Image taken from www.halleballedog.com
8/3/2014
Good day and welcome everyone!
This is Sharda with a wonderful newsletter about dog grooming.
Most experts assert that there are five different types of dog coats out there, all of which provide various hints as to how to provide the best possible care for your dog especially when doing dog grooming.
It is necessary to classify your dog’s coat type first so the quick guide to the coat types are outlined for you below so you can do just that:
Smooth Coat – Breeds like the Basset Hound, Beagle, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Bulldog, Dalmatian, Great Dane, Greyhound, Labrador Retriever, Miniature Pinscher, Pug, Rottweiler and Weimeraner all have smooth coats. The fur is sleek, shiny and very short as a general rule and thus do not need as much grooming as most other dogs.
The general grooming routine for smooth coated dogs should contain regular brushing and occasional baths. Brushing is necessary to ensure that the natural oils produced by the coats are spread evenly across the surface of the fur in addition to ensuring that all stray hairs are removed.
Medium Coat – The breeds that fall under this category include the Akita, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, Brittany, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retriever, Great Pyrenees, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Saint Bernard and Siberian Husky.
These breeds have coats that exceed an inch thick but still appear to be relatively short and are easy to groom. These coats do not typically get tangled or matted and tend to retain little in the way of dirt. Although you may have to incorporate a trim into your grooming routine, experts recommend a brush once a week and a bath once a month for these dogs.
Although these breeds generally have an undercoat as well as guard hair, they do not tend to shed as much as heavier coated breeds. However, you should still take care to ensure that they are dry following baths because any lingering dampness can cause illness.
Long Coat – Although smooth and medium coated dogs are easy to classify, long coated dogs fall into three distinct categories. There are long parted coats, long coated small dogs and long coated large dogs. The grooming of each is different because of the nature of the coat:
Long Parted Coats – These dog coats are incredibly distinctive because the long hair actually has a parting that runs straight down their backs. It is actually rather rare because only eight breeds (Afghan Hound, Lhasa Apso, Maltese, Skye Terrier, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Tibetan Terrier and Yorkshire Terrier) have been identified.
This can hinder the grooming process because it tends to tangle and has to be set following a monthly bath. It should be brushed regularly to prevent matting and the brush should follow the parting, much as a hairdresser would when dealing with human hair. If you adhere to the same principles then it will make life easier!
Long Coated Small Dogs – Long haired small dogs have no parting at all but can be just as difficult to groom because, again, these dogs are prone to the matting and tangling of fur. The Havanese, Chinese Crested, Pekingese and Pomeranian breeds are the most common under this heading.
Regular brushing, bathing and trimming is essential, although some of these types of coat do not have an undercoat so you have to pick the right time of year to do so.
Long Coated Large Dogs – The Bearded Collie, Chow Chow, Cocker Spaniel, Irish Setter, Newfoundland, Old English Sheepdog, Saint Bernard and Samoyed breeds are all long coated large dogs. They obviously take a lot of time to groom if you want to keep them clean and smelling fresh.
They are prone to matting, tangling and picking up dirt so it is essential to groom your dog via brushing, bathing and clipping on a regular basis to maintain the health of the coat.
Wire Coat – The wire coat is relatively common because it can be found on a number of popular breeds, including the Affenpinscher, Border Terrier, Brussels Griffon, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Irish Terrier, Otterhound, Scottish Terrier and West Highland White Terrier. Wire coats differ from most other types of coats because they do not look or feel smooth and silky.
Instead, they are rough and tend to feel a little like the bristles on a brush. However, there are benefits to this type of coat because these dogs do not shed. This does make your job of grooming wire coats a little harder though.
You have to pluck out older hairs that are a little wild so that new hairs can grow and this takes a lot of time. Baths are also essential to ensure that all dirt is removed and brushing is essential to ensure the even distribution of oils. Make sure that you have a regular routine when you have time to spare.
Wavy Coat – The wavy coat is one of the more unusual types of coat out there because it is characterized by curls. As such, you may know the wavy coat as the curly coat. The coat can get tangled with even the slightest of movements and knots are relatively common. Furthermore, the coat is also characterized by dryness.
As such, it will break easily and so grooming is a very sensitive process. There are conditioning sprays available and the regular brushing required for this type of coat should only be done when the coat has been sprayed with this substance.
There are numerous ways and means to groom a wavy coat, which is a good job considering the common breeds are often associated with water – Bichon Frise, Curly Coated Retriever, Irish Water Spaniel, Komondor, Poodle and Portuguese Water Dog being just a few of them.
Monthly clipping is essential, as is weekly brushing and monthly baths. However, unless you plan to show your dog then you can cut a few corners and still do a good job on wavy coats.
Those are the different coats you must bear in mind to ensure that dog grooming service should be done properly and perfectly.
I hope you learned a lot from today’s dog grooming newsletter.
I will be back for more!
Warmly,
Sharda Baker