At Home Grooming | The Brush & Fluff

February 22, 2023

You may or may not know that Fetch Collective is owned by the talented dog groomer, Katelyn, who also owns and operates Molly & Me Dog Grooming. As such, at Fetch Collective, you will find grooming supplies that are used by groomers from ProGroom, Melanie Newman, and Artero. As much as I could go on about what we provide for our customers, I want to hone in and focus on your dog’s needs in the grooming department. With an influx of dog owners, but a decrease in operating groomers, pet parents need to be on top of their game with ‘at home grooming’ in the case their groomer has to stop working unexpectedly. Some parents currently have to book months in advance for their appointments and have no idea how to maintain their dog’s coat to the point where it might need to be shaved. Today we’re going over grooming requirements for different hair types. If you don’t see you dog breed listed, don’t panic, just read over each description to see which sounds closest to your breed.

• Double Coats (Bernese Mountain Dog, Border Collie, German Shepard, Samoyed, Husky, Golden Retriever, Japanese Spitz, Pomeranian etc.)

Double coated dogs require professional grooming at least every twelve weeks. These dogs are never supposed to be shaved, but require a proper bath, full blow dry, de-shed and brush through. If you’re unable to get your double coated dog to the groomers, then you need to have a set of brushes, and be prepared to bath them properly. For a double coated dog, the tools I would have at home is a large slicker brush and wide toothed comb. If you sit there and say a furminator is what you have, I will proverbially chuck the book at you. A furminator CUTS the coat. It’s not a brush, it’s a bladed edge. So again, a slicker brush and comb is what you need. If you’re going to bath at home, grab a good quality de-shedding shampoo. This will help open the coat and pull more dead undercoat. It’s important you help your dog dry off properly, as there can be a risk of hot spots. Once your dog is dry, make sure you do a full brush through with your comb and slicker brush. Don’t forget their pants (bum fluff,) behind the ears, chest and tail. For Arctic breeds like the Samoyed and Husky, this can take a lot longer.

• Curly Coat (Poodle, Lagotta, Cavoodle, Spoodle, Bichon Frise, Groodle etc.)

When it comes to curly or wavy coats, it’s important to remember curls gather knots very quick. These breeds should be getting groomed at least every eight weeks. Sometimes you could get away with longer if they’re shaved very short at their grooms, but most of the time 6-8 weeks for these dogs is better. You’re going to need a slicker brush and fine comb for home maintenance. Your main goal is to brush every day. You want to remember brushing the tail, ears, armpits, and muzzle as these parts can be missed. You might be tempted to buy a pair of clippers and groom from home, but I don’t recommend it unless you have grooming experience. There are a lot of places where you can snag skin and cut your dog, and getting the proper blades can be anywhere from $40-$50. I would also recommend in buying a good detangler, as that can make the job a lot easier.

• Drop Coats (Shi Tzu, Maltese, Lhasa Apso, Havaneseetc.)

Drop coats are quite fine and silky, easy to distinguish against other coat types. These coats are much like curly coats in that their grooming appointments should be 6-8 weeks apart, but if kept short can be lengthened to 10 weeks. These coats require a little more moisture than others, so if bathing at home best to follow up with a good quality conditioner. When kept short, it’s important to maintain brushing out the coat that’s left long, which is usually the ears and tail. When kept in longer coat, brushing every day or every second day is a must.

• Smooth Coat (Labrador Retriever, French Bulldog, Greyhound, Weimaraner etc.)

Congratulations on picking a relatively low maintenance dog. These guys still shed quite a bit, but it doesn’t look like as much as with a double coated dog. I would highly recommend investing in a rubber curry brush, these guys in the bath are worth it. They work the shampoo in really well, and then help pull dead coat, making it easy enough to rinse all the excess down the drain. There can be multiple types of rubber brushesfor different coat types, so I highly recommend using the Pet + Me yellow rubber brush as it specialises in short coats. Your only other main worry is making sure you keep on top of nail trimming. A lot of salons will have a walk in nail clip service, but it’s good to call on the day to check they have the time, rather than possibly being disappointed.

• Wire Coat (Miniature Schnauzer, Brussels Griffon, Airdale Terrier, West Highland Terrier etc.)

Breeds with a wire coat generally have a soft, dense undercoat with a wiry guard coat. The undercoat will shed usually in the cooler months and there’s a few choices when it comes to grooming. A wire coat traditionally should be hand-stripped, which is to be done by a professional groomer. If you’re not showing your dog or you don’t like the breed standard, it is completely fine to have them clipped if you choose. They should be groomed at least every 8-10 weeks, and if left longer, should be brushed every couple of days with a slicker brush to deter knots and mats from forming. Wire coats tangle very easily, if bathing at home, maybe invest in a good conditioner or detangler to help brush through knots.

I know it feels like a lot of the advice here is repetitive, but there’s a reason I always use a slicker brush, comb, good quality shampoos and conditioners. If you put it just a small amount of effort every day with the right tools and good quality product, you can have your dog looking however you please. Are there more tools you should have to do the job right? Well yes…But do I expect you to make a career out of dog grooming? No. We’re covering basic home maintenance that anyone can do. I hope this has helped any struggling pet parents, and just remember, trying your best is all we ask. Your dog will thank you later.