Episode 17:
In this episode Tim and Cindy talk about the basics of grooming a small fluffy dog. They decide not to get into the different breeds & their coats, just go for the basics. Brushing, nails, ears, bathing. But this is not before their discussion of how matted can a dog be before it’s inhumane to brush it out.
Here are some of Cindy’s “Guidelines” for lack of a better word.
#1- Brushing is not play time. And there is no magic wand to get knots out of your dog.
#2- Use the correct brush. In most cases Cindy recommends a slicker brush seen here:
Slicker brushes come in many shapes, length of the teeth(wires), stiffness of the wires, ect.
Many brushes as seen here do not break up the hair that is beginning to knot up, so you are just glazing over the coat and basically wasting your time. So, you are not lying when you say to your groomer you brush your dog everyday, you are just not doing it correctly.
Check out Cindy’s grooming tips that she did in the 80’s for City Line TV.
CINDY, I NEED TO GET ACCESS TO YOUTUBE SO I CAN UPLOAD THE VIDEO ND POST IT HERE
Cindy mentions “de-matters” in which even she would be hesitated to use with their razor-sharp slicing ability
3 Different tools to cut your dog’s nails, but don’t forget the Kwik Stop
Remember, dogs are like elephants if you cut the quick too short it will never forget and hate having its nails cut for the rest of its life. But also remember, the toe is a long way from the heart and no dog has ever bled to death through it, so if you do make that error and cut too short, you’ve just made it harder on the dog and future groomers and vets, but your dog will live.
Here is the picture that Cindy mentions about Blue’s nails being way too long! So sad how the “shoe cobbler’s son goes barefoot.”
Some Quick Pointers:
When it comes to your dog’s ear health, as Cindy says, “healthy ears do not smell”.
Plus, don’t forget to wipe away the discharge around your dog’s eyes. And if you want to clip the hair around the dog’s eyes, like pictured here, use blunt-end cuticle scissors. Which can be used to clip the hair in-between the dog’s pads also. This hair can become extremely matted and become as hard a rock mixed in with dirt and stones. Try walking on that. So, make sure your groomer always cleans out this hair.
When it comes to bathing your dog, ask yourself, why?
Read Cindy’s blog about answering such a question at https://www.doncherryspetrescue.org/my-dog-stinks/
2 main pointers on bathing- dilute the shampoo and rinse well.
The featured group in this episode, was one that is close to Cindy’s heart, due to the fact they focus on rescuing senior dogs and that is “Love Those Seniors”. More and more older dogs are being surrendered due to rising vet bills as they reach their senior years. Plus, they often need need special food and lets face it in our fickle society of today, are they really as much fun as they used to be? Cindy also tells the story of a yorkie named CoCo, (seen here) that was also rescued thanks to Sue the Founder and all her wonderful volunteers and foster parents.
So, please click here and read more about this group at
https://www.doncherryspetrescue.org/our-successes/monetary-donations/love-those-seniors/
Listen to Episode 17 of Cindy’s Pet Talk:
