Unlike cats, our dogs require us to groom them by brushing their hair regularly. Grooming is a fundamental process that your dog needs for him to have some good health. However, you can’t just brush your dog with any brush that you come across in the shop.
You need to use the right grooming brushes for you dog. Even with the right brush, you still have to know how to brush a dog the right way depending on the type of coat that your dog has.
The Positive Effects of Brushing Your Dog Regularly
You may be wondering why it is important to brush your canine friend on a regular basis. Well, there are several reasons why you need to do so but we have decided to consider just a few of those reasons in this article. Here they are:
1. Brushing Your Dog Regularly Removes Loose Hair
As a dog parent, you will have to spend some of your weekends just vacuuming hairballs from your floor and furniture. Although brushing your dog will not stop him from shedding, it will remove all the loose hair from your dog’s coat before the hair shows up on your couch or yogurt.
2. Brushing Removes Mats
Matted hair is one of the things that your dog hates. This is because they are painful and can always lead to skin infections and irritations. They are also unhygienic. If your dog’s hair coat is prone to mats, then brushing the dog regularly will prevent mats from getting serious. Brushing will also prevent new mats from forming.
3. You Can Monitor Your Pooch’s Skin
As a responsible pet owner, you should always examine your fury baby’s coat spots, lumps, fleas and ticks. However, if your dog’s coat is a thick one, then monitoring his skin will be a little bit difficult.
Fortunately, when you brush your dog’s hair, you can see his skin even if he has a thick coat. This is because you will be able to separate his hair on one area from the other so that you can spot potential skin problems.
4. Brushing Enables You to Bond With Your Dog
As long as your canine friend does not have any skin infections, then brushing his coat will feel like a massage to him. He will, therefore, enjoy this brushing session that will be so relaxing.
Whenever your dog sees you carrying a brush, he will always come running to you. Your dog will also enjoy having a one on one time with his favorite human-who in this case is you. Brushing will offer you an excellent opportunity so you can spend some quality time with your pooch and build trust.
5. Your Dog Will Look Sharp
Even dogs deserve to look their best. Once your dog’s coat is good looking, then it means that he is healthy. As long as your pup is looking sharp, then the chances are that he is also feeling healthy and strong.
How Often Do you need to Brush Your Dog?
Regardless of the breed of your pup or the type of coat he has, he will still require regular brushing. However, the frequency of brushing will depend on your dog’s breed and his individual needs.
If you brush your dog regularly, regardless of his coat type, brushing will keep his coat and skin healthy. Although most dogs require bathing once a month, it is recommended that brushing should always be done more regularly in between the baths.
Veterinarians recommend that short and medium haired dogs should be brushed at least once a week. However, long-haired dogs should be brushed daily to prevent tangles and mats from developing.
Choosing the Right Brush for Your Dog
There are several varieties of combs and brushes available that you can choose to ensure that you give your dog the best brushing experience. The type of dog brush you choose will depend on the type of coat your pup has. Here are the various types of brushes that you can choose from.
- Bristle Brushes: These types of brushes can be used on all types of coats. Bristle brushes vary as some have large spaces between the bristles while others have short spaces. Bristle brushes also differ in terms of the length of the bristles. If you have a dog with long hairs on his coat, then you need a bristle brush with long bristles. If your dog’s coat is coarse, then the brush you choose should have stiff bristles.
- Wire Brushes: If you own a dog with medium to long hair, then the best type of brush to use is a wired-pin type. There are some wired-pin brushes with rubber tipped ends while others don’t. If your dog’s coat is curly or woolly, then this type of brush is the right for your dog.
- Slicker Brushes: These types of dog brushes have bristles made of fine wires. These types of brushes are useful in removing tangles and knots.
- Dog Comb: A brush is not enough to keep your dog looking great. You need a dog comb to give your dog that perfect look. Sometimes a brush will not remove all the mats and that is why you need a comb.
How to Brush Your Dog
1. Use a Slicker Brush or a Pin Brush to Brush Your Dog’s Body
The brushing technique that I want to show you is called line brushing. It is the best way to brush your dog as it allows you to get all the way to the skin while brushing your dog. This ensures that you are not just brushing the top coat and missing the undercoat that is close to the skin. To brush your dog, start from his neck and work your way downward. You should brush in sections.
2. Use a Dog Comb to Deal with Mats, Knots and Tangles
Once you have felt that you have brushed a particular section, you should then comb that section using your steel comb.
Once you are done with that section, take your slicker brush and repeat the same process. If you come across knots, break them with your fingers. If the knots are so thick that your fingers cannot break them, then you can use the corners of your comb to break them.
How to Brush Dog’s With Different Coats
Brushing Short Haired Dogs
For short haired dogs like Labradors and greyhounds, you need to be gentle while brushing their coat. To remove any tangles, ensure that you gently comb your dog in the direction of his hair growth. After that, brush in the opposite direction so you can remove the dead skin cells. Brushing gently will also massage your dog’s skin and activate the circulation of blood.
To wind up the grooming session, brush again in the direction of your dog’s hair growth so that his hair is perfectly combed. If your dog’s coat is short but wiry, then you should use a bristle brush with firmer bristles. You can also use a slicker brush.
Brushing Medium Haired Dogs
Medium haired dogs are prone to tangles and knots. Before brushing your medium haired dog, use a comb to eliminate any tangles and knots on his coat. The ideal type of brush to use is a bristle brush with long bristles.
However, the brush should have blunt prongs to prevent it from scratching your dog’s skin. Brushing should be done in the same way you would brush a short haired dog. However, if your dog has a lot of tangles on his coat then you should use a slicker brush.
Brushing Long Haired Dogs
Maintaining your long-haired dog’s coat will be a time-consuming task. You need an appropriate brush on this one. Before brushing your pup’s coat, make sure that you have removed tangles and knots. You can use a comb or a pair of scissors.
For the best brushing experience for both you and your dog, you should slightly moisten your dog’s hair using some type of hair conditioner. Also, ensure that you use a brush with longer bristles. However, when brushing against the hair growth, you should use a brush with short and gentle bristles.
Brushing a Dog with Curly Hair
Curly haired dogs require special types of combs and brushes to avoid painful combing sessions. You should use a blunt comb to avoid hurting your dog. Should you come across difficult knots then you should not be afraid to use a pair of scissors to remove them.
When brushing your curly dog’s hair, brush against the natural direction of the hair growth. This will help your dog’s hair to maintain its curl. After that, you should then use the same brush in the direction of hair growth to massage your dog’s skin.
Winding Up
To keep your pooch looking his best and feeling healthy, you need to brush his coat regularly. Brushing will also help to promote a strong bond between you and your dog. Every dog owner should, therefore, know how to brush a dog. Although the frequency at which dogs should be brushed varies from one dog to another, the results or regular brushing will never vary.