Tried and Tested - Dogs Trust Grooming Range

So there are definitely some perks to working at Dogs Trust! When the boss here in Dogs Trust asked me if I would like to sample some of our new grooming products on my beloved Bailey, I jumped at a chance. Being a long haired dog (he's a Japanese Spitz), Bailey requires quite a bit of grooming and was well overdue a wash!



My beautiful boy, Bailey :)



The range of products covers both puppies and adult dogs, with "no-tears" formulas for puppy eyes! I chose 4 products for Bailey and off we went to the bathroom.

These are the products from the range which I chose for Bailey.
Anti Odour Basil and Rosemary Shampoo, Detangle and Enhance Palm and Jojoba Oil Conditioner, Aloe and Papaya No Tears Spritz and the Paw Protection Cream.

The shampoo smells really refreshing, with it's Basil & Rosemary scent. I wet Bailey's hair first and applied the shampoo. It lathered really well and it doesn't need to be diluted down like some of the other shampoos on the market, which was super handy and made the product easy to use. Bailey gets quite dirty in certain places, usually the long hair at the backs of his legs, so I gave those areas an extra shampoo and rinse to make sure he was squeeky clean!

I was quite intrigued by the conditioner as this wasn't a product I'd used on my dogs before. For those of us humans who use conditioner in our own hair, you will know that the aim is to make your hair soft, silky and more manageable, so I was hoping the Dogs Trust product would have the same effect on my long haired pooch.

I'm not going to lie, I smothered him in the stuff!! It smelled AMAZING - it's Palm and Jojoba oil based, which I would gladly use in my own hair (and if I'm ever stuck, I just might....!). I rubbed it in just like I would in my own hair and rinsed thoroughly. I spent a little extra time rinsing the conditioner as his hair was just so soft, I wasn't sure if all the product was out - guess that was a good thing though!

So my baby was nice and clean now, I towel dried the excess water from his coat and let him have a shake - I'm sure he enjoyed getting his revenge by soaking me too! We went downstairs and got the drier out - I can't just let him dry naturally as he would get all knotty. I use a selection of brushes on Bailey's coat and whilst brushing and drying, his hair did smell really clean, with a really sweet scent. His hair also was easier to comb which made drying time a lot quicker! Yay :)

What do you think he is thinking?!

When he was all dry, I trimmed his nails (don't do this if you're not super confident as it's really easy to cut them too short, which will make them bleed - your vet or local groomer can do this for you!) and applied the paw protection cream. Bailey gets two walks a day, usually in one of our local parks so he wouldn't be on rough terrain a whole lot. Still I thought I may as well complete his pampering with it!

I imagine this product would be great for dogs who are out and about a whole lot more. In saying that, it really is very moisturising. CONFESSION: I've been using it as a hand cream the past couple of days as it's been on my desk. With ingredients like sweet almond and wheatgerm oil, it's a product I think might even benefit on people with really dry skin. If anyone tries this, let me know what you think! 

The whole "pampering" experience was finished off with a few spritzes of the No Tears Spritz - there's a couple of different scents available I think. We used Aloe and Papaya which was really nice. Bailey had just been washed so smelled pretty good anyway so I imagine this product would benefit more between washes, just to keep your dogs smelling nice!

I think the best thing about the product range as a whole is that none of the products contain sulphates or parabens which a lot of products do, which any sciencey people will know are not good for human skin, never mind doggy skin! Products with these ingredients can cause irritations to dogs (and humans) with sensitive skin so make sure to take care when purchasing beauty products for yourselves and your doggies!

Bailey and I took part in a photo shoot a few days later to launch the products!

The products are actually really good value too, ranging from €6.99 - €7.99. The whole range can be bought at Maxi Zoo stores nationwide - check on their website here for your nearest store http://www.maxizoo.ie/stores.html

33% of all profits go to Dogs Trust :)

The whole range of products are now available in Maxi Zoo stores nationwide.

If you make a purchase, do let us know what you think!