Home dog grooming –Take care of your dog yourself at home!
I know that home dog grooming is something many people ask me about. Sometimes they just want to take more care of their dog themselves, sometimes it’s to save some money, and there are times when it’s just difficult to get out of the house, or even get an appointment with a professional dog groomer.
Whatever the reasons, I think we can all agree that professional dog groomers are usually going to do the best job – it’s what they do for a living, after all. But with some time and some information, we hope we can help you with your home dog grooming requirements. But it all depends on your dog breed and coat type!
Home Dog Grooming – Wire Coats
Examples of dog breeds with wire coats are West Highland White Terriers, Border Terriers and Norwich Terriers. These breeds are generally low-maintenance, but do need brushing to remove loosed and dead hairs from the coat.
How often should you brush the coat? – Normally once a week is enough.
What should you use? – A soft slicker brush and a wire comb.
How often should you bath your dog? – Only when necessary, for example of your dog has become muddy or grubby, or starts to smell.
How should you dry your dog afterwards? – First of all, pat the dog down with a towel to remove as much water as possible. Then use a hair dryer on the lowest setting, at a distance of 2 feet or more, and keep the hair drier moving to avoid over-heating on area. Then brush through the coat with a slicker brush.
Home Dog Grooming – Silky and Long Coats
Examples of dog breeds with Silky and Long coats are Spaniels, English Sheepdogs, Shih Tzus, Schnauzers. These breeds need a lot of grooming, and frequently their coats are trimmed shorter to reduce maintenance requirements. Even so, they will need regular brushing to prevent matting of the hairs.
How often should you brush the coat? – Every day would be the best.
What should you use? – A soft slicker brush and a steel comb are best.
How often should you bath your dog? – Only when necessary, when your dog has become muddy or dirty, or starts to smell ‘doggy’.
How should you dry your dog afterwards? – It’s best to pat the coat with a thick towel first, to remove as much water as possible. Try to avoid rubbing the dog’s coat, as this will tend to cause tangling and matting.
Then use a steel comb to gently comb through the coat. After that, gently dry the coat with a hair dryer on the lowest setting from a distance of 2 feet or more, making sure to keep the dryer moving so as to avoid over-heating one area.
We recommend dog clippers for clipping and grooming your dog’s coat. They are ultra-quiet, and have low vibration.
Home Dog Grooming – Smooth Coats
Examples of dog breeds with Smooth coats include the Jack Russell, the Pug and the French Bulldog. These breeds have short, dense coats that are usually easy to groom. However they DO shed their coats, leaving lots of little, short hairs everywhere around the house. So they do need brushing!
How often should you brush the coat? – At least once a week, but 2 or 3 times a week would be better.
What should you use? – A rubber brush or firm closely-packed bristle brush.
How often should you bath your dog? – Only when necessary, when your dog has become muddy or dirty, or starts to smell ‘doggy’.
How should you dry your dog afterwards? – You can dry your dog by rubbing gently with a rough towel to remove excess water. The you can use a normal hair dryer on the lowest setting at a distance of at least 2 feet, keeping the dryer moving so you don’t overheat one area.
Home Dog Grooming – Double Coats
Examples of dog breeds with Double coats include the German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Border Collie and the Husky. These dog breeds need regular brushing to remove dead and loose hairs, and to prevent tangling.
How often should you brush the coat? – The best would be every 2 days or so.
What should you use? – An undercoat rake or a wire pin brush, and a soft slicker brush.
How often should you bath your dog? – Bathing your dog should only be done when necessary, when your dog has become muddy or dirty, or starts to smell ‘doggy’.
How should you dry your dog afterwards? – Start by using a coarse towel to remove as much water as possible. You can rub the coat gently, but avoid over-vigorous rubbing which may matt the coat. Then dry with a hair dryer on the lowest setting, while combing through the coat at the same time to remove loose undercoat hairs. A double coat will take longer to dry than the types of coat mentioned above.
FURminator deShedding Tool
We have found that the absolute best way of grooming any long haired dog breed is to use the FURminator grooming tool! We highly recommend this unique brush from Amazon to keep your dog in tip top shape. Click on the image below to find out more…
Home Dog Grooming – Curly or Wool Coats
Examples of dog breeds with Curly or Wool coats include the Poodle, and Poodle mixes like Cockapoos and Cavapoos, and also the Bichon Frise. These coats are thick and need a lot of maintenance unless the coat is trimmed.
How often should you brush the coat? Ideally, every day.
What should you use? – The best is a soft slicker brush and a steel comb.
How often should you bath your dog? – Only when necessary, when your dog has become muddy or dirty, or starts to smell ‘doggy’.
How should you dry your dog afterwards? – The best way is to use a coarse towel to pat down the wet coat, to get as much water off as possible without rubbing, as this will cause tangling and matting. Then use a hair dryer on the lowest setting at a distance of 2 feet, in constant motion to avoid over heating one area. Gently comb through at the same time as the coat is drying. Expect this process to take some time!
We hope you have found this page on home dog grooming to be useful and helpful. As we mentioned at the top of the page, a professional dog groomer will always do the best job, but hopefully we have given you some tips to help you at home.
