Shaving your short haired dog! PLEASE don't do it! (our opinion)

Sigh! We decided to write this as summers are here and bulk of the calls we receive include the ones below:

"mujhe labra ki cutting karini hai"   - I want to get my labrador for a hair cut

"aap pug ka haaircut karte hai" - Do you cut a  pugs  hair

"mujhe st bernard (pronunced st beeeernard) ke bal katne hai , usko bahut garmi lagte hai - I want to cut my St bernards hair as he feels very hot. (We know its 43 degrees out there, were sweating too)

"mere labra ke bal bahut shedz karte hai : My labrador sheds allot? 

We try to explain these dog owners the reason for not cutting their hair as we feel its totally wrong and leads to more skin infections, skin issues, bug bites and skin cancer through exposure though the sun for these dogs.

 WHYYY! do people do it, few of them we come across just seem to have the wrong information and feel that cutting off hair will keep the hair and heat away! Yes the intention are correct as they do care for their dogs but our jobs as groomers is not to fleece people and take their money (because we totally can make more money if we take labradors haircuts ) but to provide them with our opinions so they can make an informed choice. Its SIMPLE: dogs do not sweat like people do to cool themselves,  they pant and they coat does not effect their ability to pant


Few of them when we try to give them our professional advice just don't listen and are super rude and cut the phone! Fair enough if you think you know better and if you think it suits your dog. But after we researched online and having 3 short haired dogs ourselves our strong opinion is totally against cutting of hair in these breeds. It is basically not required and your making it worse for the dog than better. Few vets and few grooming places in Delhi do not even give the pet owners the correct information and simply tell them to shave it off as obviously they make more money. It is very frustrating as vets and groomers should act in the best interest of the dogs but surprise they DONT! (money is obviously what makes the words go around)

Reasons why people want to shave them off:

- HEAT
- HAIR SHEDDING


HOW DOES HAIR HELP THEM:
-Protects them from the heat by acting as a natural insulator (both from harsh cold and heat)
-Protects from the the harsh rays of the sun so more sunburns (would you go to the beach without sunblock)
-Protects them from bug bites, dirt, debris & other natural elements
-They are more prone to skin cancer, heat exhaustion
-If you cut off the hair the shedding won't stop but they will just shed sharper, smaller hair


Breeds in which it is not required to cut off hair at all according to us:
-Labradors
-Pugs
-Beagles
-Boxers
-Dalmatians & other shorter haired coats

Breeds in which we recommend for the summer you have to get a good -UNDERCOAT REMOVAL/DE-SHEDDING treatment and possibly a slight trim on the back (hocks), under the belly (belly patch -so that when they sit on the floor they organs can cool down faster), under the neck and basically just to neaten them up and make their visual appearance tighter.

-German Shepherds
-Golden Retrievers
-Huskies (can do with only a good de-shedding treatment)
-St Bernards & more

In the above dogs what needs to be done is that the undercoat needs to be removed, this dead hair is trapped under and makes them feel hotter. Please do your research before you take such a step and don't hate us for speaking the truth!

Still need proof READ THIS and make an informed choice before heading to the groomers, we are here to help your dogs!

http://petgroomingthegoodthebadthefurry.blogspot.in/2012/03/shaving-shepard.html

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/grooming.html

http://www.examiner.com/article/to-shave-or-not-to-shave-your-dog-for-summer

http://www.dogforums.com/dog-grooming-forum/27479-groomers-do-you-clip.html

http://allaboutlabradors.blogspot.in/2008/06/shaving-my-labrador-retriever.html

Know your brushes

We often come across people who do not know what sort of brushes exist for their dogs. Pugs are seen often using wide tooth combs, furminators on great danes & many more. While the intentions are correct there is very limited information that dog owners are aware of when it comes to using brushes. We have compiled below a list of brushes to the best of our knowledge , what they look like and what sort of dog breeds they be used on so your dogs hair is always looking lustrous, silky and soft!

