Hi Everyone,

I love spring - I absolutely love it! The grass is growing and flowers are blooming everywhere. April showers brought May flowers and tons of dirty dogs into our grooming salons! 

All winter we have seen mostly our regular trim dogs, now as the seasons change ,so do the mix of dogs. The phones have been ringing off the hook as shedding season starts and the summer shave downs begin for those of us in seasonal climates.  

All my life I've been attracted to big furry huggable dogs; Collies, Shelties, Goldens, and of course my Bernese Mountain Dogs and Maremma Sheepdogs - all dogs that shed! I love these breeds.  I guess that is why I have always found it so satisfying to groom these big guys and transform them from dirty dogs into clean and huggable pets.  Over the years, I have learned many tricks to get them clean and smelling great. Using good products and techniques improves your efficiency and lets you turn out more clean dogs safely and with less effort on your part! 

Here are 5 tips that I always used:

 #1 - Always let the products and tools do the work for you.

#2 - Quickly go over the dog either before the bath or after the first shampooing with a high velocity dryer to help lift the dirt and debris away from the skin. This allows your shampoo to be more effective at getting the dog really clean.

 #3 - Be generous with your shampoo.

 #4 - Always follow the shampooing process with a high quality coat conditioner.

 #5 - Use your most powerful high velocity dryer in the tub to blow out the second shampoo and the conditioning treatment to minimize your physical elbow grease.

Make sure you check out my new Salvage DVD on a heavy coated dog. On it you will see “Cache’” one of my white dogs.  I let her go without a bath for three months last spring before we shot this DVD, right at the height of the mud and shedding season! If you don't think that was a challenge for me - think again!! We normally have her bathed and groomed every 2-3 weeks. She is a true farm dog who enjoys all the benefits of living on a farm, including running through the muck and playing in manure piles. Sure there are other breeds that might be more maintenance free, but I wouldn’t trade my fuzzy breeds for anything. They make me truly appreciate a clean and huggable dog and appreciated what clients look for too! 

Happy Trimming!
 
Melissa