my dog's coat is really dry...

And FWIW, most people don't appreciate being called wanna-bes.

 
I appologize, I mistyped because you had called yourself groomer-to-be. I hope that you will accept my sincerest appology. It was not my intention to hurt you. My statement should have read "groomer-to-be" as that was what you called yourself.
 
Again, I appologize.

Again, I appologize.

Thanks, and I'm sorry if I'm.... err.... touchy (well, there's another, less appropriate, yet somehow VERY appropriate word I could use there...).  Typed stuff is iffy sometimes.

NO!!!! Do not EVER use human shampoo! The Ph level is too high for a dog and can burn and damage your dog's skin.

The Ph level is too high for a dog and can burn and damage your dog's skin.

You ever test that? Because good dog shampoo and good people shampoo are very, very close to the same pH. Bunni tested them, with pH strips. She used Pantene on her Poodles. I use Buddy Wash on my waist length hair, if I feel like smelling lavendary. I use my shampoo on the dogs, one of which was severely burned by FRONTLINE, with no ill effects.

NO!!!! Do not EVER use human shampoo!

I believe the question was whether or not it's okay to use human conditioner.  It's fine unless you have a sensitive dog and need something without fragrance.

use human conditioner. It's fine unless you have a sensitive dog and need something without fragrance.

I agree.A well established groomer on another board who has been grooming mostly show dogs for 25 years says it's a myth that human shampoo's and conditioners are "BAD" for dogs coats,and that our ph is pretty similar.Overly perfumed products are just as bad for us as it is for them.

The things that work for me are Tripett (especially the skin & coat formula), sardines, frequent brushing (every day, usually) and an oatmeal shampoo for dogs.   I tried a 'fancier' dog shampoo and conditioner, but I get much better results with the regular old oatmeal one.

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

*shrugs*

I use human products on a LOT of pets, and haven't had a problem.

And FWIW, most people don't appreciate being called wanna-bes. I've been in the professional pet grooming business for over two years, and while I may not be as experienced as you, I am a professional. Just because I cannot give a Poodle a show quality cut with a #40 blade does not mean that I don't have more experience than the typical pet owner.

ETA: How is a water based product that contains alcohol moisturizing?

I was a groomer, and I used products specifically made for dogs.  BTW, there are some human products that will kill a kitten or a cat, so that's one reason for sticking to pet products.  If you use a human product on an animal and it has a reaction, you may find yourself in court someday.  JMHO.  At any rate, I think that it is simplistic to try to fix a dull coat by topical means.  The health of the dog's coat comes from within.  If it's dull, something is causing that, be it harsh weather, poor diet, etc.  So, I would take the advice about finding a better quality food, and, if necessary, supporting the dog with an appropriate supplement, such as fish oil.  (Grizzly salmon oil, K-9 Shine, Berte's fish oil caps, etc.)  If you want some info on the large variety of commercially available high quality foods, go to www.mordanna.com and click on "The Dog Food Project".

there are some human products that will kill a kitten or a cat

I don't groom or own cats, so that's not a problem, for me. I know of products labeled for cats that could kill a cat or kitten, as well, so.....

BTW, there are some human products that will kill a kitten or a cat, so that's one reason for sticking to pet products.

Any shampoo human or dog shampoo's containing tea tree oil can be toxic to Cats & possibly harmful to small dogs.  We use dog shampoos at the grooming facility my Sister owns mainly because it's concentrated and cheaper in the long run. 

If you use a human product on an animal and it has a reaction, you may find yourself in court someday.

We've had many dogs take a reaction to top of the line dog shampoos as well.  My Sister who has been grooming for about 21 years or more had a horrible time with a dog shampoo called Oat's fur Coats, most dogs did well on it...some dogs did horrible on it and broke out.  I've never heard of a groomer being sued for a skin reaction in my area anyway.  The owner calls, you the groomer asks the dog to come back and reshampoo with another brand.  There are also a few doggy colognes which have caused reactions on some dogs.  My Sister "used" to use some of the EZ groom colognes and tried a few of the others as well...just sprayed a bit on the dogs bandana and the dog took a reaction...this happened a couple of times so she stopped using the dog colognes and has better success with Avon sprays for those customer's who like a little smell on the bandana.  
 
