# Grooming tools and puppy cut



## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

Hi all,

Do you think a slicker (large or small) is needed if we intend to keep our Havababy in a puppy cut? I've already got the CC 006 comb and CC wooden pin brush in my cart. Is that a good enough start for now?

Also, do you just use water or a specific spray to do the daily brushing when it comes to puppy cuts? I've seen CC Ice on Ice (both the regular spray and Ultra in aerosol) mentioned quite a bit on the Forum but it looks like those folks have kept their dogs in a longer coat?

I am trying really hard not to overbuy (per a friend's recommendation) but it is REALLY hard. :grin2:

Thanks in advance!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

[email protected]@nese_Mommy_Wannabe8 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Do you think a slicker (large or small) is needed if we intend to keep our Havababy in a puppy cut? I've already got the CC 006 comb and CC wooden pin brush in my cart. Is that a good enough start for now?
> 
> ...


I hardly ever use a slicker. If I do, the ONLY kind I use are these, which are very, very soft. Otherwise, you will quickly find your puppy fighting you.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B2676XG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But it is CERTAINLY not something you will need right away.

Yes, I do like Ice on Ince (not the aerosol, the kind that you mix with water) as part of my grooming spray. My preferred spray is to mix up the concentrated Ice on Ice per the directions on the bottle, and then add a squirt of my favorite conditioner. (in my case, that is usually CC Spectrum Ten)


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mia hates slicker brushes! I have the CC brass fusion and ice slip brushes. They are both gentle. The brass fusion brush works a little better for Mia’s coat.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

CAVEAT: Ricky has been in a natural coat all his life except around 1 y.o. when we got frustrated as he was blowing coat and put him in a puppy cut. We vowed never to do that again, because we like him so much better with his natural coat. So my recommendations below are for a dog in natural coat, but I think they apply to puppy cuts too.

We have a slicker brush but never use it. We have two sizes of butter comb and one wooden pin brush. We NEVER dry brush Ricky's coat. We purchase Ice on Ice in concentrated form, mix according to directions, and we add some conditioner to the solution (one or two capfuls depending on how much we mix) spritz it on - damp not wet. We always have a few treats available to reward him for cooperating as we brush. He will lie on his back spread eagle, very relaxed, so we can brush his undercarriage. It does not hurt him. He is really quite easy to brush if we do it on a daily basis - no more than 5/10 minutes at a time. After brushing, we always follow with raucous playtime - fetch, chase me, find it game, whatever.

[EDIT] Unlike Karen, we NEVER squirt conditioner up Ricky's butt! Good one Karen! ound:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> [EDIT] Unlike Karen, we NEVER squirt conditioner up Ricky's butt! Good one Karen! ound:


LOL! Fixed. The d and the s are side by side and I am NOT a careful typist!


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

krandall said:


> I hardly ever use a slicker. If I do, the ONLY kind I use are these, which are very, very soft. Otherwise, you will quickly find your puppy fighting you.
> 
> https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B2676XG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> ...


Karen,

Would your recommend the Spectrum 10 over the CC Fair Advantage? I was going to go with the Fair Advantage since it was 2-in-1.


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

I'm going to hold off on the slicker brush for now and also forgo the conditioner squirt. LOL.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I prefer any kind of grooming spray to water because it helps keep Sundance fresh longer between baths. It doesn’t have to be fragranced or anything, although I don’t mind as long if it’s light and I like the smell. It’s the other ingredients that seem to make the difference. I’m kind of a product junkie so I end up with a lot of grooming sprays. Very few have been awful, but Ice on Ice is the best and it’s also the best value. I usually fill a bottle with 3/4 Ice on Ice solution and then I mix in 1/4 of a grooming spray that is just okay, in order to use it up. A lot of grooming sprays have strong fragrance but diluted they’re a lot better. I also sometimes add a bit of diluted human conditioner, depending on what I have. It’s usually a very impulsive mixture  I used to keep track in case something was really great but now it’s more like, a little of this, a little of that, completely based on whim. It honestly works just the same. 

I think the type of brushes people prefer have a lot to do with how people use them, and the individual coat. For a puppy I really think a wooden pin brush is useful. My puppy adapted to being brushed with the wooden pin brush much more quickly than he did with the comb or other brushes, so it was really helpful in training and increasing grooming time. I also used it a lot in the winter and when he was blowing coat, not to replace combing but to add quick 30 second brush outs, like around his harness after a walk. As you figure out how often you want to groom, the length you’ll keep your Hav, and how much of it you want to do yourself, I think that’s a better time to invest in additional brushes. When he starts blowing coat around a year old a wire brush might be helpful because I think it captures loose hair better. 

