Grooming & Shedding
Short, regular sessions do more than an occasional marathon. Find your dog's rhythm in how often to brush a dog, by coat type, then pick the right tool with slicker brush vs deshedding tool.
When hair starts drifting across the floor in spring and fall, dog shedding season explains what is happening and how to keep up. Cat owners will find a brushing schedule and a gentle plan for cats who resist the brush here too. The brushes, de-shedding tool and nail grinder these guides mention are in dog and cat grooming tools.
-
How-to
How to Groom a Goldendoodle at Home: Brushing, Mats and Trims
Curly and wavy doodle coats shed little and mat close to the skin, so brushing has to reach the roots. Here is the section-by-section routine, the spots that mat first, face, ear and foot care, bathing and drying, nails, and how often to book the groomer.
-
How-to
How to Groom a Golden Retriever at Home: Brushing, Baths and Nails
A Golden’s double coat and feathering need at least a weekly brush, a daily one in a heavy shed, and a full brush-out before every bath. Here is the routine zone by zone, how to rinse and dry to the skin, nails, ears and paws, and which trims to leave to a groomer.
-
How-to
How to Clean a Dog’s Face: Eyes, Muzzle, Beard and Skin Folds
Face care, step by step: wipe eye gunk from the inner corner outward, soak a food-caked beard clean, clean and fully dry wrinkles, wipe the ear flap but never the canal, and spot the signs that need your veterinarian.
-
How-to
How to Clean a Dog Brush and the Rest of Your Grooming Kit
Lift the hair out after every session, wash pins and edges in warm, soapy water about once a month and dry them completely. Step-by-step care for slickers, de-shedding tools, mist brushes and nail grinders, plus shared tools, skin problems, a cleaning schedule and when to replace a brush.
-
How-to
How to Brush a Long-Haired Dog: Line Brushing, Section by Section
Brushing over the top leaves knots at the skin. Line brushing fixes that: part the coat into thin rows, brush each one out from the skin and check it with a comb. Here are the steps, the friction spots to check daily, what changes for double, silky and curly coats, and how to split the work across the week.
-
Guide
How Long Should a Dog’s Nails Be? Signs and How Often to Trim
A healthy nail sits just clear of the floor when your dog stands. Here's how to check, the signs nails are overdue, how often to trim by lifestyle and age, and how to bring long nails back without cutting into the quick.
-
How-to
How to Get Tree Sap or Pine Pitch Out of Dog Fur Safely
Pine pitch won't wash out with water, but a few drops of kitchen oil usually soften it enough to slide off the hair. Here's the step-by-step method, sap between the toes, washing the oil out, when to trim or call a groomer, and who to call if your dog licked sap or a solvent.
-
How-to
How to Get Snowballs Out of Dog Fur and Paws, and Stop Them Forming
Pulling ice balls off your dog’s paws hurts. Melt them with lukewarm water, dry between every toe and brush the feathering once it’s dry. See why some coats collect snow, how trimming paw fur and keeping nails short help, and the frostbite signs that need a veterinarian.
-
How-to
How to Get Burrs Out of Dog Fur, and When a Foxtail Needs a Vet
Most burrs come out at home if you hold the hair at the base and tease them loose from the outer edge, with a drop of cooking oil for stubborn ones. See where burrs hide, how to handle burrs in mats, toes and ears, how to prevent them, and when a foxtail is a job for your veterinarian.
-
Checklist
Dog Grooming Checklist: The Essentials by Week, Month and Season
Every home grooming job sorted by how often it comes around: brushing by coat, a weekly nose-to-tail check, teeth, nails and paw fur, after-walk cleanups, baths and shedding season, plus what to skip and which jobs to hand to a groomer or veterinarian.
-
Comparison
Dog Grooming at Home vs a Groomer: What to Do Yourself, What to Book
Brushing, de-shedding, nails, baths and wipe-downs are home jobs for most dogs; haircuts, hand-stripping, tight mats and sanitary trims belong with a groomer. Compare the two job by job, see which coats need a professional, and get the questions to ask a new groomer.
-
How-to
Dog Doesn’t Like Their Paws Touched? How to Build Up to Nail Trims
A step-by-step plan for a dog who pulls away, mouths or growls when you reach for a paw: when to see your veterinarian first, a touch-to-hold ladder with treats or a lick mat, then adding wipes, the paw cleaner cup and the grinder.
