Some grooming questions

Wanted to get some idea of how everyone here grooms their Cavaliers.

What sort of shampoo do you use? Do you use a conditioner? How often do you brush your dogs?

I've been using Earthbath shampoo, but I'm going to switch to Chris Christensen soon--I hate that Earthbath's smell doesn't last more than 2 days. As Lyra's fur has grown longer now, the fur on her neck has become a curly mess! It picks up dirt more easily so I've been wondering if there is some sort of secret to making the fur straighter? (Today I experimented with using conditioner on her coat, and then blowing her neck fur straight down... but it's still kind of curly)

Also, her ears are longer now, but they pick up quite a bit of dirt when she sniffs on the ground, so I've been finding some mats in there. Should I use conditioner on her ears as well? Will this help at all?

I have been using a pin brush and a greyhound comb for day to day brushing, but was recently told off by a friend who said that using a greyhound comb will make the fur brittle and break off? Is this true?

Hi

We groom nightly and do use Ice On Ice by Chris Christensen though we do not cut any hair only trim to tidy and we get that done by the
professionals every eight weeks .We use a small wooden pin brush and a small wooden slicker brush to tidy up and remove any detrius they
may have picked up ambling about on their walks ,the horror time is summer when people mow their grass then they get covered in thousands
of grass cuttings and it takes ages to clean them up again as even in summer I keep them all with their full Cavalier coat .

http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk/acatalog/Chris_Christensen_Grooming_Spray.html#a498

I saw Ice on Ice at the store the other day and was wondering if I should get it, but decided not to.. I only got the day to day shampoo and conditioner. I will buy the Ice on Ice spray the next time I go! Does it work very well?

I need to keep Lyra in her full coat as well (because I'm going to show her soon), so no trimming except for under her paw pads. Potty time can be a mess nowadays especially if she has soft poop!

Lol, I cannot imagine how to get rid of all the tiny bits of grass off the fur, though!

I use the Chris Christensen Day to day moisturising shampoo and conditioner.
I love it because it doesn't have a strong fragrance but leaves a nice shine on the coat and.
The ice on ice is very good as it offers a little protection against minor staining and supposedly has sun protection built in.I think it leaves the coat with a very natural texture.
Get a natural boar bristle brush(doesn't have to be an expensive brand).
Pinhead brush and a wide tooth comb.
A slicker brush is helpful but I'm forever impaling my fingers on the darn thing.
You can always give her a mini wash if the skirts become stained.
http://www.drydogcoats.co.uk
Drydog coats like that are excellent for drying and keeping the coat in place.
Sins

Hi Brian is that the chris christensen pin brush with the wooden pins have been looking at that lately and thinking of purchasing currently i use the cc gold pin brush and the cc buttercomb and i have 3 cc slickers but rarely use them i use ice on ice also and find it great but i am thinking of the wooden pin brush now its supposed to be really good for cavs and myra is in a fairly full coat also i am also thinking of starting her on groomers evening primrose oil wonder has anyone tried that? The wooden pin brush is fairly expensive do you think it was worth the money?

Hi Shan
This is the one I bought http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk/acatalog/Pin_Brush.html its the 27mm ref 2442 ,I find it does the
job for me and its small enough to pop in your pocket ,and the slicker is ref 3258 http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk/acatalog/Slicker_Brush.html
Best Wishes

brian

I seem to be in a minority here, as neither of my two get any special anything when I groom them! They get bathed about 3 or 4 times a year (I did bath Oliver a bit more often when I showed him regularly, but you need to do this 3 or 4 days before a show to give the coat time to settle). They get thoroughly brushed and combed 2 or 3 times a week, using an ordinary wooden handled, double-sided brush and plain comb from the pet shop. Aled has huge ears, but as I don't show him, if he gets a tangle I just cut it out. If their eyes get tear stained, I wipe them with witch hazel. Again, not showing, paws are trimmed so that they don't get too muddy - Oliver's hair on his paws grows enormously long!

The most important conditioner for any dog's coat is good food and plenty of exercise to keep them fit - this will show in a shiny coat and bright eyes. As far as getting grubby is concerned, Eileen Booth has a great quote in her book 'All about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel' along the lines of 'If your Cavalier gets muddy, let it dry and by the next morning it will have gone - you just don't ask where!'

Kate, Oliver and Aled

Castlelack canine products are a company based in Bandon, Co Cork.
I get almost all my doggy stuff there..
They deliver next day to your door.They only charge for the cost of postage/carriage
http://www.ccpdogs.ie/product_info....40402&osCsid=6296ebcebfbaf5b5903b977b3aa39044
That's the brush I bought when Holly was a puppy. Still works perfectly for less than €11.
and a show tech pure bristle brush for €30.
You can spend a fortune on other products which do exactly the same.
I bought a blaster and grooming table on e bay.
CCP often have stalls at shows,so it's worth visiting the shows at Cloghran or the shows at Iniscarra as you can have a good look around at the various products.
Sins

Hello Sins

With your mention of Bandon it brought back memories of a two week holiday at a lovely house we hired in Leap about ten years ago.

Thats Luke who is now 16 and 6ft .

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This was our holiday cottage .

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I was trying to hand feed the local animals by buying chicken legs ,lamb chops ,eggs and all
sorts and I think another week and I would have .Two weeks af peace tranquility and beauty
and I would still like to move over and live there some day .Thats dawn up on the balcony and
I even had a Honda then a shuttle it was called nice and roomy.


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That photo of the fox is pretty amazing,but most incredible of all...you had sunshine??

Sins

Hi Sins

I thought the sun always shone there cos you live there .

Brian, that picture of the fox is unbelievably cool! I've always loved foxes.

Thanks for your input, everyone. I've been skipping conditioner the past couple of months because I was told that Cavaliers don't need it, but Lyra's fur was starting to look dry, so I am using it now. The dogs get bathed once a week (because it's hot and icky here in Asia) so I think conditioner is a must.

I rinse Lyra down pretty often because she sometimes gets poo stuck onto her butt--so I just spray her down with water and then she's clean again.

Also, I looked into getting a whitening shampoo, but was told that I can't use that every week as it is very drying to the coat. Lyra's coat is pearly white (even her "skirts", because I use baby wipes after every time she pees & poops), even her paws, because I'm a clean freak and after every walk outside, the dogs get their paws cleaned with a wet towel. The only part of her that's a little off-white (not noticeable when dry, but you can see it when wet) is the ends of her tail, presumably because when she sits on the floor, her tail picks up dirt and dust.

i went ahead a bought a wooden pin brush it is the best brush i have ever used on myra coat it just glides through no pulling i did not get the chris christensen one i found one cheaper at christies direct beautiful quality i got the small size it was shown as an oblong shape but when it arriived it was oval rang to enquire and he said website picture is wrong and it is the medium one that is oblong
Anyway either one would be good i am sure. It is so nice i am going to order a medium one for myself and my daughter i also bought a teflon coated comb and it is very good also . it was my first time using the site and the service was excellent next day delivery to southern ireland if ordered by 12noon. The name of the brush and comb is groom professional if anyone is thinking of ordering . I also bought a bottle of ear wash same brand very good prices i thought.

well my dog needs trimming as her feet hairs grow so long that when she wee's her feet stink of wee after.......gross!!
She also has a habit after i brush her hair or bath her she rolls around in her bed and on my bed going crazy and matts her ears up grrrrrr