Topic: Wash and brush?

[kenkew]

My dog has a problem with her hips so I'm a bit careful about not letting her run too much, walking is fine but sometimes she needs her back-end combing and brushing. I do it carefully so as not to hurt her hips. The rest of her isn't a problem, in fact she loves it but the slightest pull (not tug) on her back-end and she's not happy.
 The question is, is it easier to brush and comb if I bathe her first or just stick to taking my time trying to untangle the mess while she's dry?

[asbean]

You could try trimming the fur - short hair is less likely to have tangles in and is easier to brush and comb.

[Emagggie]

We find with Mollie-the-Collie that it's easier to 'operate' on freshly bathed dog when her coat is dry. Mostly I use a wide toothed dog comb, then the spiky brush, finishing with a bristle brush and a rub over with a velvet cloth to make her shine. It's a very regular occurrence here- she's a very mucky dog ::) ;D
Have you tried brushing her while she is laying down Ken? It might not pull her about so much.

[norfolklass]

have you tried brushing or combing her while you're bathing her?
I've never bathed a dog, but I find it much easier to detangle my hair under running water when I'm rinsing it
(I do use conditioner though...)

[debster]

what about no tangle baby shampoo!

[kenkew]

Brushing her in the bath might work. Don't know what female aggro I'm going to get from that, mind you!
 Using anything other than dog shampoo I thought was a no-no, although what could be wrong with a quality lanolin type?

(She's still all matty and looks really worried when I go into the brush drawer) :-\

[norfolklass]

you might want to invest in one of those plug hole strainers for catching hair!

[Emagggie]

.....and a rubber mat for the bottom of the bath. As for shampoo, non allergenic seems to be ok- the fancy stuff might irritate. If you do comb her wet, maybe a dollop of conditioner (non perfumed etc.) on the worst bits,rub in to the hair well, and comb with very wide toothed comb starting at the bottom of her legs/back and working your way up whilst it's on, then rinse thoroughly. I don't suppose that it can hurt occasionally.

[oggiesnr]

First question is why do you bathe her?  Unless ours have been rolling in something really bad we don't.

We let any mud dry (and one is a long haired collie) and then little but often with a micro-fine brush along the nap of the fur.  It may just be our two but all our dogs so far have kept themselves clean and we just groom them as needed.

Steve

[kenkew]

She's bathed about twice a year even tho she's pretty muddy at times. Usually a good rub with a towel removes most of the mud and she sees to the rest.
 I've found a wide toothed comb which has revolving teeth. Brushed gently it's slowly doing the trick with the tangles.