Topic grooming – coat care, ears, claws and teeth

Dog shampoos today

Even today, you still hear that you shouldn’t wash your dog too often. This may well have been true in the past, as there were no shampoos and conditioners specially developed for dogs back then. Shampoos for humans were therefore used, but these were completely unsuitable for dogs. Products for humans are supposed to maintain the skin’s protective acid mantle, but dogs do not have this, which is one of the reasons why products for humans are unsuitable for dogs. The pH value of dogs’ skin is higher than that of humans. Therefore, you should make sure that the pH value of the shampoo is adapted to the dog’s skin so that its natural protective function is maintained. But be careful! Unfortunately, many dog shampoos are not recommended. Unfortunately, this is often not recognizable for laymen.

The owner of the company Rowell owns small dogs himself and so the idea of developing his own coat care products was born in 2009. The production facility is located in Düren, between Cologne and Aachen. Doggywell is therefore a product that is manufactured and developed in Germany.

All Doggywell shampoos are thin and can therefore be sprayed. The practical spray cap facilitates application to the belly, legs and paws and guarantees particularly even distribution in the coat. Doggywell Shampoos consist primarily of active washing substances, making them highly concentrated and economical to use. The mild, active ingredient formula ensures gentle and reliable cleansing of the skin and coat. It is easy to rinse out.

Doggywell dog shampoos do not contain any thickening agents, foam boosters, stabilizers or cosmetic emollients. Its mild active ingredients make the coat supple and shiny again. Doggywell dog shampoo is pH optimized for the dog’s skin and optimally moisturizing.

When cleaning, the protective layer of the dog’s skin must not be impaired and the optimum condition of the skin and coat must be maintained even with regular cleaning.

Coat damage and sensitive skin can be caused by physical and chemical influences. Possible causes include: poor quality tools, hair accessories such as clips or rubber bands, dry heating air, climatic influences, environmental influences, pollution, etc.

When dry, certain coat damage can be recognized by the following characteristics: lack of shine, lack of suppleness and poor combability. The coat feels dull and brittle.

When the puppy moves in with you, you should practise grooming with him every day. Grooming should become a fixed ritual for your puppy and with the necessary familiarization it will be much easier later on.

The easiest way to do this is when the puppy is sitting on your lap or lying in your arms and is slightly sleepy, then you can start to give light strokes with the brush.

The more regularly you take care of your dog’s coat, the less work it actually is. The coat tends to mat quickly, especially where the harness sits. If you wait too long, it takes much more time and costs more nerves on both sides. The dog will hate it if it pulls every time you brush it because of the matted areas. It is therefore best to brush even if it is not matted.

There are extra coat care sprays to make the coat easier to comb. Doggywell offers Groomingspray and Magic Gloss for this purpose. Most of these products contain silicone oils, most of which stick to the coat and can only be removed by bathing with dog shampoo. Doggywell Groomingspray contains mostly volatile silicone oils, which do not stick to the coat and do not weigh it down.

Both products can also be used very well for de-matting by applying them specifically to the felt areas. This makes brushing out much easier.

There are very different opinions on the coat length of the Bolonka. The Bolonka is a long-haired breed, and its coat should be kept long according to the breed standard. What’s the point of buying a long-haired dog if you cut it short? And so on and so forth the endless discussions on the internet. Honestly: everyone as they please! My opinion on this. We also have very different hair and hairstyles. So why not my dog too?

Some Bolonka are extremely curly, very similar to Bolognese or Poodle. You simply can’t let a coat like that grow long. The dog looks rounder and rounder and at some point just looks like a barrel. Terrible in my eyes.

Others are curly and also have rough hair, for example, and at some point they look like a burst sofa cushion. Just as scary. We have even seen at a dog show that the length of the coat did not play a role for the judge. So please: Everyone as they think.

Just remember not to shear the coat too short in summer, even a dog can get sunburnt! In winter, it is also much easier to shorten the belly and legs in the snow.

Doggywell is no longer available to buy online, currently only from us personally. The store was simply too expensive and time-consuming.

A so-called plucking brush should be used to brush the coat. We recommend the brushes from ActiVet.

These brushes are produced in Germany and are really perfect for the Bolonka coat. One brush costs 55 euros, but you can use it for the rest of your dog’s life. We always have these brushes in stock and also sell them.

For puppies, the green/gold would be the most suitable to start with. Later, when the coat becomes thicker, longer and harder to brush through, switch to red/purple. The puppy brush is then still used for the face, the sensitive areas on the belly and the legs. The other one is a bit too hard for that.

This is a picture taken under the microscope. Hubert wanted to see for himself whether the advertising promises were true. The bristles are indeed rounded and smoothed stainless steel bristles, which are also longer than those of other products.

This brush, Doggyman, is around 15-20 euros.

