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Dogs With Dry Skin

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Home Remedy Relief for Dry Skin

Dry Skin on Dogs
The power of oil. It soothes skin on the inside and out.

Does your dog have dry flaky skin? If you’re not sure, lightly rustle or part the fur along your dog’s spine. Don’t fret if a few flakes surface. We have great tried and true home remedy relief for dogs with dry skin right here!

Causes of Dry Skin on Dogs

Dogs naturally lose their undercoats in spring and fall to prepare for the upcoming season. During the spring, dogs shed their thick winter coats, which is logical. They need to prepare for hotter temps. It’s the fall shedding process, which leaves most pet owners scratching their heads. To prepare for winter, dogs must first shed their thinner shorter summer coats to make way for their longer and thicker winter coats. With all these coat changes, this can easily cause most dogs’ skin to dry excessively, which causes flakes. During the cooler months, the lack of humidity combined with home heating systems contributes to our dogs’ dry skin too.

Home Remedy Relief

Remove Undercoat

Removing excessive fur is the first step to ensure home remedy effectiveness for your dog’s dry skin. Using deshedding tools, begin brushing your dog in small sections and sectioning even smaller sections with your fingers. When you brush in small sections, you’re removing all of the dead hair, which means less hair on the sofa. 🙂

Weekly Bathing

Use a colloidal oatmeal-based shampoo, as you bathe your dog weekly, to remove dead skin. Plus, colloidal oatmeal will soothe dry and irritated skin left behind while cleaning the coat. I highly recommend Nature’s Specialties Colloidal Oatmeal Shampoo. This is some good stuff!

RELATED: Does Aromatherapy Dog Shampoo Really Work?

Oil Treatments

Oil treatment works really well for moisturizing dry flaky spots. Allow me to introduce you to Jojoba oil. This stuff is fabulous! Jojoba oil is an odorless and non-greasy oil that softens and smooths dry patches quickly. After bathing, warm the oil by applying a few drops to your finger tips. Massage warmed oil along dry areas, repeating the warming process before applying oil to larger areas. Trust me, a few drops go a long way. Too much will leave a greasy residue, which you want to prevent. Repeat after weekly baths until dry skin disappears.

Supplements

Supplements address dry skin from the inside out. Add fish oil to your dog’s daily meals, which provides much needed fatty acids. Before reaching for any fish oil, it’s vital to provide the right balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids for maximum power so I reach for wild salmon oil. Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil by Grizzly Pet Products is the best out there. Check out their website for benefits of their wild caught oil! When adding oil to your dog’s diet, add small amounts slowly to prevent gastric upset.

When to See the Vet

Contact your vet if your dog’s skin is inflamed, oozing, putrid smelling or covers a large portion of his body. When in doubt, rule it out with your vet. 🙂

What home remedies have you used for dogs with dry skin?

You may also like: How to Make Bath Time Fun for Dogs

Best Deshedding Tool for Dogs

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Dog Grooming Tools

Undercoat Rake
Undercoat rakes work!

Are you tired of wiping dog hair out of your fridge? We are too! Check out the best dog deshedding tool that really works!

Undercoat Rake

Save your hard earned cash and buy an undercoat rake. This tool works wonders! Before all the expensive gadgets came around, the undercoat rake was, and still is, the best tool to remove dead hair and excessive undercoat. Costs range between $10-$25 and they last forever.

What is Undercoat?

Undercoat is the soft downy fur, which provides the fluff to your dog’s coat. It’s also the fluff that clings to your favorite black jacket or lands in a guest’s dinner plate. 🙂 To locate it, part your dog’s coat along his side to reveal the shedding culprit. See the lighter colored and cottony hair? That is undercoat. All dogs have an undercoat. For short-haired breeds, part hair along the top of your dog’s neck. Ah, now you see it!

