groomimg and winter

Question
Karen , I have a 1 year old Cocker Spaniel. We thought for his b-day , we would give him a good groomiing. We live in Montrea,Canada which is cold right now .

I heard from others that it is not practical to give him a good grooming now because of the cold and his body oil.

My question is , is there any truth to this. Will it really affect his body oil ?

Pls advs - tks.

Peter  

Answer
Frankly, I have yet to see the dog who enjoyed being groomed, so that is a pretty lousy birthday present<G>. (He will, however, enjoy the "feel-good" feeling afterwards.) I do hope you have something else in mind for him, too, like a good chew bone or something.  :)  

Yes, there is a bit of truth to that statement about the body oil. Shampooing will strip the oil from his skin and coat since it is the oil which collects the dirt and odor. In the winter, our homes are usually extremely dry due to the artifical heat we use, and this also affects all of us causing dry skin, etc.

What I do with mine when I bathe them in the colder months is to brush their body with a flat bristle brush to help to bring the body oil back up in the coat. You could also use a conditioner in his coat to prevent it from drying out too much.