This blog is a follow on from my blog on home grooming. GET PREPARED FIRST First things first, get what you need ready so you are prepared, know what area your going to dry in and where the dog is going after the bath. If your lucky enough to have a big enough bathroom this makes it easier, but if you have a tiny bathroom do not worry just plan with the space you have. Make sure you have treats ready and make sure the dog is going to be secure. Sometimes in England we do get the rare treat of warm weather, so if it is warm and sunny you could wash outside. Ideally the coat should be brushed before and after the bath for longer coated breeds to prevent it getting matted. Gather together what you need towels, shampoo, possibly conditioner for longer or wool coats, brushes, bath mat, safe are to use a hairdryer, away from bathroom obviously. We recommend Use a good pet shampoo we personally recommend using a brand called Aqueos antibacterial dog shampoo, its brilliant on sensitive skin good value and its antibacterial, we have also been informed its effective against cleaning the coat for Covid-19. Aqueos can be purchased from us. There are other pet shampoos out there that will be fine to use but just may not give as good result, always choose a dog shampoo for sensitive skin. A good conditioner is also useful for any dogs that have a long coat or a wool coat, it helps with tangles and releases matting, most conditioners are fine just make sure they are not too highly scented. A couple of towels and a bath mat is useful just to stop too much water getting everywhere. A good slicker brush for brushing out long coats and wool coats or a rubber brush such as a Zoom groom for short haired coats like a Labrador. A detangle spray may be necessary for dogs with long coats, we recommend the mane and tail detangler , but there are a wide variety available in pet stores and online. Wear and apron trust me on this dogs shake you will get wet ! Always use warm water from a shower or a bucket, a lot of people get tempted to use a hose, which is fine to just blast off mud from the legs but for bathing a cold hose is not good, its obviously not going to be nice for the dog as you can imagine being doused in cold water even when the weather is hot is not nice at all, further to that its actually not good for the body either to be put into a shock or prolonged cold water, so tepid or warm water is better even in warmer weather tepid is better than cold. We also sell natural dog deodorant for finishing and you many want a shine spray for longer coats. Bath time If you are using the bath to put your dog in make sure you have a bath mat down to prevent slipping as this may cause injury or the dog to panic. Get the water to the right temperature you can test it on your wrist first this gives a good indication of temperature. Start by wetting the dog down from the tail end this means you can introduce the water slowly and gradually get them used to it rather that going in head first which for some dogs is too much. Work your way gently around the dog ensuring you get nice and wet, but avoid getting water in the ears, . If you are bathing in the garden with a bucket you could use a jug to get the water over the dog a bit at a time rather than throwing a full bucket over the top. Once your dog is nice and wet and (you probably are too) its shampoo time. Some shampoo can be diluted so read the bottle before you get going. This time start at the head end gently working the shampoo into the coat and down the body, make sure you do not get shampoo near the eyes or inside the ears, do not be stingy get a really good lather all over and give that coat a good scrub , if you have a short coated breed and a zoom groom or rubber brush you can use it to work in the shampoo. If you have a long haired breed try not to scrunch and rub the coat up too much as this can cause it to matt, its better to do it in sections and use your fingers to rub the shampoo through the lengths. If you and your dog are not really enjoying the experience you can use conditioner over the top of the shampoo but if its going well its best to rinse off the shampoo before using conditioner. When you use conditioner if the dog is long haired then you can apply all over but in some cases a dog may just have some long bits such as ears, tail, feathers, if the dog is short coated you wont need conditioner. When you get to rinsing rinse from the head down this is because it helps to wash any dirt down and off the body. Make sure you rinse well, use your hands to check all areas to ensure that your dog is free of product. The water should run clear when all product is rinsed off. You should now have a squeaky clean dog that is sweet smelling. Drying Time First of all use your hands to run over the dogs body to push off any excess water. Next get your towel and rub the dog over in the bath, its best to get rid of as much excess water in the bath before getting out to avoid the madness of a wet dog flying round merrily spreading water. Carefully get the dog out and place onto a bath mat, then using the second towel give them a very thorough rub down, again if the coat is long or a wool coat try to scrunch dry and this will avoid rubbing in knots and matting. If the weather is warm and your dog is short haired you can now just let them run around and they will dry, this can also help cool dogs down in hot weather. However if you have a dog with a long or thick coat its time to reach for the hair dryer. Its a good idea to have practised getting your dog used to a hair dryer before this time but if you have not then just start slow. Begin by turning the dryer on a just place it down so the dog can get used to the noise once you pick it up just hold it away from them for a few minutes, again this helps them accept it. Its always best if your dog is not so keen to get someone to help, they can feed the dog treats and hold on whilst you dry. Start at the back of the dog facing away from the head and start to dry, make sure the air is not too hot and keep a little distance just as you would if drying your own hair. If the dog is short haired you will need to rub the hair to help get the air to dry it and if its slightly longer or a wool coat you will need to brush as the hair dries. For long coats dry in a downwards motion using your hands to separate the hair and dry it in sections this will help prevent drying in tangles. As it begins to dry use the brush with the air to help groom it out and get rid of tangles. For Wool coats or slightly thicker coats again use the brush to brush the hair as it dries this helps to remove knots and matts. You can buy detangle sprays which can be useful with longer coats when drying, but do not use too much. Take extra care drying around the head area and try to keep the air away from eyes and inner ears, many dogs do not tolerate around the head being dried so do not loose faith if you can get it dry. Eventually you should be nice and dry if your dog is short coated this is pretty much it just have a general check over ears,eyes, nails and skin then unless you are finishing with a dog deodorant your done. If your dog is long haired or wool coated you still have some to do. So if you are tackling longer hair or wool coat once its dry you should have got it brushed out to some extent, however its important that you now finish off by doing a really good brush and comb all over to make sure all tangles are out. Sometimes it helps with longer silky coats to put through a shine spray but we recommend a natural shine spray like a coconut oil or an olive oil based spray. Hopefully this helps but as usual if there is anything missing or you have a question please feel free to ring us at the shop and we can help answer any questions. If you would like to buy any of our products for bathing feel free to call in we always have some for sale in our shop.

