Leaps of Consciousness

These are my top two tips for keeping a large dog clean, soft and silky.

The blaster changed my life. In the winter I was washing and drying three large towels a day. I tried a hairdryer when he was a puppy, but he didn’t like it at all.

A friend recommended a blaster as her double doodle loves mud. I asked the essential male left brain question: ‘Do you use it inside or outside?

It took three weeks to get him used to the blaster. The first week it was in an adjoining room at its slowest speed. The second week, it was nearby on its slowest speed, but I still used towels. The third week, it got closer and I waved the hose about so he realised air came out of it, but never blew it at him. On the final day, I quickly waved it over a back paw which he immediately raised.

On the fourth week, I gave up the towels altogether. As I progressed and blew it on his chest, I felt his tenth were clenched and I heard ‘It’s really quite nice, but I’m not going to let him know.’

He’s now totally clean and dry in several minutes and can go anywhere inside.

It blasts water, mud and some of his undercoat out, so there’s far less inside. I don’t need to hoover so often!

The other is a Chris Christiansen Fusion Oval pin brush. The pins are made of brass. The reviews convinced me to give it a go. It is extraordinary. If I brush him at night, his coat feels like he’s had a silk conditioning rinse - just by brushing.