Would you like your dog to have a nice coat, but you don’t know how to achieve it? Do you want your dog’s brushing to be a pleasant moment and not an inconvenience? Then just read on and put into practice our top 10 tips for brushing your dog’s coat.

Advantages of brushing your dog’s coat

Before telling you what are our 10 tips for brushing your dog’s hair, from Las Almenas we want to explain why brushing your dog’s hair is so important and what benefits it will bring you:

–Improves the hygiene of your pet and your home.
Brushing your dog’s coat allows you to remove dirt and residual dead hair. This way your pet will not be constantly shedding its fur and you will avoid having a house full of hair. In addition, by having a cleaner coat, you will notice how the bad odor it may give off decreases.

– Take care of your dog’s health
Brushing the coat is a fundamental activity for your dog’s health. By brushing your dog’s coat you can detect the appearance of parasites, such as ticks or lice, or even small wounds. This way you can treat them as soon as possible. In addition, the massage with the brush activates your dog’s circulation and can help to eliminate excess oil and heat.

– It increases the affection between the two of you
Brushing is also a time of pampering that enhances the bond between you and your dog. If you get him used to brushing, this activity will be like a massage for him. It will not be annoying or uncomfortable.

Now, let’s go to the 10 tips for brushing your dog’s coat, we are sure you will find them very useful!

1-Brush frequently

Don’t be lazy and give your dog a daily brushing. You won’t need more than 5 minutes and you’ll avoid major tangles. Want to know how to comb a dog that won’t let you? Here is the trick, comb him with care and pampering and, if he does it well, reward him with dog treats. As he gets used to it, your dog will be more accessible to be brushed or combed.

2-Brush before bathing

Try to brush your dog’s coat before bathing, when the coat is dry, to avoid pulling. With wet hair after the bath you are sure to find a lot of knots.

Keep in mind that if he associates combing with tugging, every time your dog sees you with the brush he will want to hide or show his teeth. So try not to let him suffer. If your dog has short hair, you also have the option of brushing him during the bath, since short hair does not tangle. To do this, you can use a rubber mitten with which you will give him a nice massage.

3-Choose the best comb or brush for your dog

Don’t know which comb to use to brush your dog’s coat? Don’t get confused and read our article where we explain you how to choose the most suitable dog brush, we are sure that we will clarify all your doubts.

You can also go to specialized stores to get their recommendations on the best brush for your dog, taking into account the length and type of hair your dog has.

4-Appropriate place at home

If you have a garden, terrace or balcony, these are the best places to brush your dog’s coat. But if you have to do it inside the house, it is best to choose the bathroom, since many particles and hairs will fly out and put everything lost. It is also convenient to use a towel that you can put under the dog to collect the dead hairs so it will be easier to pick them all up.

5-How to remove the knots from your dog’s hair. Important!

Ta-da! You’ve just found the secret of a good brushing. Yes, that’s right. Knowing how to remove tangles from your dog’s coat without causing discomfort is essential. If you tug and pull and cause him pain, he will never want to be combed, logical, isn’t it?

If your dog has medium, long or curly hair, arm yourself with patience and a good fine-toothed comb to try to undo each knot. If you can’t, use your hands to pull each strand apart. Need more help? Get a detangling spray and continue combing for a few minutes. Don’t insist too much because it can irritate the area. You can then move on to another knot and come back later to the one you didn’t manage to untangle.

Ultimately, if you see that it is impossible and it is going to cause a lot of discomfort, cut it off with scissors. Sometimes it is better this way, in order to avoid suffering. But be careful, if he has many knots, from Las Almenas we recommend you to take him to the hairdresser. Don’t cut senseless knots and spoil his coat.

6-How to groom a puppy

Have you just brought home your new puppy? Congratulations because, among other things, this is the best time to get him used to grooming his entire body.

The idea is that you try to make brushing a moment of play, caresses and fun. Let him understand that combing his hair is something good and fun. To do this, you can use rewards and treats for dogs.

When brushing your puppy, try to put him on a high surface, such as a table, and don’t hold him in your arms! It’s best to keep him away from you so that when you take him to the groomer, he’ll be used to it and won’t get nervous being away from the safety of your arms.

To groom your puppy, you will basically need a carding brush on the soft side, as they don’t tend to have a lot of tangles. Also the butter brush is a very soft brushing option. Once you have brushed your puppy’s coat, you can run a comb through it to make sure there is not a single tangle left.

One last piece of advice from Las Almenas, which is a breeder for mini or toy breed dogs, is to be very patient and don’t forget that your puppy is just a baby that has to learn and play.

7- How to groom a short haired dog

You don’t know how to groom a short haired dog? Do you want your pet to have a completely smooth and even coat? It’s easy because short hair is tangle-free!
Just brush your dog’s hair vigorously following the direction of the coat, from front to back and from top to bottom. You will see how much dead hair you will remove from his coat.

Next, we advise you to brush your dog against the grain to remove the dead cells that remain underneath the coat. And, finally, comb again in the direction of the hair to leave it perfect and soft.

From Las Almenas, we recommend you to brush your short-haired dog at least 3 times a week. To do so, you can use a soft bristle or rubber brush or, better yet, a rubber mitten that, as we have already mentioned, allows you to comb and massage at the same time, even in the bath. Besides, it will not damage their skin, something very important, since short hair does not protect the dermis as much as longer coats.

8- How to groom a medium-haired dog

Neither short nor long. If your dog has a medium coat, like a German Shepherd, he will probably have knots that need to be untangled. This will be your first task. With a metal dog comb you have to undo the tangles, being very careful not to hurt him!

Once you have removed the tangles, you can brush his coat first following the direction of the hair, to remove the dead hair, and then against the grain to clean all the layers. Finally, as with short-haired dogs, you just have to comb the coat to leave it impeccable. The more you comb your dog, the less knots he will have, so if you can do it daily, all the better!

9- How to groom a long haired dog

More hair, more care.
To brush a dog’s long hair, you should use two types of brushes. The first one, with rounded and long bristles to remove dead hair. The second one should have thicker bristles to brush and polish the hair once it is free of knots. With so much hair, you will have to brush your dog’s coat almost every day. Always brush in the direction of the hair and, if you want to comb against the grain to remove dirt, do it very carefully.

10- How to brush curly-haired dogs

Can curly-haired dogs be brushed? Of course they can!
It is true that it is a very complicated coat to maintain, but you should also brush it with care and attention. To do this, you can use combs with wide, separate and long bristles to untangle. It is normal to use scissors from time to time, but be careful not to leave any clumps in the coat.
Since the curly coat is complicated to maintain, the ideal is to cut his hair from time to time, so everything will be much easier.

Did you like this article and think it is interesting? We want to know if you like the topics we are writing about. That’s why we thank you for giving us your rating up to 5 stars. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Here you will find more information about dog and puppy care.

And if you want to keep up to date with Las Almenas news and tips, you can now subscribe to our newsletter. We hope you found these 10 tips for grooming your dog useful! So that you don’t miss anything, we leave you the previous post about responsible breeding of purebred dogs, why is it so important?

If you still have any doubts, leave us your comment below and ask us anything you need.