Rule Number 1: Never hurt a dog when grooming

If you hurt a dog once, they will never lie still for you and it will make their grooming a taxing event for both you and the dog. Make the grooming like caressing so the dog starts to enjoy it and look forward to it.

Rule Number 2: A dog must be bathed at least once in 10 days

Clean coat grows. In addition, a Yorkie coat must be brushed through daily. Before a bath, all mats must be removed from the coat as they will contract on contact with water and it will become even more difficult to remove them. To do this, we suggest saturating the knots with Wampum Silk Spray or Wampum Miracle Spray (Double strength), leaving this in for a minute, and then teasing the knots apart with a face comb. Always hold the knot firmly next to the skin when you work at it so as not to hurt the dog when you pull hairs. Once the knot has been teased sideways, use a pin brush or soft slicker brush, work AWAY from the skin of the dog, and in straight lines perpendicular to the skin, try to brush the knot out. Then repeat the process. Pull the knot apart parallel to the skin of the dog with the face comb, then take the pin brush or soft slicker and work in straight lines away from the skin of the dog.

Rule Number 3: A slicker brush may never touch the skin of the dog.

Work away from the skin, hold the hair on your fingers, work against your own hand and fingers. If you cannot do this, do not use a slicker brush.

THE BATH

Before you start:

Take a Wampum Dilution Bottle and dilute 100ml of Wampum Conditioning Shampoo Concentrate with 400ml of luke-warm water.

Take another Wampum Dilution bottle and prepare a rinse of 25ml Wampum Conditioning Rinse Concentrate into 500ml of warm water.

Set these down next to the bath.

Place the dog on a secure rubber mat in the bath. Rinse through the coat with luke-warm water. Apply the diluted shampoo and work through the coat. Rinse very well until all shampoo residue has been rinsed from the coat. Apply the conditioning rinse by squirting it through the coat with the dilution bottle. DO NOT RINSE THIS OUT! Wrap the dog in a dry towel and dry it out. Take a second dry towel, remove the wet towel, wrap the dog in the new dry towel and move to the blow dryer.

Blow drying:

Lie the dog down on your lap (or on the table in front of you, whatever you prefer). Open the towel to the first section you want to dry. Keep the rest of the dog wrapped in the dry towel to keep it warm. Take a section of coat, mist it well with Wampum Miracle Spray. Using a pin brush, blow dry the coat in sections, brushing in the direction you want the hair to lie. Once a section is completely dry, feel through it carefully with a large comb. Continue until the dog is completely dry. Stand the dog up on the table, on a secure rubber mat, make the parting and brush through to check the coat is dry everywhere. Now lie the dog facing you, down on the table with its head on a small pillow. Use the face comb to do the top knot and secure it with a soft elastic band.

Now we check teeth and apply Wampum Antibacterial mouth spray. Then check ears, nails and do a little trimming if required.

If your Yorkie has a particularly difficult coat, you can apply Wampum Silk Spray to the coat when drying (at the same time as applying the Miracle Spray (Double Strength). It will make the coat slightly oily but will prevent matting on woolly coats.

If you do this properly, you will not have any knots before the next bath.

You will thus need the following:

1 x Wampum Conditioning Shampoo Concentrate
1 x Wampum Conditioning Rinse Concentrate
2 x Wampum Dilution Bottles
1 x Wampum Miracle Spray (Double Stength)
1 x Wampum Silk Spray (OPTIONAL)
1 x Wampum small or medium pin brush
1 x Wampum Face comb
1 x Wampum Greyhound comb
1 x Wampum Large soft slicker brush (OPTIONAL)

These products (and many others) can all be seen and ordered at www.wampum.co.za

Happy grooming!

PS! For daily face cleaning we use Wampum Self Rinse Shampoo. Wet the whiskers under the eyes carefully with a cotton wool ball soaked in Wampum Self Rinse Shampoo. Wait a minute for any hard bits to soften. Then use the face comb to remove them. Now comb and dry the whiskers, or let them dry naturally.

For this you will need:

1 x Wampum Self Rinse Shampoo

Ah thanks for this Janine!

I was giving Pepper a bath yesterday with the Wampum products and I was wondering about the face and what the whole correct grooming procedure entailed. It's quite coincidental that you posted this!

I'm most definitely going to get him the Miracle grooming spray and the Self Rinse Shampoo at the end of the month when we go through to George again, I will give the shop a ring to make sure they have them in stock.

What is the deference between the single and double strength Miracle grooming spray? Pepper's hair doesn't really knot often and I try brush him twice a day. I know the hair shouldn't be brushed if it is dry, so can one use this Miracle grooming spray daily for brushing purposes too?

Thanks for all this info, it really is important to know how to do these things

I have to start saving for the Wampum products because times are tough! and I hate using cheap shampoos

you are right about only hurting a dog once. they remember it for sure! when i knicked Taylor's ear, the next time took a lot of persuation to convince her i would not do it again. in all fairness i only knicked it because my fiance arrived home and she heard his car pull up and turned her head into the clippers the next time i groomwed her all i managed to do was get her used to it again. I found treats to work wonders because she knows now that if she behaves even for a few minutes i will stop and giver her something and then carry on. she is my little star

I saw proper Wahl dog clippers at Dischem of all places for R495 and i want to buy them net month because I am told they don't cut as close to the skin as normal human clippers.

The single strength Miracle grooming spray is more for short hair dogs and the double strength for medium to long hair dogs.

You can use the grooming spray for daily brushing or just mist on lukewarm water.

I battle with her knots. I have used a tiny bit of my own rub in conditioner but I found it makes her oily quickly so I stopped using it. Could i use some diluted conditioner and water mix in a spray bottle to help ease the knots out? She wears a jersey a lot and it rubs her hair into knows in a matter of hours.

Elizabeth Anne has a baby hair oil (green top) which is light and non greasy. Rub a small amount in your hands and work it through the hair.

If she wears a jersey, you will not notice if it looks oily and it will be good for her hair and skin.

Thanks i am doing my shopping tomorrow and will try that!