Cavalier Talk

Cruisin Cavaliers Personal Grooming Schedule

Every three weeks I give my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels a bath. Below you will find a list of the products that I use and each item is a link to either order the product or get additional information about the product.

Crown Royal Biovite OB Shampoo #2 (http://www.brownkennelsupply.com/petp021.htm)

Summerwinds Protect-A-Coat & Fine-L-Shine  (http://summerwinds.com/downloads/product_details/Protect-A-CoatHowToUseFORWEB.pdf)

Summerwinds Take-A-Hike  (http://summerwinds.com/downloads/product_details/take-A-hikeforWeb.pdf)

Summerwinds Website  (http://www.summerwinds.com/CoatCare.html)

Step 1 = Dilute a quarter size drop of Crown Royal Biovite OB Shampoo #2 in a tall glass filled with water…mix well. I place a large storage container beside my tub. Using a measuring cup, pour 1/2 a cup of Summerwinds Protect-A-Coat (yellow formula is the one I use) and then fill the other 1/2 of the cup with Summerwinds Fine-L-Shine for a total of 1 cup. Pour the 1 cup into the storage container and add enough water to the storage container to cover your dog’s hocks while standing in the tub. The storage container mix will be used for each dog that day.

Step 2 = Put a Cavalier in the bath tub on a rubber mat so your Cavalier will have traction in the tub and will not slip. I have a hand sprayer on my tub faucet to easily wet my Cavalier down before adding the shampoo/water mixture from step 1. Gently massage the hair without putting a lot of pressure on the body. You want to clean the hair and not their skin because Cavaliers are different from humans and lose precious oils in the skin if you try to massage their skin too harshly. Rince well.

Step 3 = Carefully pick up your wet Cavalier and move him over to the storage container filled with water and conditioning mix. Your Cavaliers may resist the first time, but once they do it several times they learn to stay still during the transfer from the tub to the storage container. Once in the storage container I fill the empty measuring cup with the conditioning/water mixture that the Cavalier is standing in and pour it over the Cavalier’s exposed body that is not submersed in the conditioning/water mixture. I let each Cavalier stand in the conditioning/water mixture for up to 5 minutes.

Step 4 = Carefully pick up your wet Cavalier again and move him out of the conditioning/water mixture storage container onto several towels laid out on the floor and cover your Cavalier with a towel and begin drying him off. The conditioning/water mixture will stay on your Cavalier through the drying process. Once I have towel dried them some and given my Cavalier a chance to shake I pick up my Cavalier and place him/her on the grooming table.

Step 5 = This is my favorite time to brush my Cavaliers…when they are WET…on the grooming table…after their bath. I do not like to brush them any other time during the week unless absolutely necessary because I have found it breaks their hair and damages it if I brush them while they are dry and possibly have dirt that you cannot see soiled into their coat. Once they are combed through I blow them partially dry and set them free until their next bath.

If Showing The Following Weekend

Step 6 = If I have a dog show to attend two days before show day I use Summerwinds Take-A-Hike Shampoo quarter-size drop diluted in a tall glass of water. Follow Step #2 using the Take-A-Hike Shampoo instead.

Step 7 = I do not use the storage container on this day for the conditioner mix. Instead I use just a quarter-size drop of Summerwinds Fine-L-Shine diluted in a tall glass of water, rince well, and proceed with Step #5.

The Day Before Showing

Step 8 = I give another bath using a dime-size drop of Neutrogena Shampoo anti-residue formula diluted in a 1 cup measuring cup of water. I rince with 1 oz Listerine to 1 cup of water mixed as a final rinse and rinse out. Proceed to step 5 and dry your Cavalier completely as if getting ready to show today.

Show Day

Step 9 = Wash your Cavalier’s ears, chest, undercarriage, legs, paws, back skirts, and tail in Self-Rinse Plus and Rinse. Lightly mist coat and fringes (NOT EARS) with Show Sheen. Blow dry (1) ears and chest, (2) topcoat, (3) undercarriage, (4) back legs, (5) front legs, (6) paws in this order for Show Day.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

For additional grooming tips please visit our website at http://www.cruisincavaliers.com/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel-grooming.htm