How Often Should You Have Your Dog Groomed?

The responsibility of a dog owner goes beyond providing food, water, a place to sleep, pet dental care, and regular visits to the vet for regular or emergency pet care services. Just as with any living being, additional needs such as pet insurance, dog grooming, spaying, pet services, and dog daycare services are pivotal. A dog daycare facility helps pet owners in taking care of their puppies while they’re gone for work.

When it comes to grooming, exactly how often should a canine be groomed, and what all does that include? The overall length of your dog’s coat as well as their age and fur type are important aspects to consider when deciding on a consistent pet grooming session.

What Does Grooming Include?

Before we can go into how often you should groom Fido, let’s take a quick look at the steps involved in grooming.

The American Kennel Club considers a full grooming session to go beyond a few strokes of the brush. During this time, a dog is brushed, shampooed, dried off, and given a haircut depending on what is needed. This is generally when mats are removed.

Now that you know what to expect when it comes to dog grooming, how often should this happen? That depends, in large part, on the length of your dog’s coat.

How Often Should You Groom Long-Haired Dogs?

The main purpose of dog grooming is to prevent the buildup of unwanted mats and tangles. It’s much more common for long-haired dogs to be privy to such pesky ailments. If you own a Shih-Tzu, Collie, or Golden Retriever, you may want to invest in a decent brush.

Regular brushing is just as important as making sure that your dog gets ample baths, especially when they have long hair. Rover also adds that it is equally important to trim Fido’s coat to lessen the risk of skin issues. Those mats and tangles we mentioned earlier can trap heat against the skin, which can be harmful when unaddressed. Long-haired breeds require daily brushing and a bath every few weeks in order to keep this from happening.

Take your long-haired dog to professional dog groomers every three months, especially if they have a thick undercoat. Facilities such as The Pet Hospitals are a great resource for when you are worried about tackling this endeavor on your own!

How Often Should You Groom Short-Haired Dogs?

The grooming needs of a short-haired dog is much less involved. Many dog owners will actually decide to adopt a dog with a shorter coat for this reason. Don’t let this fool you. Short-haired canines should still be groomed on a fairly regular basis.

By running a brush through your dog’s coat once a week, as suggested by Small Dog Place, you’ll be able to properly distribute the natural oils. Giving them a bath once a month, at the very most, will suffice!

One thing to consider with short-haired dogs is that some breeds have a double coat, such as the Shiba Inu, Siberian Husky, and German Shepherd. These canines generally blow out your coat, which involves shedding in mass quantities a few times a year. In these situations, you can brush your dog once a week and give them a full grooming session during those seasons.

Overall, you should have your short-haired dog groomed professionally at least twice a year.

Taking Age Into Consideration

The frequency in which you brush a dog’s hair isn’t dependent on coat type alone. Those who own puppies should take the time to habituate their young dog to the process of brushing so that they are set up for success later on in life. Wag suggests doing this once a day for no longer than ten minutes with a soft brush. This will expose them to being brushed without being overstimulated.

Grooming is an important aspect to ensuring that your dog stays happy and healthy. It includes brushing, bathing, and cutting of Fido’s coat. Without it, your canine may experience hot spots and other skin issues. Longer-haired breeds tend to need more frequent grooming sessions, while short-haired dogs can get by with being brushed once a week. Either way, make sure to start early so that they can get used to the feeling of being groomed to make the experience more enjoyable for you and your dog!