# When to begin grooming?



## yuricamp (Mar 13, 2011)

So I have a twelve week old whose coat was looking pretty dull and dry and he still hadn’t sprung into an adult coat yet but still has the fuzzies of his youth. I decided to use my furminator that I purchased before I even brought him home on his coat to see what it would do and viola......there underneath masses of dry, dead fuzzy hair was a silky, extra shiny, wavy coat. Over the next several days I am continuing to work away at it to reveal his full glory.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the furminator didn't work for my dog. i think
it was taking out to much hair and it didn't work
well on his legs. i use an undercoat comb and a pin brush.
i comb him in all directions with the under coat comb. sometimes
i do the same thing with the pin brush but mainly
i brush him in one direction with the pin brush. i brush his head, ears
and legs with the pin brush. i brush my dog 3 to 4 times a week.


----------



## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

You can begin grooming at any time, the sooner the better. I get my puppies used to being brushed and having their toenails trimmed as soon as possible. Puppy's first bath is usually dictated by the first time puppy rolls in poop or any other gross thing, which can happen at any time.


----------



## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I always tell people to start when they first get home. Better yet, it's best the breeder start them on grooming. Even "wash and go" breeds should be used to being groomed, it's easier on the dog and people. This is also a good time to work on handling paws, ears, mouth, tail, ect. That way the dog is used to being messed with when it comes to things like vet visits where they will be moving the dogs arms/legs to check for joint problems, checking to see the ears and teeth are clean and healthy, getting fecal samples (on a stick! lol), ect. And with the feet, it'll make trimming their nails easy and stress free. 

I know a lot of people don't wash their GSD's but I personally feel ANY dog should have positive experiences with the bathtub at a young age. That way if they DO roll in poop or something and need an actual bath one day, they aren't an 80+lb adult who's fighting you in the tub because they have no clue what's going on.

And a note on the furminator, I wouldn't use that as the only brush. It's very easy to over do it and create bald spots/thinned hair. You can also "burn" the dog in shorter coated areas if you use it too hard.

I like an undercoat rake and pin brush for double coated dogs. Though in all honesty, one of the best investment you could make in your dogs life (Besides vet care and food of course!) is buying a force dryer. You can use it on a wet or dry coat and it'll blow the hair out like nothing else.


----------



## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

ChancetheGSD said:


> Though in all honesty, one of the best investment you could make in your dogs life (Besides vet care and food of course!) is buying a force dryer. You can use it on a wet or dry coat and it'll blow the hair out like nothing else.


Yes yes yes!! Even if you're not a professional groomer, a good force dryer is a wise investment with a double-coated dog. It can blast out so much dead hair that oftentimes you don't even need to use a brush! I don't know how people groomed dogs before force dryers were invented, and if I couldn't use one, I'd have to find another profession. 

I use a Hanvey Gold dryer with the booster motor, it works great and I love that I can mount it on the wall to save space. But I needed a backup force dryer, and found a Lange 80 on eBay for $350. I'm totally geeked out over it because that dryer costs about $1600 new. Of course you can get a less expensive dryer--the little orange Metro dryers work great.

I don't use a furminator on puppies. Furminator is for getting out dead, loose coat and puppies don't have a lot of that. A soft slicker brush is ideal for them.


----------



## Mom2Shaman (Jun 17, 2011)

I am an undercoat rake fan on the longer fur. My shorthair likes a plain bristle brush to just remove the loose stuff. And when to groom? Right away. I find that grooming time makes for the best bonding calm time too. It's the special one-on-one time that's good for your relationship with them and also a chance to feel all over for any physical changes that require attention.


----------



## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Wholesale Pet Supplies, Dog Grooming | PetEdge.com has some cheap dryers that work great. As Freestep said, a Metro brand dryer would be great for personal home use. It's about $60-$100 from Pet Edge depending on which one you buy. I'd recommend the full sized rather than a "mini" one. And one with a hose, not a stand alone dryer regardless of the brand you go with.


----------



## CLARKE-DUNCAN (Apr 8, 2011)

I started grooming as soon as I got Nero, the quicker they get used to it the better....!


----------



## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

All pups begin grooming lessons as soon as they get here. Messy pups generally mean a bath comes soon. I regularly bath pups to get them acclimated. Brushing, combing, trimming nails, exposure to the grooming table and intro to the blow dryet....the sooner the better but don't make it too stressful. We take breaks as we get cleaned up when just a young pup.


----------



## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I start using an undercoat rake and trimming toes right away and don't hesitate to give them a bath if they need one. I can't think of anytime I would find a blow dryer useful.


----------



## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

ChancetheGSD said:


> Wholesale Pet Supplies, Dog Grooming | PetEdge.com has some cheap dryers that work great. As Freestep said, a Metro brand dryer would be great for personal home use. It's about $60-$100 from Pet Edge depending on which one you buy. I'd recommend the full sized rather than a "mini" one. And one with a hose, not a stand alone dryer regardless of the brand you go with.


Yes, the more powerful, the better--with the concentrator tip on the end of the hose, the air speed (as opposed to air volume) is what really blasts the hair apart, right down to the skin, and you'll see that dead undercoat sliding right out. You will then be standing in a hurricane of hair. Ear and eye protection is not unwise.


----------



## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

A blow dryer is useful when well...You give them a bath so that they dry faster and don't end up smelling like a dog afterward from "air drying". (Yes, I realize not ALL dogs smell like this after a bath but many do) But also when they're blowing coat to get everything out. Even regular shedding times, a dryer will get out at LEAST 10x more than any brush ever would. They don't put out heat like human dryers do so they're safe to use anytime you want without drying out the skin or causing any burns.


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Samba said:


> All pups begin grooming lessons as soon as they get here. Messy pups generally mean a bath comes soon. I regularly bath pups to get them acclimated. Brushing, combing, trimming nails, exposure to the grooming table and intro to the blow dryet....the sooner the better but don't make it too stressful. We take breaks as we get cleaned up when just a young pup.


Ditto to all that! I like to give my puppies a couple of baths in the kitchen sink while they're still small enough to fit. It's much easier on my back, and it's better to get them used to the idea while they're small than trying to bathe a 70 pound dog for the first time ever. 

Here's Halo getting a bath in the sink:










It's good to put something in the bottom to keep them from sliding around, I forgot to do that.


----------



## yuricamp (Mar 13, 2011)

My pup is an inside dog and when I let him go outside to chew on a big bone for a while he definitely needs to be cleaned up before he comes back in, so he may have a wipe down several times a week. 

I will have to go to our local pet smart and find a good secondary brush to remove some dead hair. I have a rubber one that I thought would be a good massage piece as well but he more prefers to chew on it.


----------



## yuricamp (Mar 13, 2011)

Kona also never really has a stinky smell. He also has no foul breath at all.


----------



## martinjulio2020 (Aug 17, 2016)

How to groom your dog at home? | Crittersitca 
some simple steps then you can do it yourself


----------



## KillRbee18 (Apr 11, 2016)

*BATHs*

As we know it, the weather has become quite chilly -- what is the recommendation to wash a GS. Is washing him once a month good enough? And what kind of shampoo would one recommend? If my GS already takes a 3 month flea pill will a flea shampoo be too damaging? My Baby is an inside family member and hygiene is very important, but I hear that washing your GS too much can be harmful.


----------

