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Bathing your
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Bathing
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Your Coton, being white, will probably find himself getting into some dirty messes now and then. If they didn't, unlike regular dogs that get stinky from the oils in their skin, they'd never need a bath at all! No need to buy silkening shampoos, or shampoos that add shine to hair; your Cotons hair isn't supposed to have shine, his hair should be dry, soft, and not shiny, the lack of those extra oils in their hair and skin are what gives them their unique hypo-allergenic quality.
My favorite line of dog grooming products is Espana, the Espana Silk Protein Shampoo is my usual choice, (and I love their detangler) but I sometimes choose puppy shampoos, or medicated shampoos from other places as well. Whatever you choose, make sure it's gentle, preferably mostly natural ingredients, and make sure if it's scented, it's a scent you like and both you and your dog aren't allergic to. You can do a small spot test on both of you, just dab a bit on and leave it there 10-15 minutes. If there's no redness, it should be fine. Some people like to make sure they have a tear-free type shampoo around, in case they have to wash their dogs face, near the eyes. Sometimes regular shampoos just don't keep your dog looking his whitest. This is when you use a whitening shampoo. A lot of whitening shampoos are a little bit harder on their coat, so generally should not be used more than necessary to keep them looking nice. I have tried every possible whitening shampoo out there, and have had mixed results. Some are stinky, some leave residue, some just don't work. The best results I've gotten are using he following process: 1) Rinse to wet hair thoroughly. Apply whitening shampoo on entire dog. Make sure to get it worked into paw hair that may be extra stained. You can use a toothbrush to carefully get the undereye area, but don't get it in their eyes. Let sit on dog for 5-10 minutes. 2) Rinse thoroughly 3) Apply regular dog shampoo, lather and rinse thoroughly. |
Drying
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Blot your dog dry, don't scrub (that causes snarling). Never try to comb out your dog when they're wet, it will stretch, damage and break their hair. And blow dry or air dry as usual. If you get a decent quality high velocity dog dryer, their hair will dry much faster and make things less tedious all around. This is also very helpful for drying them quickly in the winter, when they can collect huge amounts of snowballs, or on rainy days. Initially, they act somewhat frightened about blow dryers, mostly the loud noise, but as time goes on, they accept them fully. Some of the more expensive dryers are quieter, but you'll find most dogs can get used to any of them. Just don't coddle too much, act like nothing is wrong and they get over it. I do allow them to cuddle into me as I dry them, but I don't allow myself to make comments like "Oh poooor baby..... so scared.. I'm sorrry.... it'll be over soon... " They know your tone, and they seem to think there is then a reason to be afraid. This holds true with most things that might be scary, fireworks, storms, bigger dogs, etc. Watch to be careful that you aren't allowing the hair to twist up as it dries, as that can create some awful snarls. I use the flat attachment, and just hold it so that I can see the hair going flat and not twisting or tornado-ing. Never blow into the eyes. nose or ears. I usually just get the neck good and dry, sneak a few stray shots onto the beard to dry that, and then do a tiny bit on the top of their head so the hair there is fluffed up. Make sure you also remember to dry their paws, any moisture left behind can turn the hair a dark reddish "stained" color. Choosing a high velocity dryer can be overwhelming, there are countless types and huge variances in price. Crate dryers, that attach to their dog crate or sit outside it, aimed at them, seem like an easy, good idea. But they're not nearly as effective at fluffing up the hair on your Coton to achieve results similar to the groomers. It's a personal choice, as to what you like. If you're just looking for a small, effective dryer for home use, I have found this one to be a good choice: |