Buy online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/brushes

-SLICKER BRUSH

This brush is most appropriate for longer haired dogs such as poodles, shihtzus & other mixed terrier breeds. This comes in various sizes and the brush looks sort of like needles! Hence it is very important to be careful of not to put too much pressure while brushing as this may lead to brush burns on the dog. The most effective way is to make little scoops out while brushing. It is very important to learn that if this brush is used on poodles, apsos, shih-tzu and other longer haired dogs then care be taken to brush out the hair from the roots out. It will not help simply to brush on the outside as this will just brush the top coat and won't brush the hair insiside whichh is the most problematic as it leads to the formation of matts in the coat.

Thats what a slicker looks ike the ones we use in our spa,  it may look like a torture device to you and possibly the dogs feel the same! But this brush should be your longer haired dogs best friend! So its better to start early to get your dog used to being groomed , reward them after with delicious treat (possibly from our store) so that they associate it with happy time!

The harder the needles on the brush the better it is as it will last longer and help comb out the hair better, they should not be easily bendable BUT bear in mind it is very important to brush gently if done too hard it may lead to bad brush burns that will hurt your dogs skin! If you can please also buy anti tangle products, conditioning sprays etc and spray those before brushing so as to not break & damage the hair while brushing. 

USED FOR:

• Shih Tzu
• Poodles
• Bichon Frise
• Lhasa Apso
• Terrier Mixed Breeds
• Pomerian
• Cocker Spaniels - English and American
• Maltese & other medium to long haired dogs

The ones available in store from Groom master are below:

 Small Size: INR 225/-    Medium Size:  INR 299/-      Large Size: INR 375

Shop online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/slickerbrush

-WIDE TOOTH COMB

This looks like a comb you can use on your own hair but the only difference is that the teeth are closer together so can then comb out silky hair from longer haired dogs. You may be tempted to use a human one on your dog but it is better to get one from a pet shop (Red Paws..lol!) so that it works well on your pet. This brush again needs to be used from the roots outwards so all the knots & undercoat can be removed properly. It is quite annoying to use this brush on your dog as it takes so loooong but it is really beneficially to keep the coat mat free. Be sure also to use detangling sprays and conditioners so that hair comb out better and don't break. The ones we use at the spa are pictured below.

USED FOR:

• Shih Tzu
• Lhasa Apso
• Terrier Mixed Breeds
• Cocker Spaniels - English and American
• Maltese & other medium to long haired dogs

The ones we have in store are pictured below and are in the price range of INR 275 - INR 350.

- FLEA COMB

The name says it all! The teeth are very very close together to remove those nasty fleas that keep hounding your pooch! This is good to use after a flea and tick bath to help remove the dead bugs from the skin and coat.

These are available in store for INR 300

USED FOR:

All dog breeds suffering from the uninvited guests residing in their coats!  

Shop online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/comb

-RAKE

This brush is great for dogs that tend to have allot of undercoat and need regular brushing to help remove the excess hair. The undercoat will be all the dead hair and it tends to be very soft to touch. The rake that we use in the spa is pictured below, the double row ones are good for bigger dogs that require have allot of undercoat.

Look at Bagheera below after a simple de-shedding with a rake and a de-shedder. Thats allot of hair removed all by brushing only!

USED FOR:

• St Bernards
• Golden Retrievers
• German Sheperds
• Havanese
• Pekinese
• Pomerians
• Poodles and other breeds that produce allot of undercoat! 

These are the ones available in store for INR 300 - INR 350

Shop online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/rake


-BRISTLE BRUSH

These brushes are generally used in combination with other brushes for your dog. It is a good brush to use on most breeds but it won't really get the job done, if you know what I mean. Its a good brush for Labs, ShihTzus , Pekinese etc but we never really use it in the spa at all.

