[Catherine]

New owner here. I was working on some mats yesterday. I have some Chris Christensen Day to Day moisturizing conditioner. Bottle says it can be diluted
8 to 1. If I dilute it as instructed, do I still have to rinse it out?

The regular bathing instructions on the bottle says to shampoo, follow with the conditioner and rinse thoroughly.

When I bath him, I just use it full strength and rinse out.

Here's my question:
I was wondering if I dilute it and spray it on the mat and comb it out, if I need to rinse it out too?

Thanks,
Zanipolo's mom

 

[Sisses Momma]

If the bottle says to "rinse out" you need to do that. Otherwise it can cause itching and drying out of their skin. They do have conditioners and rinses that are "leave in's". I use the Pet Silk rinse and have diluted it 10-1, I find it works just as well as leaving it full stregnth, but it is easier to rinse out and doesn't leave a residue on their fur.

 

[Catherine]

Thanks, I was just hoping I could use what I already have without having to rinse it out. I'll start looking for leave-in conditioners. I have CC's Ice-On-Ice. I like the product but I need something better at working out the mats.

Does anyone use oil to work out mats before bathing? I believe I've read that it's not good to leave the oil on the fur. That if you use oil you need to shampoo after you use it.

If anyone uses oil, what type do you use?

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

I've never heard of using oil.

I like the Pet Silk leave in condtioner.

 

[jmm]

I would not use that conditioner as a leave in.

Unless you are keeping the dog in oil, I wouldn't use a product with oil. You can use something with silicone in it right before the bath to take out mats if they are super bad (The Stuff). Make sure you wash it out immediately.

 

[Catherine]

Thanks for the help. I read previous posts and purchased some pantene conditioner. I really worked in the conditioner. I went slowly and eventually got all of those little mats close to the skin out. He's all clean and mat free. He's 13 weeks this Friday so I bet this was the first time he's had a real going over.
So glad that's over. He sooo hated it. I took JMM's advice and went bit by bit. I sure hope this gets easier. The bathing would be a piece of cake if I didn't have to put him through all the work involved with those mats beforehand.

Thanks again,
Cath

 

[jmm]

Brushing him to the skin on a daily basis will help quite a bit. It helps to teach them to lay on their side while you brush their body coat. I also go through the whole coat with a comb after I brush to be sure I got everything.

 

[Catherine]

Originally posted by JMM@Apr 8 2005, 08:50 AM
Brushing him to the skin on a daily basis will help quite a bit. It helps to teach them to lay on their side while you brush their body coat. I also go through the whole coat with a comb after I brush to be sure I got everything.
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How do you teach them to lie on their side while grooming them. He is just so wiggly. He'll lie down on his side for me when he's tired and loves being petted but he's smart enough to try and wiggle away when he sees a comb. He doesn't mind the pin brush (CC's gold series 35 mm) and I've ordered one of their buttercombs which I'm hoping will be better than the walmart one. So, how do you get your puppies to lie on their sides? I think I read in one of your previous posts they also lie on their backs in your lap to have their bellies combed. How do you do that? I've even tried to bribe him with treats but so far I haven't found a treat that he really likes either. He's actually very cooperative considering all the mats he had. It was just a struggle and would be better for both of us if I could teach him to relax.

 

[Ladysmom]

Where do you groom him? It helps to have a grooming table (or as some have suggested, even the top of the washing machine will do). They know they are captives there and tend to cooperate better.

 

[jmm]

I train the positions separate from grooming at first. I gently lay the dog in their back in my lap for a second and put them back up and treat. I slowly, slowly extend the time and then start messing with them. Most of them give in after a few sessions and just lay there.

For laying on the side I do it similarly. I either lure them down or lay them down gently on the grooming table. One trick can be to hang their legs off the edge so they don't feel like they can get up. Again, just lay them down for a second and then up at first. I just did it a few times every day with the new dog and within a week or so they got the hang of it.