How To Groom Your German Shepherd

Even if you don't bath your German Shepherd often, regular grooming is essential. By maintaining proper grooming procedures you can reduce your dog's chance of having skin problems while keeping the coat shiny. It is best to maintain grooming every night, but first do eight to twelve weeks of moderate grooming. To manage the double coat present on a German Shepherd it is best to comb at least twice a week.

During the shedding season the normal shedding of a German Shepherd becomes much worse so you should consider using a shedding blade or similar tool since you will need proper training before you can use a shedding blade. When grooming your German Shepherd you should use a metal rake to take out the mats in the undercoat around the neck, chest and thigh areas. After bathing it is best to use a modern high velocity dryer to remove excess water instead of the hand fluff method. Always go in the direction of hair growth when you are brushing your dog.

When grooming your German Shepherd you may want to give them a haircut. You can use a pair of scissors to remove the long hairs that you find under the feet as well as the stray hairs around the feet. Rather, if you want a fluffier or fuller looking coat, you should brush the hair in the opposite direction of growth and then do light brushing in the direction of hair growth.

An alternative to the haircut is to use thinning shears to give the dog an overall neater appearance. Selective thinning is a good way to make your German Shepherd look heavier boned. Grooming isn't just limited to the coat because you also need to focus on the toenails, ears and teeth. While brushing be sure to check the nails and trim them regularly as needed in order to avoid split or broken nails that will occur when they are left unattended and grow too long.

Grooming your German Shepherd allows you to make sure that the oils in the fur are evenly distributed which helps prevent matting and tangles from occurring. It also helps to remove the dead skin cells and loose hair, which can clog the coat and take away from the neat appearance. Just be careful not to cut or scratch your dog's skin while you are grooming them. Use a combination of brushes and brush heads in order to make sure you tackle all parts of your dog's coat.

For the German Shepherd it is best that you select the right shampoo as well, since they can be easily affected by wheat and may have other allergies as well. Oatmeal shampoo is one option but it can cause material to build up faster, which means you will have to bathe the dog more often. If you don't have to worry about fleas then a shampoo with aloe is a good idea. By constantly using proper grooming techniques you can keep your German Shepherd looking well-groomed all the time.

Jan Ryan has spent a lot of time researching proper grooming procedures for many breeds of dogs. German Shepherd grooming doesn't require a lot of work, but you need to follow the right procedures. Your dog will look great all year round if you follow proper German Shepherd grooming tips.

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