Most dog owners take their dogs to a professional dog grooming service several times a year. The average time between professional dog grooming sessions is between one and three months.
The main variable that influences the time gaps is the type of coat that each dog has and thus the need for it to be groomed sooner or later.
Dog owners should be aware that, although they take their dog for dog grooming, each grooming session is not all that is needed to maintain your dog’s healthy coat.
Whilst professional dog grooming may leave it in tip-top condition, it still needs to be maintained between sessions.
It is akin to your car having its annual service, but if you want it to keep it running without breaking down, you need to maintain it between services by topping up oil and water levels, for example.
Likewise, in the case of your dog’s coat, you should not just rely on your dog groomer to help keep it healthy.
As the dog’s owner, you must take responsibility for it too all year round.
What might stop you, and other dog owners is not being 100% sure how you can do so, so to help you here are ten tips for caring for your dog’s coat between dog grooming sessions.
Daily Brushing: Whilst we hope you will follow all our tips, if this was the only one you did follow then you will be making a huge positive difference to both the health and the appearance of your dog’s coat.
Use A Deshedding Tool: Whilst daily brushing will help remove loose fur, if your dog sheds excessively then we highly recommend investing in a deshedding tool.
They are inexpensive, but more importantly, are made for different coat types to help remove your dog’s loose and unwanted fur.
Wipe Their Face Regularly: Wiping your dog’s face regularly with a wet wipe or damp cloth to keep it clean is important.
In addition, this will remove the unsightly dried tears that most dogs have adjacent to their eyes.
Trim Their Nails: Your dog’s nails must be kept at a proper length because, if they grow too long, it can cause them severe pain and discomfort.
Great care is required to not cut their nails too far back as this can cause bleeding.
Cut Away Tangles: Sometimes brushing and even using a deshedding tool is not enough to untangle severely matted fur.
If this does occur, then you should carefully cut away tangles in their coat using scissors or a trimmer.
Trim Fur If Necessary: If your dog is a breed that has a long coat, and if it grows quickly between grooming sessions, you might wish to trim their fur.
The caveat is that you do so with care and by referring to advice on how to trim the coat of your dog’s particular breed.
Check Their Skin: As a precaution and as part of ensuring your dog is healthy, whenever you carry out any grooming on them yourself always check their skin as you do so.
Look for marks, abrasions, discolouration, or lumps and seek your vet’s advice if any of these cause you concern.
Check Their Ears: Although ear health is something your dog’s vet would deal with more than your dog’s groomer, it is prudent to check their ears regularly as part of your grooming routine.
Any redness, or signs that your dog is scratching their ears more than normal, should be discussed with your dog’s vet.
A Monthly Bath: Most dogs love water, although maybe not so many love getting in the bath.
Nevertheless, you should bathe your dog no more than once a month using a natural shampoo that is free of any harmful chemicals.
Wash Their Bedding: As a final tip, we recommend that you wash your dog’s bedding regularly.
This will remove excess odours and any fur which has fallen out whilst they were sleeping on it and stop both of these from transferring back onto their clean coat.