Appropriate Grooming For A Dog?

Pawbla

Experienced Member
So I'm going to the capital city and have a few extra bucks to spare. I was wondering about what kind of equipment would I need for my dog? I usually take him to a groomer twice a year and that keeps his hair in line, but I'd like to introduce daily grooming as a part of daily handling. It's better for his health, I guess :D.

I think you know my dog by now but just in case I'll post a pic.


He has a small amount of undercoat - it is fullest in the back of the legs.

I assume some stuff I should get are a pin brush (human ones usually have these small "furry" thing besides the normal pins, which makes it quite useless for dog grooming), maybe a slicker? I already got the FURminator (well, I still don't have it, but it is already bought and stored with a friend of mine).

Problems areas are the back of the legs and behind the ears. That's where he mats (if he does). Way more frequent behind the ears.
 

charmedwolf

Moderator
Staff member
A slicker is what I'd use for the back of the legs and behind the ears, just a little curved rectangle one would do you good. I don't usually use a pin brush unless I need to "neaten" up the look of the coat after I do everything. I've never really had a luck with getting any coat (even dead hair) off the dog using a pin brush. The furminator when you actually get it can be used on the rest of the body.
 

Pawbla

Experienced Member
The small little slicker would be good? I assume it would be nice to have a small one, for behind the ears.
So the pin brush wouldn't be really useful? I guess I could keep using mine, in any case, then.
Thanks!
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Pin brushes, in my opinion, are useless for dogs. A soft slicker would be good for him. :) Slickers are great for regular brushing and if used often enough they will keep him from matting up in the areas you mentioned. Mud's coat is very very similar to his, except hers seems thicker judging from that picture of him. All I use on her is a slicker, and it keeps her mat-free all over.
 

Pawbla

Experienced Member
A "soft" slicker is different from a regular slicker, or is it the actual full name of the brush?

I have a slicker at home but it's an inappropriate size and bad quality. It's just the size for Hosen though. But for not good for behind ears.

Would grooming once every other day be okay? I'd have to try actually, because it's hard to imagine a coat type from a photo :p. But opinions are welcomed.

Thanks for the suggestions :D. I'm glad I asked before buying.
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Hard slickers have stiffer bristles, and are typically for very very dense coats. Probably good for most collies, possibly husky-types, really just super thick-coated dogs. Soft slickers aren't as stiff, and are good for many many many breeds, except short-haired breeds. They don't typically do much of anything for short-haired dogs.

Grooming every other day would probably be just fine, and pay extra attention to his fluffy hindquarters and behind his ears. :)
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Yes, Pawbla, i think if your dog is getting mats, you could use "normal" hairbrush, like humans use, for every day brushing, to prevent mats,
and then, fade that back to every other day, or every 3rd day, to see how often you have to brush your dog to prevent mats. I kind of think, all dogs with longer fur, should get brushed at least every 3rd day. Maybe some dogs can't go 3 days.

I brush Buddy every one to 2 days, with normal hairbrush.
and
I use a slicker brush, on some parts of him where his hair is very very thick (not all parts) about every 3 days, and Every day during shedding season.


I'd like to get a new type of brush, too, glad this thread, and that other thread you have going on brushes, has so much info on all these types of brushes.
 

Pawbla

Experienced Member
Hard slickers have stiffer bristles, and are typically for very very dense coats. Probably good for most collies, possibly husky-types, really just super thick-coated dogs. Soft slickers aren't as stiff, and are good for many many many breeds, except short-haired breeds. They don't typically do much of anything for short-haired dogs.

Grooming every other day would probably be just fine, and pay extra attention to his fluffy hindquarters and behind his ears. :)
Thanks! Well, I found only one kind of slicker, the bristles don't look really stiff. I hope it's the correct one. I haven't tried it yet because I want to desensitize him to brushing first, but I'll tell you if I got the right one when I use it :ROFLMAO:.


Yes, Pawbla, i think if your dog is getting mats, you could use "normal" hairbrush, like humans use, for every day brushing, to prevent mats,
and then, fade that back to every other day, or every 3rd day, to see how often you have to brush your dog to prevent mats. I kind of think, all dogs with longer fur, should get brushed at least every 3rd day. Maybe some dogs can't go 3 days.
Thanks! Yes, my dog doesn't really mat easily, but if his hairs is left unattended for like... months, he mats. I am taking him to a groomer now but I'd rather save a few bucks and do it myself :p.

I brush Buddy every one to 2 days, with normal hairbrush.
and
I use a slicker brush, on some parts of him where his hair is very very thick (not all parts) about every 3 days, and Every day during shedding season.


I'd like to get a new type of brush, too, glad this thread, and that other thread you have going on brushes, has so much info on all these types of brushes.
Hmm, thanks for the input. By the way, on shedding, I tried the furminator (just a bit, because of the same reason as the slicker) and it works pretty good. I can't wait to brush him fully with it!
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
well, there ya go! I myself can not imagine dying my dogs fur, for any reason, but, i guess so long as no harm comes to a dog, it must be interesting to look at, maybe.
 

southerngirl

Honored Member
well, there ya go! I myself can not imagine dying my dogs fur, for any reason, but, i guess so long as no harm comes to a dog, it must be interesting to look at, maybe.
You can google dog hair colored and see some dogs with colored hair, I think it looks cool and it causes no harm at all to the dog.
 

running_dog

Honored Member
Additional options that some groomers provide include services such as colouring dogs' fur and painting dogs' nails. While traditional grooming achieves to conform with breed standards set by the official breed associations, creative grooming heads to the opposite direction, creating a unique, sometimes exquisite look.
I thought the phraseology was a little stilted... the reference for this seems to be http://www.yawiki.org/proc/Dog_grooming#7

Diane, why don't you give us your own thoughts rather than copying and pasting someone else's? We really like having real people "talking" to us, it would take you a couple of minutes to type in what YOU think - and if we like what you say we might even visit your website :) .

Stick around and tell us about your experiences and your dog/cat/gerbil/goldfish/whatever :LOL: . We like to hear from real people like you not a copy/paste machine.
 

salixfire

Well-Known Member
I apologise in advance if I'm wrong but I think diane is a bot. Not one of the usual spamming sort, but the sort designed to look more normal and get people to click the link provided. After reading all their messages, they all are copied from elsewhere. Again I apologise if I'm wrong but I have seen similar types before.
 

running_dog

Honored Member
Salixfire you may well be right that Diane really is nothing more than a "copy/paste machine" but... if not... it'd be rather nice to hear from the real person :)
 

Pawbla

Experienced Member
Sorry for reviving an old thread... but just wanted to point out:

Winston loved the furminator. It's like a massage for him, apparently! And it got rid of a lot of hair.
 

Pawbla

Experienced Member
It seems to be kind of like the same thing, but less marketing involved (you know how most of the time you end up paying for the brand!). And it happens the same with my dogs and the fur piling up in the comb, I have to remove it often.
 
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