From Shaggy To Snazzy

Kirby doesn't have long hair like a yorkie so I could probably never give him a hair cut.  He has a silky, manageable coat with some really pretty coloring.  It isn't straight and it isn't curly, just a lovely wave. However, it drives me crazy when it gets past a certain length.  I just think he looks shaggy and unkempt.

I probably cut it three to four times a year. He's very cooperative so it's an easy task.  He used to hate having his face trimmed but has become accustomed to it so even that's a cinch.

I'm sure a professional would do a better job but I'm happy with the end results.

The shaggy dog.

Scissors to his paws and face, shears across his body...

And what a handsome little guy he is! Now he's ready to show off for the holidays.

I didn't say he was happy about getting a haircut, I said he was cooperative. A nice treat for being such a good boy and all will be right with the world again.

Here's a step-by-step guide to achieving The Kirby Cut

Washing Away Those Fleas

We have hot, humid summers and, with such a mild winter, this has become one of  the worst flea seasons in Mississippi since as long as I can remember.  My first attempt to eradicate these ferocious biters was with diatomaceous dirt.  It was slowly working but I found I had to rub it into Kirby’s fur almost daily. He was still scratching but somewhat less.  What I hated almost as much as the fleas was how it made my house look so filthy and Kirby looking like he hadn’t had a bath in a very long time.

In my search for another natural way to combat this flea infestation, I discovered an amazing and safe product.  I wasn't the first since there are numerous testimonies across the internet praising this inexpensive, household item prompting me to give it a try.  

DAWN DISH DETERGENT

Original Blue Formula Dawn is the same product used to clean wildlife in the Gulf Coast after the oil spill.  It is safer than any chemicals and has been recommended by veterinarians.  Following are the steps I'm using to eradicate the flea invasion in my home.

Directions for your pet:

• Fill a bathtub with warm water. Do not use extremely hot water while bathing your pet. The amount of time the dish washing detergent stays on your dog's fur, not the water's temperature, is what kills fleas.
• Wash your hands and arms up to about the elbow with the soap. This will prevent fleas from jumping on you during the bath, biting you, and then re-infesting the pet.
• Place your dog into the bathtub and fully soak him or her.   I am washing our large current foster dog in the kiddie pool in the backyard.
• Squirt dish washing detergent onto the fur and massage. Add enough dish washing detergent to create a full lather on your dog's body. You will need to spend several minutes scrubbing him or her, more depending on the severity of the fleas. Be gently while scrubbing but you will need to scrub well to get to the skin where the fleas will hide. Having a pet brush on hand can be helpful when getting deep in the hair.
• Pay special attention to the head, ears, face and neck areas as fleas migrate to these undisturbed points when their habitats are disrupted. This means you will probably have to add a tiny drop of detergent and rinse. You can pick them off the face as you see them so you don't get soap and water in the eyes.
• Be very cautious when washing around the eyes. If contact with the eyes occurs, rinse with cool water and dry with a towel.
• Let the soap sit on your pet's fur for about 15 minutes while it kills the active fleas.  I just keep massaging the detergent into the fur so he thinks we aren’t done.
• Rinse when you see dead fleas. When you start to see fleas fall off into the tub, you will need to rinse the pet to get rid of the dead fleas and get to the live ones. Scrub until you see no fleas in the tub when you rinse which can take a few minutes.  The soap residue may irritate your pet's skin so rinse the fur thoroughly.
• Comb the fur with a flea comb allowing the fleas to drop into the soapy water.
• When finished let the fur dry naturally.
• Slather a fur or skin conditioner for dogs on your pet so that its naturally occurring body oils are balanced again.
• Rinse the bathtub out to get rid of dead fleas.
• Do this at least once a week or when flea problems arise.

For pets that cannot be bathed, such as cats:

• Take a bowl and mix 2-3 teaspoons of detergent and fill the rest a little over half full with water.
• Use a spoon or fork to mix well until it's bubbly.
• Use a flea comb and dip the fleas in the bowl of water and detergent. This kills them instantaneously. This can take quite a while, but it's worth it.
• Scrub deep into the fur, but be very careful not to scrub too hard. If the pet cries, you're scrubbing too roughly.
• Continue combing until you see no more fleas.
• If you notice more fleas within a couple of days after bathing, simply repeat the process every couple of days.

Directions for your home

• Vacuum often being sure to empty the bag or bin into a sealable garbage bag and placing in your outside garbage container.
• Steam clean your floors and upholstery with a few squirts of the dish detergent added to the hot water compartment. If you don’t have a steam cleaner then mop your floors and lightly sponge clean your upholstery.  My tile floors are clean and shiny with no sticky residue.
• Wash all pet bedding, toys, etc. in hot water using a small amount of the dish detergent.
• Mix a few drops of dish detergent with water in a spray bottle and spray on problem areas such as carpets, pet bedding, and toys.
• Make sure you are not using Dawn with bleach which could cause discoloration.
• If you notice you are leaving a soapy residue then use less soap.
• Do this once a week when you do your normal cleaning.

