It's important to keep your dog groomed, not just to keep them looking fresh but for their well-being.
Regular grooming helps to get rid of old hair, and dirt and brings out the natural oils in your dog's fur.
It can also be used as an opportunity to check your pooch for pests such as fleas and ticks .
Dogs with longer hair often require more grooming than dogs with short hair. Without regular grooming, their fur can become matted and dirty.
Here we'll take you through some simple steps to maintain your long-haired dog's fur.
Guide To Grooming Long Haired Dogs
Step One: Grooming, Washing, and Cutting the Hair
- Start by running your hands through your dog's fur to check for any matting. Spray any matting with detangling spray then tease it out using a Great and Small cutting scissors and a Great & Small wide-tooth comb. Use a Great & Small slicker brush and thinning scissors to thin the hair. You can also use the Great & Small Matt Splitter to remove any mats.
- Once all the matting is cleared you can begin washing your dog. Use a shampoo - this will remove any dead hairs that the long coat is hiding. Rinse the shampoo and then shampoo again, followed by a final rinse to make sure all the shampoo is gone.
- To dry: A blaster would work best as this will remove any loose and dead hairs. While drying, use the slicker brush - this will break up the hair and dry it faster. Never stay in the same spot for more than a minute as it can cause burns to the skin.
- Once the dog is dry you can use the thinning scissors all over or just in the more dense parts to thin out the hair and allow it to breathe a bit better.
- You can use cutting scissors to shape the dog's legs and body, also to tidy up any other areas.
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Step Two: Eyes and Ears
- An eye & ear scissors can be used to trim around the face and tidy up around the eyes and you can use this to trim the hairs in the ear.
- To clean out the ears you can use VET IQ ear cleaner with some cotton wool. When cleaning the ears, only go as far as you can see - do not go down too far into the ear.
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Step Three: Nails
- Onto the nails, you can clip the dog's nails using small or large clippers, depending on the size of the dog.
- Dogs have a vein in their nails called a quick. If your dog has white nails you will be able to see the quick as it is pink. If your dog has black nails you won't be able to see the quick and need to be very careful. Where you see the nail start to turn is the point you cut the nail, this is depending on how long the quick is, if the quick is longer than the turn then you need to take the tiniest bit once a week, and the quick will recede to normal length. if you are unsure about how to cut the nails, drop into the store and we will help you or any local groomers would be glad to show you.
- To finish off your grooming you can spray your dog with a body mist, such as Deodorizing Spray.