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Powderpuff; Bath & Dry

Whether you are showing your dog or just want to bring out the best in your pet, a regular grooming schedule will make your best friend shine. This describes what I have found works for me. It is by no means the only way, and might not be the right way for your dog.

1. Prepare your dog:
Never try to wash a dog who has not been prepared. There will almost always be a knot or more, bathing without removing them can cause more matting. Put the dog on the table and start to go through the coat with your fingers. Do NOT brush or comb just use your fingers. If you find a mat or knot, use your fingers to very gently, and very slowly tease it apart. Go over the entire dog like this until you are sure that there are no more knots.

If I have to use my clipper (stomachs, penis areas, anus, faces) I do this before I bathe. Any residual hairs will be washed away when bathing.

Grooming is also a perfect time to evaluate your dog and look for any changes in the health situation. Does the skin have a clean look to it and is free of scales, scabs and crusts? Is the coat as shiny, thick and has the same texture as normal? Are the eyes clear and without any redness, feet dry and without signs of soreness, teeth white and without sign of tartar, ears clean and odourless?

If I need to clean the ears I do this now, before I bathe. Nail clipping I do after the bath, when the nails are softer.

2. Shampoo:
Choice of shampoos and conditioners is very important in grooming a Crested. The pH of normal canine skin has a reported range from about 7.0 to 7.4. The neutral point on the pH scale is 7.0, therefore canine skin should be considered mildly alkaline. Human skin, by contrast, has a pH of approximately 5.5. Using human products which are acidic will sooner or later cause damage to your Puff's coat.

Put the dog in the basin or bath and soak well in tepid water - this really means room temperature water - NOT warm. I thought I'd clarify this as some people think that tepid means warm. If in doubt, go COLDER, not warmer. water. Make sure the coat is thoroughly wet through.

Dilute the shampoo before putting it on the dog. I use a spray bottle to get the shampoo evenly distributed. Do not rub the shampoo into the coat.
One of the biggest mistakes in shampooing is rubbing the coat in circles. With the products today, the dirt is lifted off. There is no reason to scrub back and forth.

Make sure the coat is entirely wet, apply your shampoo, and distribute it by running your fingers though the coat.

Start at the head of the dog, and using ONLY your finger TIPS (NEVER the fingernails!), gently massage the dog WITH the grain of the hair, down from the roots to ends.... NEVER rub against the grain of the hair. Take your time and don't forget the legs, tail and under the tail. Put some shampoo on your hand and make sure to wash the stomach and chest area, and in boys all around the penis. When you are sure that the shampoo is regularly distributed, you can start to rinse.

Use the same downward movement on the hair, guide the rinsing water from the roots to the end Do NOT EVER rub, as you would your own hair!

Repeat the shampooing and rinsing process again.
It's important to rinse and rinse and rinse. Shampoo left in a coat can do more damage to the coat and skin than anything else.
So when you think you've rinsed enough, rinse one more time!

3. Condition:
I like to use a spray bottle to ensure even and thorough coverage of the coat. If the conditioner is to be rinsed out do it thoroughly.

4. Air Dry:
Wrap your dog in a towel. You want to gently squeeze water out of the hair with the towel. Do not rub!

5. Brush through the coat:
Put your dog, still wrapped in his towel, on the table. Unwrap him little by little and very carefully take his hair, section by section and brush through. Start at the end of the hair and work towards the roots. If you find a tangle, separate it with your fingers. Wet hair damages easily as it is very elastic, so do not pull when brushing.

When the coat is completely wet or completely dry is when it is at its' most venerable stages. A completely wet coat is at its maximum tensile strength and elasticity with aggressive brushing or combing at this stage you can stretch the coat to its' breaking point - kind of like pulling on a rubber band until it snaps. When the coat is completely dry it has little tensile strength and elasticity.

Only when the whole coat has been brushed through should you start drying.

Brushing tips: Brushing your dog is the single most important thing that you can do to keep the coat looking nice and mat free. When brushing continually mist the hair with a conditioner spray (for example, the conditioner used as a rinse after bathing). A tiny bit of coat oil may be added to the conditioner. The conditioning mist helps avoid breaking the coat.

It is important to brush the entire coat and not just the top portions. Start with a pin brush and work your way though the coat. Use the parting comb to separate the hair. Start at the underside and work up to the rest of the coat. How you brush is as important as if you brush. A common problem many people have trying to grow a long coat is "flipping the wrists". The grooming stroke should be a long stroke through the hair finished off with the wrist flat. When one finishes the stroke by flipping up the wrist microscopic pieces of hair can break off the ends of the coat. Over time this repeated practice can cause a coat not to grow long.

6. Blow drying:
Only when the whole coat has been brushed through should you start drying. I like to section off my coat as I brush it through before drying. I use the little clips- I tend to divide of the coat into about 8-10 section. I start drying the back feet and work my way forwards.

If you are getting your dog used to a dryer, do this a little bit at a time, do not expect your puppy to stand still for a whole session of blow-drying the first time!

Try to point the dryer in the direction of the hair and brush through roots to tip as you dry each section. Don't forget feet, but remember that many dogs have sensitive feet so use your fingers instead of the brush if your dog is sensitive in any particular area. If you dry his coat slowly, section by section, brushing the coat from root to tip, you should have a very even looking coat at the end. If you point the dryer in any direction, the coat will blow everywhere and your dog will propably have more knots than when you started! So be very careful with your dryer!! Also do not put it too close to hair as heat damages delicate hair.

Annika Farstad ©2005-2006