Theses are available in store for INR 275 onwards

-RUBBER CURRY BRUSHES & KONG ZOOM GROOM 

These types of rubber brushes are great for short haired dogs and it attracts hair like a magnet! If you did not already read our blog post about these amazing brushes read it here: 

http://redpawspetspa.blogspot.in/2014/03/best-brush-for-your-short-haired-dog.html

As we have already written about the Rubber curry in the post above  we won't be going into the details here. But will talk about another great brush for short haired dogs very similar to the rubber curry - The Kong Zoom Groom. This brush works on the same principle like the rubber curry but it is made of better quality material that lasts longer and it rubber spikes penetrate the coat better and efficiently remove more dead hair from your dogs coat.

This is what they look like:

 

                                                     

 Zoom Groom : Available in store for INR 845

Buy online from RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/zoomgroom

We use these in the spa and they work great but after a while the spikes start to wear out due to the friction so you will have to replace it after a while. We have been using the one below for almost 8 months so it has been used on allot of dogs but it is still going strong and we still use in the spa. It is a bit expensive but can be used for a long time and makes for a good investment.

USED FOR:

• Labradors
• Pugs
• Short Haired Chihuahua
• Beagles
• Short Haired Desi/Indian dogs
• Dalmatians
• Daschunds
• Jack Russells
• Basset Hounds
• Boxers
• Great Danes
• Mastiffs
• Rottweiler & many more

If you have any other concerns or want to know more then, please do send us a message and we would be happy to help you out!

Dirty smelly breath, made all minty fresh! ( Dental care for your pooch! )

Sniff your dogs breath, does it not smell like a garden of fresh roses? Do you often wonder what you could do to make your dogs breath smell better so you get those endless licks on your face!

We were also quite clueless about oral hygiene when we had our first dog Red and were quite unaware on how we could prevent her teeth and gums from getting unhealthy. These days there are quite a lot good products that are available through which you can care for your dogs oral wellbeing. Its a good idea to start sooner than later so you can ensure as your dog gets older their teeth and gums are well looked after. 

So the questions remains, how can we start? 

- Get your dog chewing toys and bones

It is a good idea to invest in good quality nylon, rope and rubber toys along with safe to consume raw hide bones. What does this do? 

• Exercises the Jaw
• Makes teeth stronger
• Massages gums
• Different texture on the toy can help scrape away soft and easy to remove tartar 

If you have punjabi grandparents like we do , I am certain you would have heard them say in one of their stories that they used to chew ganna or sugarcane when they were young & when times were simpler!  Why did they do this exactly? This used to help strengthen teeth and help keep gums and mouth clean! The fibre in the sugarcane served as a natural brush while being chewed. In villages today you can still see people chewing on sugarcane stalks. So get some sugarcane and start chewing!  The same principle is applied to your dog when it comes to chewing. 

- What products can I use for my dogs dental care?

There are now an increased number of products available in India which can help you maintain oral hygiene for your pet. Below are reviews of a few products that we have tried and tested. 

Petkin Dental Chew Toy Spray INR 699 

[Available in store now]

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/chewtoyspray

This spray is really good as you just have to spray it on your dogs toy that they love to chew and voila! The chew toy spray will help keep the plaque and tartar at bay and the solution is odourless and as they say "works invisibily"

Petkin Liquid Oral care INR 599 

[Available in store now]
Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/oralcare

This product is great and very easy to use. All you have to do is simply add the solution to your dogs clean drinking water. It lasts very long as well and we noticed with our dogs it really did help keeping the bad breath away. You only have to put a capful into 250ml so we generally added about 2 capfuls to their drinking water bowl and this product also lasted quite long and proved effective. 

Petkin Plaque Spray INR 699 

[Available in store now] 
Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/plaquespray

Now this spray has to be sprayed about 5 -6 times all over the teeth and gums. If your dog is a patient one like the lab we have then its easy to apply but if they jump at the sight of a spray bottle like most dogs then its better to get the liquid oral care. This seemed to work quite well on Phoebex and lasted quite long, its been 2 weeks since we started using this and we would have used up only 1/4th of the bottle.

