(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best dog shampoos & conditioners

One side effect of allergic reactions can be a dramatic change in the microecology of the dog's skin. Huge overgrowths of unhealthy microbes can then occur and greatly exacerbate an existing, but otherwise minor, skin problem.

Best advice is to eliminate the fleas--be patient and follow the Advantage instructions exactly. Elimination of the infestation can take 6 months (or more TBH) and is essential. Because flea larvae do not thrive outdoors, it's very likely every single flea you see on your dog hatched inside--which is great news because it means you don't have to worry about when you dog leaves the house.

If the skin problem persists after the fleas are gone, or if you want to improve the skin's condition during the flea treatment, then the cheapest (and IMO most effective) treatment is shampoo therapy. Bath your dog twice a week for a month in a veterinary grade anti-microbial shampoo containing any of the following medicinal ingredients:

• benzoyl peroxide
  
• chlorhexidine
  
• sulphur and salicylic acid
  
• chloroxylenol
  
• micanozole/ketoconzanole
  
  If you see an improvement, then continue bathing once a week after that.
  
  What shampoo therapy does is knock down the population of bad microbes and reduce the related symptoms. In some cases, most of the dog's allergic symptoms are a reaction to the microbes, and not the allergen itself, so it may be the only treatment your dog needs.
  
  This shampoo looks to me to be the best on the market right now.
  
  Someone else recommended against bathing your dog, but I think they're wrong. We've used shampoo therapy on one of our own, and hundreds of our customers dogs with great success. I highly recommend trying it. At worst, it doesn't work and you're out $20. At best, in a couple of weeks you'll see decreased scratching, new hair growth, and healthier coloured skin.

Owning a grooming a newfoundland, the most important tool is a GOOD blower/dryer. They are not cheap but you can justify it if you can save money by doing groomings yourself. They are very powerful blowers but don't have a heating element like a dryer for people, just the heat from cooling the motor.(K9 Dryers are the goto for pros, fully repairable for life) You should be able to blow most of the dirt off without needing to bathe that regularly, in fact blowing the dirt out should always be the first step before you get them wet or you just make mud on the coat when bathing. If you still feel like you need to bathe that frequently I would look to some of the higher end shampoos used by show dog owners. They are typically bathed far more often than pets and won't dry out the skin as much as a grocery store shampoos. I really like the pure paws H2O line(extra moisturizing), and they have 1/2 Gal bottles available on Amazon. Good luck with that dusty dog, I know how it goes...

WOW! so much great info! exactly what I was looking for! So you would recommend the DIY self service > PetSmart Furminator package?

Thanks for getting me the info while on mobile, i looked at furminator brush but thought that cant be the only thing i need, and couldn't find a specific grooming source this was super helpful. I will look into both DIY & Furminator.

Just to make sure i got the DIY procedure down:

1. Find self service dog wash with high power dryer ( i found a "Petco- unleashed" nearby ~$10/visit)
   
   
2. Buy Furminator brand Shampoo/Conditioner ( ~$10 each)
   
   
3. Buy Oster undercoat rake (~$16 bucks online) + bring my own regular brush...
   
   
4. Bathing-
   
   

• Wash dogs down first, get completely drenched
  
• apply shampoo (let sit in for ~5 min while rubbing?), wash dog again
  
• apply Conditioner to entire coat, then wash out again?
  
• Then begin drying with high powered dryer (~1hour?).
  
• Once completely dry i can then start to use brushes, correct?
  
• start with regular detangling brush, then use Oster brush.
  
• for my Pyr her hair seems to be heavily concentrated on her hind legs and chest. Any recommendations for these areas?
  
• Continue HighPowered drying while brushing? or once dry no need anymore?
  
  Thanks for the help! seems like DIY could cost me about ~$50-60. I just thought it would cost more for the tools they had in this grooming pyranees video

Looks like you have a good list going, remember to update your pups microchip with your address and get him/her a tag with your details.

We got a 36 inch crate and it's plenty big for our boy (he's around 30 pounds).

Puppia harness is a great starter harness, it's soft and doesn't have a bunch of metal jingling pieces which our puppy HATED on his harness our breeder gave us.

Kibble, check out dog food advisor for reviews and ratings of foods content, we were using grain free salmon and sweet potato from chicken soup for the soul, it's decently priced and well rated I can't find it anywhere atm so we're switching him back to their normal kibble.

