The most common comment I get when walking our American Eskimo, Minnie Pearl, is about how white she is. People always think I just gave her a bath, even when it’s been a few months since her last bathing session. I usually explain to the people how American Eskimo dogs are often called “dry clean dogs”. They usually want to know more about that so I thought it’d be helpful if I explained it with today’s comic.
American Eskimo/Spitz dogs have an oil coating on their skin which helps repel dirt. According to the AKC website, “the oil on an Eskie’s fur prevents dirt from adhering, so a good brushing is usually enough to remove it. It is OK to bathe an Eskie occasionally, but doing so more than once every few months can make his skin dry and irritated.” Minnie Pearl can go out in the yard, get super muddy, and within an hour, all the mud just falls off her. It is truly awesome!
She does shed, but with regular brushing, I am able to keep this under control very easily. She is my second American Eskimo, so I definitely have our pet grooming “system” locked down. I used to get my former American Eskimo, Vegas, groomed from time to time. I saw how they trimmed just a bit under his tail area and on his stomach area, so I purchased a grooming kit and started doing it myself. Well, I do it myself as long as my pets are in the mood. If they aren’t, I get my husband to help.
I still use the same Conair Pet Grooming Kit for Minnie Pearl and for my Maine Coon cats as well. I also have a hand held sprayer on my shower. I HIGHLY recommend a hand held sprayer when it comes to bathing all pets.
For drying, I first use a towel to get as much water absorbed as possible. Then I use a regular blow dryer to blow out Minnie Pearl’s fur, however, I use it on a COOL setting or a very, very low heat setting. Yes, it takes a while to dry her on this setting, but I know the high heat is too much for her and too much for most dogs. I gently brush her while drying to help detangle her long fur.
If you have a bit of patience and are willing to do some research and learn how your dog should be groomed, you can do it too. I always think it’s a good idea to start grooming your pets when they are puppies (if possible) so they can get used to the activity. If you adopt an older dog, you can still train it to be groomed either yourself or with the help of a trained pet groomer.
Want to learn more about grooming American Eskimos or other breeds? Check out the AKC website by following this link.
Happy Friday!
Don’t forget my kids page- Tiny Treehouse Kids! I post my weekly Friday Funnies comic there too and it’s a kid and parent approved page!
Photography and life-comic by Carolyn J. Braden
Pin Me! www.carolynsbloomingcreations.com
Pin me! www.carolynsbloomingcreations.com
Art by Carolyn J. Braden, Media: Microsoft PowerPoint
