If in a man "the eyes are the mirror of the soul",
in a dog "the coat is the mirror of the body".
So just as for us hair care and body hygiene are fundamental, so too for our animal will be considered its "grooming". In this term we can include a whole series of operations, which we will list below, which are no less important in terms of veterinary care and nutrition. "Grooming" means for most people only washing and/or cutting the hair; in reality the professional groomer carries out a very important task in the care of the dog, which goes well beyond a simple bath. He/she will have to take care of many other things:
cleaning the ears, with possible removal of the hair that grows there (typical of toy breeds) thus keeping the external auditory canal cleaner and therefore less subject to inflammation or infections, such as ear infections
cleaning the eyes, with suitable and non-harmful products, especially in those breeds with tear duct problems
cutting the nails, very important! Unfortunately, it is very common for dogs to arrive at the groomer with excessively long nails; we must consider that the latter represent an extension of the toes in the dog. If they are neglected to be cut, they grow out of proportion and the dog finds himself touching the ground with the nail of the toe first, thus causing in the long run a forced deviation of the toes themselves and consequently of the gait. Nails should be cut about once a month, and definitely more frequently in puppies.
The groomer will also be able to assess the condition of the fur and skin, identify the presence of parasites (such as fleas, ticks) and pathologies affecting the integumentary system, informing the owner of any ongoing problem, so as to suggest a veterinary visit. How many times during coat care do we perceive the presence of insidious skin nodules, otherwise gone unnoticed, and therefore can we take early action, based on what the vet recommends?
When brushing the back, it is easy to find dandruff, often a sign of skin alteration that is an indication of metabolic imbalances.
Grooming should be experienced by the animal as a normal practice, and for this reason the dog should be accustomed to it from when it is a puppy. Often, however, owners decide to intervene only when "it is too late", that is, when not even the groomer can do much because the condition of the animal's fur is disastrous. The professional figure of the groomer should be the one to whom you naturally turn with a certain frequency, especially to carry out all those operations mentioned above, which the private individual is not able to do. But it cannot be a total substitute. A part, a large part of the work of caring for the skin and coat of our four-legged friends must be done at home by the owner, starting when the dog is still a puppy; it does not matter if the hair is still short and perhaps there is almost nothing to brush; the puppy must get used to being touched and handled without rebelling. This will ensure that as an adult he will experience the moment of grooming with extreme serenity.
Brushing the coat means eliminating dead hair, allowing the skin to breathe allowing new hair to grow regularly, reducing knots and tangles of dead hair and removing spikes and foreign bodies in time. In spring and autumn, when the normal alternation of old and new hair is greater, this practice should be done daily.
Bathing your dog is also essential, because clean and healthy skin will be fertile ground for an equally healthy coat. Of course, the use of specific shampoos, possibly professional, is of absolute importance, while the use of shampoos or detergents, however delicate, for human use should be avoided, as the pH of dogs' skin is different from ours. If excess sebum has strong contraindications, even excessive elimination of the same by bathing with inappropriate or hyper-degreasing products can damage the physiological balance of the hair and skin, leaving them too poor in that oil naturally secreted by the skin glands to ensure the right water repellency, useful against pollutants as well as atmospheric agents.
But how often should I brush and wash my dog? Obviously it depends on the breed!
Small dogs, whether they are companion breeds, terriers or dachshunds, must constantly deal with their height, or rather shortness. Their “low ground” condition means that, whether they live in the city or the countryside, whether it rains or is dry, in addition to their paws, their entire chest and belly, traveling a few centimeters from the ground, collect dirt, mud or simply city dust.
In the case of dachshunds for example, the coat care of the short-haired variety is naturally the simplest, but this also requires some attention, given the fact that in this case the dog has only slightly protected skin from the coat.
In all short-haired and/or smooth-haired breeds, with a coarse and thick texture, the coat is stiff and water-repellent, therefore able to defend the dog from water and dust, but the biggest enemy always remains the city environment with its smog, which often irritates the skin, leading the dog to scratch vigorously, causing micro wounds, which, when infected, cause allergic reactions. For this reason, bathing plays a fundamental role, even in short-haired dogs, for which the common imagination, and often and unfortunately also the veterinarian, recommend baths with an annual deadline!
This is even more true for subjects with white coats, in which there is the need to follow them particularly for cleaning the fur from dirt or grass, or even more from smog, in order to avoid going from a white and shiny coat to a gray and opaque one. In the case for example of white terriers, now frequent inhabitants of our cities, the combination of pollution - white and rough coat, does not facilitate the maintenance of a correct texture of the hair. In fact, having to wash the dog frequently to maintain the typical whiteness of the breed, but at the same time safeguard the rough texture that could be damaged by inappropriate baths, it will be truly necessary to rely on an expert groomer. If the natural impermeability of the hair allows us to eliminate dirt and mud with a brush stroke, unfortunately the same does not apply to the city smog, which is greasy and sticky. In these cases, bathing is essential not only to restore the white coat but above all to eliminate waste from the skin that would damage it in the long run, causing the onset of dermatitis.
As for subjects with long coats, protecting the fringes is essential. A good rule valid for any long hair is frequent bathing: clean hair breaks less and grows more quickly than dirty hair. Naturally, everything already underlined so far applies, that is, the quality of the products used is fundamental: the better the shampoo, the more frequent the baths can be.
To best treat long coats, it is advisable to use, after the bath and with the hair still damp, a conditioner or balm, formulated specifically to keep the coat soft and docile when combed, thus avoiding breaking it. These conditioners can be used directly "in the tub" or on a wet dog, massaging them and leaving them on for a few minutes, and then rinsing thoroughly, to avoid leaving the fur too greasy. Otherwise they can be diluted in water and once poured into a vaporizer, they can be sprayed on the clean and still damp dog. A good conditioner diluted in water can also be used to brush the dog "dry", or on an unwashed dog, although this action must be done with great caution so as not to break the fringes.
Terriers, schnauzers and some other breeds are instead part of the category of dogs whose grooming is done through stripping. The term stripping refers to a grooming technique, completely painless for the dog, contrary to what laymen often believe, which consists of removing dead hair, or mature hair that has finished its life cycle, using the fingers or the aid of tools, called stripping knives.
This type of grooming is not only expected for all breeds with rough hair texture, but is also absolutely recommended, in fact it helps maintain a correct hair quality in these breeds. It will be repeated approximately every three months, removing dead hair and thus facilitating the growth of new hair. The bath that follows the stripping will be very important, which must be done with skin-soothing products, in order to relax and refresh the skin, stimulating the growth of new hair. In order not to ruin the rough texture, it is necessary to absolutely avoid using the clipper, which would lead to a weakening of the hair in the long run with consequent soft consistency of this, absolutely not typical of the breeds listed above.
Furthermore, the wrong texture is also the cause of dermatitis or skin problems of various kinds, as the hair, having lost its original consistency, is no longer able to absorb the excess sebum that stagnates on the skin. We can therefore conclude that all breeds require ordinary maintenance that allows us to always have our dog in order.