Pet Head Teeth Wipes 

INR 710 [Available in store now]

These wipes are fairly simple just rub them over the teeth to wipe them clean. Again we would think this would be a bit tedious and most dogs are not happy and not so patient with keeping their mouth open and getting their teeth wiped! Nevertheless a client had used these wipes and she said they worked fairly well on her Yorkie. 

Other than the products above there are also dog tooth brush and brushing kits available. Again this proves to be quite tedious but if your dog is patient and loves to get some teeth cleaning time then again it is advisable to do so. Please do not use HUMAN TOOTHPASTE as this is not good for your dogs tummy. Use the brush and slowly in circular motion brush your dogs teeth like you would do so to your own teeth. These kits are available from INR 250 - INR 400 and obviously they are available in store!!

Alternatively you made need to take your dog for teeth scaling if the tarter and plaque deposits are really bad. (The yellow deposits your dogs teeth). There are vets who provide teeth scaling to keep your dogs teeth clean. We had Phoebex get her teeth scaled as her tarter just needed to be cleaned out as it had gotten quite bad. The procedure was very simple and her teeth were shiny as new after she was done and the bad breath was GONEE! We recommend going to Dr Chaudhary's Pet Clinic in Anand Niketan as they are simply the best and most experienced vets in town from our opinion and always do an amazing job with dogs (both pet and stray). The procedure cost about INR 4000 and was worth every penny we spent! Visit them at:  http://www.choudharypetclinic.com

Our pick from the products above would be the Liquid oral care! Just because it is easy to use , cost effective and works quite well.

Flash that sexy smile! Like zoey does! 

*Please keep in mind what we are writing about in this blog is though our own experiences with our dogs. We do not know the fancy medical names for the different gum and teeth issues, this information is just for the general wellbeing of your pet. In few cases when the problem is severe it would be better to advise with your vet as more extreme measures may have to be taken to fix the problem.

Buy Dental, Ear & Eye products online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/dentaleareye

The groomer said my dog is matted! What does this mean?

We decided the write this blog entry on matted dogs as it seems dog owners have very little information as to what a MAT is! We get dogs that are completely matted looking like ragmuffins  and once we tell the owners that there is nothing we can do other than shave off the close and tight matts they flip out! Everyone wants their Shih Tzu's, Apso , Poodles, Bichons, Maltesers and other long haired dogs to have long hair but what they do not realise is that it takes allot of effort to maintain long hair on these breeds. They need to be brushed atleast 2 times a day to keep their hair and coat tangle free!

So what is a Mat?

It simply means that your dogs hair have gotten tangled! Look below to see what a matted dog looks like! The hair have become severely tangled and the knots have become very tight. This almost must feel like bricks on the poor dog. Imagine not brushing your hair for a week! (Unless your into dredlocks) 

Matted poodle mix  - May not seem so bad but look below   

   

We had no choice but to shave it all off as the mats were so tight and close to the skin. A carpet of hair came off her!

Why are mats bad for the dogs?

Mats that are very severe can be painful for your dogs. Imagine your hair becoming so tangled that it starts pulling on your scalp, thats exactly how the dog will feel. It can also irritate the skin causing infections, ulcers etc . One time we had got a dog with a mat going around his paw like a bangle, in cases like this if the matt is not tended to on time then it can cause the circulation to be cut off! Other than  that it can also lead to more ticks and fleas. Basically mats are excruciatingly painful and seriously need to be tended to on time! So much so that in some countries if the dog is severely matted then it is considered a serious animal abuse offence. 

But I brush my dog, then why does he/she have mats?

The reason for this is incorrect method and tools of brushing your dogs particular coat. Most people either tell their staff to brush the dog or the caretaker (from what we have encountered in the spa) and what mistake is made here is that the coat is only brushed from the top . What really needs to be done is the the hair need to be parted near the skin and the hair need to be brushed from the skin outwards. Brushing only the top coat is not going to help keep your dog mat free! 

