IMPORTANT:
- Line brush your Coton to be free of all tangles and mats (tiny mats will snowball into bigger and bigger
mats during the bathing process). Always take you comb and run thru the entire coat right up against
the skin. If you find more tangles, brush and comb again. Tiny mats apears easily behind the ears,
private areas and arm pits. Tiny mats become larger mats, and takes time to remove if mats are not
removed quickly. If your Coton is in matted shape, make several mini grooming sessions. You want to
make grooming a plesasant and positive experience, and is very difficult to achieve if you begin with a
matted dog.
PRE-BATH
- Set out towels, shampoo, conditioner, ear cleaner, eye drops, etc.
- Set up blower and grooming table if you have one.
- Place a tiny drop of mineral oil in each eye for protection from irritation.
- Cleanse ear canals.
BATH
- Wet the coat. You will want ot use a degreaser like "Grease Magic" from www.ryanspet.com on feet,
ears, muzzle, and any other extra dirty areas. Lather and rinse. Shampoo with a premium quality pet
shampoo. See our favorites for shampoo's and conditioners, etc. Again do not rub in round circle
motion, but kneed like making bread or massage the hair from the roots to the end of the hairs.
- Rinse. Coat should be squeaky clean all over, otherwise shampoo again and rinse.
- Apply conditioner. Avoid products that are made with lanolin and mink oil. These products are difficult
to shampoo out and will cause a build up over time.
- Rinse
- Blot and squeeze dog in towel (cotton sheets work well)--Never rub the coat. If room temperature
allows, it is very good for the coat to air-dry naturally for about 15-20 minutes, and this cuts down the
time needed for blow drying.
- Place your wet dog on the grooming table and spray entire body lightly with a grooming spray.
Distribute from the roots to the ends of hair with your fingers. Then blow dry your Coton's coat from the
roots out. It is key to concentrate on drying the root area, and the rest of the hair will get dry as
this result.
- When the coat is mostly dry, put your dryer on a stand and brush each area of the dog as you continue
to blow dry for that "finished look."
- This is an excellent time to clip your dog's nails. The nails are still softened from the bath, and the dog
is already becoming tired from the grooming session, so offers less resistance.
- Run a comb through the entire coat from the skin all the way out to check for any missed tangles.
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