Tidying the Longhaired Breeds

Unlike short-coated dogs, longhaired breeds need frequent grooming. A short-coated dog can look good with only a quick brush and rub with a chamois cloth to keep her looking good for as much as a month or more. A longhaired dog, however frequently needs brushing on a biweekly basis at the very least and sometimes need daily brushing at the very most. They may require bathing as little as monthly, or as often as once a week to keep their coats clean and fresh. Taking the time to do little bit of daily pre-grooming, combined with trimming and scissoring the coat, can keep you dog looking neat and tidy for quite some time.

Your longhaired dog has a coat with guard hairs that are easy to break off or tangle. Tangled coats may require vigorous grooming with oils or conditioners to free the separate the hairs. If the tangles must be cut free from the coat, it can leave a gap or "hole" in the coat. This gap can affect your dog's appearance for months at a time. The small amount of effort that it takes to tidy your dog can relieve you of even more strenuous grooming later.

One way that you can keep your dog tidy is to keep her environment clean. You can't keep the outdoors clean and dry for your dog's benefit, but you can clean her bedding and the areas she likes to rest during the day. Any spills, including that of water, should immediately cleaned up to prevent the coat getting soiled or tangled.

In addition to spills inside, keep your yard free from things that can damage her coat. You can do nothing about dirt or water, but plants with burrs or prickers should be removed. In addition, if your dog eliminates in your yard--or if you find any other animal waste in your yard--then make certain it is cleaned on a regular schedule. Your dog, being a predator, will be tempted to roll in it to "smell better". She will never believe that you don't appreciate the smell as much as she does.

In addition to keeping your dog's environment clean, you must clean her coat as well. When she comes inside from playing in your yard, towel her dry if she's damp or wet. Do a visual inspection for anything mentioned in the previous paragraph before she settles down for a nap. If she has burrs or other foreign items in her coat, remove them. They will be far easier to remove them from her coat before they sink into the deep undercoat and suck the guard hairs in after them. After you've removed the portion that grabs your dog's coat, some debris may remain. Use a slicker or pin brush to remove that debris before it sinks into the coat and causes sores on your dog's skin. All told, this process might take a few seconds to a few minutes, but it will save you trouble later.

Eventually your dog will need a bath. Use your dog's shampoo and conditioner as recommended on the labels. Be certain that you remove all of the shampoo or conditioner residue. Removing that residue will ensure that her guard hairs are not sticky and attracting dust or dirt. Dry and brush your dog's coat as described in a previous article.

Longhaired dogs benefit from having their coats trimmed, just like short-coated dogs. Thin the hair behind your dog's ears, on her pants, and on the brush of her tail. Thinning should start with a wide-toothed "coarse" stripping blade and thinning shears. Puffy furnishings might look pretty, but a large amount of fur attracts dirt and debris and may actually interfere with the function that they are supposed to perform. If you can run a pin or slicker brush through these areas without ripping out hunks of coat, then you've thinned the coat enough. After these areas have been thinned enough, brush her coat out flat and trim a straight edge. Remember that the dog's tail and any fur on the back of her legs should taper from the widest point of the bone to its narrowest point. The trim doesn't have to be perfect, but it should smooth the edges of her appendages.

When you finish brushing your dog, her coat will probably stand away from her body due to static electricity. Smooth her coat with your hand or a chamois cloth. Use a pair of thinning shears to remove the little hairs that remain sticking up. Keep up on those little hairs during pre-grooming sessions: it only takes a few minutes to do and helps her coat look tidy.

Even though are not a professional groomer, there is no reason why your dog cannot have a tidy coat. Do a little pre-grooming on a daily basis and take time to thin and trim her when she is bathed and no one will know that you, not a professional, are taking care of her coat.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you are a business owner get listed at Best Dog Care Site, part of Localwin Network.