Salmon Oil is a lifesaver in the winter, our pup gets terribly dry skin and extremely itchy without it.

Start out with a puppy kong, they sell kong fillers that are cheese and peanut butter flavored, our puppy was pretty picky at first and only ate the cheese one, didn't like frozen kongs either.

I'd start with a Basic Collar here's a Dog Tag Silencer and a Break-away collar for outdoors or dog park. A dog was choked unconscious at our park so I typically just keep our guys ID tags on his harness and don't use a collar, but if you do I definitely recommend a break-away if you are primarily using a harness with it.

Items we found useful: Bed Liner, Crate Fence, Kong, Stainless Steel Bowls (highly reccomend US made do not buy any made in China for health reasons), Zippy Paws Hide and Seek toys, Potty/accident cleaner, Potty Bells, Anti-chew Bitter Apple spray, 50 ft Leash, Retractable Leash, Soft stop Leash extender, Car Seat Belt, Car Booster Seat, Gentle Shampoo, Comb, Travel Water Bottle, Flirt Pole, Special Treats, Chew Stick, Greenies

Sorry for the HUGE list lol, feel free to ask any questions!

I’m not a vet but my Pyrenees mix gets dry skin too, I think it’s because he’s so pink. In the winter his tummy gets dry like that, I use this dog lotion I buy on amazon. I just apply it after baths and when he’s looking a little dry. It seems to help him. It also makes him easier to brush, helps with tangles. Smells really nice too.
Here’s a link: Warren London - Hydrating Butter For Dogs Skin & Coat,8 Oz,Pomegranate & Acai https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EVPQ1L2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_n3MIAbTSJXECK

Ive got a couple, because I have no impulse control.

for difficult tangles I use cowboy magic.

For just normal brushing when theyre a LIL tangly, but nothing serious I mostly use this one. It smells like those strawberry candies old people sometimes have. It's the go to when theyve come in from rain or snow, or when theyve had an excessive amount of fun at the dog park.

and this one is what I generally use to brush em out after a bath/towel dry cause it makes them super soft.

Biggest thing in the winter is to make sure you keep their paw pads trimmed, and any extra side fluff trimmed down to foot size. The fluffy feet are like mud sponges.

Product recommendations! Maybe you can benefit from my trial and error :)

These two shampoos are the only ones I've found that don't make my guy's itching worse:

• virbac epi-soothe (the one recommended by my vet)
  
• plum silky (one I just happened to find through sheer luck)
  
  All the other shampoos I've tried (even oatmeal-based, marketed as "soothing", "itch relief" etc) make him itchy.
  
  Adding a conditioner or moisturizer after shampooing helps a bit. I use a few drops of plain mineral oil after toweling him off after a bath, and massage it into his coat. A little goes a long way.
  
  If the salmon-based food is helping or you think chicken might be a culprit, it might be worth trying a different dog food that has more fish and no chicken. Wilderness salmon formula is still largely comprised of chicken meal, so who knows, you might get even better results with a food that uses fishes for all of its meat ingredients.
  
  Some grain-free, chicken-free, red meat free kibbles that we've tried and liked, in order of my personal preference:
  
  
• Orijen six fish
  
• Acana Pacifica
  
• Ancestry Salmon & Sweet Potato
  
• Nature's Variety Instinct Salmon
  
• Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream
  
  Orijen, Acana, and Instinct would cost more than Wilderness. Ancestry and Taste of the Wild will be in roughly the same price range as Wilderness, possibly even slightly cheaper.

I am unsure if this vaccuum set up counts as tech, but it seems pretty high tech to me! Lol. I would like this because it would help with my son's allergies if we could keep most of the hair out of the floor. Gimme some tech Daddi!

Okay so this is gunna sound weird but it worked for me:
Pet Coat Rebuilder - Mega-Tek 16 oz - Repairs Damaged Coat and Paw Pads and Accelerates Hair growth on Bare Spots https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00061MPGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pcKHybQ17S92V

It's a pet conditioner but it helped me regrow around my bangs by using it as a spot treatment in those areas like a conditioner and the headband so I wouldn't pull my new growth.

It smells AMAZING and makes your hair so soft you won't even believe it.

