The Importance Of Grooming Your Dog
We all know it is important to groom our dogs regularly at home as well as at professional grooming sessions, but just how much should you really be doing? Here is a guide to home grooming by coat type:
Smooth Coats
Use a Slicker/pin brush or a Furminato once a week for approximately ten minutes to remove any loose hair and distribute coat oils.
Long Coats
Work methodically through the coat once a week, but beware that time needs to be set aside for the groom and it should not be completed in a hurry. Use a slicker or a pin brush followed by a combination comb to check you have removed all knots and dead hair.
Wire Coats
These breeds require a thorough brush once a week with a slicker brush followed by a comb to check all knots and dead hair have been removed.
Woolly Coats
These coats are the most challenging as they can matt very quickly. Damp weather can cause matting, as well as playing/rolling/swimming, almost any activity in fact where the coat is disturbed can cause friction and matting. Regular brushing is required around three times a week to keep a wool coat matt free. Use a slicker brush followed by a combination comb.
What Age Should Dogs Be Introduced to Grooming?
Dogs should be introduced to grooming as early in life as possible, especially those with excess hair that will require regular grooming and clipping. All dogs entering a Grooming environment should be current with vaccinations. Puppies should start their vaccination series between 6 to 8 weeks of age.
Exposing puppies to other animals before they have received a complete series of vaccinations can spread disease to not only the puppy but to other pets as well. Ideally, pets should wait at least 2 weeks after vaccinations to be exposed to other animals. This allows the vaccine to get into the pet's system for maximum protection.
Any Finally
Matts are solid clumps of fur that can form anywhere on your pet, but are usually found around the ears, the armpits, legs, the groin area and between the toes. Dogs with long, woolly or silky coats are more prone to develop matting. Follow our top tips for keeping your dog’s coat matt free:
Tailor your tools for your dog’s coat. Different coat types have different needs, so ask your professional groomer what tools are best for your dog’s coat type, and if they have any useful tips/techniques they could pass on to you too.
Brush out any matts before bathing – bathing the coat will cause any matts and tangles to tighten further, making them more difficult to remove.
Spray the coat fully with detangling solution and leave on the coat for a good 30 minutes before grooming. This will allow your tools to glide through the coat easily, causing less damage.
Bath using a special purpose shampoo such as Groomers Detangle, which is formulated to leave a trace of slip agent in the coat to ease out knots when bathing.
Finally, be aware that a young coat on dogs under 18 months old is a lot finer and softer, and has a tendency to matt more easily than an adult dog’s coat. It is therefore important to double the above requirements for an adult coat when dealing with puppies.
Grooming your pet at home between regular professional grooming visits will also provide you the opportunity to spend quality time with your pet as well as ensure healthy skin and a shiny coat.
Smooth Coats
Use a Slicker/pin brush or a Furminato once a week for approximately ten minutes to remove any loose hair and distribute coat oils.
Long Coats
Work methodically through the coat once a week, but beware that time needs to be set aside for the groom and it should not be completed in a hurry. Use a slicker or a pin brush followed by a combination comb to check you have removed all knots and dead hair.
Wire Coats
These breeds require a thorough brush once a week with a slicker brush followed by a comb to check all knots and dead hair have been removed.
Woolly Coats
These coats are the most challenging as they can matt very quickly. Damp weather can cause matting, as well as playing/rolling/swimming, almost any activity in fact where the coat is disturbed can cause friction and matting. Regular brushing is required around three times a week to keep a wool coat matt free. Use a slicker brush followed by a combination comb.
What Age Should Dogs Be Introduced to Grooming?
Dogs should be introduced to grooming as early in life as possible, especially those with excess hair that will require regular grooming and clipping. All dogs entering a Grooming environment should be current with vaccinations. Puppies should start their vaccination series between 6 to 8 weeks of age.
Exposing puppies to other animals before they have received a complete series of vaccinations can spread disease to not only the puppy but to other pets as well. Ideally, pets should wait at least 2 weeks after vaccinations to be exposed to other animals. This allows the vaccine to get into the pet's system for maximum protection.
Any Finally
Matts are solid clumps of fur that can form anywhere on your pet, but are usually found around the ears, the armpits, legs, the groin area and between the toes. Dogs with long, woolly or silky coats are more prone to develop matting. Follow our top tips for keeping your dog’s coat matt free:
Tailor your tools for your dog’s coat. Different coat types have different needs, so ask your professional groomer what tools are best for your dog’s coat type, and if they have any useful tips/techniques they could pass on to you too.
Brush out any matts before bathing – bathing the coat will cause any matts and tangles to tighten further, making them more difficult to remove.
Spray the coat fully with detangling solution and leave on the coat for a good 30 minutes before grooming. This will allow your tools to glide through the coat easily, causing less damage.
Bath using a special purpose shampoo such as Groomers Detangle, which is formulated to leave a trace of slip agent in the coat to ease out knots when bathing.
Finally, be aware that a young coat on dogs under 18 months old is a lot finer and softer, and has a tendency to matt more easily than an adult dog’s coat. It is therefore important to double the above requirements for an adult coat when dealing with puppies.
Grooming your pet at home between regular professional grooming visits will also provide you the opportunity to spend quality time with your pet as well as ensure healthy skin and a shiny coat.