Patti from Joy Pet Products shares her tips on how get your bow-wow to behave during—and even enjoy—bathtime: In the Beginning Start by gathering everything you need beforehand. Remember: Never leave your dog unattended in the tub or sink. A bark to the wise: Praise your dog in a soothing voice and take breaks between steps if needed. Time Is On Your Side Timing is everything. If your dog is especially active in the morning, that’s not the best time for a bath. Bathe when your dog is tired out a bit from some play or exercise. Brush Up Start by brushing to get the loose fur and any mats or tangles out. Bathing and grooming should never hurt your dog. To eliminate tangles don’t pull. Instead grip the fur above the tangle and comb from the bottom of the tangle toward the end. Keep inching up with the comb, without pulling until the mat is gone. If it’s necessary to cut, do so carefully. A ball tip scissors is best, cutting a small amount at a time. Dogs get sunburned too so never trim all the way down to the skin. Slip Sliding Away Place a no slip mat in the sink or tub. Your dog will feel safer if he isn’t slipping around or stepping into the drain. Run the water until it reaches a warm but never hot temperature before you put your dog in. Turn the water off and put your dog in. If you think your dog is likely to try to climb out enlist someone else to help. Don’t plug the drain, let the water drain out during the bath. Soap Opera Dog’s skin is different than ours so explore various safe and even organic choices formulated for your dog’s type of coat. Thoroughly wet the body, paws and tail but not the face or ears. Put the shampoo in your hands then massage into the fur and skin. With your dog lathered up put a tiny amount of the lather on a wet wash cloth. Avoiding the eyes, gently wipe the face. Rinse the cloth and wipe again. Wipe the ears with the cloth only where you can easily reach. Never insert anything into the ear or spray water into the ear. Rinse the body and apply a conditioner if needed and rinse, avoiding the face. Dry Idea Praise your dog and towel dry. Depending on your dog’s coat towel drying may be all that’s needed. If you use a dryer gently brush while directing the dryer at the coat from a distance. Never set the dryer on hot or keep the dryer directed at the same spot for more than a few seconds. Clean Sweep A washable rug with a no slip back on the bathroom floor is a great place to dry and groom. Flying fur is contained, your dog can’t fall off a table and when you are finished you can throw the rug in the wash. For more hot dog tips, go to www.JoyPetProducts.com.  

In the five years since we launched THE FAMILY GROOVE, we've seen the parenting industry grow to epic proportions. It's been scrutinized, analyzed, categorized, fetishized, storied, fabled, dressed up, knocked down, revitalized, (very well) capitalized and made into an actual institution—much like what happened to the concept of childhood  in the '50s. One of the coolest things that's come out of all of this (well, you know, other than the rise of THE FAMLY GROOVE, if we do say so ourselves) is the slow but steady greening of said parenting industry-cum-institution. For a while all that was green defaulted into the hands of the upper middle/upper class folks (back when there was an upper middle class) because it was so dang expensive. But slowly yet surely, green gear and goodies for all have made their way into the marketplace, thanks to savvy companies like My Little Green Shop, amongst others. My Little Green Shop nails where green is going in its tagline: An Affordable Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Boutique. Here, the eco-chic shop's owner Lili Meier talks about the business borne of  a desire to style her own life with safe, non-toxic items for her family. THE FAMILY GROOVE: Why did you start your business? Lili Meier: I always wanted my own business but for years I didn’t know what kind of business I’d really enjoy. After having my first baby, I knew I wanted to have a business that offered parents the kinds of products that I wanted to buy for my own little one, namely safe, non-toxic items that are less harmful to the environment than what’s generally on the market. TFG: Tell us about the name. LM: My Little Green Shop conveys what we offer: products that are eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable (ie organic clothing, tons of BPA and phthalate-free products, etc). We’re always expanding our inventory though, so I kind of wish the name were “My Big Green Shop.” TFG: What makes My Little Green Shop stand out? LM: A few things. We look for the cutest, most modern and stylish eco-friendly products and we are constantly adding new inventory, so we offer hundreds of items. We try to find locally made products as much as possible and we also offer fair trade products. What’s important to us is what’s in the products we carry and how environmentally sustainable the manufacturing process is of what we carry. Our facebook page and blog, My Little Green Blog, offer regular giveaways and lots of informative health and parenting articles. We offer customer loyalty Reward Points, which translate into savings for our customers. Finally, with proceeds we regularly donate to charities. TFG: What's your proudest moment as a business owner? LM: Part of our business plan is to regularly give to charities in order to give back to our community and as a way to teach our children to be socially responsible. Our hope is that they’ll realize how fortunate they are and that they’ll want to help out those less fortunate. In December last year we donated 5 percent of proceeds to our local Food Bank Society. Explaining that to our little son and having him personally hand the check to the food bank representative were very proud moments for me. TFG: What's new for the season? LM: In the next few weeks, we’re getting in lots new items: gorgeous bamboo nursing covers, BPA-free dish sets for kids, organic herbal bath and body products for moms and babies, sweet ponchos for little girls, new lunch sacks, and new rain coat styles. For more from My Little Green Shop, go to www.mylittlegreenshop.com.