Grooming your dog at home: brushing, bathing, nails and ears

Grooming isn’t about looks. A brushed coat, clean ears, short nails and cared-for teeth prevent infections, pain and many vet visits. It is also the best moment to examine your dog closely and spot a tick, a lump or a wound before it gets worse. With a little equipment and regularity, most of it can be done well at home.

Get the dog used to it from an early age

A dog that learned as a puppy to be handled can be groomed in ten minutes. One that struggles makes every session unpleasant and dangerous. Start early, a few minutes a day:

• touch its paws, spread its toes, lift its ears, open its mouth;
• reward at each step with a treat;
• stop before it gets impatient;
• place it on a non-slip surface, at your height if its size allows.

With an adult dog that hasn’t been used to it, proceed in the same way, more slowly. Don’t hold it down by force: you would win one session and lose all the next.

Brushing, according to coat type

Brushing removes dead hair, dust and parasites, spreads the natural oils and prevents tangles, which pull on the skin and harbour damp and infection.

• Smooth coat: Boxer, Dobermann, Beagle. A glove or rubber brush, once a week.
• Short coat with undercoat: Labrador, German Shepherd, Malinois, Husky. A brush and a rake twice a week, daily during the moult, in spring and autumn.
• Long coat: Golden Retriever, Setter, Collie, Australian Shepherd. Brush and comb three to four times a week, paying attention behind the ears, under the arms, on the thighs and the tail, where tangles form.
• Curly or continuously growing coat: Poodle, Bichon, Shih Tzu, Yorkshire. Brushing daily or nearly, and a trim every six to eight weeks: this coat doesn’t shed, it mats.
• Wiry coat: Fox Terrier, Schnauzer. Weekly brushing and regular hand-stripping or clipping by a professional.

Always brush down to the skin, layer by layer, not just on the surface. A tangle is worked out with fingers and a comb, holding the hair at the base so as not to pull. If it is too tight, cut it along the direction of the hair with round-tipped scissors, or leave it to a groomer.

Bathing

A dog doesn’t need washing often. Too-frequent baths strip the skin’s protective film and cause dryness and itching. Allow on average one bath every four to eight weeks, more if it has really got dirty, less for a smooth-coated dog that lives indoors.

The method

1. Brush first: a wet tangle tightens.
2. Wet with lukewarm water, never hot, starting with the paws and ending with the head.
3. Use a dog shampoo. A dog’s skin has a different pH from ours: human shampoos, soap and washing-up liquid irritate it.
4. Massage in, then rinse for a very long time. Shampoo residue is the leading cause of itching after a bath.
5. Protect the eyes and avoid getting water into the ears.
6. Dry thoroughly with a towel, then with a warm hairdryer held at a distance, brushing as you go. An undercoat left damp macerates and becomes infected, especially in hot weather.

After a swim in the sea, rinse the dog with fresh water: salt and sand irritate the skin.

Nails

Nails that are too long change the way the dog stands, hurt and end up breaking or growing in. A dog that walks a lot on tarmac wears them down by itself; a flat-dwelling or small dog needs a trim every three to six weeks. If you hear the nails clicking on the tiles, they are too long.

• Use a dog nail clipper suited to its size and properly sharp.
• Find the pink part inside the nail: this is the quick, with a blood supply and sensitive. Cut two millimetres before it.
• On black nails the quick can’t be seen: cut in very thin slices and stop as soon as a dark dot appears at the centre of the cut.
• Don’t forget the dewclaw, on the inside of the leg, which never wears down.

If you cut too short and the nail bleeds, press with a gauze for a few minutes. If in doubt, ask your vet or a groomer to show you the technique the first time.

Ears

A healthy ear is pale pink, odourless, with very little wax. Check them every week, and more often in dogs with drooping ears, like the Cocker Spaniel, or ones that swim.

To clean, don’t use cotton buds, which pack the wax deeper. Pour a dog ear cleaner into the canal, massage the base of the ear for a few seconds, let the dog shake, then wipe the ear flap with a gauze.

A strong smell, brown or yellow discharge, redness, or a dog that shakes its head and scratches are signs of an ear infection or a grass seed: consult without cleaning yourself.

Teeth

By three years old, most dogs have tartar and inflamed gums. Plaque damages the teeth, hurts and spreads bacteria through the body.

Brushing remains the best prevention. Use a soft brush or a finger brush and a dog toothpaste, never your own, which contains fluoride and sometimes xylitol, toxic to dogs. Two to three brushings a week make a real difference. Chews and some toys help, without replacing the brush.

Very bad breath, red or bleeding gums, or a dog that chews on one side only should lead to a consultation and often a scale and polish.

Eyes and skin folds

Wipe discharge at the corner of the eyes with a damp gauze, from the inside outwards, one gauze per eye. In dogs with folds, like the Bulldog, Pug or Shar-Pei, clean and dry inside the folds several times a week to prevent irritation.

Grooming in summer

In the heat, brush more to clear the dead undercoat. Don’t clip double-coated dogs to the skin: their coat insulates and protects them from the sun. Use every session to look for ticks and grass seeds. Our full advice is in the article protecting your dog from the heat.

When to call a groomer

Cuts for curly-coated dogs, stripping of wiry coats, badly matted coats and dogs that are hard to handle are for a professional. A good groomer will also show you the right upkeep between visits. You will find groomers, mobile or in a salon, in the services listings.

Basic kit

A brush and comb suited to your dog’s coat, a dog shampoo, a nail clipper, an ear cleaner, gauzes, a toothbrush and dog toothpaste: that’s all you need. See the supplies listings to equip yourself.

Key takeaways

Brush regularly according to coat type, wash little but well, cut nails before they click, check the ears every week and brush the teeth several times a week. Ten minutes of weekly care prevents most skin, ear and tooth problems.