Unravelling The Mysteries of Grooming

We asked Jane Towers, if she would share the secrets of her grooming box!
What are your top 4 grooming products, we asked?
Jane was kind enough to put pen to paper, here is her reply. 

Unravelling The Mysteries of Grooming
by Jane Towers

Six years ago I got my first Bolognese and my grooming journey began. I wished to show my dog, so it was necessary to keep him in full coat. Having already had a Bichon Frisé I was only too aware of the need to keep them nicely groomed. However the concept of not trimming was a little alien to me.

I’m certainly not a professional groomer and have had no formal training. I have made many mistakes but that’s okay. I have listened to my peers and worked out what works best for my dogs.

There is so much information out there but what I soon learned is that there is not one overarching regime that will be effective for all coats. It is necessary to treat each dog’s coat differently. Below, I shall share a few tips that I have picked up during my learning process.

For me, the most important thing is to assess what type of coat your dog has, which your breeder should be able to assist with. It might be long and silky, thick and fluffy or somewhere in between. I have found that with my five dogs, I definitely cannot use the same grooming regime for all of them.

The variety and volume of grooming products available can seem a little overwhelming, but I would recommend using the trial and error technique being led by your breeder. While at first this may be slightly expensive, once you have found the combination that works for you and your dog, it becomes very simple to keep them looking beautiful.

I am known for having my bag of tricks at every show, never knowingly without anything, be it nail clippers, combs or even wipes for those little accidents. However, the four items that I love and would never leave home without are as follows…

Oster Coarse Comb from www.groomers-online.com

This comb is approx £19.00. After spraying my dog lightly, I use this product to groom them before bathing, in order to remove the tangles. The spray I use comprises a very diluted solution of water and conditioner, contained within a groom continuous spray bottle. This comb works well with older dogs and especially those with coarse hair. I also use this comb to comb through the conditioner after bathing.

Chris Christensen Fine/Coarse Buttercomb from www.christiesdirect.com.

This comb is around £35.95, which is a little expensive, but having tried the cheaper ones, I can confirm it is significantly more effective. This comb is used after the Oster Comb to deal with the smaller tangles and particularly on the small tangles behind the ears, legs, feet and in the armpits.

Pets at Home Small Animal Nail Clippers

These are really easy to use and work perfectly for little feet. From puppy onwards. I clip my dog’s’ nails every week at bath time taking off the tiniest bit. This reduces the concern of cutting their nails too short. The dogs also readily accept this as it’s done so often.

Whal Bravia Mini Clippers

These are around £79 and are perfect for clipping the pads and can be used around their private parts, although with care. They are very quiet and I have found my puppies accept them very readily as they appear to like the vibration on the feet. I do this every couple of weeks, keeping their pads nice and trimmed. This helps to stop debris getting caught up in the feet and can help prevent your dog chewing their feet.

Chris Christensen Kool Dry 240V Dryer
This is my little piece of luxury available from www.christiesdirect.com £349.00

This is a very expensive piece of equipment but it revolutionised my grooming. It is ultra quiet so I use on my puppies and it dries without heat so doesn’t dry out the coat. It is probably a big investment though, if you only have one dog.

I hope this helps a little with your grooming.

Jane Towers
www.enjanicka.co.uk