Here is a photo of the bristles of this brush:

Then bristles from Noname:

I think you can see the differences here compared to the expensive ActiVet, which scratches the skin and also damages the coat when brushing. We advise against it ;-(

You should also practise using the comb on the face and body. You also need to practise using the scissors with your puppy. To do this, take the closed scissors and stroke from the nose up over the eyes. This teaches the dog that nothing will happen if you fiddle around with the scissors on his face and in front of his eyes 🙂

The one on the left is a flea comb, which is good for cleaning the eyes. On the right is a comb with rotating teeth, which is also very good for getting through the coat. With a comb you can always check whether you have really gotten through everything with the brush.

There are also combs that combine both directly.

We always have different combs to choose from, which you can also test and buy from us.

In any case, please keep your hands off any de-matting tools. There are various products on the market and you keep reading that others are sooo enthusiastic about them. Many also use them to thin out the coat in summer. Please don’t!!!

These felting combs, Furminator or Matbraker or or really cut the hair out. This leaves you with lots of short hair that grows back into the existing long hair from below. This immediately results in felt again. Once you’ve started with this, at some point you can’t avoid clipping off the entire coat so that you have a uniform length again and that means it’s really short ;-(

You can believe us that we have experienced all of this ourselves 🙂 We also tried a lot of things in the past until we ended up with ActiVet.

You only need 2 ActiVet brushes and 1 or 2 combs for grooming during the bolon calving period.

Matting can quickly become unpleasant, it causes itching as the skin is no longer sufficiently ventilated, allowing germs and parasites to multiply and crawl around.

It is therefore important not only to brush superficially, but always down to the skin.

If you discover felt knots, you can try to loosen them with grooming spray and a brush. If it is more of a full-grown knot, you can try to roughly untangle it with your fingers and massage Magic Gloss into it. The last option is to cut the knot with scissors.

As I said, cut it open, don’t cut it off! This way you lose less fur and avoid a knot of felt forming again.

We prefer scissors from Solingen from the company Weltmeister, scissors that a hairdresser would also use for our hair.

You should always test how a pair of scissors feels in your hand. There are huge differences.

These are small paw scissors, rounded at the front, 4 inches long. They are available straight or slightly curved upwards. They can also be used to cut out eyes or untie knots. These small scissors are not intended for anything else.

The left-hand scissors can be used in the same way as the small paw scissors. In addition, you can also use them to cut the entire body if you wish. 6 inches is an ideal length for domestic use.

On the right is a pair of thinning scissors so that you can better conceal your cuts when cutting the coat. Intended for those who want to cut themselves. Would also be used as hair scissors.

These are the 3 models from Weltmeister that are used most frequently.

We have many Weltmeister models in stock that you can try out and also buy from us.

Even if the left-hand scissors look pointed, they are perfect for cutting out the eyes. I myself can no longer cope with the rounded scissors on the eyes. I would be happy to show you how to cut them live.

Most people prefer to take their dog to the groomer.

Nevertheless, there is no getting around shortening the bangs, trimming the eyes, keeping a poop aisle clear 🙂 and cutting the hair under the paws. Especially under the paws, the hair quickly overgrows the pads and the dog no longer has any grip on a smooth surface. However, you should only cut the hair smoothly and not also remove the hair between the pads! The dog needs this as protection.

If you are interested in clipping your dog with a clipper, then I recommend the company Ehaso in Solingen. There you can get a very good overview of which models are available. They have an online store and also a small store on site. Because there are also differences in clippers, one fits better in the hand than the other, for example.

There are also extra small clippers for paw care, costing around 70 euros. There are always puppy buyers who prefer this, so I’ll mention it. However, with a bit of practice, you can do a great job on a dog with scissors.

Bathing the dog

You also need to get your puppy used to bathing/water first. It is important that he has a secure footing in the water and cannot slip away when bathing. So either put a towel in the pool/bathtub or use a non-slip mat.

On the one hand, the dog will otherwise feel very uncomfortable and will not remember the bath as a positive experience. On the other hand, especially as a puppy, he can quickly twist his knee and suddenly tear a cruciate ligament or have a loose patella. So make sure he doesn’t slip!

If you use a high-quality dog shampoo, e.g. Doggywell, then you can bathe your dog every week. It is usually enough to clean the belly, legs and bottom rather than a complete bath.

However, if you notice that your dog has very dry skin/coat, e.g. in winter, then a bath is definitely recommended. Likewise, if you notice that brushing is becoming increasingly difficult, a bath will also help here. Well, at least one with Doggywell, because we have designed it to make the coat much softer and smoother. This also makes it easier to comb. There is also an extra conditioner, like for humans, but I don’t think it’s necessary. The shampoo is usually completely sufficient.

So think about a bath if you have such problems.

Eye care

Some dogs tend to shed a lot of tears which settle in the hair and crust over. These hard crusts can be easily removed with a comb. Place the comb at the base of the eye and comb from the eye towards the tip of the nose. To prevent such crusts, you can also clean your eyes daily with water. Please do not use absorbent cotton on the eye! Microfiber cloths intended for facial exfoliation are very suitable. Of course, all other lint-free cloths are also suitable. Simply moisten with water and you’re good to go.

Especially with light coat colors you can see these tear tracks well. There are always doctors who advise you to have the tear ducts pierced, well. Our vet advises against any kind of eye surgery. He thinks you have to live with it with such a small breed of dog. Tearing is more of a cosmetic problem in dogs.