It may just seem that we could simply brush the Shih Tzu above, give him a bath and a nice blow dry but what you can't see is all the matted hair underneat his coat! Look what he got shaved down to below. We really should have taken a picture while his matts were being meticulously removed! The owners here again had no idea what a mat was or how they had to brush or how harmful these are for their dog. They seemed to really love the dog but again they did not have the proper information on how to care for their shih tzu, hopefully after they had a discussion with the groomer they will be more thorough with his appointments. 

Why can't the groomer just cut off the mats that exist and leave the rest of the coat length? 

Only small and loose mats can be cut off easily, the ones that are tighter and closer the the skin need to be shaved off. And the amount that can be shaved off depends on how close the mat is to the skin. 

How to avoid mats?

Its fairly simple all you have to do is brush your dog regularly and use the correct tools. If you are unsure then please ask your groomer. Take your dog regularly for their appointments and if you are giving your dog a bath at home PLEASE BE SURE to brush your dog before you give them a bath and if there are too many matts that cannot be brushed out it is better to take them to a professional to get the matts removed first. This is because bathing a dogs with tight matts will only make the matts more tight! 

Have attached a little chart to help understand better. 

  

Courtesy :   http://petgroomingthegoodthebadthefurry.blogspot.in/2013/09/mat-chart.html

Best brush for your short haired dog - The Rubber Curry Comb

Dog owners are always confused on what brush to use for their dogs! Often we come across pug owners using a wide tooth comb on their dog or a Furminator being used on a Great Dane! (A Furminator is a brush with a blade which cuts the undercoat) Yes that actually happened as one of our customers told us about it, I suppose they are not to be blamed as they actually care about their dog and spent about INR 2500 - 4000 to buy a Furmintor. But there is really no one to guide them on what to use and what not to use at pet stores. We ourselves have also learned over time through various dogs coming in with different hair textures, composition and more!

So what is a rubber curry comb!?? [We know the name sounds really strange] 

Its a rubber brush that can be slipped onto the palm of your hand, it is oval in shape and has small rubber teeth on it. Thats the picture of the ones we have in store. We could not find a rubber curry in Delhi once we started the store as no one knew what it was, then one day we came across it while this supplier was showing us the catalogue for brushes. He simply had no idea what it was and called it a Massager! Which is fact is one of the thing it does do for the dog! If you know about horses you will also know that a curry comb is of the grooming tools that they use on horses as it helps keep their skin and coat lustrous.

What Does it really do for the dog?

A rubber curry is great to remove loose dead hair, dirt and debris in short haired dogs. It massages and stimulated the hair follicles and distributes natural oils and gives the coat a nice sheen. Whats not to like! 

What Does it do for you?

Well it gives you a very good workout for your arms and shoulders so when your grooming your dog really get in there and brush like you've never brushed before to attain those perfectly toned arms! Suitable for Men & Women... 

How do we use it?

Slip it on to your palm and simply brush in the direction of the hair growth. The spots where heaps of hair come out are generally on either sides of the tail, under the neck and on the back. Strangely enough you can use this to actually remove allot of dead hair from ears too! 

What dog breeds would this work on?

This would be suitable for short haired dogs. The name a few:

• Labradors
• Pugs
• Short Haired Chihuahua
• Beagles
• Short Haired Desi/Indian dogs
• Dalmatians
• Daschunds
• Jack Russells
• Basset Hounds
• Boxers
• Great Danes
• Mastiffs
• Rottweiler & many more

Often you also may use a combination of the curry comb along with another brush to get the desired results! 

Where can you find this magical piece of equipment?

Where else other than RED PAWS PET SPA AND SHOP , conveniently located in HKV. They come in two sizes and just the single colour pictured above. They are very very cheap and by far the best investment one can make for their short haired dogs! 

