You may take your dog to a professional groomer for a good bath and haircut, however, you will still need to make sure to take care of her coat between those visits. It is important to brush your dog and remove that dead hair and matted clumps of hair and debris. Also, something that may not be well-known is that brushing distributes the natural oils in your dog’s coat and will stimulate blood circulation. Finally, by brushing, you typically pay more attention to anything that may be out of the ordinary like bites, cuts, and ticks all while bonding with your dog.
Step 1 – Prepare
Locate a desirable place that is safe for you and your dog. Ideally, this will be outdoors so that you don’t have to deal with the hairy clean-up afterwords. The more comfortable your dog feels, the calmer he will be during the brushing. Be sure to reassure your dog and speak in a calm manner throughout the session. Have him sit, provide a snack, and always try to get your grooming session started on the right foot…or paw.
Step 2 – Be Systematic
It will be important to get into a schedule of brushing your dog. Longer haired dogs will likely need to be brushed daily, while medium to short-haired dogs and go a week or so. Your routine for brushing should be the same each time. Your dog will become more comfortable and expect the activity. Following the same order for brushing, let’s say head to tail, will ensure you don’t miss any spots and it will provide that consistent process for your dog too. A quick tip for those nervous dogs may be to start at the tail and work your way forward. Dogs can’t see what is happening at first and by the time you get to the head, they have calmed down. Oh, and one other thing, if you plan to bathe your dog, do the brushing first. This will prevent any wet tangles from being difficult and painful to remove.
Step 3 – Condition The Hair
If you are having to deal with tangled hair, you may want to spray a de-tangling product before brushing. This will help from any tight knots being painfully brushed out.
Step 4 – Rubber Brush or Curry Comb
Use a good rubber brush or comb to help loosen dead skin and dirt. Use a curry comb specifically on the paws, ears, and tail. Combing in a gentle circular motion all over your dog will assist in the natural oils being distributed and keeping that coat shiny and soft. Another note… DO NOT use a metal curry comb on your dog. Using these combs is harsh on the delicate skin of your dog. These metal brushes are sold solely to remove hair from other brushes.
Step 5 – Firm, Gentle Strokes
When you have to brush thick coats, be sure to start against the grain and start at the skin and brush out. Do it again, brushing in the direction of hair growth. For those coats that aren’t thick, you can also be sure to brush in the direction of hair growth. Be sure not to brush the skin itself. Doing so will cause irritation and redness of the skin, or “brush burn”, which may require treatment from a professional. Quick Tip – Remember to use long strokes for long hair and short strokes for short and wiry hair.
Step 6 – Same Order, Same Direction
Following the order that we discussed earlier, you will also want to brush areas in the same direction. Be sure to brush your pup’s neck and legs (if hairy). For longer hair in those areas, you may want to detangle the area first so that you can avoid any painful strokes that catch on the knots. Move to the belly, again making sure that you never directly brush the skin. Remember… “Brush Burn”… ouch! Then move to the sides, back, rear, back legs, and wrap up with the tail. Again, with those timid and scared pups, you may want to brush in reverse order and start with the tail. Oh, the face. When you groom the face, you can use a damp cloth for shorter hair, and for longer hair, gently groom with a comb.
Step 7 – Get The Ears
You will want to avoid ear infections as much as possible. So incorporating a good ear cleaning while brushing your dog is a good idea. Doing this activity weekly will also make it so your dog is more comfortable with the task. Be sure to trim any long hairs and check for anything that doesn’t belong, such as bugs, bites, and cuts. I like to use a baby wipe wrapped around my finger and gently wipe down the inside of your dog’s ears. Again, be gentle and NEVER use a Q-tip as you could accidentally damage the ear canal or cause some other painful ear injury. You DO NOT want that vet trip! Oh, and another tip that is a common mistake. Try to avoid using water in or around the ears. It is difficult to evaporate and could lead to an ear infection. Finally, if you notice a bad smell coming from your pup’s ears… it is time to get your vet involved. There could be other issues that need to be addressed.
Step 8 – And The Feet
Your dog’s feet will need to be kept clean and tidy too. Having clean feet will help prevent debris from getting caught in the long hair and becoming an issue. Be sure to trim the hair off the top carefully with scissors, as well as, the hair on the bottom of the feet. Keep the hair on the bottom about even with the pads. Please do not try to cut the hair between toes or around the pads of his feet. You may injure your dog unintentionally if he were to pull away quickly.
Step 9 – Loose, Dead Hair
Ok, you have been brushing for a bit, so be sure to remove any loose hair that has accumulated in areas. You can do this with your comb or even a small hand-held vacuum if you think your pup won’t be afraid of the device or the noise. For those short hair dogs, you can use a chamois cloth and wipe down his coat.
Step 10 – Adjust Your Routine Based On Breed
Different dogs will require different routines for grooming. There are so many variations of breeds and coats. Each breed will have its own requirements for grooming. Consider the length of hair, whether he has a single or double coat, or if there is feathering (that long fringe hair on the tail, legs, neck, and ears). For those coats that are long, silky, single coats like you would find on a Yorkshire Terrier or Maltese, be sure to comb daily. They are very prone to tangles that can become difficult to remove if left unchecked. Coats that are feathered like Shih Tzus, Golden Retrievers, and Cocker Spaniels, will also require frequent combing and brushing. A double coat dog consistent with Huskies, Sheepdogs, and even Pomeranians shed a lot. Be sure to address their undercoats often during their shedding seasons. And, for your short hair dogs out there, you can go as long as two weeks between brushing. Familiar breeds are Labs, Greyhounds, and Chihuahuas.
Step 11 – Not Too Much
The key here is to be consistent with your routines when it comes to brushing or even bathing. You always want to be gentle with your dog and even though it is difficult to brush too often, you can hurt him by using the wrong brush or by brushing too hard.
Happy Brushing!