Keeping your dog groomed is and brushing your dog is a daily necessity for some long-haired breeds. You must do it almost every other day, in contrary with nail trimming which you must do once every month. But even if you have a short-haired dog, brushing her can provide benefits for you both.
First and foremost, brushing obviously removes tangles from your dog’s coat. Small knots and tangles can lead to painful matting, which will then need to be cut out by your vet or a professional groomer. Brushing will also remove dirt and debris from your dog’s coat.
Brushing distributes protective and nourishing oils through your dog’s coat, helping to keep her skin healthy and fur shiny. It also helps keep shedding under control. Furthermore, the time you spend brushing your dog can be special bonding time for you both.
But brushing an Afghan hound or Chow is very different from brushing a Labrador or Pug. Here is advice for different coats:
- Short and smooth
Dogs with short and smooth coats do not need much brushing – once a week is enough. This will help remove shedding fur, dirt and dead skin cells, and will stimulate nourishing oils and disperse them throughout the coat.
A grooming glove with a rubber palm area is good for smooth-coated dogs. The bumps will collect the dead hair while also giving your dog a nice massage. Alternatively, use a bristle brush. Start from the head and work your way to the tail, brushing in the direction of the hair.
Smooth-coated breeds include: Dalmatian, Basset Hound, Weimaraners, Pointers, Pugs, Dobermans, Bulldog, Labradors, Greyhounds, Beagles, American Pit Bull, Staffordshire Terrier, Boston Terrier, Boxer, short-haired Chihuahua, Fox Terrier-smooth, Great Dane, Miniature Pinscher, Rottweiler, etc.
- Silky
Breeds such as Yorkies with their coats kept unclipped need a lot of attention to keep their long, silky
coats in top condition and free from matts.
Start by brushing out tangles with a pinhead brush. Then use a bristle brush to make the coat shiny. You may want to part the hair in the middle, brushing downwards on either side.
Silky breeds include: Yorkshire Terrier, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, Maltese, Silky Terrier, etc.
- Long coats
Long-haired dogs need daily brushing. Start with a pinhead brush to untangle matting, but remember, never cut matts out with scissors. Use a wide-tooth comb to finish.
Long-coated breeds include: Long-haired Dachshund, Old English Sheepdog, long-haired Chihuahua, Cocker Spaniel, Newfoundland, Afghans, etc.
- Double-coat
To assist with shedding, brush double-coated dogs once a day with a firm bristle brush. Daily brushing is essential, as matts will form in the undercoat, which are painful against your dog’s skin.
Double-coated breeds include: Collies, Malamutes, Keeshond, Husky, Akita, Chows, Pomeranian, Samoyed, etc.
- Wire coat
A brushing 2-3 times a week will help keep wiry coats free of tangles. A stiff brush is best for wire-coated dogs. Brushing will not make the coat soft and silky, as wiry coats are meant to be rough
Wire-haired breeds include: Wire-haired Dachshund, Fox Terrier-wire, Irish Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Brussels Griffon, West Highland White Terrier, Affenpinscher, etc.
- Curly
Brushing curly coats tends to turn the curls to frizz, so it is best to brush only during the shedding seasons, though regularly so. Curly coats can tend to be dry, so you may want to spray your dog with a conditioning spray before brushing to avoid breakage. Also a curly coat is more prone to fleas, so you must be very carefull where your dog goes when you dont pay attention to it. In order to make sure you know where your dog goes a must have purchase is a dog fence with GPS tracking
Curly breeds include: Curly-coated Retriever, Poodle, Poodle crosses, Bichon Frise, Komondor, Irish Water Spaniel, etc.
