Suds to the rescue!

Recently the Shampoodle, Spic n Spaniel, and myself were called in by a local animal shelter. 19 poodles had been surrendered from a hoarding situation and  needed to be beautified and cleaned before they could be offered up for adoption.  We were so happy and excited to help! Another grooming friend of ours offered to pay for the shampoo , as she could not make it to help out on such short notice, and it was very short notice! We only had 2 days to gather supplies, so instead of ordering online we hit up some department stores. I love TJmaxx, Homegoods, and Marshals for affordable, quality dog supplies. That is where I found Suds by NANDOG.  I picked up several bottles of their citrus shampoo, hoping the orange peal would serve as a gentle degreaser for the as-of-yet unseen poodles. I expected to walk into a room with one flickering bare bulb hanging from the ceiling over a mass of poodles all matted to one another and snapping their little adorable jaws out of a thick syrup of grease. I'm an optimist.

To our surprise and joy most of the little mini poodles were not severely matted, and were very friendly. For a hoarder this previous owner clearly took the time with each dog's individual care.  We diluted the shampoo 6:1 and got to work. The fragrance is not what I would expect from a citrus shampoo, it does not bring to mind explosions of grapefruit and oranges across a yellow field, more like citrus potpourri? Like you know it smells like citrus, but it makes you cock an eyebrow and wonder how exactly your brain made the connection between this smell and an orange.  Anyhow, the potpour-puppies rinsed easily  and dried well. 

We were able to dematt their little legs while drying, the shampoo penetrated the mats well. We were also able to do fun hair cuts on the dogs, so thumbs up for leaving the coat bouncy and not weighing it down.

This shampoo was a thorough cleaner, so I went back to Marshals and bought some of the Lavender Suds by NANDOG for my own poodle.  I love lavender, and had given up trying to retain my poodle's gender identity when I realized how fun BOWS are!  So Lavender on Spike.  I will say this, the Lavender shampoo smells like the citrus shampoo.  It has citrus in it, so that would explain that. But if you are buying a Lavender product, wouldn't you expect it to smell like orange potpourri? Oh? You wouldn't? well....

Scent confusion aside, the Lavender Suds rinsed well and easy, Spike's coat was softer than I would have expected.  The fragrance did not stick around longer than a day though on Spike, and we did not stop in to sniff shelter dogs later so I can't really say.  There is a NANDOG Suds Lavender cologne that really smells like lavender though. They also have a citrus cologne and a third fragrance, Ocean Mist, in shampoo and cologne.

Suds by NANDOG is an all natural, soap free shampoo that boasts 'flea and tick control' . Their list of ingredients are, well, I'll just show you:
 Water,Tea-Laury Sulfate,Sodium Laureth Sulfate,Cocamide Dea,Cocamidopropyl Betaine,Panthenol,Aloe,Barbadensis Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate,Hydrolyzed Keratin, Tetrasodium Edta,Sodium Chloride,Fragance,Glycerin,Avena Sativa,Oat Meal Extract,Methylchloroisothizone,Methlisothiazolinone,Vitamin C, Vitamin D.
I'm not going to pretend to know what any of that is. 

The Bottom Line.

Suds by NANDOG in Citrus or Lavender  will get your dog very clean, and will rinse out easily. I found it for $7.99 ( 17oz) locally, but you can buy it at their website for $10. They do not sell a groomer's gallon , so I would not recommend this for a grooming shop.  You will not be blown away by the fragrance , and the fragrance does not last longer than a day.  This is a shampoo that gets the job done, then clocks out and goes home.  It is really a middle of the road product, IMHO. You can find something with more punch for that price, but honestly it gets the dog clean and rinses out easily. It is a good 'no fuss' type of shampoo.

oO Bubblecollie Oo

Barely Berries

After giving such a bad review of Mutt Nose Best's U. Pumpkin Patch Pup shampoo I really wanted to give them another try. Their U. Berry Clean Dog shampoo seems to be their signature product, so I shelled out the $16 to buy it at a locally owned pet supply shop.   It smells great in the bottle! Very candy like in fragrance.   My border collie mix Zabu thinks he can get away with less baths now that he has a younger brother who is a poodle and takes up most of my grooming attention, not today my friend!

Let's get to the chase, shall we?  The shampoo has an average cleaning power, there are blueberry seeds in the shampoo to 'exfoliate'. I've never known my own dog to need exfoliating, but this would be beneficial to dogs with skin problems I imagine.  The dog loses the blueberry smell quicker then fruitstripe gum loses its flavor.  Zabu was clean, but did not have any extra shine, extra softness, extra fragrance, or extra bounce to his coat.

It is worth mentioning as well that when I used this shampoo I had a minor cut on my finger. The shampoo got onto the cut and burned like the dickens! I am not sensitive to pain, but this burned so badly I had to stop what I was doing and rinse the shampoo off of my hand. I had already taken a shower with this fresh wound, and the bar of soap I used, the shampoo I used, and the conditioner I used all had touched it without causing a lick of trouble. I would STRONGLY advise you DO NOT use this on a dog that might have hot spots or other sensitive wounds. 

