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3 Tips That Make Brushing Your Dog Much Easier

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Brushing Your Dog Has Never Been Easier

Dog Brushing
olgamarc/iStock

As a general rule, dogs should be brushed weekly. You may need to brush more frequently, depending on your dog’s coat needs. When discussing the importance of brushing with students in my dog training class, many admitted skipping it because it’s such a chore for them. So I asked all of my students to bring their dog brush to the following class, and then I understood their struggle. After a few minutes of practicing the three tips below, we had quietly lying dogs and pet owners actually enjoying the dog brushing process. Give these tips a try and let me know your thoughts!

Make Him Stand Still

By far, this was the biggest obstacle to stress-free brushing. Dogs don’t understand they should stay completely still, as they were never taught that. Remember teaching your child to stay still while you coiffed his hair or pulled her hair into the perfect ponytail for school? Yup, it’s the same thing.

Watching students struggle to keep their dogs still with one hand and brush with the other was a sight to see. If your treat hand moves even a tiny bit, your dog’s head will move too. He’s following the treat. Frustration builds quickly!

Instead of holding treats in one hand, smear peanut butter or cream cheese along a vertical wall. Bathroom tile is best. Please don’t use dry wall :). Keep smearing within a 3 x 3 inch area to prevent your dog from moving around. With this method, you can really get some brushing done now that both hands are free.

You can also smear peanut butter on floor tile or all along the inside of a heavy plate placed on the floor–weight keeps it from sliding around while your dog licks. As you’re brushing, keep an eye on the smeared peanut butter supply and reapply when needed.

Before you frown at the fact it took several spoons of peanut butter to brush your dog, you have to admit it was super easy. Plus, the smeared treats are teaching your dog to enjoy brushing and standing still. See, it’s not a bribe!

WATCH: Make Brushing Your Dog Much Easier – Standing Still

https://youtu.be/54vdWZSphFY

Rotate Your Dog’s Body Effortlessly

For long-coated dog breeds, it’s probably easier to brush your dog while he’s lying on his side on the floor. Once that side is done, it’s time to turn him over to brush the other side. Instead of pushing and pulling, try luring him to lie on his side.

Place several treats in a small bowl on the floor and have a seat next to it. Hold a treat on your dog’s nose and lure him onto the ground. Refrain from saying “down” because you’re teaching him to lie on his side instead; it’s totally different than laying down. Once his elbows and behind touches the ground, keep the treat on his nose and slowly turn it toward his shoulder.

A funny thing begins to happen when he follows the treat. His body turns sideways and he ends up lying down. Bingo, give him the treat. Afterwards, ask your dog to stand. If he doesn’t stand on cue, ask him to “touch” your hand, which will help him stand up. Now, practice luring him onto his other side. You’ll find some dogs have an easier time turning their body in a certain direction, so be patient. (We’re the same way.) Practice several times before introducing any type of brushing.

When first brushing your dog, give him a treat once he’s lying on his side. Brush once and then give him a treat for staying still, then brush twice and reward. You can see the pattern. If he’s struggling to lie still, have someone hold a food stuffed toy next to his face, so he can happily lick while you brush.

WATCH: Teach Your Dog How to Roll on His Side

https://youtu.be/bPlN5WWsLVQ

Use the Right Brush

When brushing your dog, make sure the right brush removes the maximum amount of loose hair. Super short-coated breeds need a rubber currycomb that won’t damage their exposed skin. Use a slicker brush for short- to medium-coated breeds, but never push down since it may cause skin abrasions. Long coats tangle and break easily, so I recommend using a pin brush.

Brushing should be bonding time for you and your fuzzy friend, so never rush through it. Relax and soon your dog will fall asleep once the brush touches his body.

Dyeing Your Dog’s Hair

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Dyeing Dog Hair Tips

Dyeing Dog Hair
Photo: The Fun Times Guide

Dyeing dog hair is a hot new trend in the grooming world and it’s spreading fast! You’ve seen them–pink Poodles parading down the sidewalk or multi-colored dogs riding in the passenger seat of cars. Should you dye your dog’s hair? And if so, which hair dye products work?

Is It Safe to Dye Your Dog’s Hair?

Yes, it’s safe to dye your dog’s hair. Most dog hair colors are very safe and wash out between four to six washes. When trends become popular, many manufactures and pet supermarket chains jump on board and offer different safe options, which is always a good and safe thing.

Of course, we should use common sense. If your dog has sensitive skin, then I would skip hair color, as it will only increase skin inflammation. If you do dye your dog’s hair, always protect your dog’s eyes and ears when applying or, better yet, ask a professional dog groomer to add a bit of color during your dog’s next groom. Lastly, only use hair colors that are designed for dogs. They have a unique skin pH, which is very different than ours, so keep human hair color on your hair and not on your dog.