There are a few groomers locally who get the large gallon jugs of the cheap professional human hair shampoo/conditioners and do just fine on it.  One which is an Almond/honey human shampoo that one local groomer uses all the time and has never had a problem[] 
Just to add that we have one dog that comes in for grooming that took a reaction to every dog shampoo we tried on him from Bark2Basics, groomers edge (furstaid), A[size=2]ustralian shampoo, all the oatmeal shampoo's etc.  Finally the owner got a recipe off the internet for almolive dish soap, glycerin and vinegar...worked like a charm, the dog is no longer itchy and the coat looks wonderful.  We use the Palmolive on our own Newfoundland dogs, their coats are beautiful soft and shiny.  We only use it at the grooming shop at special request of the owner or if no other shampoo's are working.[/size]
 
I too believe in treating from the inside out, but, I do also believe that some shampoo's can make a huge difference in a coat as well.  The best shampoo's either human or dog are the ones with natural ingredients, easy to rinse out without leaving a residue....be it human or dog shampoo and it's hard to rinse out in my books it's very poor quality.  A shampoo that doesn't rinse out well and the person rinsing dosn't realize how to tell a dog is properly rinsed out can look horrible, dull coat and dandruffy flakes through the coat.  
 
 

I've never heard of a groomer being sued for a skin reaction in my area anyway. The owner calls, you the groomer asks the dog to come back and reshampoo with another brand.

That's what we do, too.

A friend of mine got sued, for shaving a dog. It was actually pretty amusing, if it hadn't almost gotten her fired (she works at Petsmart). The police, and the judge, laughed at the ridiculous owner, and sent her on her merry way. She was not so happy, but it turned out ok. The poor little dog was a matted mess, and it would have been cruel to demat her, that day.....

After rading everyones replies we can all agree that an animals coat is not just cared for topically but internaly. I started out woking with a a couple in a small shop. The husband was an herbalist and the wife was a groomer. I trained with them for about five years before before going off on my own to do both. I learned that you need to start on the inside and work out. First you should start with the diet. Aim for a high protien diet with (if its affordable) RAW MEAT. Chicken, beef, fish. If you are going to give a dry food then the best bet would be a FRESH flax seed oil, nothing older than two weeks and nothing thats been frozen, poured over the food. Then on to the external. Make sure to use an oatmeal or tar oil shampoo. The only reason I would recommend using a shampoo soley made for dogs or cats is because it usually has less fragrance and I seldom see human tar shampoo in the store. Plus almost all animal soaps are tear free and that is VERY important. I would also recommend washing your animal no more than twice a month and even less in the winter months. I hope this helps somewhat since this is my first post. Good Luck.

tjrd83, my Sister uses only a tearless dog shampoo on the dogs faces...always a reputable company with organic ingredients.  Even the tearless dog shampoo's can cause horrible pain when you get it in the eye.  While I was bathing a dog I rubbed my own eye with my soapy hand and got some in my eye.  The pain was more intense than my Joico shampoo that I mistakenly got in my eye once before.
 
jennie_c_d,  I heard of a few cases down the States where groomers have been hauled into cout for shavinga dog.  Isn't that wild.  I go on Groomer BBS and one lady was saved in court as she kept the dogs pelted matted shaved coat.  The owner made a fool of her self when this was shown to the judge.[] 
 
My Sister always feels a new dog over, and if she feels the dog is pelted or may need to be shaved she has the owner sign a consent form.  She also has a motto on the bottom of her profile that states "Humanity before Vaniety". She has owners sign consent forms for old dogs as well...just in case something happens and she has to make a quick decision.  In her 21 or so years of grooming she has been fortunate that no older dogs have had any problems at the shop.

You've touched on one of my pet peeves with the shaving! I see so many dogs around the place practically shaved/clippered down to the skin,it seems one size fits all [&:] I saw a cavalier the other day who was clippered []
Too many groomers butcher dogs these days,yes it takes longer to scissor cut or hand strip but it's to the benefit of the dog and they look so much better,their coats dont get ruined or grow back all fluffy and thick and unbeknownst to most owners are easier to care for if groomed properly.The only time i would ever clip a dog would be if he was too matted to be groomed properly.

my neighbor has a little pomeranian that she was taking to get shaved all summer. the dog has some seriously flaky dry skin on its rump and she came over one day complaining about the smell of the tea tree oil the groomer had told her to put on the dry skin. now i have minimal to no knowledge when it comes to alternative treatments for dogs, but i have read before that tea tree oil could be used to dry up water in a dogs ears. it was just my thought, but if that actually works, wouldnt it be even more drying to put it on already dry skin?!
 
needless to say the tea tree oil did nothing to remedy the poor dogs flaky itchy skin, it pretty much just made it smell funky. the dog is about 10 years old and she refuses to feed it actual dog food, it eats whatever she has for supper and cheap canned crap, and those cheap kibble n bits type dog treats, which my guess would be the reason its skin was so dry. try telling that to a 50 year old woman who knows everything though.