Visit to a Grooming Centre

Grooming the Long Coat

Our Health Advisor

Over the last 30 years, I have worked in every aspect of the dog world. I have managed a Boarding Kennel and I have cared for ill dogs and have nursed terminally ill dogs.

I have bred and hand reared puppies and am able to help you with most health matters.

My experience in the health care of the dog will be of benefit to our dog lovers.

I have come across most health problems; most of my experience comes from breeding and caring for my own lovely dogs. This includes nursing ill dogs; nursing terminally ill dogs; hand rearing puppies.

I have also managed and worked in Boarding Kennels where cleanliness is an everyday problem and where dogs can become ill very quickly.

Also, with my vast experience of working with dogs and people in the pet world, I can hopefully pass my experience on to you and stop problems before they arrive.

I stress that the ultimate health expert is the Vet! Our Vet on line is there to help you and your dog, so do not hesitate to contact us.

Janet Wesley.

Introduction

It is a good idea to groom your dog on average at least once a week.

You will need grooming equipment.
Get to the pet shop and choose from the vast selection available.
Or contact us here at worldofdogs.cc for any grooming equipment you may require.

When you groom your dog, it strengthens the bond between you. The dog enjoys being pampered and they also like to be clean. Encourage the rest of the family to join in. Always praise and reward your dog while you are grooming him. First brush, comb, then brush again. While you are grooming, look at the skin - check for sore spots, red itchy areas, wet sticky areas, flea dirt (black specs). If found, contact your vet.

Only bath your dog when he is dirty. Too much bathing can destroy his natural weatherproof coat. Another problem is getting him dry - the long coated breeds take many hours. A damp dog gets cold and this, over many baths and years can lead to rheumatism in later life. If your dog has fleas or any skin disease however, you may have to bath him on a regular basis until the problem has improved - this is perfectly acceptable.

Over the next few months, all of your grooming problems will be discussed with our professional groomer.

HEALTH CHECK WHEN GROOMING YOUR DOG

When you take on the responsibility of living and sharing your family, your home and your lifestyle with "man's best friend", then you are obligated to make sure that he has the best health care.

You, the owner, play the major role! Get to know your dog, watch how much water he drinks daily, how much food he eats, how he normally eats, i.e. does he gobble his food or eat slowly. Check his motion, look for blood, check his urine, is it darker than normal, is there blood in it?

Notice if he seems sad, depressed, won't move out of his bed. Is he his normal happy self? Keep a check on him and when the vet asks you these questions, you won't stand there feeling an idiot as your vet is thinking "Not another one who knows nothing about their own dog"!!

The first thing to think about is to insure your pet - we will discuss this at a later date - and register with a vet. Recommendation is the way to find a vet, ask around as charges can vary, but remember that cheapest is not always the best, the same as the most expensive is not always the best.

We suggest a once a week health check. This can be when you groom your dog.

• Check the ears make sure they look clean. Never start poking around in the ear! With long eared, hairy dogs, make sure the fur is not growing inside the actual ear as this can cause problems. Remove this with a sharp tug. If you can't do this, a grooming parlour will help
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• Check the eyes, they should look bright and happy. If there is discharge or if your dog paws at his eye, contact your vet (especially if the discharge is very thick).
  
  
• Check the teeth. It is the modern thing to clean them. Make sure that they are not getting brown tartar on them. The gums should look healthy, not red or sore looking. There are so many things you can buy for your dog to chew on to keep his teeth clean. Shop around.
  
  
• Check the nose. Make sure that there is no thick discharge, if so contact your vet for advice.
  
  
• Check paws. Check nails and pads for any cuts or sore spots. With long haired breeds, keep the fur between the pads short, as bacteria can gather there and wet mud, this is not good.
  
  
• Check the bottom. Check under the tail. This is very important in long haired breeds. Check to see if it is clean and again no sore spots or tapeworm eggs around the bottom. These look like rice grains. Also with long coats, it is a good idea to clip the fur, and then it is not so bad if they sit in anything nasty! Never try to investigate inside your dogs’ bottom, this is the vet's job, not yours!
  
  
• Check his movement. Note if he starts to limp. It is often nothing, but if it keeps occurring, again, contact your vet.
  

GROOMING THE LONG COAT

Long coats need constant attention. A long coat left ungroomed will quickly become matted. The only way to deal with this is to cut the matts out. The fur under the stomach is where most of the knots or matts appear. Also around the ears and under the tail. Unless you are showing the dog, it is best if these areas are kept short, especially under the tail. You need to groom everyday if you want to keep on top of your dogs long coat.

Some long coated breeds have what is called an undercoat. This is thick woolly fur - this is shed most of the time if the dog is kept indoors. It is this that can become matted.

HOW TO GROOM
You need a wide toothed grooming comb which has to be long enough to reach through the coat to clean all the dead fur and dirt. If the comb is a short toothed comb it will only penetrate the surface and not reach the skin. To start with, you will need to comb the coat backwards in layers, this will remove all the dead fur and dirt. Once you have combed the fur on the body backwards in layers, then comb it the correct way. This cleans the coat. You can now use a slicker. A slicker is a flat brush with fine metal hooks. This removes the very fine traces of fur and dirt. Use the same method and then finish off with a bristle brush. This will level the coat and put a shine on it.

THE TROUBLE WITH LONG COATS
A long coated dog, especially a thick coat as well as long can be very time consuming, and unless you have the time to look after the coat, then it may be an idea to find a different breed, as nothing looks worse than a lovely long coated breed that has a matted and filthy coat. A type of wet excema can infect the dog as the matts do not allow the air to circulate through the coat. With this in mind, some dog owners do have their dogs clipped mainly in the summer months, with a view to keeping the dog cool and the coat more manageable.

You must remember to always dry a long coat as they take an age to dry! If you take the dog out in the cold and rain it is a good idea to invest in a waterproof dog coat. This will halve your work. Always dry under the belly and flanks as this is always damp. The wet and dirt always splashes the under belly.

Most coats have a weatherproof coating and when the dog shakes, he throws most of the water off, but with some long coats, the water works it’s way into the coats and they can become soaked! This can affect your dog’s health as a dog who is left to ‘dry off’ on a regular basis can become crippled with rheumatism in later life, so always remember to ‘dry off’ with a towel.

© Janet Wesley

If you have any problems, email us for advice. Training@worldofdogs.cc