Happy Tuesday everyone!
Spring has sprung and in The One Big Mal Family household, that means dog hair Armageddon. There is a constant supply of Fluff Pups (that’s what we call them) floating aimlessly around the house. They are harmless creatures but they do get everywhere and no amount of vacuuming (I’m sure our vacuum cringes in the corner this time of year) seems to stop the multiplying of these hair puffs.
These fluff pups live in all double-coated dogs. The two layers of hair are very different and have different responsibilities when it comes to keeping double-coated dogs dry and warm. The outer coat is longer and coarser and is called the guard hairs. Its function is to repel dirt and it also helps to prevent moisture from getting into the dense inner coat, or worse down to the dog’s skin. The inner dense hair is mostly for insulation, keeping dogs both cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Common dog breeds like Alaskan Malamutes, Huskies, Chows, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Pomeranians, German Shepherds, Great Pyrenees, Corgis, Golden Retrievers, and many others are considered double coated. Any mixed breed dogs with any of the aforementioned breeds in their lineage will also typically be double-coated.
I can not stress this next part enough. The longer between grooms the more the outer and inner coats will mat. This matting will make the grooming process more challenging for the groomer and definitely more painful for the dog. Clipping the hair off of double-coated dogs is not recommended for several reasons. One, the coat insulates the dog from both hot and cold temperatures, second, these dogs can get sunburns when the coat is shaved off and lastly it can severely damage the coat and in most cases, the coat does not grow back correctly.
Most double-coated dogs will “blow” their coat once a year, but more commonly its twice a year. One big blow out in the spring and a small one in the early to late fall. This blow out is when the undercoat sheds and there is a crazy amount of hair loss. For this, I suggest either purchasing a velocity dryer to use in your backyard on a nice day or find an experienced dog groomer that utilizes the velocity dryer to de-shed double-coated dogs. Let me be very clear a knowledgeable groomer will first use the velocity dryer to remove as much of the undercoat prior to washing. Water and these dense undercoats will make a “felt” which is impossible to comb or brush out. Please make sure your groomer is knowledgeable of hair care for double-coated dogs.
As I stated earlier, the longer between grooms the worse the coat could be. Doing what you can between grooms with a groomer will help your dog have a better experience. My suggestions for grooming at home:
Start by using either a wire brush or a pin brush to remove loose hair. Then use a grooming rake (this is a specialized tool that gets through the double coat) and gently remove any dead hair or tangles.
The best place to start is from the back of the dog and go forward, pushing the hair forward and very gently using the grooming rake or the pin brush. Never brush or use a comb against the direction that the hair grows.
Use either a wide-toothed comb or a de-matting rake if there is matting in the inner or outer coat. My best suggestion is to also use a detangle spray formulated especially for dogs. These sprays are really helpful in removing stubborn knots (small) and mats in the coat.
With combing out mats, it is important to start from the outer edge of the mat combing to the center. Make sure to only take small amounts of hair at a time from the edge of the mat. Do not pull excessively or harshly on the mat as this can damage the dog's skin and is extremely painful for them. Do not let the mat stay in the coat as it will only become bigger over time.
If it is too difficult or painful to comb out the mat, it can be clipped. You must take great care when doing this as you do not want to cut the dog’s skin. The best approach for this is to always hold the scissors parallel to the dog’s body.
Lastly, daily or every other day, grooming for this week or two in the spring and fall will greatly help to keep your dog’s coat looking great and make his experience at the groomers much more enjoyable.
As always, stay safe out there - and feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions! We're always happy to help!
Love always,
OneBigMalFamily <3
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