On this page we’re going to take a closer look at grooming short haired dogs. But first, let’s get a little bit familiar with these type of dogs.

What Is The Coat Like?

• Short coat, lying close to the body, with another very short coat underneath. Harsher to the touch than a smooth coat.
• Coat is generally dense and quite water-resistant – helps to protect the dog.
• The coat produces an oil, which may cause some dogs to become rather smelly.
• Coat tends to shed hair that can easily work its way into carpets, furnishings etc.
• Dog will require a fair amount of maintenance grooming, particularly at molting times.

Bathing & Drying

Frequency

• Bathe from once a week to once every 12 weeks.

Pre-Bath

• Collect all items that you will need: cotton balls for blocking ears; shampoo and conditioner; jug for mixing shampoo; jug for rinsing the dog clean; towels.
• Place dog on an anti-slip mat in the bath.
• Put a cotton ball gently in each ear to prevent water getting into the ear canal.

Bathing

• Make sure that the water temperature is suitable.
• Thoroughly wet the dog all over except for the head.
• Use a quality, regular, all-purpose shampoo and massage the lather thoroughly into all parts of the body.
• Rinse most of the lather out of the coat.
• Now wash the dog’s head with tear-free shampoo.
• Rinse whole dog thoroughly until coat is squeaky clean.

Drying

• Start by toweling dry as much of the head and body as possible.
• Then use a hand dryer over the body. Make sure the temperature of the airflow is warm, not hot, and set to high speed. Be careful using the dryer around the head area.
• Use your hands or a bristle brush to raise the nap of the coat so that air can penetrate to the base of the hair.
• Work steadily until coat is completely dry.

Body Checks

1. Eyes. Check the eyes – and particularly the folds of skin around them – and clean out any sticky deposits.
2. Teeth. Check teeth and gums looking for tartar, signs of disease or inflammation.
3. Ears. Pendulous ears should be folded back and any wax or accumulated dirt cleaned out on a regular basis.
4. Feet. Check the length of nails and condition of pads, and clear any dirt from between the claws.

Removing Dried Mud

1. If your dog is muddy, use a bristle brush to clean off mud – it is less abrasive than a slicker.
2. Pay attention to any folds of skin; you are aiming to clear specks of mud, not loose hair.
3. Brush the underside of low-slung dogs.

Brushing Sequence

1. For maintenance grooming, use the slicker all over the body. Start at the head and raise the muzzle to tauten normally slack areas of skin.
2. Lifting a front leg is a useful way of gaining control over a fidgety dog. It is less inclined to move when one of its legs is off the ground.
3. The slicker brush is very effective at taking out plenty of loose hair. Even short haired dogs can shed quite profuse quantities of hair.
4. Work systematically along both flanks of the dog with the slicker. Ease up any loose folds of skin so that the brush gets everywhere.
5. Finish with the hind quarters and the areas around the tail. A stout tail like a Basset’s provides a useful handle.

Combing

1. Follow the same brushing pattern when you come to comb the body. On a short coat, you can comfortably use the fine toothed end of the comb.
2. As you will not encounter any tangles in such a short coat, you can use long strokes of the comb along the body. The comb will continue to remove loose hair entwined in the coat.
3. The regular pattern in the texture of the coat shows how easy the combing action can be.

Finishing

1. A rubber grooming glove provides the finishing touches. Rub vigorously up and down the legs and use more circular actions over the body.
2. The loose hair lying on the tabletop shows how effective the glove is as a finishing tool.

Required Grooming Kit

• Bristle brush: Kinder than a slicker, useful to remove mud.
• Slicker brush: Used for initial all-over body groom.
• Comb: Fine toothed comb used principally over the body.
• Grooming glove: For finishing off all over the body.