Dog

How to groom your dog depends mainly on the breed of your dog and the type of coat it has. There are other factors such as time of year, how dirty the dog gets etc. but below is a general guideline that would be suitable for most cases and breeds of dogs that are pets. This not a breed specific grooming guide just a general guideline.

SHORT, SMOOTH-COATED DOGS

Chihuahua’s, Rhodesian Ridgeback’s, Greyhound’s, Great Dane’s, Jack Russell’s, Weimaraner’s, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers are a few of the breeds of dogs that are considered to be short/smooth coated. These types of dog only need to be groomed on average once a week and you should use tools like the Mikki Nylon Bristle Brush, the Mikki Rubber Palm Pad and the Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove. Brush your dog in the direction of its coat with the Mikki Nylon Bristle Brush, the Mikki Rubber Palm Pad or the rubber side of the Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove to remove any unwanted and dead hair. When there is no more hair being collected on the brush or pad you then finish the coat off by using the velvet side of Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove, this encourages the oils in the dogs coat to come out leaving it with a lovely shine. While brushing your dog always check your dog’s skin for scratches, lumps, dryness, fleas and ticks.

WIRE-HAIRED DOGS

Border Terrier’s, West Highland Terrier’s, Airedale Terrier’s and Wire-Haired Dachshund’s are a few of the breeds of dog that have a wire-haired coat. Dogs with these types of coat should be groomed daily and have their coats hand-stripped three or four times a year to remove knots and tangles that build up easily with these types of coat. To groom you wire-haired dog begin by using a Mikki Rubber Palm Pad to relax your dog and let them get used to being groomed. After that work on the coat especially in the areas behind the ears, in the creases around the joints, between the legs, the tail and under the tail with a Mikki Dual Comb For Medium/Coarse Coats to remove knots and tangles. To do this as these areas are hard to get to try and groom you dog on a table making sure they are attached somehow to prevent injury if they jump off. When you have completely groomed out all the knots and tangles you can finish the coat off using the Mikki Combi Brush, this will gently remove any tangles you have missed and also encourage the natural oils of the coat to come out.

Every three months use a Mikki Shedding Blade on larger dogs to remove any dead hairs and take your dog to a professional groomer to have the coat hand stripped.

DOUBLE COATED AND LONG COATED DOGS

German Shepherd Dog’s, Retriever’s, Collie’s, Husky’s, New Foundland’s and St. Bernard’s are the types of breeds that have a double coat. Bearded Collie’s, Red Setter’s, Yorkshire Terrier’s, Saluki’s and Papillon’s are breeds of dogs with long coats. As like the wire-haired breeds these dogs should be groomed daily to prevent tangles and matting. Begin by grooming your dog with the Mikki Rubber Palm Pad or the Mikki Smooth and Stroke Glove to relax your dog and to remove any muck and dead coat that is on the surface. When you have done that there are then numerous products you can use on your dog depending on the condition of their coat. If the coat is in good condition without any matting or tangles use a Mikki Long Pin Brush for thick/dense coats to remove any unwanted loose or dead hair remembering to check the areas prone to matting, behind the ears, the joint creases, between the legs, underneath the tail and the tail itself. If matt’s are found use the Mikki Dual Comb to break them up and the Mikki Matt Splitter to remove them. If the coat is in a poor condition then use the Mikki Dual Comb first and the Mikki Matt Splitter before using Mikki Long Pin Brush.

To remove any dead or loose hair from the undercoat you can use numerous products depending on the size of your dog and the density of its coat. The Mikki Soft Pin Slicker is good for coats that are not too dense, whereas the Mikki Ball Pin Slicker is better suited to thick dense coats. To remove the knots and tangles in the undercoat use the Mikki Undercoat Rake for thick/dense coats. For the deepest grooming of all you can use the Mikki Shedding Blade, but only after you have removed all the knots and matt’s in the coat first. To finish the coat off use a the soft side of the Mikki Smooth and Stroke Glove to promote the natural oils in the skin and coat to come out leaving your dogs coat with a lovely shine.