Grooming Basics

If you see a wiggly, lively, adorable, curly white dog full of life and energy that looks like a stuffed animal and makes you take a second look, you might possibly be looking at an Italian Bolognese! 

The Bolognese has a curly, silky, white coat.  It is important that this breed is combed and/or brushed at least twice a week. 

I brush the puppies weekly  from the time they are quite small to get them used to being groomed. A critical time to keep  the Bolognese in tip-top condition with more frequent grooming / brushing is during the transition time between  the puppy stage and the adult coat. 

The Bolognese are beautiful in long coat, but many people opt to keep the body in a puppy cut for easy care. Keep ears, tail and face uncut to preserve the special Bolognese look. 

 Always check the coat carefully after spending time outside and remove all burrs, dry grass, thorns, and anything else that may have gotten into the coat. 

Basic grooming tools: are a  brush, metal comb, scissors, dog shampoo, spray for easier brushing , blow dryer, towels, ear cleaner, cotton balls, nail clippers, and dental care products. 

 BATHING

It is very important that  all mats and tangles are removed before bathing your dog.  They are much harder to remove on a wet coat. Not everyone agrees as to how often a dog should be bathed. A good rule of thumb is twice a month.  You can of course, bathe a little more often, according to your preference.  Even when your dog gets wet  or a bit dirty after an extended time outside, many times when you towel dry them and then brush them out, they look great.  When you do bathe your dog,  make sure the water is not too hot or cold.  Apply shampoo and work it into a  good lather.  Wash the head last so water isn't dripping into your pet's eyes while  you are working on the rest of the body.  Try to avoid getting water into the ear canal.   A cotton ball in each ear works well or hold the ears down  with one hand while washing with your other hand.  When washing the face, we use a tearless puppy shampoo to  protect their eyes.  The shampoo is followed by a conditioner.  Dry your dog thoroughly  with a towel and then brush or comb out gently and use the blow dryer at a low  temperature to dry him/her off.  Make sure you keep your hand running back and forth and fluffing the coat at the same time so you know the dryer doesn't get too warm.  Then brush and comb again.   Please remember - tangles are more easily develop in a dry and uncared coat!

FEET AND NAILS

In order to prevent knots of hair from forming between the pads of the feet, the hair  should be trimmed with a round-tipped pair of scissors.  When trimming nails,  you may use a nail clipper.  Just be sure to trim a little nail at a time to make sure  you don't hit the quick. That will cause bleeding and is quite painful for the dog. Talk soothingly to your pet to keep him/her calm and unafraid.