medmom2002

Hi,
I just spent half-hour trying to find answers, and I am sure they are somewhere, but I can't see them:

We adopted a shelter mini (living in Chicago), thought to be about 3-year old, and are learning how to best care for him. I am looking for basic and reasonably priced (please, include your favorite brand and/or store if possible) recommendations for shampoo, conditioner if needed, brush type(s), dematting, treatment to minimize paw licking/ chewing. We just gave him his 2nd bath and he's definitely very anxious. I am afraid of cutting his nails and will probably take him to groomers' for the first time, but what is easiest to use after that?

Thank you so much! This forum has been a great help (Pushkin is our first dog ever--and of course the best :-)

Specman

I hope you love your mini, we have one they are great dogs! I will outline a few of the basics and some of the more experienced members can add to this. The most important tool is a good slicker brush. It is important to have a good one but it does not need to be very expensive. This is the one that I use:

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The wrong one can be uncomfortable for the dog. In addition, get a greyhound brush and learn good brushing technique. Taking him to a good groomer is a good idea. They can trim him and take care of his nails and ears. They can also show you the best was to brush him to prevent matting.

Poodles coats require a fair amount of care but you are rewarded by a beautiful shed free coat that is a pleasure to touch.

Mel

I'm ordering the same slicker that specman posted right now (it's in my cart ..I'm also getting the soft one too. I figure since I have replace my comb I might as well save the shipping and gets some other stuff too.

Cherrybrook.com has it for 6.99 and if you google cherrybrook coupons you can get a 10% discount.


You will need a good comb. Chris Christensen has a really good one and Cherrybrook also carries it (the poodle comb). Since I still might find my poodle comb I'm buying the 7.5inch fine/course comb (course side is like the poodle comb and fine would be good for ears) and it's $27.

My plan is to go with a cheaper nice shampoo from petco and and really nice conditioner from Cherry Brook (Isle of Dogs). I know for me and my thick hair it doesn't really matter too much for shampoo but a really good conditioner is a must.

My husband is going to kill me...lol I'll just tell him it's my valentine gift :0)

Specman

Also search on the forum for "line brushing". There are a lot of good post that will help getting you started with grooming your mini. I brush mine a couple of times a week, bath him every two weeks, and see the groomer every six weeks.

This can vary greatly depending on your interest and your dogs coat.

Lily's-Mom

I like the John Paul Dog Shampoo and conditioners made by Paul Mitchell. They aren't super expensive (I just can't justify spending $30 or more on a 16 oz bottle of dog shampoo) and not too scented (since I have allergies). I found them locally at Petco. I use the spray conditioner when I brush and comb, not just after a bath. For brushes, I have an inexpensive slicker brush but the brush I use most of the time is a Madan pin brush. Good luck with your new doggy

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"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative" - Mordecai Siegal

3dogs

With Shampoo if looking on line the Pro Lines in the Gallons are to be diluted. So a 20-1 Shampoo Gallon is actually 20 gallons of shampoo. Some make the 16oz bottles to be diluted as well & some are RTU. You need to read the fine print on that one. But a Gallon of Shampoo that is a Dilute $30.00 get's you plenty of options. Depends on scent that you like & from there you go with brand etc.... I hate Fruity smells so there are brands I don't touch. I like a fresh clean smell. Just buying on line I like Nootie Shampoo. As a Pro I switch around I am currently using Quadruped shampoo the Protein. Before this I used a good brand that had no scent but my clients like scent. So, I have to balance everything when it comes to business. I didn't find IOD worth the money or Les Pooch either. On my own Poodles I use Eric Salas Shampoo, conditioner & spray. This is very expensive for a gallon like $70 but it does last me a very long time & since I am bathing 3 Poodles for competitions I need the quality & the results I get with Eric Salas.

I use Chris C. slicker brushes, greyhound comb is a must even over a brush. For the licking you need to find out if it is physical, boredom, anxiety to then tackle that problem.

Anntig

Welcome to the group
Petedge is a great source for grooming supplies
Wholesale Pet Supplies, Dog Grooming | PetEdge.com
I agree with the others a good slicker and a greyhound style comb are very important I haven't liked any of the cheap slickers I've tried (including the oscar frank one) so can't advise you there but geib has a fairly nice greyhound style comb that's pretty cheap if you don't want to shell out for the cc ones which are great but rather pricey
Shampoos I use groomers edge and chris christensen and would recommend either depending on your needs and budget.
cc products I buy direct from their website Chris Christensen Systems Official Site
and they have a fabulous detangling spray called ice on ice.
If your dog has come to you matted it would be better to shave off and start again I will only dematt if the dog has very small areas of matt and have found it's rarely worth it as the dematted hair tends to be damaged and matts up again very quickly, much better to start over and brush frequently to prevent matts in the first place.

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