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Reprinted by permission from PET AGE 11/06
Goof-Proof Bathing and
Drying Techniques
Follow these tips to give your grooming clients what
they care about the most—a clean, sweet-smelling dog. By Daryl Conner
The woman who trained me to groom taught me many
things, but perhaps the most important thing was this: “As long as you send
the dog home very clean and with a tidy potty area, most owners will think
you did a great job.”
If I remember correctly, she told me this because I was
not happy with the way I had trimmed a particular pet. Over the years, I
have found her advice to be true. Although I always strive to do the best
job I can, I have learned that what owners care most about is the overall
cleanliness of their pet. I also have learned that I cannot get really great
grooming results on a dog that is not extremely clean.
So, washing a dog … how tricky can that be? The answer
might surprise you. “I was trained by a terrific show groomer and was
achieving good results, [but] when I attended the practical exam for my
Petcare Dermatech Specialist with the International Society of Canine
Cosmetologists, I realized that there was more to washing dogs than just
getting them clean,” said Cheryl Russell-Miller, owner of The Grooming
Gallery (Mooresville, Ind.). “I learned that each pet should be prepped
according to its own coat type and desired end result. The quality of my
work improved drastically once I realized this and learned the techniques I
needed to achieve my goal.
“In my experience in working with other groomers, both
in the shop and as a grooming educator, I have found there is a lot of
variation in the attention to detail given to prep work,” she added. “The
fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as a good groom on a
poorly prepped dog.”
A good bath, brush and dry makes up 90 percent of the
work we do on most dogs. Just think about the number of Labrador retrievers,
golden retrievers and smooth- to medium-coated mixed breeds that come
through our doors. For many of these dogs, we don’t do much more after the
bath, brush and dry than trim up around the feet and ears and call it good.
The quality of your work here is not shown through clipper technique or
special scissoring, it is shown by how clean you got the animal.
Choose the Right Shampoo
Every good bath involves two major ingredients: water
and shampoo. Depending on where you live, the water that comes out of your
tap might be “hard” or “soft.” Hard water contains minerals such as iron,
calcium and magnesium salts. These make it harder to lather up the shampoo,
and to rinse out all the shampoo residue. Soft water lacks these salts, so
the shampoo makes a thick lather and rinses well. Knowing what kind of water
you have may help you realize why a shampoo that works great for your friend
might give less than wonderful results for you.
If you are not sure which product will work best, try
purchasing small bottles of a variety of brands. Try them out to find what
gives the best results with your water. Once you have settled on brands that
you like, you can buy them in the more economical gallon containers.
Also, be sure to use high-quality products created by
reputable manufacturers for use on animals, said Russell-Miller. “Our
industry has grown to the point that there is no excuse to be using human
products on pets. We risk lawsuits, our reputation and perhaps even damage
or irritation to the pet’s skin or coat when we do this. Use the products
according to the manufacturers’ directions.”
Our shop recently gained a new customer when she found
out that the mobile groomer she had previously hired used laundry soap
instead of pet shampoo on the dogs she grooms.
Pet shampoo manufacturers spend vast amounts of time and
money on research to create safe, effective products for pets. We have the
luxury of choosing from a multitude of brands and types of shampoos. Using
quality products will save you money in the long run, because you will get
pets cleaner and achieve the best results with the least amount of effort.
Wet the Dog Down
Begin the bath by wetting the pet thoroughly; making
certain that the water is reaching all the way down to the skin. One mistake
many novices make is to wet just the top part of the coat. Start at the back
of the head and work down the dog’s back and sides, wetting every area.
When wetting the face, be careful not to get water in
the dog’s nose. Even a small amount of water can cause problems if the dog
inhales it—and getting water in the nose is unpleasant. Small dogs with
“push” faces often struggle in the bathtub; chances are they have had water
in their nose before, and it frightens them. Tip the dog’s head down, so
water will run off the muzzle and not go up the nostrils.
Use water that is tepid to warm. Dogs have a higher body
temperature than we do, and very warm water can be irritating to them. Hot
water also can cause excessive drying of the skin.
If you have never used a bathing system to wash a dog,
you have no idea what you are missing. With a bathing system, you can skip
the entire step of pre-wetting. Bathing systems mix water with shampoo and
push it directly into the coat. The perfectly diluted product goes right to
work removing dirt and oil. Stylists who use bathing systems find they
easily cut 10 minutes or more off the duration of each bath. If you bathe
just six dogs a day, that can earn you a one-hour lunch break with your feet
up, or time to groom an additional pet to add to your bottom line!
Shampoo and Rinse Thoroughly
If you are not using a bathing system, you will shampoo
the pet after you have wet it down. Many stylists premix shampoo and put it
in hand-held bottles to squirt over the dog, then distribute the product by
hand. Other stylists mix the shampoo in a bowl and apply the product with a
sponge.
Whatever method you choose, make sure you are washing
the entire pet. “Thoroughly clean all of the dog, including outer and inner
ear leathers, paw pads, nail beds, rectum, genitals, eye area and beards and
faces,” said Russell-Miller. Many groomers choose to use a mild tearless
shampoo on the head and face to make sure that they do not irritate the
pet’s eyes.
Usually, shampooing once is not enough to get most dogs
really clean. Most groomers find that a quick first shampoo, lightly rinsed,
followed by a second, more thorough washing, is most effective. “Nearly
every dog in my shop gets at least two baths, the first being a tearless
overall cleansing shampoo and the second being the shampoo I choose for this
pet’s topical needs,” Russell-Miller said.