Directions for your Yard

 Don’t forget your yard because each time your pet ventures into the yard a new crop of fleas will infest your pet

• Mow your lawn to a height of 1-1/2 to 2 inches. This allows sunlight to heat the ground killing flea eggs and allows the spray to reach the ground where fleas and their eggs live.
• Fill a lawn sprayer with water and add 1 oz. of Dawn dish soap.  I use an empty Miracle Grow feeder bottle that snaps into a thing on my water hose. Remove the top, squirt some soap in and re-attach it to the water hose.  Using the feeder option I “fed” some fleas!
• Spray your entire yard with the Dawn dish soap and water mixture in the late evening so the detergent has several hours before the sun rises and dries the soapy water reducing its effectiveness.  It’s soap so I further spray down my deck and patio furniture letting the spray drip down the cracks to the ground under the deck.  I also spray all of my flower beds and I haven’t seen any problems arise for my flowers or vegetables.  Basically, I am spraying everything!
• Repeat this for two or three days in a row and again approximately 10 to 12 days after the first spraying. This will allow flea eggs that were present during your first spraying to hatch and allow you to kill the next batch of fleas.
• Continue to spray with Dawn every few weeks to maintain a flea-free yard.  I really focus on the back fenced area Kirby plays in.  I also spray my flower and vegetable beds and have not found any detrimental effects.
• I've also noticed less problems with mosquitoes around my deck which could be a coincidence or another added benefit.

I started this process last weekend.  Seven days later Kirby started scratching again which told me the flea eggs had hatched.  I again went through the entire process.  It was time consuming taking a full day but was well worth the effort.  My house is shining like a copper penny and the Kirbster is back to his old self.  Relief and comfort is everything.  Not having to use chemicals on his little body is a further comfort becuase I don't have to worry about poisons slowly seeping into his skin causing irreparable harm.   

I have also begun adding small amounts of garlic powder to his meals which is supposed to make his skin give off a slight garlic odor insects hate.  It's only June so I plan to be diligent throughout the summer months ahead.  

Have you tried Dawn?  I would love to hear about your experiences and what worked for you.

The Kirby Cut

I have had several requests concerning how I cut kirbys hair and what products I use so I decided to do a post I can refer people to that details each step.

Kirby didnt need a haircut until he reached almost two years of age. All I had to do was trim his feet. Now he gets a haircut about every two months.  His hair doesnt grow very long but I prefer it cut otherwise it tends to start looking shaggy scraggly with all the wavy hair.

He's small so its easiest for me to do this on the kitchen counter. I lay a thick towel on the counter to collect the hair and make it comfortable for him. I used to tether him to a nearby cabinet knob for safety reasons but don't find it necessary anymore. If your dog is not comfortable with grooming you should tether him to avoid him falling or jumping off when you have your back turned.

I use the Oster Animal Care Easy Series Clipper with a whisper quiet motor so it doesn't bother Kirby at all.  I find the included 1/2 inch comb attachment gives me the length I want but you can try different combs to find the perfect length for your dog. A few drops of the included oil throughout the process eliminates any snagging of the hair. First I clip his hair from the back of his head to his tail going straight back. Then I clip his sides again going from the front straight back. I clip his backend avoiding his tail. Next is his neck, under his ears and chest.

Kirby has to hold a standing position although he does try to sit now and then.  Once this is done I lay him on his back to work on his underside, legs and feet. He is very relaxed at this stage. I then clip each leg going from his body to his feet.  He does very well but I've always given him breaks so he never gets agitated.  I let him down while I dispose of the cut hair and clean the clipper.

Next I trim his groin area, the inside of his back legs, and the bottom of his feet with the Oster Simply Pink Trimmer. I really like this one since it shaves close to the skin removing all those scraggly hairs.  It also has a whisper quiet motor.

During this process check the trimmers to see if they are getting hot. If the blades feel hot to you then they are too hot for your dog! Stop and let them cool down. In the beginning I had to stop several times. The process will get faster as you become more adept.

Next I trim his feet with scissors made specifically for dog grooming. They are rounded on the ends to avoid cutting or poking his eyes or skin in the event he should move. I like to leave the hair long here cutting the bottom of the hair around the perimeter of his feet.

The last part of the grooming is his face which takes the most time for me. Again I use the scissors to trim his face to the look I want. I use a brush to comb his hair toward his muzzle and trim all around cutting from front to back. Then I trim the hair between his eyes and in front of his ears. Holding his muzzle with my hand I comb the hair on his head right above his eyes forward and cut across far enough out that it will still want to fall over slightly.  I love the whispy fringe that hangs from his ears so I leave those alone.

Any missed twigs on his face or body can be quickly trimmed with the scissors. 99 percent of the time I feel I have trimmed his face a little shorter than I wanted but it always looks great in a few days. Also I never do a haircut right before an important event. With time and practice you'll discover what works best for your dog's coat to achieve the perfect look that suits him or her.

The last, but most important, step is a special treat to let him know he was a very good boy during his grooming process. Today he got a piece of liver jerky!

Using a towel makes cleanup a breeze. Pick up clumps of hair as you work. When done shake out the towel outside before throwing in the washer.

Do you groom your dog? Be sure to share your tips and tricks with us!