How to Brush a Double Coated Dog
If you are the pet parent of a double coated dog such as a Husky or Golden Retriever, you are probably all too familiar of how challenging it can be to keep them properly groomed. Making sure that their coat is looking their absolute best will require regular brushing—both at home and in a grooming studio.
In this blog post, I’ll got through what a double coat is, how to properly maintain this coat, and our top must-have brushing tools.
Laura Pietrzyk, Professional Dog Groomer
Laura is a Professional Dog Groomer in our Portlaoise Grooming Studios. She is a big animal lover, and a human companion to 9 pets-a dog, Lucky, two guinea pigs, Mishka and Daisy, a rabbit Binky, a bearded dragon, Debbie, two cockateils Toby and Tola, and two gold fish, Sambuca and Guinness!
What is a Double Coat?
A double coated dog has exactly what the name suggests -a double coat. Their first coat is a short, woolly undercoat which regulates your dog’s body temperate. Their second coat, the top coat, is made up of longer guard hairs which repels debris and moisture. It is essentially a filtration system, and like any filter, it can get dirty, so it must be cleaned and brushed out.
Breeds like Huskies, Golden Retriever, Bernese mountain dogs, Pomeranians and Labradors have double coats, so regular brushing is recommended to keep their coats healthy. If you don’t brush their coat correctly, matts can easily form which may result in problems down the road and avoidable trips to the vet.
If you only brush the top coat and don’t get down to the undercoat, although it may look good, their undercoat and skin could be suffering. Always ensure to brush through both the top coat and under coat.
Brushing your Dog
Before you brush your doggie, first give them a quick run through with your fingers to get them used to the sensation of being touched, but also look out for any problem areas where matts typically form, such as behind the ears and the hygiene and arm pit areas. Always make sure you check these areas when brushing your dog.
For the brushing, make sure to have your trusty slicker brush in hand, which will be your second best friend (after your doggie of course!). It’s important that you know how to use them and what they can do.
Must-Have Tools For Brushing Your Dog
Slicker brushes are thin bristled brushes that are designed to penetrate the top coat of a dog, brush out matts and maintain their coat to keep it healthy. When you’re using a slicker brush, you’ll want to part the area you want to tackle first and then brush root to tip. Do this a few times until it glides through and go over it with a comb to ensure that there are no tangles.
Because you are brushing through the undercoat, there can be a lot of dead hair there from shedding. Slicker brushes will pick up some hair along the way, so just pull it out and go again.
Brushes like these can be purchased in our stores and we have a range of options available to suit your preference and the size of your doggie.
If your doggie is horrendous for shedding, a rake and ferminator are also suggested. Check out our blog post on De-Shedding to see how much hair we take off this doggie!
If you find that the brush out is very slow, a conditioning spray helps you get through the coat faster and will leave your doggie feeling really smooth by the end.
What If I Don’t Brush My Dog?
If you don’t brush a coat type like this, matts can easily form. A matted undercoat will result in a build-up of moisture and dander, which is essentially doggie dandruff. If left to build up with matts, there may be an outbreak of hotspots or a fungal infection, which may result in a trip the vets!
If matting is incredibly bad, the dog may need to be shaved, which is not healthy for this coat type as it will grow back wirey and patchy, and cause a lot of discomfort to your dog. So make sure you get yourself one of these brushes and set a routine for yourself and the whole family to make sure your doggie is getting brushed daily!
Book a Groom
If you are looking to get your double coated dog groomed, we offer grooming services in all of our stores across Ireland. We provide a Standard Groom which includes a standard wash & dry, nail trim, ear clean, eye clean and a breed standard haircut. We also have a range of other treatments available that can help keep your dog’s coat and skin stay in top condition.
For double coated dogs, our deshedding package is very popular. We use a special therapy mud to moisturise their skin and thoroughly go through the coat with a deshedding brush which can help reduce excess hair by up to 90%.
For bookings, you can book online or call your local Petmania store to see what your options are.