Dog Hair Dye Products

Luckily, there are a ton of options out there when it comes to dyeing dog hair and caulks are pretty user-friendly even for first-time dog hair colorists. Now, you’re not necessarily rubbing caulk into your dog’s hair, but rather blowing it into her strands. Yes, you read that right, blowing. 🙂

Blow Pens

Blow pens contain colored chalk powder inside of a pen-shaped applicator. Simply uncap and lightly blow caulk on your dog’s hair. Until you’re comfortable using blow pens, start lightly and layer to control color saturation (i.e. pastel versus intense color).

Paints

Painting your dog’s coat with ultra safe hair color made for dogs is another option. I recommend professionals use this method, as you’re painting (or spraying) and then drying your dog’s hair. Never use heat (your hair dryer) when drying your dog’s hair, as it’s so easy to burn her sensitive skin. Painting hair is messy. I’m sure you’re having flashbacks from coloring your own hair (hello stained foreheads, counters and floors).

Stencils

If you’re looking for a hint of color, try stenciling. You can choose from stars, hearts, paw prints and polka dots to glam your dog up for holidays. If you’re really into adding pizzazz, you can stencil cheetah, zebra and tiger stripes! Stenciling hair color works best on short-coated dogs, such as Bully breeds (Bull Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, some Labs, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, Bulldogs and any short-coated mixes in between).

RELATED: Best Medicated Dog Shampoo

For Best Results

Before painting or blowing color onto your dog’s coat, have a plan of action first. If you mix too many colors, you’ll end up with a muddy-colored mess. Also, color looks best on white coats because you’re able to see a truer color (just like pink looks better on our blonde hair).

Tan and beige coated dogs can rock hair color too, but understand it will not be as vibrant. I’m not saying dark-colored dogs can’t participate in all the fun. Just choose a color that stands out on their dark coats, such as neon green, hot pink, day glow yellow and lighter pastel colors.

If you’re a beginner, start with stenciling and then work your way up to blow pens (chalk application). Don’t expect your dog to stand still for 15 minutes while you’re applying color (trust me, time flies when you’re applying). Give your dog frequent breaks in between color applications and ask a friend to hold a peanut butter stuffed toy in front of your dog, so she can happily lick away while you’re creating a masterpiece.

Hair color is fun, so go for it! Be prepared to turn heads and answer many questions!

Best Medicated Shampoo for Dogs

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Medicated Dog Shampoo Usage & Recommendations

Medicated Dog Shampoo

I’m a professional dog trainer, but I’m also a licensed cosmetologist and I’m always looking for a medicated dog shampoo that works! To help you find the best medicated dog shampoo for your pet, let’s discuss medicated dog shampoo usage and recommendations.

When to Use Medicated Dog Shampoo

When a gentle cleansing shampoo is not enough to remove flaky skin or deodorize your dog’s skin, then you may want to try a medicated dog shampoo. You can find medicated grooming shampoos everywhere with over-the-counter and vet-only options available too.

Over-the-counter medicated dog shampoos work well for dogs with mild skin conditions. For dogs with red skin, ooze, missing hair, pustules or bumps, seek advice from your veterinarian. Inflamed skin is painful, and using an unknown grooming product can certainly make it much worse.

RELATED: Dogs with Dry Skin

Medicated Dog Shampoo Usage

Medicated dog shampoos contain ingredients targeted for specific skin issues. Choose from anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial or anti-septic shampoos. These dog shampoos can ease persistent skin infections, ringworm, hot spots, yeast infections, fleabite dermatitis and other skin inflammations. Make sure to follow the bottle’s directions thoroughly, as most need contact time with skin to work their magic.

Now, medicated shampoos can be tricky. If your dog’s skin condition is caused by fungus, using a product designed to soothe hot spots won’t benefit your dog, but instead make it worse. Before choosing a medicated dog shampoo, know what skin condition you’re dealing with. 🙂

Over-the-Counter Medicated Dog Shampoo

If your dog’s skin condition is mild, choose an over-the-counter medicated shampoo. Personally, I’ve had great luck with Espree’s Tea Tree and Aloe medicated shampoo. This shampoo has natural ingredients to soothe irritated skin while leaving a fresh clean scent.

My Recommendation

Stella is a Miniature Bull Terrier, and this dog breed is notorious for skin issues. Stella eats a balanced raw diet. However, she still develops stinky yeast infections and flare-ups around her feet, face, ears and groin area. Veterinary skin scrapings have confirmed yeast is the culprit. And when flare-ups appear, it can take months to return her skin back to normal.

Then, I found PhytoVet CK Antiseptic Shampoo. It’s my favorite by far! It’s gentle enough for weekly bathing, doesn’t contain harsh detergents (soap-free) and restores the skin barrier. Combined with DOUXO Seborrhea Spot-On Pipettes, I can now prevent flare-ups from happening. So, if you share your home with a yeasty dog, check out this medicated dog shampoo!

You may also like: Do Dog Facial Scrubs Work?

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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