Blog

Some old wives’ tales hang on with the tenacity of a terrier. One of them is that dogs that are bathed too often will suffer from dry skin. Many a person has said to me, “The book for my dog’s breed says to never wash them more than every 6 to 12 months, or it will dry out his coat.” I suspect this myth came from the time when pet shampoos were harsh products that had to work hard to wash out months’ worth of dust, dirt, grime, and sebum.The fact of the matter is that a clean, conditioned, brush …

Winter brings fun holidays, cooler weather, and some grooming challenges. Depending on the climate you live in, you may find that your dog's skin looks and feels dry. It may even be itchy and flaky. Time spent indoors in artificial heat and outside in cold weather can take a toll on our pet's skin. There is a wide array of conditioning products that can help. Skin and coat conditioners come in several forms. The one most people think of first is the type that we use after a shampoo. It is w …

As summer wanes and the days become shorter, your pet may respond with increased shedding. The change of light triggers them to drop their summer coat in preparation for a thicker winter coat to grow. Seasonal shedding is noticed most in dogs with double coats, such as Australian Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Collies, Samoyeds, and any dog with a similar coat. These types of coats tend to undergo two primary shed cycles a year, in the spring and the fall. To get a grip on seasonal sheddin …

Having groomed dogs and cats for 37 years, I have chosen grooming products that work well, and I tend to stick with those brands. However, I recently had an opportunity to try out some of the Hydra product line and received a nice sample pack.One of the samples was an odor-neutralizing shampoo. A Shih Tzu came in that smelled strongly of old ashtray. Its fur was coated with oily nicotine residue, and I knew from experience that this is an odor that is extremely difficult to r …

Introducing puppies to bath time when they are young will set them up for a lifetime of baths to come. Old fashioned wisdom was to wash dogs only 2-3 times a year, but times have changed. Now that dogs have taken their places as “family,” living in homes and often lounging on the furniture, keeping them clean is more important than ever before.Modern pet shampoos have come a long way, and now it is easy to find products that leave pets' fur clean, lustrous, and fresh without causing dryness or d …