Grooming your dog is one of the fun aspects of owning your pampered pooch. Pet parents want their dog to look her best at all times because they are important members of the family. Grooming should take place every other day to keep her fur looking its best. By brushing your dog’s coat every other day, you will stimulate the blood flow and remove dandruff flakes. Getting the right tools for the grooming job is the first step along the way to becoming an expert in keeping your dog clean and tidy.
The Reasons for Grooming Your Dog’s Coat
Your dog’s coat should be groomed regularly to remove dead skin cells and dandruff. DIY dog grooming is more popular than ever because of the accessibility of tools and advice. Learning how often should you brush your dog can take some time. If you become adept at grooming your dog, you can reduce the cost of hiring a professional groomer.
Regular brushing is a good idea because it will help your dog’s skin stay healthy. Alongside dead hair, you will stimulate your dog’s natural oils that will help create a shiny and healthy coat. Stimulating your dog’s natural oils will help improve the health of your dog in several ways.
Think About Your Dog’s Coat
Regular brushing is accepted as one of the most important aspects of caring for a healthy dog. The American Kennel Club reports the main concern for pet parents should be keeping a dog healthy [1]. Using a slicker brush is an option when you are looking for a way of caring for your dog successfully.
The first step is to consider how long your dog’s coat is. Dogs do not usually require daily grooming or bathing, with your dog’s skin becoming dried out and bereft of its natural oils when bathed too much. Instead, the best option is to brush your dog’s coat every two days to keep it looking clean and healthy.
Different Lengths of a Dog’s Coat
A hairless dog can have a small amount of hair on its body that needs occasional brushing. The hairless dog’s coat should be groomed gently every two weeks to stimulate the blood flow to your dog’s skin.
In contrast, short-haired dogs need to be brushed once a week to keep their skin healthy and coat neat. Doberman Pinchers and pugs are good examples of short-haired dogs with little hair on the underside of their belly.
Short and wiry-coated dogs include the terrier and airedale. Short and wiry dogs have thicker hair that quickly looks untidy without brushing. Dog grooming for terriers and other short-haired dogs needs to be completed twice a week. Poodle grooming, and other curly-haired dogs, are done twice a week to maintain their coat and skin health. Short-haired dogs and double-coated dogs include Labrador retrievers and Rottweilers. Double-coated dogs require brushing twice a week to maintain the neat appearance of their straight topcoat and thin undercoat.
If your dog has long hair, you will need to brush its coat every other day. Dog grooming three to four times per week is recommended for your long and silky dog’s coat. Other coat lengths that need brushing every other day include long and course, and long, double-coated dogs. Examples of long-haired dogs include silky terriers, Shih Tzus, and collies.
How to Groom Your Dog’s Coat
You should start by gathering the correct tools for the task at hand. Choosing the correct brush for your dog’s coat will stop you from breaking the skin and causing further damage.
Once you have identified how often you should brush your dog, you need to closely inspect your dog’s coat. If your dog has mats in her coat, you should avoid cutting them out. Take a de-matting comb and slowly pick out matted dog hair using picking motions to remove it slowly. Breaking up the mat will help you avoid causing damage to your dog’s coat and skin. Dog grooming should not cause your pet any pain or suffering.
Long-haired dogs can have a lot of excess hair to remove that can be difficult for an individual. The best option for dog grooming long-haired dogs is to use a de-shedding tool before a slicker brush. A de-shedding tool used before each brushing will help keep your brush from becoming clogged up with excess hair.
Improve Your Relationship With your Dog
You start out grooming your dog to help her remain neat. The idea that you can bond with your dog through grooming may not initially be high on your list of reasons for brushing your pet. Brushing your dog is a good first step towards improving the quality of your relationship with your dog. Your dog’s coat will look good and you will feel closer to your pet when you spend the time to groom them correctly. Knowing how to socialize a dog can be difficult, but grooming your pet regularly will help you build a quality relationship that will stand the test of time. Regular grooming will help you identify if you should take your dog to the vet.
The Animal Humane Society explains grooming regularly helps you to remain aware of the health of your dog [2]. You will be able to identify any changes to the health of your dog, be they physical or mental changes. Brushing your dog regularly will help you to feel comfortable in the company of your dog.
Dog Grooming for Beginners
When you are first trying to groom your dog’s coat, you should have plenty of treats on hand. Learn how to brush a dog properly by combing in the direction her hair grows in, in an in-to-out motion to help push your brush deeply under the coat. A detangling spray can be a good idea for dogs with long-haired coats. Combining a detangling spray with long brush strokes will help you to move through your dog’s coat with ease.
If you have failed to keep up with the grooming requirements of your dog and find yourself facing a mass of mats. In this case, wet hair is your enemy. Wet dog hair makes it harder to remove mats from your dog’s coat. A dry coat will help you to remove mats without causing your dog any unnecessary pain.
FAQs
Is it bad to brush your dog every day?
Gentle brushing each day will not cause your dog any harm. Problems will occur when you brush with excessive force and damage the skin of your dog.
Do dogs feel better after brushing?
Regular brushing does help your dog feel happier and healthier. A well-groomed dog will have healthy skin and a coat that shines impressively. Dog health is affected by their skin and blood circulation, which is benefitted by regular grooming.
Is it better to brush a wet or dry dog?
Experts recommend brushing your dog’s coat when their hair is dry. Wet hair will make it difficult for you to brush through any problem areas on her coat. Mats are difficult to remove when your dog’s coat is wet.
Is there such a thing as brushing your dog too much?
It is difficult to over brush your dog and cause damaged skin. Instead of causing damage to your dog’s coat from overbrushing, using the wrong tools is the most common problem.
