Caring for your dog

Julie Simpson, Kennel Supervisor at IGDB gives you some top tips to avoid shedding and keep your dog looking great!

“Grooming keeps the coat healthy, prevents matting, promotes the secretion of natural oils to give glossy appearance, promotes coat growth and reduces the amount of hair on furniture, carpets, etc.  It is advisable to groom daily.  At the Guide Dog Training Centre grooming is carried out in the following way:

Massage the dog by running fingers through the dog’s coat going against the lay of the coat.  Use long firm vigorous strokes all over the body except face and tail.  This ensures that any dead hairs are loosened and allows you to check for any abnormalities.

Using a brush:  Groom against the lay of the coat all over the body except face and tail, paying particular attention to the legs inside and out.  This loosens dead hair, stimulates blood circulation and removes dirt etc.

When grooming, groom with the lay of the coat, brushing all areas except the face, and taking great care around the ears, abdomen and legs.  The comb is used to remove and prevent matting and tangling and also to remove the undercoat and majority of loose hair.

The comb should be used at an angle to prevent the comb teeth from pinching the skin.  Once you have finished with the comb, use the brush to go with the lay of the coat, using long firm vigorous strokes all over the body, except the face.  This brings out the shine and helps to remove any remaining dirt.

Each breed will require a different grooming technique.  The above advice is for short coated dogs and retrievers.  Different widths of combs are available for different types and density of coats.  The coats of curly-coat Retrievers need a very different grooming technique.  The coat can be damaged if a comb or brush is used incorrectly.

Thinning: Clipping scissors can be used to tidy up feet and feathering on long coated breeds.  This should be carried out by an experienced person".