"Walkin' in a winter wonderland" Top tips to keep your dog looking fantastic this snowy season
The snow is here! How exciting (for the people with short haired dogs)! Unfortunately it can be a tough season for those of us with dogs with longer hair; we face a multitude of problems, from jackets tangling hair, to static and of course leg snow balls! If you're a new dog owner, or new to the snowy season, this article will be especially useful to help you handle the problems that snow and cold weather create.
1. Choose a suitable hair length! The biggest thing I hear this time of year is pet owners asking for longer lengths to keep their dogs warmer. Unfortunately for most dog owners, leaving a little more hair than usual actually creates more problems instead. More hair is more maintenance, you're going to need to brush more, schedule your next appointment sooner and possibly track more snow into the house after walks. If you're happy with your pups summer length and grooming schedule, keep it! Instead of growing hair maybe consider this next point.... 2. Winter clothing! Invest in a jacket and some snow pants instead of trying to grow hair to keep your dog warmer. Jackets are proven to keep your dog warmer, will keep your dog drier, and dog pants will keep the snow from creating those awful leg snow balls! Winter clothing does come with its own problems though. Winter clothing needs to fit properly or it could cause additional damage to your dogs coat (too tight and you could get tangles!), it needs to be made of waterproof materials if you want your pet to be dry (wet hair causes matting!), and once you take it off you also need to brush out your dog or at least check over your pets coat condition. Leaving a jacket or pants on after the walk is especially not a good idea! So plan for an extra half an hour in your day to get your pup dressed in jacket, pants, and boots, and to remove the clothing once you get to your destination. 3. Winter brushing schedules In both earlier points I touch on increasing your brushing schedule, but how do you do that effectively? During the whole year I highly recommend never ever brushing a dry coat, and recommend lightly spritzing your dogs coat with brushing spray. This is especially essential in winter months as the risk of static and breakage is increased! Whenever you break hair while brushing, you also damage the hair and increase your risk for future tangles. Keep those coats hydrated, healthy and static free this winter season! 4. Bath appointments Book into your favourite salon for a bath and ask to add hydrating conditioner to your appointment! A hydrated coat is a happy coat. Just like us people reading this need extra hair hydration in the winter, so does your dog! To prevent, breakage, damage and keep your dogs skin happy in winter months I highly recommend not skipping bath appointments between haircuts. In winter some groomers will also have paw and nose butter handy to help reduce the impact street salt is having on your pups paws. If you really truly do want a long coat in winter, bath appointments really shouldn't be missed! The biggest thing this winter is to remember to have fun, be safe, and enjoy the season. It's a frustrating time of year with all the jackets, brushing and additional work. Don't let it stress you out, just have a good time. Your dog will thank you! Photo credit to Finnegantheyorkie, Bostonthetravellingoodle, and Moderatelyawesomewoodwork They all have fantastic instagrams and I suggest you give them a follow. Additional last words; here's my recommended at home products for this winter! If you need brush or comb suggestions, message me and I can give you a consultation of what will work best for your dogs breed and coat. Both of these sprays sold at Wheatley Wares (Fantastic Canadian company!) will help to keep your dog looking THE BEST this winter. Before touching your dogs coat with a brush or comb, always always always lightly spray into the coat and watch as static, breakage and tangles become a problem of the past. https://wheatley-wares.myshopify.com/products/ice-on-ice-detangling-spray https://wheatley-wares.myshopify.com/products/precious-drop-keratin-spray If you enjoyed this blog, and found it useful I would love for you to share it on social media to keep other dogs happy and tangle free this winter! And of course, if you want your dog to be featured in an upcoming article watch in my stories on instagram and facebook for my model call outs! Wishing you a happy and tangle-free winter.
-Petstylingbyshona