Papillon grooming habits

[pappups]

Our sibling Papillons groom themselves like cats, they lick their paws and wipe their faces and ears. Is this characteristic of paps? I've had other dog breeds and never seen them do this.

[pappups]

Ideas, anybody??

[pappyalaska]

Yup, in my opinion, I think this is pretty normal! We have a 9 year old Papillon and he does the same thing!

[pappups]

Thanks, people think it's pretty amusing when they see them "bathing"!

[luv4paps]

You're right, these little dogs are very "clean conscious". Of course, like "any 2 year old" there are always some that like to "play in the mud or dirt" & are so funny when they do. I volunteer with a Papillon rescue group and was really surprised to see the many differences in the type of hair they have & some of the grooming challenges.

My little 15 year old Pepe is a Papillon/Chi mix that absolutely loves to have his ears rubbed & fringe stroked. He isn't too keen on having his tail touched when I'm brushing him though. Little 6 year old Gracie loves to be brushed all over & comes running whenever she sees the brush in my hand. As long as the bathroom is toasty warm, she even enjoys her bath!

[lauzon ranch]

We have 3 paps in the house and they love to groom one another -- especially eyes and ears. My granddaughters little pomeranian did not appreciate the same attention while he was here!

[Praxin]

I need help with Zebu, he is 11 months old now and he looks scraggly. Is there grooming secrets I need to know to make his coat look better, from the back it looks like he has a skirt LOL. Here is a picture of him looking at the camera.



Any grooming tips you can give me will be greatly appreciated.



He has his snarl going here, his lip gets caught on his tooth, it bugs my husband really bad but I just think it gives him character.

[pappups]

Our boy Buddy looked pretty scruffy until he was about 1 1/2 years old. His tail looked mangy and he looked neglected in spite of whatever we tried. Now, his coat and "feathers" have filled out nicely and we have had people say he looks like a show dog (never happen, he's fixed and we wouldn't subject ourselves to the show dog scene any way). I use a conditioner when they get baths and it helps fluff up their coats, at least for a while. Diet can help with developing a nice, healthy coat too, Google some sites for ideas there.

[Praxin]

Thanks, Pappups! It makes me feel better he can still look better. I'm feeding him Blue puppy food, but have just bought Blue Wilderness adult food since he will be 12 months in a week. I really appreciate your help and will google to get more info!

[pappups]

BTW, a trick I learned in one of Sharda's newsletters; when brushing him, brush the fur backwards. I know it seems to "go against the grain", but it really seems to help fluff their fur up nicely. I use one of those oval brushes with the plastic tipped metal pins. At first, they didn't like being brushed at all, let alone backwards, but now they love it and will sit and be brushed that way for as long as my arm holds up. try it a little bit at a time until he gets used to it.