You should also make sure that the hair around the eyes is cut in such a way that no hair gets into the eyes. In puppies, the hair between the bridge of the nose and the eyes is not yet long enough to hang down on its own. You can try to brush them down and fix them with Vaseline, for example, so that they don’t poke into the eyes. As soon as the hair has reached a certain length, it usually hangs down and then no longer bothers. But again, this depends on the coat structure. We cut the hair directly at the eyes short and leave the hair on the bridge of the nose / beard in front of it. That way you can’t see that the hair behind it is short.

Ear care

Hair also grows in the ears and this should be removed regularly. To do this, pluck the hair out of the ear with your fingers. Even if it is sometimes claimed that it doesn’t hurt the dog, it does! The easiest way to do this is to have it done at the groomer. Otherwise, ask someone who doesn’t have so much contact with the dog to do it. Otherwise you’ll quickly make a mess of it 😉 Cutting the hair doesn’t help at all, some of it has grown deep into the ear. Of course, tiny wounds are created when you pluck these hairs, so you should never remove the hair from an overgrown ear in one session. Especially in puppies, the fur grows like weeds at the beginning and therefore also in the ears very quickly. Pluck more often before too much hair has grown.

There are also owners who do not remove this hair. As long as the ears are well ventilated, e.g. because the dog walks around with its ears waving a lot, this can work well. Unfortunately, yeast fungi can often colonize there and benefit from the hair in the ear.

Otherwise, you don’t really need to clean a healthy ear. Of course, there are lots of cleaning and care products, but well…………

By the way, always keep an eye out for awns in summer. They like to get stuck in the ears and move down the ear canal. So if the dog shakes its head frequently or scratches itself, it is clear that you should get to the bottom of it.

Teeth

A puppy first has a milk set of teeth and then changes teeth at around 5 months. Unlike us humans, a dog should not feel any pain when the new teeth come through. You should keep a close eye on the change of teeth. Unfortunately, it often happens with small dog breeds that the milk teeth, usually the canines, do not fall out on their own, they persist. Then the new teeth have already erupted and the milk teeth are still there. As a result, the new canines cannot slide into the right place and grow crooked. In consultation with the vet, the milk teeth should then be extracted, otherwise the teeth may become permanently misaligned. To support the change of teeth, you can play tugging games with the puppy or give him something hard to chew on, e.g. Barabas cattle hooves. You should try everything to loosen the milk teeth. The roots of the teeth actually dissolve and resorb, but this doesn’t always work.

When the permanent dentition is complete, you can start with dental care at around 1 year of age. Here too there are various methods and remedies. We prefer Herbax paste, which can be ordered on the Internet or from the vet, a purely herbal product that changes the composition of the saliva and thus breaks up plaque or tartar. A toothbrush is not necessary. In addition, for example, dried chicken necks and that’s all the dental care they really need.

Paw care

You should also pay attention to the paws from time to time. For example, foreign objects can get stuck between the pads, which can be recognized by limping. In the city often chewing gum 🙁 In the forest resin.

In winter, ice crystals, grit or road salt can cause problems on the paws and can also lead to cracked pads. It is best to thoroughly rinse the paws at home with lukewarm water to remove road salt.

You can also use a paw care product, as there are various products available. But often they are not absorbed so quickly and the dog slips and has a greasy paw print. Everyone has to find the right product for themselves.

Claws

Dogs’ claws grow back just like our nails and therefore need to be monitored to make sure they haven’t become too long. In the house you can hear this very well on tiles when the paws clack when walking. This is the point at which you should definitely trim the claws.

If you walk your dog a lot on asphalt, the claws will wear better than if you walk on forest paths. However, it is more the rear claws that wear out by themselves, as the dog pushes with its hind legs when running. The front claws do not wear off so easily.

A Bolonka has 4 claws at the back and should have 5 at the front, one of which is the so-called thumb claw. Not to be confused with a wolf claw, which the Bolonka should not have.

This thumb claw in particular is often overlooked and continues to grow round. So don’t forget to shorten it!

If the claws are too long, this can interfere with the dog’s walking and can lead to a misalignment of the paws.

Nerves and blood vessels run through the claws, just as they do in us. Unfortunately, many dogs have black claws and you can’t see the life of the claw beginning. It is therefore better to cut less and more often. You can try to shine a strong flashlight through the claws and see if you can recognize where the blood vessels begin.

A little practice and sensitivity are important. For cutting claws, there are claw scissors, some of which are also equipped with a spacer, and there are so-called guillotine scissors for the claws. It’s a matter of taste which one suits you better.

There is also the option of filing the nails, but this is very awkward with the long fur. Some people also use nail clippers or nail scissors for toenails, but I find that they crush the claws rather than cutting them properly.

If you cut the claw too far, it will start to bleed straight away. Here you can use soap in one piece or a hemostatic agent as an emergency measure. Hemostatic agents are allaunsticks, they constrict the blood vessels. The bar of soap should be softened with water and the claw is then pulled through the soft soap. It sticks the wound together and acts as a kind of plaster.