My Favourite Things: Dog grooming

Even though frequent showers can potentially dry out the dog’s skin, much also depends on the type of coat your dog has and also the type of shampoo you use. Our lil’ Piccolo is a shmoodle (shih tzu + maltese + poodle) that really enjoys frollicking in the water, mucking around on the kitchen mat and grass patches in public areas, and getting himself really dirty. This is made worse by the fact that his curly fur traps dirt real easily, thanks to his poodle genes.

Anyway, this is one lil’ dog that enjoys his showers. He shows it by jumping readily into a makeshift, plastic bathtub, tail wagging, eagerly awaiting his scrub-down. He savours every moment of waterplay, the scrubbing, and the hairdrying thereafter. This has become a weekly routine, and it has been working out well for lil’ Piccolo so far.

Earlier, I also talked about the correct choice of shampoos. In reality, one can’t be too sure that the information stated on the labels are reliable and accurate. That said, I guess some things just have to be done by faith. Piccolo uses mild olive shampoo – just enough to get the water into a slight lather for complete-body scrubbing and we’re good to go! And while you’re at it, make doubly sure you don’t get water into the ears because that can result in mites and other ear-related problems. Before every shower, we also apply medicative eardrops to clean out the wax and other unwanted guests. He hates that, but he’s learnt to bear with it or not play with water at all.

As for haircuts, Piccolo does it only once every 3-4 months. Some dog owners we know actually prefer the DIY approach. Well, my hubby and I decided that once every quarter wouldn’t cost a lot, especially after accounting for the trouble in sitting him still and disentangling the knots that completely immobilise the shaver.

So, are they two different dogs or the same lil’ Piccolo in the two pictures?