Choosing the Right Dog Shampoo and Conditioner

     With a variety of different brands available at the pet store, choosing the right shampoo and conditioner for your dog can seem like an arduous task. However, it's not that complicated. You may want to spend a little more money on dog shampoos and conditioner than you would on your own shampoo and conditioner, since you will be bathing your dog less often than you shower, and the bottles of dog grooming products will last longer.

You should match your dog's shampoo to its skin type ?dog shampoos normally come in normal, dry, and oily skin varieties. If you notice your dog scratching himself often or his skin is flaking, choose a shampoo for dry skin. If his skin looks or feels oily when you touch it, choose the dog shampoo for oily skin. You need to make sure you rinse any shampoo out of your dog's fur after applying it to his coat; your dog may groom himself after his bath and may accidentally ingest some shampoo if you don't totally rinse all of it out, which can upset his digestive system.

For conditioners, the skin type of your dog doesn't matter as much. The main choice you will have with conditioners is whether it is a spray conditioner or a bottled conditioner. Spray-on conditioners are meant to be used right after giving your dog a bath and using shampoo while his fur is still damp, but are not meant to be washed out. You should spray on the conditioner and brush your dog's fur afterward, in order to remove knots and tangles. Bottled conditioners work much like human conditioner; you apply it to your dog's coat after shampooing him and then rinse it out. All conditioners will help make your dog's hair look shiny and moisturize his fur while removing tangled hair. When selecting a conditioner, it's best to read the ingredient label to see if there are any harsh ingredients in it; you should avoid spray conditioners that contain alcohol.

You should always select tearless shampoos and conditioners to avoid irritating your dog's eyes. However, even with tearless dog grooming products you should avoid getting any of the product in your dog's eyes while bathing him. Even though it may not hurt, having dog shampoo or conditioner get into your dog's eyes will cause him discomfort and may make him resent taking baths.

You should avoid shampoos and conditioners that are heavily scented. Even though they might make your dog smell good, they can be damaging to your dog's respiratory tract. Remember that a dog's sense of smell is much greater than a human's, and constant bombardment with perfumed shampoo or conditioner can cause discomfort for your pet.

Other options include whitening and coloring shampoo; both of these are normally meant for professional dog trainers who are showing their dogs at competitions. They work to enhance the color of your dog's coat, but sometimes may be harsh and unsuitable for regular use. You should use these shampoos with care, as they may not be tearless formulas.