A lot of effort is required of owners when it comes to grooming long-haired dogs, but providing good dog care for their fur is essential – not only for keeping your pooch healthy but also for keeping his or her coat beautiful and luxuriant.

Step 1 – Bathing Keeps Your Dog Sweet Smelling and Looking Good

Most dogs don’t like to be bathed but you can make the experience more pleasant by remembering to use warm water and following these tips:

Begin at the top and work your way down. This is a systematic way of bathing long-haired dogs, which ensures cleanliness and minimal clumping. When applying the shampoo, work it in and gently comb the fur through with your fingers to remove tangles or debris that might have collected in the hair.
Buy a crème rinse or conditioner made especially for dogs. These products leave your pet’s fur soft and smooth and bring out its natural sheen and glow.
Use a large absorbent towel to dry your pet. Wrap the towel around them to soak up the excess water. Afterwards, you can use a blow dryer or allow the coat to air dry.

Step 2 – Brushing is Good for the Coat and the Skin

The fur of long-haired dogs needs to be brushed every day because brushing not only gets rid of the tangles that lead to matting, but also it rejuvenates the skin and stimulates the growth of a healthy coat. Moreover, regular brushing makes it easier to handle the other necessary grooming steps.

For dogs with long hair, such as afghan hounds and collies, it’s best to use long-toothed combs, particularly those with several offset rows. These combs are effective in removing clumps of hair and getting rid of loose undercoat hair when your dog is shedding.

Step 3 – Trimming Helps Control Matting

Trimming is an important part of dog care grooming, especially for long-haired breeds whose long hair is prone to clumping and tangling. When trimming, you can remove the matted hair, but be extremely careful. Find a personal dog groomer to trim their coat if you are worried about cutting your dog.

Additionally, pay special attention to trimming the hair around the footpads and claws to prevent loss of traction and the possibility of causing your dog to slide on the hair when he walks. During this step, you can check your dog’s nails and clip them if necessary. Avoid cutting the nails too short and be sure and file them so they’ll be smooth. Again, have this job done by a personal dog groomer if you are nervous about doing it yourself.

Step 4 – Protective Care Helps Keep the Skin and Coat Healthy

During the last stage, apply skin treatments or medications to protect your pet against parasites, such as ticks and fleas. Clean your dog’s ears using a cotton ball steeped in a half-and-half mixture of vinegar and lukewarm water. Cleaning your dog’s ears regularly as part of his grooming care will help prevent ear infections and mites.

For obvious reasons, grooming a long-haired dog can be challenging but, if you do it properly and regularly, your diligent dog care will reward you with a healthy, good-looking and happy pet.

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Featured image credit: “bordie collie in bath” by Nick Cowle, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickobec/347374492/. License by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/.