I did use a slicker more often at one point and I liked it when he was short but I don’t see it as essential at all. The problem I have with slickers is the ones that are soft enough start to bend so they are only useful in certain situations. It’s also easier to damage the coat. I still have one but it’s in my “overflow” bin and I rarely use it.

One newer brush development for me is the Ice Slip brush. I finally bought it, and I really like it! It doesn’t replace a comb, but it comes close. The CC wire pin brush works well for blow drying, because it gives more of a fluffy feel and captures a bit more hair, but if I had to choose I feel like the Ice Slip brush works almost as well for blow drying and is more versatile over all because the pins are a bit more firm.


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I prefer any kind of grooming spray to water because it helps keep Sundance fresh longer between baths. It doesn't have to be fragranced or anything, although I don't mind as long if it's light and I like the smell. It's the other ingredients that seem to make the difference. I'm kind of a product junkie so I end up with a lot of grooming sprays. Very few have been awful, but Ice on Ice is the best and it's also the best value. I usually fill a bottle with 3/4 Ice on Ice solution and then I mix in 1/4 of a grooming spray that is just okay, in order to use it up. A lot of grooming sprays have strong fragrance but diluted they're a lot better. I also sometimes add a bit of diluted human conditioner, depending on what I have. It's usually a very impulsive mixture  I used to keep track in case something was really great but now it's more like, a little of this, a little of that, completely based on whim. It honestly works just the same.
> 
> I think the type of brushes people prefer have a lot to do with how people use them, and the individual coat. For a puppy I really think a wooden pin brush is useful. My puppy adapted to being brushed with the wooden pin brush much more quickly than he did with the comb or other brushes, so it was really helpful in training and increasing grooming time. I also used it a lot in the winter and when he was blowing coat, not to replace combing but to add quick 30 second brush outs, like around his harness after a walk. As you figure out how often you want to groom, the length you'll keep your Hav, and how much of it you want to do yourself, I think that's a better time to invest in additional brushes. When he starts blowing coat around a year old a wire brush might be helpful because I think it captures loose hair better.
> 
> ...


Do you mean the Ice on Ice Concentrate when you say you use the Ice on Ice mix? It looks like there's an Ice on Ice ready-made spray, aerosol, shampoo and conditioner. I want to make sure I buy the right one. Thanks for always being so helpful!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I can’t remember, did you say you’re on the east coast? I ask because it’s not showing up in my order history, but I did use a 2 in 1 that a lot of people loved and it’s the only shampoo I couldn’t finish. I think it was Fair Advantage, and I’m certain it’s because I’m in the desert, because it has a loyal following, and popular for puppies. I can’t think of another 2 in 1 that’s true of. I think a small bottle of conditioner is useful to have on hand either way. It won’t go to waste, because it’s really useful for cleaning up sticky messes in the coat, it’s way better than shampoo at cleaning up “poopy butt” without scrubbing at it, and it can make leaves and other debris from puppy mischief slip right out.

If you are in a dry climate, I would definitely get conditioner, regardless of the shampoo you choose. You may not need it, but in a dry climate, if it turns out you need conditioner, the timing will be really inconvenient! Spectrum 10 has been the best choice, especially for the price. But it’s still hard for me to find a shampoo and conditioner that will get mine clean without drying him out, and give him some moisture without weighing him down. Ice on Ice shampoo and conditioner was great on Sundance’s coat when I rotated it in but it builds up by itself and last I checked it’s twice as expensive.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

[email protected]@nese_Mommy_Wannabe8 said:


> Do you mean the Ice on Ice Concentrate when you say you use the Ice on Ice mix? It looks like there's an Ice on Ice ready-made spray, aerosol, shampoo and conditioner. I want to make sure I buy the right one. Thanks for always being so helpful!


Just another Friday night with nowhere to go!

