Hygiene and Grooming.

Your long haired pup will need brushed two to three times a week to keep him tangle- and mat-free. Even a smooth coat dog benefits from brushing, and you will find much less arbitrary shedding. I recommend buy a small cat slicker (brush) with wire bristles, and by brushing him against his natural hair growth, it will make his coat look clean and fluffy.  I personally do not like dog brushes that have plastic bristles with little rounded tips because those bristles tend to glide over the coat, so they don’t fluff or remove debris from the coat well.

 Every 4 to 6 weeks or so, the pup will need his nails clipped and ears cleaned with a Q-tip or cotton ball. If your pup is prone to ear infection or yeast build-up, wash the ears regularly with either an ear cleaner of white vinegar to naturalize yeast in the ear. The longer coat pup needs to have the hair trimmed around the eyes at this time, and it is a good idea to trim the hair around the anal area. A bath would be acceptable at about every month as well.

 Not all dogs take pleasure in a bubble bath, but all of them will need a bath from time to time. A small puppy can be washed in the sink. A tiny pup can held in one hand, resting on the wrist with his legs straddling the arm. That leaves the other hand free to wash and scrub. Holding the pup in this way gives him the feeling of security. A towel can be placed on the bottom of the sink to prevent slipping for a larger pup. Older and larger breeds will need to be washed in the bath tub.

 Use a mild, puppy shampoo that is PH balanced specifically for pups and dogs. Look for no tears and/or something with oats or aloe. A pup in inclined to shake the water off when their head gets wet. If you wait until the rest of the body is washed and rinsed before washing the head, you may prevent getting your own shower. After soaking the puppy’s coat so that it is saturated, add a generous amount of shampoo and lather well. Lastly, be sure to rinse well in order not to cause scratching and dry skin.  Avoiding getting water in the puppy’s ears will help reduce the risk of ear infections.

 Most pups can air dry and will do so quickly as they run around the house or yard. Just be careful that they don’t get chilled if the weather is cool. A good rule of thumb is if it is cold enough for us to wear socks, then it is too cold for the pup to run around wet, and they need to be blow dried.

 After your pup is about 4 months old and is fully vaccinated, you will want to get some of the bulk of hair off by a professional groomer. Or you may want to attempt grooming him yourself. There are lots of You Tube videos to watch that will show you how to groom various breeds.