The U. Berry Clean Dog is advertised as being full of antioxidants and being able to sooth skin ailments. My dogs do not have skin ailments currently so I can not speak to that claim.  I  have enough left in my bottle to try it on my friend's itchy chihuahua, if I have a good experience there I will update this blog with it.

I really want to like this brand. I so very badly want to be able to endorse a product that is made in my home state with natural ingredients.  I can't.  Mutt Nose Best U. Berry Clean Dog shampoo is overpriced and does not deliver quality in any form.

I feel it is important to mention here that they have a 'satisfaction guaranteed' policy, so you can try these products for yourself at no risk.

The Bottom Line.

With this, I give up on Mutt Nose Best. No one should pay so much money for a product that delivers so little. At  $16 for 14oz ( +S&H) or $65 for 1 gallon a shampoo should leave a lasting impression. I don't care that it is natural and dilutes 22:1,  making a bad product last longer is not a deal. Just because a product is organic does not inherently make it worth more. Quality and performance are  what gives a product worth.

oO Bubblecollie Oo

What the Heck is Castile?

Castile Soap, the first question everyone asks is "What is this?", with their faces scrunched up as if I just gave them a bottle of pee. To be fair, I had the same reaction the first time someone handed it to me to use. Where I work it is not uncommon for people to bring in their own home remedies, or shampoos they bought somewhere else because they think our shampoos are too harsh. A lot of the time these things are no better for their dogs than our shampoos, so I was apprehensive to try castile soap when my client brought it in, but it actually worked amazingly well. Just goes to show you not to be too much of a snob I guess ( Well, I AM the shampoodle after all. >_> ) With a sigh I started washing the dog in lavender scented castile soap and was was pleasantly surprised when it lathered up very nicely, the smell was strong but not all too overpowering. The Lavender Castile Soap did not leave the coat feeling dry or greasy, both the dog and my own hands were left feeling so very very soft!

When the client came to pick up her dog I told her how much I enjoyed the shampoo. With a smile she said "You should try the peppermint, it really clears the sinuses" . Of course I did, and man was she right!  Word of advice, don't get it in you eyes!

But I digress, back to the original question at hand; What is it?  Castile soap is soap that uses olive oil and other essential oils as a base instead of animal fats like traditional soaps. It is usually organic and contains very simple ingredients. I have only used one brand so far, Doctor Bronner's, which is by far the most popular ( at least in Maine. ) . It comes in many different scents ( Almond, unscented, Lavender, Peppermint, Citrus, Eucalyptus, Rose, and Tea Tree )  and in liquid form it can be diluted 1 part shampoo to 18 parts water, son one small bottle will get you a lot of baths! The only problem I have with it is during the rinse.   It doesn't rinse out 'hard' , comes out as easily as any other shampoo, but when it rinses it feels harsh, like it is stripping the fur. Frankly it feels gross. But do not despair! Once it is all rinsed the coat  feels salon soft.

Doctor Bronner's Castile Soap is made from all fair trade certified ingredients. Some of the ingredients listed are Water, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil.

 A 16oz of Dr. Bronner's will cost you 10.99 + S&H , a gallon $63.99 + S&H.

The Bottom Line.

It's a shampoo  you can test on yourself before your dog, so try it!

**The Shampoodle**

A second opinion.

The Shampoodle talked such a big game about Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap, that I too had to try it! I tried the peppermint version she mentioned. The peppermint smell was SO VERY STRONG in the bath, great if you have a cold I imagine! It was a little strong for me, and I worried that it would be too offensive to Spike's sensitive proboscis. Frankly, he didn't seem to mind though. 

I did panic a little when it came time to rinse, as you rinse the castile soap out it really feels like you've done damage to the coat. If you've ever bleached your hair to the point of 'frying' it, you know the feeling I'm talking about.  It is very misleading though!  I have used a lot of different product, shampoos, creme rinses, hot oil treatments, leave ins, etc. etc. on dogs, and NOTHING has left a dog's coat feeling this impossibly soft!  It truely felt unreal, like my poodle's coat had been transformed into a chinchilla's .  

The peppermint smell faded almost instantly out of the bath, the pleasant soapy smell remained though for a few days, and reappeared every time Spike got wet. For my dog, that is a lot! He swims almost every day, it was very pleasing indeed!

The Bottom Line. 

Try it, you will be pleased! Buy a 2oz bottle for $3.19 (+S&H ) and give it a shot! If you are just bathing your own dog, this is a good value for the quality you are receiving. If you are a professional groomer looking for your general every day shampoo then the price seems a little steep, BUT in a market that values holistic, organic, fair trade  alternatives for every day life I would say that this is a good get. 

oO Bubblecollie Oo