“He won’t stay white for long!” is a phrase often exclaimed by other dog walkers as Bodhi bounds along a muddy track in the forest, gleefully spraying dirt and leaves as he leaps along.
Luckily Bodhi will take the longer route around a puddle or muddy bog, and doesn’t generally enjoy getting his feet wet (much to Tom’s chagrin, who hoped that Bodhi would turn out to be a cool surfer dog and like swimming in the sea with him!) We haven’t had too many occasions where Bodhi has looked like this unlucky pup (although he does really look like Bodhi did as a puppy – maybe it’s one of his more adventurous brothers or sisters…)
img credit: dogster.com
Bodhi has developed rather an attraction to sticks recently, and will happily dip his nose into a lake or stream to get a tasty looking stick, that he will then carry around with him for the rest of the walk.
His search for the best looking stick however can sometimes lead to some rather muddy paws. I love the way it looks like he’s wearing little black socks!
However, Bodhi’s enthusiasm for a fun day out in the forest and a busy day of collecting sticks will soon wane when he hears the sound of the bath being run when we get home. We don’t regularly bath Bodhi as it’s important for dogs to retain the natural oils present in their coats, but of course if he ever smells a bit or gets dirty he has to have a dip in the tub.
One aspect of grooming that Bodhi doesn’t mind however, is being brushed. I’d even go as far to say that he likes it – he always seems very relaxed and content when we’re brushing him and is happy to roll onto his back so we can do his belly (you can see this in the video below!) When we took Bodhi for his puppy check up when we first brought him home, the Vet told us that one of the ‘must-buy’ items was the FURminator de-shedding tool. This appealed to Tom’s obsession with Arnold Schwarzenegger, but far from just being a catchy title, it’s a bloody amazing product and one we constantly recommend to other friends and family who are lucky enough to be bringing a doggy home. The Vet was insistent that we bought a FURminator for Bodhi because, being a poodle cross, his hair can get quite long and curly, and if left un-brushed it can get matted and tangled. This can be uncomfortable for Bodhi, and so we always make sure we brush him regularly. (I bought Bodhi’s FURminator brush from Amazon, where the reviews speak for themselves!) The FURminator reduces shedding of fur on both dogs and cats (and ponies by the sound of some of the Amazon reviews!) by around 90% so it means you don’t get fur all over your clothes, carpets and sofas. It leaves Bodhi’s coat feeling sleek and smooth and it’s amazing how much fur comes off when we brush him.
FURminator kindly sent me their de-shedding shampoo and conditioner as well as their dual hair brush, which has a pin brush and a bristle brush, which makes Bodhi even shinier! Bodhi’s cupboard of treats and products is definitely very well stocked now (though he’ll be hiding away when the shampoo next comes out of the cupboard!)
Have you used any FURminator products before? Do your pets mind being groomed?
You can buy FURminator products online, at Amazon, at the Waitrose Pet store and in pet shops. FURminator sent me products to feature for this post but Bodhi and I were already big fans of their products, so all opinions are our own!