For my two kids (Siberian Husky and Akita) I use any old hypoallergenic dog shampoo that smells good, then the furminator conditioner. We tried the shampoo too, didn't do much, but holy crud, they look like sheep as they dry because their dead undercoat hairs starts to slide loose of the guard hairs. Then a shedding blade once they're dry, and a slicker brush as needed after that. If you use the slicker brush, which is awesome because it keeps those clumpy stripes my kids get from forming, start at the booty and push the hair back towards the head with one hand with you brush, moving your way up towards the head. You'll really get into the undercoat that way, and just continue up in lines until you've worked the whole dog. Brush every three days or so, more if you like, and you should see a decrease in hair everywhere else.

Yeah I agree I'm not sure how they stay in business either. Before I found out about their price match I never went there because their prices cross the line into gouging.

I understand that it is expensive to get stock all the way out here, and then the overhead is crazy, but just raising prices to the stratosphere is going to alienate your customers.

[This Burt's Bees puppy shampoo](Burt's Bees for Dogs Natural Tearless Puppy Shampoo with Buttermilk | Dog and Puppy Shampoo For Gentle Fur, 16 Ounces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CEY5IUC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_oC66CbB06XDP2) was tagged $25 but sells for $4-6 everywhere else.

If it was priced at $9-10 I would just pay it, even knowing I could get it on Amazon in a few days. You gotta support local businesses where you can.

But a 400+% markup is BS!!

I will still shop there regardless as long as they match their website, but some items are still priced crazy high on there vs every other store.

Grooming? Never heard of it... ;)

Both of mine get professionally done every 8-10wks, and I do minor touch ups on my own, and I'm practicing to do the full body on my own. About every two weeks I have to trim the hair on their nubs otherwise it grows past the end of their tail and looks ridiculous. I also trim up Artemis' ever growing eye lashes and Apollo's beard as needed.

Baths every week for Apollo, every two weeks for Artemis. Baths are a with Burt's Bees Hot Spot Shampoo(which I can't recommend enough) and takes about thirty minutes to give them a bath and get the shampoo out of their hair. Then another ten to fifteen to blow dry their hair straight and floof it.

Mornings they don their snoods for breakfast, and then they go outside. When they come in they get their legs/ears toweled off and they get a quick pin brushing once over. They also wear their snoods for dinner.

Every night they get a full body pin brush, and Apollo gets to use his favorite --- the slicker brush --- on his back and hind legs. Apollo takes the longest because his hair is so thick and wooly. Brushing Missy is like a minute or two, tops.

Occasionally they get a mat typically on their back legs, so I have to take a dematting knife and slice it open and usually I can brush it out from there.

TL;DR 50% of my time with my dogs involves keeping them looking presentable. Oh, and if you didn't know, I own two cocker spaniels.

People be crazy... definitely.

I work in a large chain retail store, and trust me, I've had my fair share of crazies. I can't think of my most crazy person, though, so I am going to share one that just blew my mind instead.

I work on the self-check out machines a lot, keeping things smooth, etc. People hate these machines (I've even had a guy punch them and break one.. he had to pay two thousand dollars). One day, it's slow on SC, but not the regular registers. An older woman comes up, asks me to show her how to work them, as she is in a hurry to go to an appointment. Okay, right, easy? So I show her how to do it, she takes to it, takes over, and checks out.

I compliment her first time on them and what not, and she comes up to me, little befuddled, and asks about the people inside the machines. I'm confused, and ask her what she means. She points to the SC machines and asks about the person inside the machine. I explain there is no one in the machine, it's a computer. She seems a little relieved and goes about her way.

I honestly think she was serious and not trolling me. She seemed... confused and upset about the "people inside the machine".

Oh, and this.

Owner of a husky here! I’ve been using the Furminator deshedding shampoo and conditioner when I give her a bath. Along with brushing every other day, the hair becomes somewhat manageable. These sheets are also a lot better than using lint rollers to get hair off your clothes and furniture. I also have this car seat cover which helps with hair in my car. Also makes it a lot easier to keep my car clean after a day at the dog beach.

Swiffer also makes a pet version of their dry sheets that attracts pet hair like a magnet. I’d vacuum everyday, but she’s afraid of the vacuum.

