Properly grooming a dog with thick hair is a question that many dog owners ask as this type of coat can sometimes be tedious as it tends to have a lot of mats.
But there is no need to despair, as you can easily learn how to groom and detangle your long-haired or thick fur dog by getting the right tools and following a few simple steps.
You will need to get a wide-tooth comb, dog slicker brush, scissors, and a dog clipper before you get started. Having the right tools on hand will make your grooming session much easier.
Keep Your Dog Clean
The first step in properly taking care of your dog’s coat is to make sure your dog is clean by bathing your dog when needed. During the summer months or hot weather, make sure that you bathe your dog more frequently and frequently brush during this season to keep your dog’s coat in good shape.
Although your dog may have a full coat of hair, you should take the time to comb it out frequently to reduce the accumulation of shed fur. Combing or brushing will also help reduce tangling. It would help if you also used a dog shampoo and conditioner to keep your dog’s fur and skin looking great.
Brush Your Dog
Brush your dog’s coat from base to tip using a wide-toothed comb or a slicker dog brush. Make sure that you brush in the direction of the hair’s natural growth. If you have a curly-coat dog, you should comb in the opposite direction to make the fur from the curly coat look neat and clean.
When brushing, use a brush that is soft and gentle on the skin. You should use a brush with soft bristles meant for dogs and avoid using the stiff types because they can cause cuts and abrasions.
Use a wide-toothed comb to handle long and curly hair. The wide tooth combs that come with dog clipper sets are best as they are meant for dogs.
Demat Your Dog
During your brushing, you may come across mats. Mats can be very painful for dogs, so you need to remove them as soon as you find them.
These mats are one of the reasons why you would need a dog clipper. A dog clipper also helps you easily trim your dog’s coat the right way to keep it healthy, cut off mats and help to prevent mats in the first place.
Another reason why you should have a dog clipper is that a professional dog clipper set usually comes with all the tools you will need for a good grooming session, such as a wide-tooth comb, the clipper itself, and other accessories to make your grooming session fast and easy on you and your dog.
See a list of the best clippers for dogs with thick coats at the link. They have a good list of high quality yet affordable clippers for double-coated dogs.
Removing Smaller Mats On Your Dogs Fur
You can start by using the comb in the dog clipper set to untangle your dog’s hair. You can also use the comb to separate matting from the fur as much as possible.
Next, you can use a natural treatment such as coconut oil or cornstarch to soak the mats and then leave them there for some hours. You can also use a detangling spray for dogs if you have one. Later after leaving the solution long enough, you use your hands to detangle the mat.
Removing Large Mats From Your Dogs Fur
Pet clippers are the best ways to remove large dog mats. You use the pet clipper to cut the extra fur around the mat’s edge to loosen the mat or use it to shave off the mats entirely.
Using a pet clipper for your pets is safer than scissors or a razor blade. Even though you can use scissors to cut off mats, it can lead to bleeding and cause you to pull on your dog’s skin, so it is not advisable to use this method.
Likewise, a razor blade can do the job, but this is even more dangerous for you and your pet. A dog’s skin is very sensitive, and mats can be difficult to cut through, leading to deep cuts on you or your dog. We do not advise you to try this at all.
A good dog clipper will do the trick to remove mats from a dog with thick fur and even normal fur. It comes with guides and directions on how to use them to properly groom your dog, remove mats and make your dog look great.
When you shave your dog the right way with the clipper, it will help you prevent future mats and save time on grooming sessions.
Conclusion
I hope that these tips on how to groom a dog with thick hair tips will help you with your dog’s grooming needs. Don’t forget to check out the link above with the list of the best dog clippers to buy for your dog, as this will save you a lot of time researching good clippers to buy.
If you would like more information about caring for your dog, be sure to check out our other articles.
Pet Trained is a blog for cat and dog owners. They provide the best pet care and training tips to help you with your pets. See some more posts on their blog.