Inside Advice from a Doggie Expert!

Being the first day of Crufts I thought I’d share with you some inside advice about which are the best shows to go to and tips on the best way to groom and wash your dog (and my crazy but very loving Border Collie). Well who better to go to than top collie breeder Margaret from the Collienet resource? Having fallen in love with ‘Lassie’ from an early age she became involved with showing in the late 80s and she hasn’t looked back since! Her many successes have included Bhyllsacre Troubador, Layfette Shades of Delight, Sweet Tiffin, Pa Solsidan, Perryswood Blue Chrystal and Chantique Simply Smashing. So myself being a complete novice I asked Margaret which she thought were the best shows for me to go to and whether it was worth going along to Crufts... she told me that Crufts is great, and for someone like myself the Discover Dogs section is particularly interesting – it’s the place to be if you are trying to choose a dog and for the children to get to know the many different breeds. However the car parking can be challenging so only go if you are prepared to put up with the busy car park!

However she advised me that Dog Shows that are done in conjunction with Agricultural Shows are brilliant for families because they don’t restrict the children to seeing just the dogs. This year I’m now thinking of going to the Tatton Park Fun Dog Show, Just Dogs Live and the Okehampton & District Agricultural Show – (I’ll keep you posted!)

For general dog hair removal Margaret has some suggestions, like myself she uses Caraselle’s Pet Hair Rollers to clean up in between hoovering (see my previous blog on the many uses of the Mighty Lint Remover).  She recommends getting a specialist vacuum cleaner best suited for pet owners to minimise the bulk of hair and grooming for at least 10 minutes a day ideally – I’m guilty of missing this step sometimes, like many others I’m sure!

Surprisingly she pointed out that short-haired dogs could create even more problems when removing hairs than long-haired dogs. Whilst my border collie produces a mass of hairs all over the wooden floor and upholstery, short haired breeds have much coarser hair which sticks in fibers and makes it harder to remove… so don’t be fooled into thinking that having a dog with short hairs means you won’t have to remove hairs in your home!

Margaret suggested brushing them when sitting watching telly at night… makes you more likely to do it! (you could get rid of hairs from your sofa with a lint roller at the same time!) Whilst you may want the undercoat when you are showing dogs, the best way to remove it is to groom frequently… apparently on certain breeds the easiest removal is when you can see it lifting from the skin slightly because it comes away more easily then. The most common cause of dog hair loss is seasonal change, but I was surprised that she mentioned that hair loss is also affected by their food – so if you change their food you may notice a change in their hair loss.

I wanted to find out from Margaret whether I should be bathing my dog more frequently and what the benefits are. She’s not a great believer in bathing dogs too frequently because it makes their hair less water tight… but if you do wash your dogs try to let them dry naturally which is better because the heat from the hair dryer will make them loose oils – in a similar way that it does for us of course! Naturally as Margaret points out, the frequency a dog will need a wash will depend on the breed of dog (length of hair) and what they are doing in between washes! She told me that you can get some lovely grooming shampoos and sprays, so that with a light spray over the coat your dog can have a tangle free, conditioned and shiny coat… you can even get one which smells of Baby Powder, and Margaret can vouch that it will give your house that lovely Baby Powder smell!

So a house with fewer dog hairs and a lovely smell… thanks Margaret! Check out our wide range of Pet Hair Removers and keep an eye out for an article next when I’ll interview Jonathan B about some great new products coming soon!