Funny and annoying thing about undercoats is it must be brushed out or it will shed or mat, depending on your dog’s breed. Personally, I would much rather spend the time upfront brushing undercoat out, then vacuuming months on end.

Choosing an Undercoat Rake

Undercoat rakes have straight metal or plastic teeth positioned closely together to grab and remove dead hair. Rake lengths vary depending on coat length. However, it’s best to choose a shorter tooth rake length to prevent skin damage. Even for longer haired breeds, such as Siberian Huskies, the shorter tooth rake will work just as well, especially if brushed using small sections. Some undercoat rakes boost double rows of rakes. However, they clog up faster, which prevents removing the maximum amount of hair in a short time.

When using an undercoat rake, don’t apply too much pressure or you’ll rake the metal teeth across your dog’s tender skin. Always brush in small sections. Brushing burn (brush-caused abrasions) is painful and require veterinary attention.

What About the Other Deshedding Tools?

There’s an old saying: If you ask 10 dog trainers a question, you’ll get 10 different answers. I agree to a point, but we will agree on the best products out there. Some of the expensive dog deshedding tools actually break the dog’s coat, meaning it shortens the hair shaft instead of removing excessive coat. Before falling for photos displaying mountains of deshedded hair piled next to a dog, look closely at the dog’s coat. You’ll see a ton of undercoat waiting to fly away and cling to the ceiling fan. Yup, the mountain of dog hair is probably broken coat. Don’t break hair. Remove it. 🙂

Agree if you think an undercoat rake is the best dog deshedding tool out there!

Dog Paw Protection

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Cold Weather Tips

Cold Weather Tips
Protect those paws!

Brr. Old man winter sneaked this year. Well, there’s still time to prepare so get your snow boots out. Don’t forgot to follow up on cold weather dog tips and protect your dog’s paws!

Trim Between Pads

Prevent snowball feet! Trim hair between your dog’s paw pads. This prevents balls of snow and ice from sticking between his pads. Not sure what to trim? Flip your dog’s paw over so you can get a good look. See those loose sprigs of hair poking out between the pads? That’s the culprit. Using blunt nose scissors, trim the hair even with the pad. Better yet, ask your groomer to shave between his pads!

Best Paw Protectant Ever

Just like our skin, a dog’s pads will become dry and cracked mostly due to direct contact with winter elements. There is a new product out there and it’s fabulous. The Blissful Dog’s Paw Butter is made from organic ingredients. It’s safe if a dog licks his feet after application and it softens cracked paws in nanominutes. In addition, prices are extremely reasonable (starting at $5) Plus all products are handmade! I stumbled across this product when searching for effective products to soothe dry elbows for Sobek, my Rottie. I was blown away. His elbows were back to normal within a few days.

Winter Dog Booties

When bringing dogs out for short or long winter walks, invest in winter dog booties. Muttluks Dog Boots are still the best out there! Why? They come in many different sizes (which fit even the tiniest dog), are easy to put on and take off, are machine-washable and waterproof and stay on. Yes, they actually stay on your dog’s feet!

Introduce dog booties slowly. This takes 2-3 minutes per day. Expect 3-4 days for most dogs to comfortably walk around while wearing booties.

  • Click and treat when dog touches booties.
  • Touch your dog’s paw with a bootie. Click/treat.
  • Pick up a dog paw and touch toes with bootie. Click/treat.
  • Place one paw in bootie. Click/treat and remove bootie.
  • Put bootie on one foot. Click/treat while wearing it for one second.
  • Keep practicing until dog wears all four booties comfortably, meaning he’s ignoring them.

Dog-Friendly Ice Melter

Traditional deicers are loaded with nasty chemicals that have burned pets’ paws and killed fragile wildlife due to sewer runoff. Plus, dogs absorb chemicals through their paws so keep them, your family and the environment safe this winter by using eco-friendly ice melters. Safe Paws and Melt are made from safe ingredients that will not harm wildlife, vegetation, pets, metals, wood or cement.