Small: INR 200

Large: INR 225

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/rubbercurry

Need some more proof? 

Here is the beautiful Zoey with all the hair that the curry comb removed from her body. 

[Zoey has a very short coat, somewhat like great danes]

Phoebex tends to shed heaps from hair from the strangest places, like her ears!

Curry comb works perfectly for Nikki as well removing much of the loose hair 

If you have any questions please do ask us and we will try our best to help you out! 

{ We will keep adding more information through our blog on different brushes and what to use on what dog over the course of time to the best of our knowledge}

Review on the Hol-ee Roller - The must toy for all dogs!

Having 3 dogs ourselves - a lab who only loves things that roll, a rescued beagle who only likes toys that dispense treats and a very enthusiastic desi who loves to destroy everything! We decided to try the Hol-ee Roller by JW for our dogs!

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/hol-ee

This toy comes in attractive colours and in 3 sizes so even the bigger dogs like great danes, st bernards can enjoy this toy to the fullest. Whats not to like - it rolls, it can be used in water , can dispense treats if you stuff the correct biscuits and the dogs can hold it in their mouths and swing it around (their hunting instincts kick in here) like they just don't care.

For Phoebex- the lab the toy was amazing simply because it rolls! she loves playing fetch with it all the time, up until the time her saliva is just all over the ball and we refuse to throw it anymore!

Nikki - the beagle doesn't play with any toy but we decided to put some dog biscuits into the hol-ee roller and see how she would respond. She starting rolling the ball with her nose and picked it up , took it to her bed and tried to gnaw her way into the toy to get the biscuits out! This lasted all of 20 minutes till she managed to get all the biscuits out!

Zoey - the desi dog, loved the toy because she loves her play time and also loves anything phoebex may have in her mouth. She is a power chewer and destroys almost any toy in minutes but with this toy she was unable to destroy it and she simply enjoyed playing with it! She likes to fling it, chase it and paw it!

We have since then recommended this toy to allot of dog owners , it encourages healthy play time, gets their animal instincts into play as they shake it, paw it etc, it exercises their jaws as they try to gnaw at it and if you are the lucky few who have a pool in Delhi NCR  then its a perfect toy to chuck into the pool and play with your dogs also (we should be friends if you have a pool!)

They are available in 3 colours - Green, Red and Blue
Sizes -  Sml - INR 320, Med - INR 460 & Lrg - INR 550

Buy it online on RedPawsShop.com - http://www.redpawsshop.com/hol-ee

Here is Zoey with her Holl-ee Roller! Available in our store at 29A HKV, visit our website at: www.redpawsonline.com & visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RedPawsPetSpa?ref=hl

Here's a great shot of this cute dog chasing the hol-ee roller in the water! Great click by the famous Seth Casteel

Shaving Labradors - A big NO NO!

MUST READ FOR ALL LABRADOR OWNERS: Summers are coming and the most common request we get is to shave off their Labradors. Our answer is always a big fat NO!

We feel as groomers we have a responsibility to educate pet owners. Few clients understand, few get furious and refuse to understand and take their business elsewhere. YES we would make more money if we shave off a lab but ethically we always try and put the dog first!

Common Myth No 1: Cutting off my labs hair will lead to less hairfall!

Myth busted: Shedding is GENETIC. Which means that you are doing NOTHING constructive by cutting hair; all you are doing is ensuring that they shedsthe same amount of hair, but the hair itself will be shorter

Common Myth No 2: Delhi summers are so hot , shaving will help cool down my baby!

Myth busted: Dogs cool themselves by sweating through their feet and by panting - cutting their hair, believe it or not, will not help them. God has given them hair for a reason, their hair protects them from dirt, debris, the sun and acts as an insulator and helps them keep cool in the summers and warm in winters. Shaving them off just leaves them exposed to the harsh sun, rain, snow & more prone to skin infections.

Look at the difference below in the shaved and unshaved hair of the labrador below!