Brushing periodically our dog should be enough to maintain the coat in a perfect state. We must only bath them in case of need.
Depending on the breed of the dog we will choose the right equipment according to the hardness and length of the hair.
First we will locate the animal on a table or a place with comfortable access to all its anatomy for us.
Then, we must begin just passing our fingers through the coat of the animal, detecting and eliminating all the objects and strange particles adhered to the coat, as well as possible knots.
Next step is brushing energically with the carder to clear the flock in the direction of the growth of the hair, to end with a brush or chamois for the breeds with short hair and the comb in those of long hair, this time in two-way traffic.
Frequency: Breeds with long hair, with propensity to the formation of knots, require daily brushing of maintenance, even several times in the day just in periods of dumb. Breeds of short hair once a week brushing would be enough.
In general, dogs that live in the city, where the air is saturated of dust and particles in suspension that adhere to the hair, require more cares than those that live in the country, where the environmental conditions are more natural.
In normal conditions, a pair of annual baths should be enough for our dog. The routine taking cares will maintain in perfect state of cleaning our dog. This does not mean dogs do not like water, in fact, many times they really love it; it is the shampoo which is bad for the natural balance of oils in their hair
The perfume of the soap usually bothers our dog, who will lay and round on the floor to recover its dog scent. Therefore, we must choose a good shampoo and a conditioning specially formulated for dogs.
After a walk in the field a bath with lukewarm water usually is enough to clear the mud.
Before initiating the bath we will brush the dog with the carder to avoid the hair compressed.
We will begin showering the dog with lukewarm water beginning by the head. The spurt must be near the body so that the water penetrates thoroughly in the coat.
Next we will apply the shampoo. We will begin by the head, later we will apply the shampoo all over the body. We must wash the coat and cover the dog eyes with our hands to avoid the shampoo in the eyes.
We will rinse conscientiously in order to eliminate absolutely all the shampoo from the dog body.
When we finish the bath we must put special attention in the drying step. First, and in case we do not let the animal shakes itself, a narrow-hipped one of above - down, ahead – up using our hands and a drying with the towel in sense of the hair, to avoid the formation of knots. To finish with, we will use the dryer, specially in the delicate breeds and of those with long hair.
Puppies younger than 3 months old are a case apart. We can only bath them in exceptional situations and under veterinary advice. We must pay special attention to the shampoo we use and to the dryer. Using the drier in puppies is essential after the bath just for them not to be cold.
Carmelo Garcia, Canine instructor by M.I., S.C.V., INSF