Keep warm this winter and check your dog’s paws often. How do you plan to spend your winter?

Under $10 Dog Gift Ideas

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Gifts for Dogs
Holiday gifts under $10 for dogs.

Gifts for Dogs

If you’re on a tight budget or you want to get something small for your dog lover friend, look no further. Find the best dog gifts for under $10 right here!

Tennis Balls

You can’t go wrong with an old favorite. Most dogs love tennis balls. Pick one in a cool color or buy the entire tube of tennis balls for your favorite pooch. Some are rubber, have squeakers or smell like mint — you can’t go wrong here! Always supervise your dog when he is playing with a tennis ball. Strong chewers can strong them in a heartbeat. Cost: $1-$10.

Flirt Pole

What’s a flirt pole? It’s a long stick or pole with a line attached to one end and a soft toy attached to the other end of the line. The purpose is to fling the toy end around widely while a dog chases, stalks and tugs the toy. To keep under a $10 budget, I would recommend the Kong Chase-it Wand. It’s a great gift for any size dog. Cost:  $10.

Bully Sticks

Bully sticks are easily digestible, making them the best chew for most dogs. When in doubt, choose a larger size. Depending on size, costs vary between $6-$10 per stick. Click here for additional tips on choosing chews.

Healthy Treats

All dogs love treats! Bring a bag of healthy dog treats and you’re sure to be the hit with dog lovers. I’m pretty picky about dog treats so I only recommend the very best. K9 Granola Factory makes some of the very best treats out there! Choose from apricot/kiwi, coconut, pumpkin and my dogs’ favorite, Snickerdoodle and Cinnamon Roll soft bake cookies. Costs vary between $2-$10 depending on treat bag size.

Happy holidays! What’s under the tree for your dog this year?

Under $20 Dog Gift Ideas

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Holiday Gift Ideas

Holiday Dog Gifts
Dog gift ideas under $20

Tis the season! Are you looking for stocking stuffers or gifts for a friend’s dog, or wanting to spoil your dog rotten? Look no further. Find the best dog gift ideas under $20 right here! While I’ve listed a few name brands, which are made from non-toxic products in the U.S., continue looking for products following these requirements.

Kong

My favorite dog toy ever! Fill with peanut butter, freeze, and watch your dog enjoy the fun for hours. The classic red Kong is perfect for mild to moderate chewers. If your dog is a power chewer, choose the Kong Extreme. This is the only toy I leave with my dogs when they’re alone. Hint, just like shoes, you can never have too many Kongs. 🙂 Learn more about stuffing a Kong here. Costs vary between $8-$15, depending on size.

Wobbler

My second favorite toy for dogs! This product provides mental and physical stimulation by increasing meals from 3 seconds to 20 minutes, which is exhausting to your dog! Fill a Kong Wobbler with your dog’s daily meals. If your dog is still bored, fill with low-calorie treats, such as Charlie Bear Treats. Learn how to fill a Kong Wobbler here. With two sizes to choose from, there’s always a perfect size for any pooch on your holiday list. 🙂 Click here to watch a video demonstrating how to fill and introduce to your dog. Costs vary between $12-$15, depending on size.

Bully Sticks

Bully sticks are probably the best chew for most dogs, as they’re easily digestible and dogs love them. When in doubt, choose a larger size. Click here for details on choosing the perfect Bully Stick size for gift giving. Costs vary between $4-$10, depending on size of bully stick.

Tug Toys

Dogs love to tug. It’s a great game for rewarding good behavior or rainy day activity. Tug games will not cause aggression. This is a myth so have a blast playing with your dog. Personally, I recommend a cloth tug toy, as he will not harm a dog’s teeth or gums plus it keeps your hand comfy. 🙂 To capture the holiday spirit, try making your own tug toys. This way, you can personalize with favorite collars and size. I’m sure his pet parent will shed a tear at your thoughtfulness. 🙂

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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