For instance, you might choose White on White by Chris
Christensen Systems (Fairfield, Texas) for a second shampoo if you want to
get a white dog really white. Or Stazko’s Luxury Shampoo by Stazko
Associates Inc. (Myakka City, Fla.) to bring out the full fluff potential on
poodle- and bichon-type coats. Or Almond Crisp from Nature’s Specialties
Manufacturing (Corona, Calif.) to enhance a terrier-type coat. As you see,
making the most of the coat on the particular pet you are working on is key.
On really grungy dogs, a third wash may be needed.
When you are done washing, rinse until the coat is
totally free of any shampoo residue. With practice you will learn what a
really clean, well-rinsed coat feels like. This is important because leaving
shampoo residue in the coat is an open invitation for skin irritation. When
you are all done rinsing, rinse one more time.
It is a good idea to finish up many baths with a
conditioner to replace moisture removed by the shampoo. On most dogs, a
light conditioner is all that is needed. On thick or matted coats, however,
a heavier conditioner can help when it comes time to blow out undercoat and
demat. Do not use a conditioner on coats you plan to fluff and scissor, or
on harsh terrier coats that are supposed to be crisp, not soft.
Soak Up, Blow Off Water
Once the dog is clean, the next job is getting it dry.
One common error is to dry the surface of the coat only, leaving the hair
close to the skin damp. The moisture left in the coat will cause it to crimp
and curl, so you will not get the lovely finish you are striving for. On
scissored breeds, a beautifully dried coat will make all the difference in
the end product.
Step one for most of us is absorbing moisture from the
coat. Sheri Britt, owner of Luv-A-Pet Grooming Salon (Godfrey, Ill.) uses
special towels found in the auto section of many stores. “They absorb more
water off the dogs than regular towels, so it saves on drying time,” she
said.
Others groomers use a combination of super-absorbent
towels and traditional terry towels to get as much water out of the coat as
possible.
Step two is using a high-velocity dryer to blow moisture
from the dog’s hair coat. You can do this while the dog is standing in the
bathtub or on a grooming table. With a good dryer, you can remove a large
amount of water in only a few minutes. “One drying trick I have is to keep
the dryer nozzle in one hand and a towel to catch the blow-off in the
other,” said Joan Frank, owner of The Clip Joint (Cle Elum, Wash.). “I also
use the towel to cover the dog’s ears and shield its face and ‘privates’
while I am drying. The towel is also there to cover me if the dog wants to
shake!”
Finish Drying
Once the bulk of the moisture is out of the pet’s coat,
it is time to do finish drying.
Take into consideration what end result you are trying
to achieve. I will share with you here that, for an embarrassing number of
years, I did not take into consideration that the direction in which I dried
the pet’s coat had an effect on my end results. I would dry every which way
on all coat types, and then wonder why my dry dogs had such horrid cowlicks!
The direction you point the force of air will make all the difference in
your end results. If you want a coat that lies flat, dry with the lay of the
coat. If you want a coat that stands up and is fluffy, dry against the lay
of the coat. This means that you might use more than one method on a dog.
For example, on a West Highland white terrier, dry the
back coat by directing the flow in the direction you want the coat to lie,
from head to tail. However, on the dog’s head, direct the airflow so that it
pushes the coat against the grain. This will “set” the coat so you can
scissor that round Westie head you so hope to achieve.
I begin by applying a light application of some sort of
detangling spray. Then I use a slicker brush to go all over the pet and
remove any tangles. Wet hair is more elastic than dry hair, and it is easier
to brush out. Wet skin, however, is more prone to being irritated by
vigorous brushing, so use a light touch.
Once the dog is tangle-free, I begin to dry. It is
crucial to dry the coat from the skin out.
Hold the nozzle of the dryer close to the skin. Angle
the air so that the flow is not whipping up the hair and causing tangles.
When you first begin to dry, you will see that the wet hair looks clumpy,
wavy and glossy. As the hair dries, you will notice that the individual
hairs begin to separate and the hair shafts begin to straighten out. The
wet, shiny look will also disappear. This means it is time to move on to the
next wet area. Move slowly and methodically over the entire pet, and then do
it all again, until you are certain the pet is really dry.
High-velocity drying is a great way to blow dead
undercoat out of double-coated breeds such as collies, golden retrievers and
Pomeranians. You can save lots of time brushing out dead coat by letting the
dryer do the work. Direct the airflow from the skin out, drying until the
dead undercoat begins to fly. This method makes a mess of your drying area,
but is a huge time- and energy-saver.
The technique for drying using a heated stand dryer is
similar, but you will use a brush to stretch the coat as you direct air on
it, rather than letting the air do the work as it with a velocity dryer. A
velocity or fluff-dried coat will hold its “freshly groomed” style for days
longer than a cage or air-dried coat will.
When the dog you have carefully washed and dried struts
proudly to greet its owner, shiny and sweet-smelling, it will be clear that
the time you invested in getting it truly clean and properly dried was not
in vain. You might notice a few places you could have trimmed a little
differently as the dog walks out the door, but what the owner will notice is
how good their pet smells and feels when they give them a greeting pat and
hug. pa
Daryl Conner is certified by the International Society of
Canine Cosmetologists as a Dermatech Petcare Specialist and as a Master Pet
Stylist Meritus. The recipient of Cardinal Laboratories’ Crystal Award for
Outstanding Grooming Journalist of the Year for 2005, she has been happily
employed at Yankee Clipper Pet Grooming in Rockport, Maine, for more than 20
years.
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