Conditioner For Furnishings

[Stitch]

I am interested to see what everyone thinks is the BEST conditioner to use on furnishings to get them to be long and lush instead of brittle and breaking off.

What do you use??? :)

[piper]

I think you will find people say it depends on the individual dog and the type of coat they have.

What sort of dog do you have?

I find more important than the condititioner is what gets fed to the dog so that the hair they grow is healthy. My guys get things like sardines and eggs regularly and have lovely healthy coats.

Eta: grooming also plays a part - how you brush and the tools you are using. Some brushes/combs are terrible for breaking coats.

Edited May 10, 2012 by piper

[espinay2]

Depends on the breed. Also their activity levels and how they are kept (what sort of surface they are kept on, how often they get wet/dirty, allowed to run in brush? etc etc). And diet as mentioned. Generally though I use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil as a rinse and find that has really helped maintain coat quality. I do most of my grooming as bathing/blowdrying rather than actual brushing. The quality of your grooming tools can also affect coat breakage too - good quality brushes with polished tips and combing through rather than using dematters etc will help reduce coat breakage. Also never brush a completely dry coat - always use a spray of some kind when brushing.

Edited May 11, 2012 by espinay2

[ellz]

Agree with Piper. Condition comes, first and foremost, from the inside out.

Also, a dirty coat won't grow. For optimum coat growing, bathing weekly is highly recommended with more frequent spot cleaning of certain areas that attract dirt more often like pee feathers, faces etc.

And yes, good quality grooming tools are essential. These will vary depending upon the breed.

[Dogsfevr]

plus the other factor,you either have a good coat or a crap coat no matter what you do

Diet first & foremost & how often there maintained .

Over conditioning & oiling can do exactly what you are experiencing now.

I prefer maintenance programmes than over oiling/conditioning & changing the routine when the season changes are happening or when appropriate .

The more crap you put in coats the less it will grow as well.

But the breed does make the difference in what one uses & then it comes down to your dog as to what works best ,no product is the best its just a case of what works best on your dog

[Alyosha]

Like Espinay I do most grooming as bathing and drying, especially on long fringes. I have silky coats and dry brushing can easily break them. Furnishings can take years to regrow.

I love (love love love!!) horse products. They are often designed to use heavily diluted, and I like the idea of less being more. I use diluted conditioner all over, and brush it through with a slicker before rinsing. Any knotted bits of furnishings can have a blob of undiluted conditioner worked in, then knots teased and brushed out.

Commonly the Champion Tails range suits everything I do. But I have also love some of the Equinade (Show Silk Conditioner is lovely!) and Equiwash range, and the shampoo Kohnkes Kleen Sheen. It's great for maintenance as it is designed for almost daily use on racehorse. So Ph balanced and super gentle, while still being effective.

[Stitch]

Thank you so much for your input Alyosha & Espinay2.

I was beginning to think that we were all wasting our money on conditioning our own hair!!LOL

Given that my dogs do have a complete and good quality BARF diet I do think that there is always ways to improve coat condition with certain products and my funds don't stretch to trying them all.

I can't help but think that conditioning the furnishings has also got to play a part in getting them into the best condition possible.

[ellz]

I can't help but think that conditioning the furnishings has also got to play a part in getting them into the best condition possible.

Conditioners are used on hair to close the hair follicles which are opened during shampooing. Therefore, if the hair shaft is damaged, or not healthy to begin with, conditioning will have little effect other than costing money.

Also, the WRONG conditioners can have ingredients which "coat" the hair and make it slick and which eventually break the hair shaft down and cause more damage.

[sheena]

Can I be a real pain in the neck & a complete idiot and ask, please......what are we talking about when referring to "Furnishings"

[ellz]

Can I be a real pain in the neck & a complete idiot and ask, please......what are we talking about when referring to "Furnishings"

Feathering or long coat on some dogs.

[sheena]

Can I be a real pain in the neck & a complete idiot and ask, please......what are we talking about when referring to "Furnishings"

Feathering or long coat on some dogs.

Ahhhh...thankyou. Do you mean like the feathers on the legs & pants on a border collie??

[ellz]

Can I be a real pain in the neck & a complete idiot and ask, please......what are we talking about when referring to "Furnishings"

Feathering or long coat on some dogs.

Ahhhh...thankyou. Do you mean like the feathers on the legs & pants on a border collie??

Yes, among other areas. Furnishings can be on the face, legs, body or anywhere.

[sheena]

Thanks....I will start a new thread :)