He's a cutie! Mine doesn't really have a smell, a few people have commented on her not having 'that' beagle smell. I bathe her fairly often & I use an oatmeal shampoo/conditioner to keep her skin happy. She's 11 years old & I've been using this brand most of life. She's suuuuper soft, too!

I just want to second what u/xanaxiss mentioned. It starts with the food. I feed my pair Wysong and put this in their water daily. You can't smell them unless you pick them up and hold them 6" from your face.

And if you drizzle this stuff on their food they will eat anything. Sawdust. Broken glass. Doesn't matter. Ferret crack right there.

Oh, and don't try to clean the ferret. They just make more oil the more you bathe them. Put a ton of bedding in their cage. At least a few different kinds of hammock. I also throw in a wadded up blanket or two. (Go buy fleece fabric remnants at a fabric store. Super cheap.) They rub the oil from their coat off onto the bedding and they stay clean. Wash the bedding at least once a week on hot with bleach, add vinegar to the rinse water like fabric softener. Bathe no more than once a month with a ferret specific shampoo. In between you can hit them with a freshening spray if desired.

I just had this with my girl. She has kinda a light creamish mask and I thought maybe it was darkening with age. I tried this stuff https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01782L0WO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it totally cleaned and whitened her face, turns out it was dirt stains. I lathered her fur (being very careful not to get it in her eyes!) and left it on for a few minutes, then rinsed it out -- worked great. I'm sure there are other comparable products as well...

Something like: Nature’s Miracle Skin & Coat Freshening Spray For Dogs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KM4KB94/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_eBFACbA24XB88

Bacterial infections don't have to have lesions, or bumps. Sometimes there is redness. Sometimes there is loss of fur. If it is something like flea allergies, you don't even need to see fleas for it to be a problem. Think of it like a peanut allergy, one flea can set it off - and then the chewing/licking can cause a secondary infection. We are treating an english bulldog for this same thing, with antibiotics and this shampoo. It has been a slow improvement, but it IS getting better.

http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Head-Detangling-Strawberry-Yogurt/dp/B00B568K5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368664897&sr=8-1&keywords=pet+head+detangle

I use this while I brush my dog if he has a LOT of tangles. He smells fruity :)

It rained the past two days yes, and I’m using this https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B01782L0WO?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd

My lab gsd mix gets that and I like both this one and this one

Before brush time you can try some dry conditioner or detangling spray. Have her chew a no-hide, cow hoof, treat filled kong, or any other chew to keep her distracted. Even peanut butter or cream cheese on a spoon could keep her distracted. Make sure to give lots of high value treats when she's behaving (not whining, not struggling, etc) and after you're done grooming.

My smoothie hated brushes but he loves stealing attention from my other dog more. I would brush my bulldog in front of him and he decided he wanted in on it. That's also how I got him to like his nails done and teeth brushed

>Thank you! I swear by this stuff -https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01782L0WO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It cuts down on the shedding and loose underfur. Must have for any double coated dog. In addition, get a doggie detangler spray (I highly recommend this product) so that the brush does not snag on knots and cause pain to your dog. Bonus: it makes your dog smell so good!

No, don't use a furminator on a puppy yet!! Wait for the adult fur to fully grow in. In the meantime, buy a lighter brush (like a baby brush) so that you can train your puppy to not be afraid of/chew on the brush. My dad used to be very impatient of grooming one of our collies, would pull on tangled fur and make the dog cry that it trained the dog to run away in fear anytime it saw the brush. We literally had to hold him down or tie him to a post to brush him as he cowered. Very bad experience we could not train out of him... damage was already done. As a result, I have been extremely gentle that my corgi sees brushing as a bonding experience because of early, gentle exposure.

In addition, I would also take your puppy to a groomer so that he/she gets accustomed to the tools they use (nail filers, blow dryer, shower head, tub, clippers, etc). The earlier the exposure the dog has, the less problems they will have with a groomer (and groomers will LOVE your dog for it). Corgis are one of those breeds that require a professional groomer because of the amount they shed (especially if it's a fluffy like mine!). Interview your groomer- ask about their experiences handling puppies and make sure one will NEVER shave or buzz clip your dog. I have discontinued my business with two groomers because they were either physically PINNING my dog on the groomer's table (never do that to a puppy) AND buzz clipped him because she "wasn't paying attention the the level she set her clipper" (hell no, we're done). A good groomer knows to NEVER shave a double coated dog.