Page 321 - (DK) The Dog Encyclopedia

GROOMING

Long-haired dogs
Dogs with long coats should be groomed daily to stop
tangles. To make grooming easier, use a de-matting comb
to break the mats into small sections.

WASHING YOUR DOG
How often you need to bathe your dog
depends on what type of coat he has.
Some long-haired dogs have a “double coat”
with a warm undercoat and thick guard
hairs on top. The guard hairs make
double-coated dogs naturally dirt repellent,
so they don’t need to be bathed often—
twice a year is enough. Single-coated,
short-haired dogs should be bathed more
frequently—about once every three months.
Curly-coated breeds like Poodles do not
shed and may need to be bathed more
regularly, even as often as once a month. It
is important not to wash any dog too often,
since overwashing causes the coat to
compensate by producing extra oils,
which leads to an increase of natural odor.
If your dog gets muddy after a walk, he does
not necessarily need a bath—wait until the
mud dries and then brush it off.

BATH TIME Make bath time a pleasant experience for your dog—feed him treats before you get him wet, have everything you need
within easy reach so that you don’t have to leave him unattended, and check that he is comfortable and happy throughout the process.

Test the water temperature Apply a specially formulated dog Use warm water to rinse all the Squeeze the excess water out of
1 before you wet your dog—it 2 shampoo and then massage it 3 shampoo out of your dog’s coat. 4 his coat by hand, then towel him
should be warm, but not hot. thoroughly into your dog’s coat, right Any shampoo residue left in the coat all over, so that he is nearly dry. Finish
Beginning at the head, wet him fully down to his skin. will cause skin irritation. by drying him fully with a hair dryer on
from head to tail. Be careful not to low heat (as long as he isn’t worried by
get water in his eyes, ears, or nose. the noise), brushing as you go.

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