The other day, Momma insisted on brushing me 50-strokes. I don't like being brushed very much, so that was not super fun but I tolerated it.
Then we went for a long walk, and I looked like this after:
I was very happy.
Little did I know what was coming... (If it had been a horror film there would have been all that eerie music to warn me.)
When I was summoned to the bathroom with the tub in, I wisemheimered-up.
Uh-oh.
Yes, there was a bath! And not just with shampoo - there was conditioner too!!
At least I got a pig's ear after.
And then I took a LONG nap.
Two days later, I thought the worst of it was over. (Although I still smelled really good, which was annoying!) But then Momma got out the brush again for another 50 strokes.
I had just about put the whole horror behind me, when she got the brush out again 2 weeks later!
Then she admitted the whole thing was an experiment!* WtH!? I am not a lab rat! And if I am... well, I'm going to need a much more steady stream of pig's ears!
Do your peeps ever experiment on you!? Lab-Rat Rita signing out!
* A message from the Momma
Yes, I did try a wee experiment on Rita. I read a post over at Rocco's House the other day on "shedless shampoos" and since Rita's been a dust-bunny-manufacturing machine around here, I decided to try the Paw Brothers MatMagic Shed Control shampoo and conditioner. Rita doesn't have "matting" problems since her hair is short, but it's both a detangling and a deshedding shampoo. (And there's a dog that looks like Snoopy on the bottle!)
I think it worked! Here's a graphic that shows the before and after shots of the hair I got off her. There was a TON of hair in the tub after the bath, and the hubs did a quick brushing once she dried off that got rid of the rest of the loose hair.
To be honest, we don't bathe Rita very often, and I never tried testing how much hair I could get off her pre- and post-bath, so I'm not sure if any shampoo might have had such results, but it definitely helped. I don't seem to have to sweep as much ever since the bath and it's been 2 weeks now.
Also, I'd never used a conditioner on the dog before, and it really made her coat SO soft! She also smelled fantastic for days.
Have you tried a "shedless" shampoo?
Thanks to Snoopy’s Dog Blog,
Alfie’s
Blog, and My Brown Newfies for hosting Monday
Mischief!
Oh neat! We use the Furminator on Beamer, which seems to work pretty well. I've never heard of a deshedding shampoo before.
ReplyDeleteWe use this thing called a "shedding blade" to brush her - sounds like a torture device (well, I suppose she'd say it IS a torture device) but it's great for getting her undercoat out. Of course... we are lazy and don't use it often enough!
DeleteWe went the easy route and got a (pretty much) shedless dog.
ReplyDeleteYou're smart!
DeleteI hope my hooman mom is not reading this. She will definitely try this experiment on me. I don't shed but I mat.
ReplyDeleteRoy
Good thing your mom didn't see this, Roy!
DeleteOMD the horror. Rita I feel your pain and she dumped at the fur stealers on Saturday and I had a Brazilian. Have a marvellous Monday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly
A Brazilian! Hahahahah! Sorry about that Molly!
DeleteWe were so shocked. We went to the groomers on Saturday where we normally get our baths. However we only had our nails and pads done because of Bailey's foot. Bailey thought it was Christmas. Katy has been very upset ever since.
ReplyDeleteLucky you, saved by Bailey's foot!
DeleteJeffie was really enjoying the photos of Rita in the bath ... until he realized I was writing down the name of that shampoo and conditioner! He HATES to take a bath, but he definitely is a big shedder and prone to matting. Poor boy, I see an experiment in his future. Thanks for being such a good guinea pig, Rita :-)
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to hear how it works on the matting. (Sorry Jeffie!)
DeleteThis is all making me feel like a total slacker for taking my dogs to the groomer and escaping all the dog wrath that comes with bath time. But we have become good friends and she gives me a multi-dog discount. Most of all I never have to worry about emptying the anal glands which I have a feeling would send me over the edge. She tried to show me how it was done. I didn't watch.
ReplyDeleteYeah - I let the vet do that anal gland stuff! And my brother in law usually does her nails for us.
DeleteI'm not sure I get the purpose of that shampoo. Is it to make them shed more during the bath? or is to make them retain their hair after the bath? I actually want my guys to shed so they don't have to wear any extra fur this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI seriously doubt any product would keep corgi hair contained.
No, it doesn't make them retain the hair. In the post on Rocco's House, she emailed Paw Brothers and they said it makes the releases all the coat that is ready to shed. Since Rita is blowing her coat, I think it helped knock a ton of it out in one go. (I guess to be a true experiment, I should have collected all the wet hair left in the tub - so gross - and the hair the hubs brushed out of her when she was dry.) I was never great at science!
DeleteI tried one once on the shed machine Torrey. I didn't notice any difference.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it works best on dogs that blow their coats once or twice a year. (Which is what Rita does.)
DeleteVery interesting. I use a natural bar shampoo on the dogs. We have so much shedding here, but I use an undercoat rake when brushing and it takes care of most of it. I do like the soft fur idea, though. Hmm ...
ReplyDeletelooks like that experiment may be working!
ReplyDeleteretro rover
Hmm, interesting. Luckily my guys don't shed too much, so this isn't a huge problem - I'll keep it in mind.
ReplyDeleteOh the horror! I so dislike baths! I don't use conditioner, but GBGV's don't really shed. Hope you don't have to do the bath thing again for a while.
ReplyDeleteBentley is a 365 days a year shedder. Fortunately, he loves a bath, blow dry, and brushing. I have tried shedding control shampoos before, but they didn't really have an impact. However, I recently tried K9 Kelp shampoo and spritz. It has been miraculous. I bathed Bentley last Monday and his shedding is almost nil. Thanks for the laughs, I love his bath picture. : )
ReplyDeleteExcellent experiment, She looks beautiful and looks like the brushing and shampooing really worked. Have a great night.
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'll have to check this bottle out and see if it's one of my relatives on the bottle! :)
ReplyDeleteIf I could get away with just 50 strokes and a bath every 2 weeks I'd be super happy! I usually get groomed for at least an hour and have a bath every week, cos Mum likes me to smell good for my therapy visits - doh! :)
I hope you're having a fun day,
Your pal Snoopy :)
That is cool! I'll have to try that! I don't have *huge* shedders, but I do use the shedding blade every so often and I'm sweeping every day. It would be nice to see a reduction in hair.
ReplyDeleteMommas can be sneaky; you really gotta watch them.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting. Rita is a good sport. Our dogs blow coat twice a year but in between they do not shed much. Of course with three, it seems like one finishes and another starts...lol.
ReplyDeleteAwww! What torture!! I've never used shedless shampoo before, but now you have me curious... I may have to give it a whirl. But, to be honest, my big shedder (Lucas) is so terrified of the bath, that we really only bathe him when it's absolutely unavoidable.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I am so bad at regularly brushing my dog and cats, and I hardly ever bathe them. There is so much hair in my apartment, it's disgusting. The best I do is use the Furminator maybe twice a month and I vacuum every week just to manage it.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the process, but I love when the dogs are clean and soft. I think I might try conditioner next time too. I'm glad Rita survived being a guinea pig! She has such an expressive face....I love the photos!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of it! I don't think mine shed THAT much (of course it could be that the carpet hides it too) but it's good to know it's out there.
ReplyDeleteAt least Rita didn't need a second bath!
So sorry she experimented on you Rita! None of my dogs enjoy bath day, and I have two cats that agree with you about the whole "brushing" thing.
ReplyDelete