如何正确帮狗狗梳毛 (下篇) | How To Brush Your Dog’s Hair Correctly (Episode 2)
How much do you know about dogs that get tangled hair?
Dog breeds without shedding problems generally tend to get tangled hair. For example, Poodle, Shih Tzu, Schnauzer, Maltese, these breeds do not have shedding problems, but they need daily hair-brushing to prevent their hair from getting tangled or matted.
How to brush your dog’s hair daily?
You need a metal comb and a slicker brush. Use your left hand to gently press the body, so that you can brush in the reverse direction of hair growth with the slicker brush on your right hand (refer to the video). This way, you can make sure you are brushing to the root of the hair. Your left hand should move backward slowly so that the coat is brushed section by section systematically, not randomly.
You can start from the neck and brush slowly towards the tail. When you’re done with the left side of the body then you can continue with the right side. Do not forget about the armpit and areas that are less exposed. When brushing the face area, brush according to the hair growth direction, but be careful to avoid the eyes, nose, and mouth.
How to make sure that your dog’s hair is brushed without any tangled hair left?
After brushing the hair with the slicker brush, check by using the metal comb. If your metal comb can go through all the hair smoothly, from the root till the tip of the hairs, then it means that your dog has been brushed thoroughly.
However, sometimes tangled hair occurs at the root or base of the hair, whereby the metal comb will be stuck in the middle when you’re combing to check through. This is because you might have brushed only the exposed and outer parts of the hair thoroughly, but neglected the inner and unexposed areas. If this happens for too long or after a few rounds of bathing, then tangled or matted hair will be formed.
Which body parts are more prone to tangled hair?
Hairs on the unexposed areas like the armpits, neck, or areas with frequent rubbing would easily get more tangled hair. If your dog wears a collar, harness, or pet clothes often, then covered areas might also get tangled hair more frequently. It’s therefore recommended to brush the area after removing these items.
What should you do with minor hair tangles?
If the tangled hair is not too serious, you can use a slicker brush to brush it repeatedly to detangle it. Pet groomers commonly use a Matt breaker with blades. No matter which tool is used for detangling, the process is still uncomfortable or sometimes even painful for the dog. So if possible, try to avoid your dog’s hair from getting tangled in the first place.
Why should you shave your dog’s hair?
If your dog’s hair is seriously tangled, a shaving will be needed. This is because tangled hair will cause bacterial growth due to ventilation blockage, and it will slowly cause skin problems. Plus, tangled hair means that your dog’s hair cannot be trimmed nicely into an ideal hair style too.
In fact, shaving serious tangled hair will damage the clipper’s blade. The clipper’s life span will be shortened when the blade gets blunt, and an uneven blade is more likely to accidentally hurt the skin. Therefore in general, it’s best to maintain and upkeep your dog’s hair as frequently as possible.
What about dogs with double coats who shed?
Double coated dog breeds generally change their coats twice a year. During the shedding season, frequent hair-brushing helps to shorten the shedding season as it promotes metabolism speed.
In short, regardless of long-haired or short-haired dog breeds, regular hair-brushing is the cheapest and most effective way to maintain a beautiful coat. If you can brush your dog’s hair correctly every day, dead hair will not be accumulated on the body, and no matted or tangled hair will be formed. Then they do not need to suffer any discomfort or pain during the detangling or shedding process.
Hope these little tips help, especially for new pawparents!
Stay cheerful, stay beautiful, stay grooming with us!
