How to Brush a Dog's Face

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How to Brush a Dog's Face

Medium

5 - 10 Minutes

2 Week

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Introduction

Tom the terrier has a cute face, with a full beard. Unfortunately, the beard is often food stained or worse--full of dirt and underbrush from Tom digging outside and burying his face in the hole he has created, looking for hapless victims like bugs and other nefarious creatures he must rid his yard of! Tom’s beard is not only dirty and full of debris it is tangled and yucky! Tom’s owners are going to have to start brushing his face regularly to keep his beard looking good, and remove dirt and debris to prevent tangles in the future. Fortunately, brushing a dog’s face is not that difficult, it just requires a little bit of consideration so as not to pull delicate face hair or get dirt in their eyes.

Dog's Perspective

Your dog probably does not care if he has a grubby, messy face, but you do. Because the facial area can be delicate, pulling hair around the mouth, eyes, and ears will cause your dog discomfort, so brushing these areas will have to be done gently and carefully, to avoid discomfort for your dog. Holding your dog's face securely and supporting hair by holding it between your grooming tool and the skin will help reduce friction, making face brushing much more pleasant for your dog. Be sure to stop and take a break if face brushing gets to be too much for your pup. Give it a rest and come back later to finish the job.

The Long Hair Method

Effective

0 Votes

Slicker Brush

Dematter

Comb

Step

Use fingers

Remove obvious debris on face and beard and work through any tangles with your fingers.

Step

Brush beard

Brush your dog’s beard with a slicker brush. Brush down in short strokes from root to tip, working in sections and holding your dog's muzzle for support. Work on both sides.

Step

Brush face

Brush your dog's cheeks, chin and lift his ears to reach under and behind ears.

Step

Use mat splitter

Use a mat splitter if necessary. Place the flat side against face with the sharp edge facing out. Start at the root and work through any knots. The sharp edge will cut through matted hair that can not be combed through. Work with a small area at a time

Step

Check with comb

Use a comb to check for any small knots missed by the brush. Wipe soiled areas around eyes or mouth with a damp cloth.

The Short Hair Method

Effective

0 Votes

Pin Brush

Flea Comb

Comb

Step

Remove debris

Remove any obvious debris and tangles on your dog’s face with your hands.

Step

Use a soft brush

Use a soft bristle brush to brush the beard and chin of a shorter haired dog. A soft pin brush can also be used for medium-haired dogs.

Step

Brush entire face

Use the brush on the cheeks and around and under ears. Check ears for signs of infection and be sure to locate all tangles or knots.

Step

Use fine comb

Use a fine toothed comb or flea comb to comb longer hair around ears and on the beard and chin to ensure there are no small tangles remaining.

Step

Wipe clean

Clean around the eyes with a soft damp cloth, as well as any other soiled parts of the face including around your dog’s mouth and under his chin.

Caution & Considerations

Clean tear stains or stained beards with a damp cloth or dog wipes after brushing if necessary.
Avoid pulling hair on the delicate face area. Support hair with your fingers while combing through knots and tangles, or use your fingers to loosen knots.
Be careful of eyes that grooming tools do not interfere with the delicate eye area or worse, poke your dog in the eye. Also, be careful not to brush debris into the eye area.
Check for knots under and behind the ears and take the opportunity to check ears for signs of yeast infections, which are common in dogs' ears.

Conclusion

Don’t forget your dogs face when brushing. Your dog's beard can easily become stained with food or dirt from the garden, and should be cleaned and brushed out regularly. Work carefully around his eyes and check ears for knots which trap moisture and can contribute to ear infections. Your dog will look so cute with a well-groomed face. A little brushing to clean and fluff up facial fur is all it takes to make your pooch as handsome as he can be.

Success Stories and Grooming Questions

Grooming Questions & Answers

Question

Pip

mongrel

7 Months

0 found helpful

Question

0 found helpful

Pip

mongrel

7 Months

I have a long haired puppy and she keeps getting plants/dirt caught in her under eye fur. She wont let me touch it and keeps biting tge brush or avoiding it trying to run away from me. She also wont let me touch her legs. Shes long haired so brushing is a huge must obviously but i cant find a way to make it easy for her. Ive tried treats, breaks and letting her sniff the brush etc. Is there something i can do to help her?

3 years, 5 months ago

Pip's Owner

Darlene Stott

Dog Trainer and Groomer

0 Dog owners recommended

Hello, I would start off with mini-grooming sessions. Just do one leg, the next day do another. Don't worry about the whole process on the same day. Make sure that she is well exercised before you start any brushing or cleaning attempts. A tired dog is sometimes a more willing one! Have you tried Pip in the bath? Using a detangler may be a good way to loosen up the knots to make brushing the legs easier. You can also check at the pet supply store for a leave-in conditioner, which could make daily brushing less stressful since the brush will glide through. As for around the eyes, this can be a tricky one - you have to be extra careful if she is squirmy and uncooperative. Try a wet cloth or pet wipe - she may take to that better than the brush near the eyes. You can try taking her to the groomer occasionally to get the tough to manage areas taken care of so they are easier to manage at home. (A grooming session should be after a long walk, too.) I think she is uncooperative as opposed to anxious but there are great tips here: https://wagwalking.com/grooming/groom-a-dog-with-anxiety. Good luck!

3 years, 5 months ago