# Brushing my poodle



## Debbyd (Aug 19, 2009)

I have a 12 week old puppy. His name is Beau. I bought a brush to brush him with,but it doesn't seem to do it. Is this because of the kind of coat he has? I bought Johnson's baby shampoo with no tangles with condition on the recommedatio of a friend,hoping to help, but it didn't. Does anyone out their have any suggestion? Thanks

Debby


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## ChewieDaddy (Aug 18, 2009)

What kind of brush did you buy? If he's tangled I like slicker brush on mine.


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## Debbyd (Aug 19, 2009)

My puppy is a poodle and I just got what they had at walmart. I don't have the label anymore. Is there a certain kind they recommend?


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## ChewieDaddy (Aug 18, 2009)

For my poodle I have :

a pin brush for daily brushing (no balls at the end because I heard it damages the coat),
a slicker brush for when he's tangled
and a metal comb to make double sure he's not tangled.

I heard corn strash is good to take the tangles out but I've never had to use it so I don't know.


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## Debbyd (Aug 19, 2009)

*Re: Brushing Beau*

THe brush is a Whal brush. It is wirey on one side with small balls on the ends and a brush type on the other side. Debby


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## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

*Re: Brushing Beau*

A slicker brush looks like this:










A pin brush looks like this:


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## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

> THe brush is a Whal brush. It is wirey on one side with small balls on the ends and a brush type on the other side. Debby


I had a brush like this and used it for a while on my boys (a miniature poodle mix and a toy poodle). It doesn't work very well. Get a slicker brush and a comb. It will work much better.


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## meghf (Jul 12, 2009)

I might be wrong about this, and others with more knowledge can reply but I thought it wasn't good to use human shampoo on dogs because the ph is different? For my standard poodle I usually buy a dog shampoo from petsmart or petco. He's white so sometimes I do a brightening shampoo and I switch off with a moisturizing one. And I usually also get a dog conditioner and/or a dog spray conditioner. I might be doing this incorrectly and others can comment.

For puppies they have specific puppy shampoos. Like I said, I have been told and I've read not to use people shampoo on dogs.


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## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

meghf said:


> I might be wrong about this, and others with more knowledge can reply but I thought it wasn't good to use human shampoo on dogs because the ph is different? For my standard poodle I usually buy a dog shampoo from petsmart or petco. He's white so sometimes I do a brightening shampoo and I switch off with a moisturizing one. And I usually also get a dog conditioner and/or a dog spray conditioner. I might be doing this incorrectly and others can comment.
> 
> For puppies they have specific puppy shampoos. Like I said, I have been told and I've read not to use people shampoo on dogs.


That's a myth. The most important thing is to RINSE THOROUGHLY. People tend to use WAY too much and not rinse long enough. Shampoo remnants left on the skin is what causes problems in dogs. If you use a gentle, hypoallergenic product it will work fine on a puppy, they don't need specific formulas. Also, if your dog tends to dry skin, conditioner helps as well. A good article on dog shampoos and conditioners is here and here.

For example, here is an ingredient comparison of _dish soap_, and a brand of commercial dog shampoo:



> *IVORY DISH SOAP*
> Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (detergent surfactant)
> Water
> Sodium Laureth Sulfate (detergent co-surfactant, milder than SLS)
> ...


That comparison is from the article I linked to above. It's very informative!

Icesis' breeder uses Aussie on all her dogs, and they're gorgeous. Chinese Cresteds are a breed where if ANYTHING was harmful about using human shampoo on dogs, it'd be completely obvious. People who sell pet shampoo say the thing about pH for the same reason dog kibble companies say it's wrong to feed your dog anything but their product.

As with anything, some dogs might be allergic to certain ingredients in a shampoo, but that's a separate issue. Avoiding products with added perfumes or artificial colors is all you need to do, generally.


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## meghf (Jul 12, 2009)

Thanks for the info Pai. That's good to know. I'll go read the article now.


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