Grooming a longhaired dog
Breeds like the Collie and Shetland not only have a coat of long hair but they also have an undercoat of short coarse hair. If you do not groom regularly and take care that your dog's hair stays free of mats and messes you will quickly end up with a poor looking coat. To keep your longhaired dog's coat looking clean shiny and healthy follow these steps.
- Beginning with a currycomb, take out all of the knots and tangles in your dog's long upper coat. Take care not to over brush or use to much force when brushing.
- Now with a metal brush go over your dog's coat once more. Taking out all mats. Dog's with long hair have a tendency to get mats on their paws. These can cause your dog great discomfort, as your longhaired dog's skin is quite sensitive, so be sure to remove all mats when you notice them.
- Using a long toothed steel comb, go through your dog's coat again to make sure that not only is the longer haired upper coat well brushed and free of tangles but the shorter haired undercoat is also clean and free of dirt or loose hairs. It is not recommended to use a short toothed comb for longhaired dogs.
- Carefully trim the hair around your dog's paws and in between his toes and nails. Make sure to use a pair of hair cutting scissors for this job. Take extra care whenever cutting your dog's hair and especially when cutting around his paws. Your dog could pull back or jerk instinctively and you could seriously cut him if you are not extremely careful. It is a good idea to groom and trim your dog right after returning from a walk or after any outdoor exercise time.
- You can also trim the hair around your longhaired dog's hindquarters to avoid tangles and help keep the area clean of feces. A good grooming session for a longhaired dog should last about fifteen minutes.
