Dog Grooming – Dog Grooming Tips For Long Haired Breeds

There are several components of dog grooming, especially for those dogs that have medium to long hair. While there is some additional time required to keep these breeds’ coats looking clean and healthy, the results are a dog with a lovely coat and a well cared-for appearance. The key to maintaining and grooming a long-haired dog is to set up a routine for coat care and stick with it. Set aside the time required to groom the dog on a daily or alternate day basis, and then be sure to find time in your schedule to complete the grooming activity. Often even a day missed results in tangles, knots and the necessity for clipping rather than just detangling.

Grooming Schedule

For longer haired dogs, consider a daily 10-minute grooming schedule. Unless the dog is unusually matted or has become tangled in burrs or other vegetation, this is all that even a large breed with a well maintained coat should require. A good quality pin brush that has fairly rigid pin style bristles can be used to groom the larger areas of the body and a slicker brush can be used to apply the finishing touches.

For dog grooming with double coat breeds, simply push the hair against the growth (up and towards the back) starting at the stomach or lower areas of the body. Use your left hand or arm to hold the longer outer coat up. Gently brush the undercoat in a downward and with the hair growth direction and free all tangles, letting the outer coat down as you move up the body. After completing the undercoat use a slicker brush to detangle the outer coat.

Always start from the ends of the hair and move towards the root of the hair as this will be less painful for the dog and will naturally allow knots and mats to untangle.

A good quality coat detangler helps with difficult knots and tangles. Try to use only dog products when you are brushing or grooming a dog. Grooming products for other animals, such as horses, are often used in a very diluted form and sprayed on with a mist or spritz bottle. Avoid using human hair products as they can cause rashes and skin sensitivities due to the perfumes and other ingredients.

Use a soft cloth or natural bristle brush to care for the hair around the face and other sensitive areas. Never use scissors or a hard brush around the eyes or genital areas, as there is always the possibility of injury. If you do need to trim these areas, always use blunt ended scissors and cut away from the skin, not towards it. Usually a professional groomer should complete any trimming if you are not familiar with the correct safety procedures for these dog-grooming techniques.

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Minimizing Care

One way to minimize the amount of time you spend on dog grooming is to consider having your dog trimmed by a groomer. If you're planning to show your dog, be sure that the cut is acceptable in the show ring, as some breeds cannot be shown if the coat has been cut or trimmed. A puppy cut or sport cut is an overall short style that leaves the hair on the face natural, but trims the hair on the body and legs close to the skin. The tail is trimmed to look balanced with the body cut, but is not as short as the body. Leggings and feathery hairs around the ears can be left or removed, based on the preference of the owner.

Bathe your dog only as indicated and required. Some dogs should rarely, if ever, be completely bathed, whereas others can handle monthly baths. Research your breed to find out how frequently you should wet bathe them. A wonderful dog grooming product for between baths is a dry grooming powder. This is sprinkled on the coat and brushed through to remove dirt as well as freshen up the coat.

Dog grooming doesn’t have to be a problematic chore if it's done consistently and on a schedule. Be sure to end grooming time with some extra attention and play and your dog will learn to enjoy the experience and look forward to the fun afterwards.