging effects of split ends. Keeps the hair stronger.

It's like human hair. Even if you have really long hair, all one length, you should have the ends snipped once a month to keep the hair shafts from fraying.