Coloured powder is as eye-catching as it is messy! Here are some tips and tricks for cleaning up both your pets and the environment afterward.
The Dogs
YOUR DOGS WILL GET DIRTY (as will you!) Consider the lingering colour as a memento of our awesome shoot! Wear dark-coloured clothes that you don’t mind getting stained, just in case.
Try to keep yourself and your dog as dry as possible during the shoot. Avoid dew on grass, rain, spilled water dishes etc. if you can.
Pigment tends to linger on dogs for a few days (or even weeks) afterwards. Please be mindful of this if you perform in any conformation, obedience or rally events with your dogs. CKC/AKC does not allow dyed dogs to compete. I do not recommend scheduling a photo shoot in the two months before a competition, just in case.
Don’t bathe your dogs before or immediately after the shoot. Bathing before will remove oil from your dog’s coat that would act as a buffer to the pigment, and bathing immediately after seems to make the pigment hold more fast. Reds seem to fade faster than greens, and lingering colour is most evident on white fur.
ShowSheen can help! Sprayed on in advance of the session, it can act like a barrier that prevents the worst of the pigment staining the fur.
High-velocity dryers are great. If you have access to one, use a high-velocity dryer to blow the excess powder away.
Towel them off thoroughly, brush, then repeat. Make sure there is no more loose powder before bathing your dogs.
The Environment
Please be considerate of your location. I insist on only working on private land with the express permission of the landowner. I will not work in public areas out of consideration for the others who use the space.
Any powder left on the ground should be worked into the soil if possible. I like to rake the powder into the sand after the session to make it look like I was never there!
Any bits of remaining powder should be able to be washed away with a hose or during the next rain fall. Just like sidewalk chalk!