I swear the ready to use spray bottle of Ice on Ice (regular not aerosol) I bought is better than the concentrate, no matter how precisely I measure, but the concentrate is supposed to be exactly the same. I use the concentrate because I don't think I'll ever run out, and it's still good. I also have the aerosol Ice on Ice Ultra but I only use it for matts. It really is great for matts, but I don't like it as an overall spray. I think it has more silicone, which is why it helps with tangles, but it makes his coat feel dirty if I use for regular grooming.

The Ice on Ice shampoo and conditioner I do like but it's probably overkill for a puppy. When it first came out it couldn't be diluted so it was way, way more expensive than any of the other CC shampoos or conditioners. It also has more of a tendency to build up so I rotated it in with Spectrum 10 and white on White.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

[email protected]@nese_Mommy_Wannabe8 said:


> Karen,
> 
> Would your recommend the Spectrum 10 over the CC Fair Advantage? I was going to go with the Fair Advantage since it was 2-in-1.


CC Fair Advantage is shampoo.... It's my "go to" for regular bathing, but you can't mix it with a grooming spray...


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

[email protected]@nese_Mommy_Wannabe8 said:


> Do you mean the Ice on Ice Concentrate when you say you use the Ice on Ice mix? It looks like there's an Ice on Ice ready-made spray, aerosol, shampoo and conditioner. I want to make sure I buy the right one. Thanks for always being so helpful!


Ice on Ice concentrate and ready made are essentially the same, exceot you have to add water to the concentrate. It ends up being much cheaper. That is what most of us use. The aerosol is not appropriate for every day. That is a show prep product.


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

krandall said:


> CC Fair Advantage is shampoo.... It's my "go to" for regular bathing, but you can't mix it with a grooming spray...


Do I need to apply conditioner in addition to the CC Fair Advantage? This is what I have in my cart:

Sorry! Something went wrong!

Or is it better to buy the Spectrum 10 Shampoo and Spectrum 10 Conditioner?

Thank you for answering all my newbie questions!


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## LeleRF (Feb 18, 2021)

I will have to save this thread for when I have a pup. It's really helpful info. Thanks for asking [email protected]@nese Mommy Wannabe8, and for all the excellent responses, everyone.
@krandall, your typo... rotf :first: ay chihuahua! :grin2:


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

You don’t need conditioner with the Fair Advantage, but you still might want to get a small bottle of any conditioner, like a trial size, or an inexpensive dog conditioner from a local store. Conditioner provides more slip and for me it works much better than shampoo for “butt baths,” for example. You can use human conditioner for this, too. It’s sort of the same as moisturizer removing eye makeup better than facial cleanser. So you wouldn’t use it after a bath with Fair Advantage, unless you find your puppy’s coat is dry (which would be less likely unless it was a longer puppy cut and a few months down the line, or you live in the desert). I keep a small bottle of conditioner under my kitchen sink for “mess emergencies,” not shampoo. It’s also useful to add a bit when you mix up grooming spray, but not necessary, and I use human conditioner for this, too. 

I think the first time I bought spectrum 10 it was available in a trial size set with Precious Drops (which a lot of people don’t like but I do). A lot of the trial sets aren’t available or are out of stock right now, so if you go with Fair Advantage, it might be something you could keep an eye out for when you start to run low.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

[email protected]@nese_Mommy_Wannabe8 said:


> Do I need to apply conditioner in addition to the CC Fair Advantage? This is what I have in my cart:
> 
> Sorry! Something went wrong!
> 
> ...


For now, for bathing, all you will need is the Fair Advantage. That is all I use on puppies and dogs in puppy cuts. For your GROOMING SPRAY, it will probably work best with a dollop of SOME KIND of conditioner in it. It doesn't really matter what it is. If you use conditioner on your own hair, put a dollop of THAT in your grooming spray. If you need to buy something, you can go to a pet store and open bottles until you find one you like the smell of.

Eventually, especially if you leave your dog in a longer oat, you will probably need a conditioner, at least sometimes. I use JUST Fair Advantage on my two that are in puppy cuts. But for Panda, who is in full coat, and whose coat needs to be kept in show condition because the PLAN is that when we get past Covid and after puppies, that she will go back into the show ring, I DO need to condition her coat from time to time. For her, Spectrum Ten is the conditioner I use most often. For the show ring, we use Pantene products. But that is ONLY for shows. I like Spectrum Ten because the sent is EXTREMELY mild, and it is VERY concentrated. Even though a bottle SEEMS expensive, I have found that it ends up being the cheapest conditioner I can buy because it is SO concentrated.


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