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.
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Guide
Do Steam Brushes Work for Cats? What They Do and How to Use One
A cat steam brush is a soft-pinned brush with a built-in water mister. It works well for loose hair on short coats but does little for tangles, mats or thick undercoat. Learn which cats it suits, how to use and clean one, and how to get a wary cat used to the spray.
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How-to
How to Clean Up a Dog After Swimming in a Lake, Pool or the Ocean
A fresh-water rinse after every swim, step by step, plus what the ocean, a lake and a pool each leave in the coat, how to dry ears, skin folds and a dense double coat, and the signs after a swim that need a veterinarian.
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How-to
How to Brush a Dog That Hates Being Brushed, One Stroke at a Time
For the dog who runs, squirms or mouths the brush: rule out mats and pain, choose a gentler brush for the coat, set up non-slip footing and a lick mat, then build from one rewarded stroke to a full brush-out, stopping at the first sign of stress.
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How-to
How to Bathe a Dog That Hates Baths: Setup, Steps and Drying
For the dog who scrabbles, shakes or bolts at bath time: brush out tangles first, make the tub steady underfoot, keep a lick mat in reach, wash the face last, skip the dryer battle and build tolerance between baths, plus what to do when a bath still goes wrong.
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Buying guide
Best Brush for Cats: Choosing by Coat, Undercoat and Temperament
Which brush suits your cat: soft silicone pins, a slicker or a de-shedding tool? Match the tool to coat length, undercoat, skin, age and temperament, see which brush we stock for each coat, and spot the signs that a brush is the wrong one.
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Guide
How Often Should You Brush a Cat? A Schedule for Short and Long Coats
Short-haired cats need brushing once or twice a week, long-haired cats every few days to daily. Get a schedule by coat length, how long each session should take, what changes in shedding season and for older cats, and a simple weekly plan.
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Guide
How to Brush a Cat That Hates Being Brushed: A Two-Week Plan
A cat that hates being brushed can learn to accept it in short, rewarded sessions. Follow a two-week plan, start where your cat likes to be petted, pick the gentlest brush for the coat and learn the body language that means stop.
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Guide
How to Clean a Dog Without a Bath: Brushing, Wipes and Spot Cleaning Between Baths
A between-bath routine for winter, apartments and older dogs: brush out dirt and loose hair, wipe one body zone at a time, spot-clean mud, dry what you dampen, and know when only a real bath or a veterinarian will do.
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Guide
How to Get Mats Out of Dog Hair at Home, and When to Stop
Small mats come out at home with your fingers and a slicker brush, worked from the ends inward. See where dogs get matted, the step-by-step method, how to keep your dog calm, how to prevent mats at collar and harness rub points, and when a mat is a job for a groomer.
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Guide
How to Use a Dog Nail Grinder: Step by Step, Plus Black Nails and Nervous Dogs
A step-by-step guide to grinding your dog's nails: holding the paw, choosing the guard opening and speed, short touches that keep nails cool, how to read the end of a black nail, and a slow, treat-filled introduction for a dog who is scared of the grinder.
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Guide
How Often Should You Brush Your Dog? A Schedule by Coat Type
Smooth coats need a weekly brush, double coats one to three sessions a week, and long, silky or curly coats daily. Get a coat-by-coat schedule, session lengths, a rule for mixed coats, the signs you need to brush more often and a weekly plan you can keep.
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Guide
Dog Shedding Season: When Dogs Blow Their Coat and How to Keep Up
Clumps of undercoat on the floor this fall? See when dogs shed the most, what blowing coat means, how long it usually lasts, a short slicker-and-de-shedding routine, and the signs that call for a veterinarian.
