PROFESSIONAL GROOMING

Fascinating! I guess I won't Furminate any more, either.

Did he say what kind of brush?

I don't use a furminator, but I do like to use those rake thingys when they moult twice yearly. They don't get a lot of brushing in between..... Interesting info!

I, like Rona, don't brush very often... (Bad pug mama!)

I also like the rake thingy, but I used to use that only on Gumpy. Moose (the lab) loves it, though, and he blows his coat twice a year.

Otherwise, I use that brush with the short wire bristles when I feel like brushing. That is usually in the summer when i am out in the backyard 24/7. (Well, I WOULD be out in the backyard 24/7 on nice days that I don't have to work!)

I've thought about buying the Furminator for Moose, but maybe I'll stick with regular brushing and using the rake thingy.

I haven't used the furminator as the stripping action always bothered me. I swear by the shedding blade and the Zoom Groom. I do use a comb that has two lengths of teeth for the dogs that blow their coats (thank the Lord, I don't have one of those right now).

Interesting. No big surprise that what you feed impacts on coat condition.

I'll bet that was an interesting seminar! Thanks for sharing the info. with us. I'm guilty of using a Furminator too. It really comes in handy with Bud, who I swear is triple coated, he is so dang fluffy! I guess that we'll stick with the shedding blade for major hair removal from here on out. I don't brush frequently either. I try to run a slicker brush over them at least once a week but that doesn't always happen.

Okay to elaborate, he sprays down the pug with The Stuff (the already mixed kind) and works it into their coat. http://www.petedge.com/product/The-Stuff-Conditioner-and-Detangler-16-oz/43553.uts

When he brushes, he first uses a brush similar to this http://www.petedge.com/product/Grooming/Grooming-Tools/Combs-Brushes-Rakes/1-All-Systems-Boar-Bristle-Brush-wWooden-Handle/subsubCategoryId/783/pc/504/c/517/sc/589/43791.uts

Then he combs each pug out with the bigger teeth side and then the smaller teeth side. http://www.petedge.com/product/Grooming-Tools/Combs-Brushes-Rakes/Combs/Master-Grooming-Tools-Grooming-Combs/pc/517/c/589/sc/784/46284.uts

Granted all of this is to keep a show pug looking in top shape, but I thought is was interesting and looked for things to apply to my pugs and our life style.

papaspugs wrote:The first thing that he said was FOOD! He feeds RAW (Blanche, I thought of you). He said that what you feed your pug will contribute to their health and coat. Now he did say that he wasn’t there to tell someone what to feed, if what you are using now is working then that’s fine, but he does feed RAW 2xday and adds green beans, salmon oil, and supplements (I believe Condroidine (sp?) and something else?).[/size][/font]

This is what I ALWAYS tell clients or store customers who are concerned about their dogs coat condition. It all comes from the inside out! People always comment on how soft my pugs' coats are. I tell them that it is all because of the food. When I got Kimchi, he coat was more akin to a brillo pad. She became super soft after about 5 weeks of a raw food diet. That was enough proof for me to see how well a good diet works.

Not Afraid wrote:

papaspugs wrote:The first thing that he said was FOOD! He feeds RAW (Blanche, I thought of you). He said that what you feed your pug will contribute to their health and coat. Now he did say that he wasn’t there to tell someone what to feed, if what you are using now is working then that’s fine, but he does feed RAW 2xday and adds green beans, salmon oil, and supplements (I believe Condroidine (sp?) and something else?).[/size][/font]

This is what I ALWAYS tell clients or store customers who are concerned about their dogs coat condition. It all comes from the inside out! People always comment on how soft my pugs' coats are. I tell them that it is all because of the food. When I got Kimchi, he coat was more akin to a brillo pad. She became super soft after about 5 weeks of a raw food diet. That was enough proof for me to see how well a good diet works.

Penny's coat was like a broom when I got her, and after three years of grain free (Ms. Thang turns her nose up at raw!), she is black velvet. She gets salmon oil, pumpkin, and fat free plain yogurt, too. Oh, yes, and there's the lavender oil massage, but let's not go there.

I met a woman once out walking her pugs and, since I had pugs too we got to talking. I told her about the build up on my pugs' teeth. She showed he her pug's teeth. They were white and clean as could be. She said it was because she fed them raw chicken necks all their life. I feed Henry raw meat (bought frozen). Anyone ever heard of feeding a pug raw chicken necks????

My pugs (and pap) eat chicken necks for dinner most of the time. Breakfast is a pureed mix of meat and bones with acv, and pumpkin. The ones who have eaten this their whole lives have perfect teeth.

Doodikins wrote:I met a woman once out walking her pugs and, since I had pugs too we got to talking. I told her about the build up on my pugs' teeth. She showed he her pug's teeth. They were white and clean as could be. She said it was because she fed them raw chicken necks all their life. I feed Henry raw meat (bought frozen). Anyone ever heard of feeding a pug raw chicken necks????

Yep--I feed meaty bones more than chicken necks as I've got a couple of gulpers who will try to swallow the neck whole. When I do feed necks, I hold them so that they actually chew them rather than gulping them down. My dogs rarely need dental work

Raw meaty bones are great for pugs, but man are they messy!

oOH! very interesting!
glad you had fun and learned quite a bit.