The most humane and sanely way to get pine sap outta your dog's fur

My dog. Is such a dog.

Not sure how my Joey-Boy managed it but he got pine sap in his fur.
Ok, I do know how it happened.
And it was not just IN his fur, but ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SKIN!

Story:

A few weeks ago Andrew, myself, Joe Cocker the American Cocker Spaniel went to the in-laws to check out their new Wii. They have a fenced in backyard where they let their dog frolic. Joe WAS supposed to play and frolic with this dog. But while we were downstairs Joe managed to crawl under the fence...and my best guess, played in the woods for a bit before coming back barking at us through the window.

He has very sensitive skin and managed it get a "boo-boo" while crawling under the fence...and managed to get sap on/near his boo-boo. So I couldn't just pull on this sap because the sore/scab would open up. Not to mention that would just hurt him in other ways.

A quick Google search said to use peanut butter and/or vegetable oil. From personal experience, both of these foods are really messy plus Joey thinks I was playing with him every time I tried to spread peanut butter on the sap area.

I decide to apply my grooming school knowledge...


The most humane way to get sap outta of a dog's fur/skin:

You need...
-high quality dog shampoo (the shampoo my mom's dog salon uses...good stuff!)
-greyhound comb/other fine tooth comb
-professional high velocity dryer (optional, but really helpful)
-rubber curry (optional, can use fingernails but just be careful!)
-bathtub

Step one: Set everything up to give your dog a bath. Use a rubber curry (or finger nails) to scrub the area where the sap is. Like really scrub! But don't hurt the dog. Professional dog groomers usually double bathe a dog.

Step two: After rinsing the shampoo out really well, the sap should come to the surface of the fur/coat. Use the comb to slowly pick out the pieces of sap. If your dog starts to hate you...give the dog a treat and tell him what a good boy he is. If he starts to get super mad, quit and call it a day...even if there's still bits and pieces of sap in the coat.

Step three: Dry the poochie. The high velocity drier will blow some of the pieces off.

I ended up doing three "bathe and pick" sessions over the course of several weeks. It was worth the work since I didn't hurt Joe in any form and way.