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Canine Grooming Fact or Fiction

© Chris Chamberlin

Fact or Fiction

Call it myths or old wives tales, most of the time there is but a grain of truth in the do's and don'ts of doggy facts.

How many times have you heard the one that says "You shouldn't bathe a dog more than twice a year!" That it destroys theirs coats. Well now, if that little titbit were true, those POOR show dogs with their glorious coats would be bald. With dog shows every weekend and more, those purebreds are bathed at a minimum once a week.

This myth came about when shampoos consisted of a bar of lye soap and a lake was used instead of tub with warm water. Long before grooming shops and ph shampoos and conditioners for dogs bathing your dog routinely this way would have caused dry skin and dull coats. It is reasonable to say that these dogs did not receive regular brushing either. The truth comes in on this myth when you don't use conditioning shampoo and or conditioners. Harsh soaps can dry a coat. If you bath your dog like a show dog would be bathed, once a week, then you MUST compensate the natural oils his skin produces to condition his coat, with quality conditioners that are ph balanced for dogs. I recommend using a dog shampoo but if you use people shampoos on your dog, please nothing stronger than baby shampoo. Dogs have sensitive eyes too so buy the tearless kind.

Another myth is "Never cut the hair away from a sheepdog's eyes." Many folks believe this applies to all long-haired dogs who have hair that grows over their faces. The sun WILL NOT hurt their eyes folks! This one was for the herding dog to keep the dust out of his eyes while in the field, not the sun. For the most part the hair never directly covered their eyes in the first place. At the time of herding in the sheep, they were sheared just like the animals they tended. They would not be able to do their jobs in the field if they had remained long. It should be also noted that those dogs would not have the profuse coat of the show dog either. Leaving long hair in front of your dog's eyes or over your dog's eyes will collect dust and dirt and inevitably cause eyes problems. Adorable bows can be used to keep the hair back or even a nice trim job to help maintain clean clear eyes and good eye sight.