People’s reaction to my dogs is that it must be hard to look after them. I am often asked if it is more difficult to look after hairless dogs or Powderpuffs. Here are a few pieces of advice from my experience on how to look after this breed.
Powderpuff variety
It is good to bathe Powderpuffs at least once a month. Show dogs should be bathed shortly before each show. It is necessary to use good quality shampoo and conditioner. On the market there are a number of professional cosmetic products on offer and you have to try what your dog likes best. It is the same as looking after human hair – we all need something different and everyone likes slightly different forms of care. Do not risk trying a new product when grooming for a show! Their hair will be beautifully straight if you blow-dry it at as high a speed as possible but not with too hot air while brushing it with a bristle brush.
In between baths it is necessary to regenerate the hair with various moisturizing or oil sprays. It is good to moisten the hair with these sprays before each brushing so that you do not brush dry hair – it could get damaged.
Powderpuffs require their snouts to be shaved. New owners of Powderpuffs are often worried about shaving their dog for the first time. Practice makes perfect. All it takes is a few tries. If you keep the shape which the puppy had when leaving the breeder you will see that in no time at all you will be shaving your little Chinese dog like a professional. J I only use hairdressing clippers for shaving my dogs and soothing aftershave gel. Hair on the body is not cut, it is grown to length.
Professional cosmetic products are easily accessible on the Internet or at dog shows.
Hairless variety
It is necessary to trim the hair on the body according to the type of hair. True hairless dogs (have very little furnishings on the head, paws and tail) do not need much shaving. The so called intertypes (with tufts of hair on the head, paws and tail) need more shaving. Personally, for dogs that have not been shaved for a long time, I use hairdressing trimmers first with which to shorten the hair on the snout and body. After that I use an electric razor to shave off the rest of the hair until they are smooth. The use of depilation creams is appropriate with strong intertypes but they must be tried on a small area of skin first to test for an allergic reaction. I strongly disagree with, and do not practice, other methods of depilation (which are very painful for a dog).
It is better to bathe a hairless variety more often using a good quality shampoo or even baby soap. In fact, you can bathe quite often (even daily) and take into account the needs of your dog’s skin. I like using a washcloth when bathing hairless dogs. The use of peeling at least once a week during a bath has proven its worth. It gets rid of dead cells and impurities and leaves the skin beautifully clean and smooth. Use conditioner on the parts with hair after rinsing off the shampoo. It is good to blow dry the tufts of hair against the direction of growth, this will give the hair volume. After the bath it is important to apply a moisturizer on the dry skin. Look at the type of skin of your dog and choose a cream accordingly. Again, it is the same as with people. If the skin is for example dry, fatty creams do it good; if the skin has acne use products specially for this type of problem, for example with tea tree oil. Either way, all types of skin require moisturizing care. If the skin is irritated after previous shaving, use any calming cream. Nappy rash creams from a pharmacy are excellent for irritated or chaffed skin.
If you do not want to bathe the whole dog, just wipe its skin with a wet washcloth and then use a moisturizer.
After winter all owners of a hairless dog are looking forward to the sunshine so that the dog’s skin gets tanned. Do not forget to apply a suntan cream with UV factor! 