How to Groom a Dog with Thick Hair

There is more than one reason to keep your dog's coat neatly groomed. Not only does it keep him looking his best, but a neatly groomed coat has a number of health benefits. When your dog has a thick coat, he tends to shed almost constantly, leaving a coating of hair on virtually any surface in your home, especially the floors. 

Grooming your dog is a great way to bond with him, it is also a good way to keep the number of times you have to replace your vacuum cleaner to a minimum. Bear in mind, your pup's thick coat consists of several layers of different lengths of hair. Knowing how to groom this particular type of hair can make the whole process easier and go faster. 

Most dogs with thick coats will shed or "blow-out" their coats twice each year, once to shed their winter coat in the spring and once in the fall to get rid of their summer coat. In the wild, wolves use brush, trees, even long grasses to help remove the extra hair, something your domesticated dog cannot do.

At home, he may try to use your furniture and carpets to achieve the same results. But, this never works as well as using brush. You should be grooming your pup's hair once a week to keep the piles of hair floating around your home to a minimum. Your pup will certainly appreciate it and so will everyone in your home. 

• Unless your vet recommends it, you should never shave a dog with thick hair all the way down to his skin. This could lead to a number of skin conditions and sunburn.
  
  
• Shaving him could also lead to his hair growing back in unsightly patches.
  
  
• If you can't tell which way your pup's hair naturally grows, ask your vet, he can tell you.
  
  
• If your dog's hair tends to tangle easily and heavily, you can buy spray-in detanglers for dogs that will make the job of brushing him out much easier.
  
  
• While weekly grooming is usually enough, during shed season, daily brushing will help reduce mats, reduce the amount of hair on your carpets, and save your vacuum cleaner from a premature death.
  
  
• Always remove all traces of shampoo from your pup's coat to avoid several health issues. 
  

Grooming your pup will help him look and feel better. It will also help you build a better bond with each other and give you a chance to go over his body checking for fleas, ticks, mats, tangles, cuts, and anything else unusual. It could save his life!