There are a huge amount of all different types of spaniel. The first thing I can say is honestly they are mostly nutty lovely but nutty, with of course a few exceptions. My first proper dealings with a spaniel where when I was about 18 and my best friend at the time owned a small cavalier king Charles spaniel, she went everywhere with us and was a very sweet dog very well tempered. Since then a lot of years have passed and over the years I have met a great many more spaniels. For a while a lived with two springer spaniels and they were a delight but I should mention that they where also mad and escaped, ran off and did a great deal of many other things, but this could have been helped if they had had more training which as I was only living with them a while I did not get the chance to do. The main thing is they loved their owner and they where very happy. There are a great many types of spaniel from the Working Cocker to the Field spaniel. I find that when trained and focused they can be very extremely efficient and obedient dogs the working cocker for example. You yourself do have to put in some work though especially with spaniels such as the show cocker whom given the chance will run mad circles round you and be totally crazy very loving and silly but crazy. As far as grooming goes it really depends on the type of spaniel you choose. If you have for example a show cocker if you can keep up regular brushing you may want to leave it in full coat like a proper show dog, but this is rarely the case and most people choose to have a shorter version of the clip or have the dog short all over, which is much easier for maintenance and probably feels nicer for the dog. Most working cockers we have in are also clipped especially those who are actually working, it helps to keep out the thistles and undergrowth when they are doing their job. Cavaliers are not normally clipped but trimmed up and kept tidy. To sum up I would say that spaniels do make lovely all round dogs. Good with family's or one man dogs, or to do a job but as normal it is vital to do your research and get the right spaniel for you. Think about what spare time you have and if you can commit to regular grooming. I always say this but please do check rescue centres and breed rescue groups before buying, it may take time and effort to find the right dog for you but out there somewhere just waiting is a loving rescue dog.

So after my previous blog on Golden retrievers onto a totally different type of dog the terriers. Well this breed covers a very wide range from the Border Terrier to the Airedale and although they are all very different there is one thing that unites all terriers and that is their sheer will, determination and feisty nature. After owning a Jack Russel x Border Terrier for the past 13 years and my parents owning two West Highland White terriers also working with many a terrier I feel I can give you an accurate picture on exactly what you will be letting yourself in for if you decide you want to venture into the land of terriers. Do not be deceived into thinking that if you get a small terrier it will be easier because in wont necessarily be so. Although its obviously a lot easier to manage a smaller dog than a larger one. The largest of the terrier group is the Airedale and the smallest of the group is the between the Jack Russel and the Yorkshire terrier. Onto what to expect from your terrier. Expect spirited, energetic, attitude from your terrier which needs good training right from the beginning. If you put in the hard work you will end up with a very loving companion who will give you hours of entertainment and a great side kick for walks. If you underestimate the feisty side of a terrier and do not put in some work you may well end up with a nightmare on your hands and a dog that will happily try and control you not the other way round. I have very fond memories of one of my mothers West highland white terriers trying to hang of trousers legs if anyone attempted to run in front of him . I have also witnessed the death of my hoover courtesy of my Jack Russel as he liked to chase it round the lounge and attack. However as well as this shows just how determined the terrier is I might also add that when I was fostering children my Jack Russel Frederick was extremely good with them as he is with cats and chickens. I think that Terriers are a fantastic group of dogs. Depending on what type of terrier you choose they do not necessarily need too much grooming but obviously this highly depends on what you decide upon for example a Border Terrier or wire haired type terrier would need to be clipped or hand stripped but a smooth haired Jack Russel may not need much at all. As far as being part of the family goes they can make an exciting fun addition but I think terriers are definatley better with older children this is not to say they cant be fine with younger children but you do need to have strict ground rules with terriers and always keep an eye on what you kids are doing during interaction with the dog. So many times dogs get the blame for things that are not really their fault which is very sad. I think its just very important to know your breed well before you get into a lifetime commitment. For example terriers do nip not necessarily bite but nip but to a child this can be alarming and result in them getting hurt but this is usually because play time has become too rough and dog and child become over excited. So I think if your situation fits and you want some fun and a very spirited friend with a lot of character then the terrier group is a great option. As I will always say please please look at all rescue shelters small and well known also breed rescue groups. We have so so many dogs in this country who need a home before we go breeding more puppies, you can find all ages and all types of very loving rescue dogs.