How often should you groom your dog?

A dog’s grooming needs vary depending on their breed, coat type, age, and other variables. For example, a long-haired dog will require more regular grooming than a very short-haired dog. No matter how often your pet needs grooming, it’s important to have a grooming schedule in place to maintain the health and general well-being of your puppy.

In this article, we’ll take a look at various dog grooming tasks and how you can set a schedule based on your dog’s specific needs. The first step in creating a dog grooming program is assess their grooming needs. These needs are not only determined by your dog’s breed, but also by their current health and skin condition.

The best way to decide on a good dog grooming schedule is to pay attention to your dog’s current appearance: does his coat look dull? Does his coat look greasy? Does he throw excessively? Is it itchy? Has dental plaque accumulated on her teeth since the last brushing? Are her fingernails too long? Do his ears smell a little “hors d’oeuvre”?

Taking note of these things will let you know that your current schedule isn’t quite cutting the mustard. Let’s take a look at some details so you can get a better idea of ​​what the best dog grooming program looks like.

Dog grooming schedule

1. Brush your dog

Frequency: 1x per week

Brushing your dog is done for a number of reasons – to remove dirt and debris from the coat, to remove dead hair from the coat, to reduce shedding in the house (and your clothes) by removing hair from the coat. animals detached from the coat, and finally to stimulate the production of oil to keep the dog’s coat healthy.

Each dog should be brushed once a week to help maintain the health and appearance of the coat. Long-haired dogs, long-haired dogs, working dogs, and dogs prone to coat drowning should be brushed more frequently.

How do you know if you need to brush your dog more frequently?

Their coat will appear dull and may show patches of discoloration where the dead hair is. You may notice tangled hair, debris, or a buildup of dirt. Your dog’s skin may be dry and itchy due to a lack of stimulation of the sebaceous glands or a buildup of dead skin. Conversely, excessive brushing can lead to a coat that is too greasy.

2. Brush your dog’s teeth

Frequency: 1x per day

In an ideal world, you should brush your dog’s teeth every day. This prevents the build-up of plaque which contributes to bad breath and poor health. At a minimum, you should brush your dog’s teeth three times a week and supplement with dental toys and raw bones to prevent plaque buildup.

For more information on brushing dogs’ teeth, you can read our full guide on the subject. It covers the supplies you’ll need and how best to help your pet feel comfortable while having their teeth brushed.

3. Bathe your dog

Frequency: 1x every 3-6 months

Bathing is something that dog owners often do too much. Veterinarians explain why bathing a dog should only be done occasionally and how frequent bathing is unhealthy for dogs. Basically, the health of the dog’s skin depends on a delicate balance of oil produced by the skin. Bathing your dog excessively can deplete these oils and make him feel itchy and uncomfortable.

Ideally, a dog should be bathed from once every 2-3 months to once or twice a year, unless there are incidents where he is exposed to odorous or difficult to remove substances such as skunk odor. Keep in mind, however, that bathing and rinsing your dog are two different things. You can rinse the mud off your Fido without shampooing it.

When bathing your dog, use a dog-friendly shampoo that will help maintain a healthy balance of needed oils on the skin. It is important to never use human shampoo on animals. It will remove the oils from your dog’s coat and leave it looking dull and dry.

How do you know if you are bathing your dog too often? You will notice that his skin becomes dry and itchy or too oily if you bathe him too often. If you notice that it is more oily than normal, it is due to overproduction of oil as the skin tries to compensate for excessive dryness.

4. Cut your dog’s nails

Frequency: 1x every 3-8 weeks

Most dogs don’t need to cut their nails too often, as regular walking on asphalt and a similar hard surface helps keep their nails a healthy length. On average, a dog will need to have their nails trimmed every three to eight weeks. This number will vary depending on the breed and activity of your dog.

One tip that many dog ​​owners pay attention to is when they begin to hear a loud “pat, pat, pat” as their dog is walking around the house. This is often an indication that the dog’s fingernails are too long, as the fingernails of most healthy dogs will not touch the ground when they are still.

Trimming the nails is a visual process and therefore is not something that is usually done too often. However, it is common to cut a dog’s nails too short when trimming. For this reason, it is important to cut the nails slowly and to keep styptic powder on hand to control any bleeding when the nail is cut quickly.

5. Clean your dog’s ears

Frequency: Inspect regularly, but clean only as needed

For most dogs, cleaning their ears is not a necessary process. Dog ears have a way of maintaining health and introducing foreign cleaners into the ears can upset this natural balance. For some dogs, however, especially dogs with longer ears or dogs prone to swimming, ear health is an important part of grooming.

The first step in maintaining healthy ears for these dogs is to always dry the ears thoroughly after exposure to moisture. For example, after a bath and after swimming, the dog should dry his ears. In some cases, an ear drying powder may also be necessary to ensure completely dry dog ​​ears.

The second step to staying on top of ear health is to clean the ears regularly during the wettest and hottest months. This will prevent bacteria and yeast from settling in wet ears.

The third and final step in maintaining the health of your pet’s ears is to visually inspect and smell the ears regularly for any ear infections. When the ears are darker pink, seem irritated, have discharge, a musky odor, or look swollen, it is crucial to intervene with a deep cleaning. If there are any signs of infection, it is also important to see the vet immediately, as untreated ear infections can lead to permanent hearing loss.

Is there a dog grooming program for cleaning the ears? No. The best approach is to stay away from the ears unless your dog has a history of ear infections. In the case of the ears, drying is the best approach when needed and cleaning should be minimal depending on the outside conditions.

6. Trim your dog’s coat

Frequency: 1x every 2 to 12 months (depending on the breed)

Not all dogs need their coats trimmed, and just like people, dogs who need their coats trimmed need it at different times depending on many factors. The best way to determine how often to trim your dog’s coat is to visually inspect their hair / fur.

Pay attention to the following factors:

• Is your dog unable to see because his hair has grown on his eyes?
• Does he experience regular tangles in the coat due to the length?
• Does his coat have rugs or other unhealthy stains that need to be removed?
• Is his coat starting to look unhealthy and unkempt?
• Does your dog have health or cleanliness problems because of the length of his coat?

Since most dog owners use professional groomers, it’s pretty easy to tell when a dog needs grooming and when their coat is too short for grooming. However, if you are doing the grooming at home, the signs listed above can be helpful in establishing a regular grooming schedule.

READ NEXT: How To Train A Dog To Enjoy Grooming And Stay Calm When Groomed

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