Australian Shepherd Grooming
Obviously, learning about Australian Shepherd grooming is essential to understanding how to be a great pet parent and more about mobile dog grooming in general. These are heavy shedders. In fact, your home might be covered in hair when brushing is too infrequent. Thankfully, this article explains all you need to know.
Understanding the Breed
The Australian Shepherd is a pleasant pet that requires very little trimming. They have a thick double coat, with a resilient outer coat and a feathery inner coat. They are natural working dogs and have a courageous attitude.
Quick Overview
- Trim the nails
- Brush and rake the hair and remove all mats
- Comb
- Health check
- Clean ears
- Rinse thoroughly
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Complete rinse
- Brush teeth
- Towel dry
- Blow dry
- Brush
- Trim the pads, paws, sanitary areas, and ears
- Praise and optional fragrance and accessory
Tools You’ll Need
- Nail clippers and/or grinder
- Pin brush
- Slicker brush
- Something to stop bleeding such as quick stop, benzocaine, stypic powder, nail cauterizer, cornstarch, sugar or even baking soda. Note: only use powdery food products to stop bleeding if you happen to cut the tongue.
- Canine ear solution
- Cotton swabs
- Dog toothpaste and toothbrush
- Bath suited for your dog
- Grooming table
- Leash attachment
- Canine shampoo and conditioner
- Towel appropriate for the size of the dog
- Force dryer
- Fragrance (optional)
- Bandana or bow (optional)
Prep For Australian Shepherd Grooming
Firstly, use a rake to remove all the excess hair. That way when you go to bathe the dog, there’s much less coat to clean. Furthermore, brush the coat out to remove any mats. Cut difficult mats with thinners. In any case, don’t put the dog through the pain of applying extra pressure on challenging tangles.
Use a Dremel to grind the nails down to a proper length. When using a Dremel, be sure to avoid allowing hair to get caught in it (that also means your hair!) You can also use clippers to shorten the nails. For some tips on this steps, refer to this article.
Apply a dog ear wash solution into the ear and swab with a cotton ball. Remove excess hair from the ears but be careful not to take too much off. You can pluck the hairs out if necessary. You can trim around the ear with a clipper or scissor. Enter cotton balls into the ear to prevent water from entering during the bath.
Bath
Firstly, use a diluted dog shampoo. Feel free to use a whitening shampoo on the white parts of the coat to prevent staining and promote brightness.
Rinse until the water runs clean. Don’t leave any shampoo because it will irritate the skin. Then, apply some dog conditioner. Rinse that out completely.
Brush the teeth with dog toothpaste.
Dry
Then towel dry the dog as best you can. Blow dry. Since there will probably be a lot of hair flying around, be sure to wear a mask, hair net and protective goggles to prevent hair from getting into your eyes and lungs. For women, it’s also advised to wear a hairnet because otherwise the hair will get all caught up in your own hair.
Above all, direct the dryer towards the way you ultimately wish the hair to lie. Don’t move it too rapidly because this can cause tangles to form.
Groom
In the case of Australian Shepherd grooming, shorten the hair around the ears.
Trim the sanitary areas for hygiene. In fact, you have the option to create a “smiley face” on the backend of the dog. You can do this by using thinning shears to trim down the tail knub in an upside down “v”.
Most pet-parents do not trim the whole body, but if you do choose to for whatever reason, use an electric clipper with a comb attachment. Then, follow the direction of the hair growth.
Furthermore, use the slicker brush to brush the hair on the hawks up and outwards and trim them straight along the back ends.
Finally, using electric clippers with a 30 or 40 blade, trim between the toes. Additionally, trim the feet in an oval around the base of the foot. Next, trim the top of the paws for a clean appearance.
Maintenance For Australian Shepherd Grooming
This breed doesn’t need much trimming, but they should be fully groomed at least once per week. However, during the sheading seasons, they need to be brushed daily. To find out more about the breed, refer to the AKC.
Additionally, nails should be trimmed monthly, depending on activity level.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, you can always refer directly to a professional groomer. They can get to know your pet on an individual basis for customized advice!