Grooming is an essential part of

GROOMING IS ESSENTIAL

Below are some helpful hints on keeping your puppy well groomed through adulthood. Also at the bottom of the page are two recipes for keeping your pups ears clean and healthy. They are all natural and easy to find ingredients. If you should have any questions about the recipes or grooming in general don't hesitate to contact us.

Grooming is an essential part of your new puppies well being and health care routine. You must have your cocker groomed every FOUR weeks to maintain a great looking coat and healthy ears and skin. Please plan accordingly with your budget and include this in your care of your new pet. ShiShi Spaniels can be groomed at an interval of every four to six weeks but DO NOT exceed this time frame or your pup will not gain the proper grooming manners.

Grooming is an essential part of good health for your dog. As a professional groomer I can not stress this enough. Do not let this important step as a responsible pet owner get over looked. Below are the breeds listed with their grooming requirements. I have listed links to grooming sites on my links page should you decide to groom your pet at home. It isn't hard and it is a fantastic way to bond with your pet. If home grooming isn't your cup of tea, then I recommend finding a qualified groomer in your area. Remember you are leaving your best friend in someone else's care. Never assume because they are a grooming shop that they are compassionate and know what they are doing. Ask questions, ask to see a photo book of former and regular clients, ask for a tour of the facility, ask about their policy and procedures for grooming, ask if they belong to any national or state grooming association. Lots of things to ask, but in the end you will feel much better about choosing the person that has your dog in their care for up to half a day. You should also know that groomers do not need to have a license to operate, like a cosmetologist. Anyone can purchase a pair of clippers and open a grooming parlor. Know where and how your groomer was educated, don't skimp on price, usually cheap means inexperienced. If at any time you can not see your dog being groomed or wait while they are grooming your pet, go somewhere else. If they have nothing to hide, then they will show you around with pride and explain their procedures with out hesitation. Grooming starts at 6 weeks with all my puppies. I have the luxury of owning a grooming salon, so my pups are washed and fluffed right away. This is to accustom them to the sights and sounds of a grooming salon and also all the feelings of the bath, the dryer and the clipper.

Grooming your cocker spaniel: Cockers MUST be groomed every 4-6 weeks with out hesitation. They have heavy coats that mat and tangle easily. In between grooming sessions they need to be brushed at home daily! If you can't afford to have your cocker professionally groomed or you aren't going to do it yourself, then DO NOT get a cocker spaniel. Visit this site Grooming the Cocker Spaniel to see what grooming your cocker entails and what your cocker should look like after it is groomed.

Grooming your Japanese ShiShi Spaniel: Grooming requirements for the Japanese ShiShi Spaniel are pretty straight forward. The eyes should be cleaned daily and the ears checked regularly for signs of infection. You can keep their thick coats trimmed in a puppy cut, short but not bald, or you can let it grow in to it's full glory, but be prepared, they have a beautiful full long coat, like a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, so it will take diligence to maintain a knot free coat. They do need their pads shaved, their eyes scooped (cleaning the corners of the eyes with a #10 clipper blade) and a basic sanitary trim (cutting the hair that grows on the inside of the legs, mid belly and genital area). Ears must be cleaned well to avoid infection.

Remember to have fun and if you are doing a home grooming don't worry if you mess up. It's only hair and it will eventually grow back. Go by the old rule, less is more when learning to handle a clipper. I am always available to answer your questions regarding grooming and anything else that has to do with your new best friend!

Great preventative care solutions!

BLUE POWER EAR SOLUTION

INGREDIENTS:
16 Oz. Isopropyl Alcohol or Witch Hazel
4 Tablespoons Boric Acid Powder (ask for it at the pharmacy counter)
16 Drops Gentian Violet Solution 1%

Mix together in alcohol bottle and shake well.
You will also need to shake solution every time you use it to disperse the Boric Acid Powder.

TREATMENT: Evaluate condition of ears before treating and if very inflamed and sore do not attempt to pull hair or clean out ear at all.

Wait until inflammation has subsided which will be about 2 days.

Shake the bottle each time before using.
Put cotton balls or similar absorbent material under the ear.
Flood the ear with solution, (gently squirt bottle), massage gently to the count of 60, wipe with a tissue.
Flood again on first treatment, wipe with a tissue, and leave alone without massage.

The dog will shake out the excess which can be wiped with a tissue, cotton ball, etc as the Gentian Violet does stain fabrics.

The SCHEDULE of treatment is as follows:
Treat 2x per day for the first week to two weeks depending upon severity of ears
Treat 1x per day for the next 1-2 weeks
Treat 1x per month (or even less frequently, depending on the dog)

All of these ingredients should be available at a pharmacy.
The Boric Acid Powder soothes the ear.
The Gentian Violet Solution is an anti-infection agent.
The solution appears to work well on any and all ear problems from mites to wax to canker.

After the 2nd or 3rd day you can clean out the ear with a Q-tip or cotton balls.

The success rate for this treatment is 95-99%.

If an infection seems to be remaining in the treated ear after the above course of treatment, you may also have some Pseudomonas bacteria in the site.

This can be eradicated by using a gentle flush of raw apple cider vinegar and water(warm)

Use 2 Tablespoons of vinegar to one cup of water, 2 x per week.

They have found the Blue Powder Solution to be effective for treating fungus-type infections on the feet and elsewhere on the dog, for cuts on dogs or people, and for hot spots.

Remember it is for external use only ..so be careful not to get into the eyes.

HEALTHY EAR RECIPE

1 tube Monistat (generic is fine)

1 tube Polysporin (use the real stuff)

1 tube Cortaid (generic is fine)

Use tubes of similar size. Combine all three in a container that can be closed well. It takes a bit to incorporate as Polysporin is a bit like vaseline. Once incorporated it stays mixed. If ears are gunky, inflamed or smell bad, start with a pea sized dollop twice a day. Use your finger to gently push into the ear. Rub the ear to get it down into the canal. Once you have the ears under control, lessen how often you use it until you're using it only once a week for maintenance.