Grooming An Australian Shepherd
The Australian Shepherd is a beautiful dog in its natural coat—help to keep it that way!
To begin the groom, shampoo the Australian Shepherd and then rinse. Shampoo opens the cuticle of the hairs, making them easier to shed out and remove using your high velocity dryer while still in the tub. Blowing at a right angle, perpendicular to the skin, will help to loosen the undercoat for a better de–shedding result because the open cuticle makes the hair bigger, enabling the air of the dryer to get a better “grip” on it. Wet hair is also better contained when blown in the tub.
Apply high–quality, mineral–rich conditioners to nourish this natural coat with collagen, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, etc. which a medium coat needs.
Finish drying the dog with an emphasis on keeping the coat along the torso and spine as flat–lying as possible. A damp shammy towel laid over the spine can be helpful to keep it flat–lying during the drying process. Continue to use the drying process to remove dead undercoat.
Using an undercoat rake and/or larger–tooth comb, thoroughly comb the coat from head to tail to pull out as much dead undercoat as possible. A soft slicker or pin brush may be used to help loosen clumped coat. Trim the nails as needed.
Remove excess hair from the surface of the pads of the paws and under the nails, but do not scoop out inside the pads so that a clean line along the bottom of foot can be seen while the dog is standing.
Scissor around the edges of the paws and remove any stray hairs that detract from a clean edge. Leave the furnishings neat and natural.
To begin the groom, shampoo the Australian Shepherd and then rinse. Shampoo opens the cuticle of the hairs, making them easier to shed out and remove using your high velocity dryer while still in the tub. Blowing at a right angle, perpendicular to the skin, will help to loosen the undercoat for a better de–shedding result because the open cuticle makes the hair bigger, enabling the air of the dryer to get a better “grip” on it. Wet hair is also better contained when blown in the tub.
Apply high–quality, mineral–rich conditioners to nourish this natural coat with collagen, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, etc. which a medium coat needs.
Finish drying the dog with an emphasis on keeping the coat along the torso and spine as flat–lying as possible. A damp shammy towel laid over the spine can be helpful to keep it flat–lying during the drying process. Continue to use the drying process to remove dead undercoat.
Using an undercoat rake and/or larger–tooth comb, thoroughly comb the coat from head to tail to pull out as much dead undercoat as possible. A soft slicker or pin brush may be used to help loosen clumped coat. Trim the nails as needed.
Remove excess hair from the surface of the pads of the paws and under the nails, but do not scoop out inside the pads so that a clean line along the bottom of foot can be seen while the dog is standing.
Scissor around the edges of the paws and remove any stray hairs that detract from a clean edge. Leave the furnishings neat and natural.
Fig 1: On the rear hock hair, use a scissor to blend the corner where the longer hair meets the foot.
Fig 2: Using thinning shears, remove excess coat from underneath and around the ears.
Fig 3: Use a very fine thinning shear or careful scissoring to edge the ear in the triangular shape that the breed standard calls for. Do not trim the whiskers.
If the Aussie has the natural bobtail or the tail is docked, neaten the hairs of the tail to form the look of a “smile” walking away from you.
Fig 4: Laying a curved shear horizontally outward, cut parallel to the rectum.
Fig 5: Using thinning shears, round and neaten the end of the docked or natural bobtail.
Fig 6: The finished Aussie “smile” tail.
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Fig 7 & 8: If, and only if, the Aussie has exceedingly long furnishings (which is most common in older Aussies of certain genetic lines), it is acceptable to trim dead ends of outer coat just to tip them off. Do not cut into any undercoat. On this dog, the pantaloons and underline were neatened.
Our job is to understand the magnificent Australian Shepherd and to protect its beautiful topcoat, remove any shedding undercoat, and neaten the ears, feet and tail only as needed.
Our job is to understand the magnificent Australian Shepherd and to protect its beautiful topcoat, remove any shedding undercoat, and neaten the ears, feet and tail only as needed.
Grooming An Aussiedoodle
Keeping your Aussiedoodle looking cute is all about regularly tending to their fur.
Though they don’t shed much, their gorgeous coat does require some serious attention.
Here are some tips:
And don’t forget that grooming is a chance for you and your pup to bond and spend time together.
Make it a special event for the two of you, and they’re bound to love it more and more as they get used to it.
Though they don’t shed much, their gorgeous coat does require some serious attention.
Here are some tips:
- Understand the fur you’re working with. These pups can have tight poodle curls, wavy, shaggy locks that don’t shed much, or straight-up straight Australian Shepherd hair. Once you understand where your pup’s coif is at, you’ll be able to deal with it more appropriately.
- Brush this breed at least weekly, though daily is better. They have a tendency to get matted, and when it’s hidden under the top layer, it’s hard to tell just how bad things are. In order to penetrate the fur to the skin, it’s recommended to use a comb or slicker brush with long pins to work its way through. You can read more extensively about techniques to help you with brushing Aussiedoodles here.
- You won’t need to bathe your Doodle all that often unless they’re the type who really love a roll in the mud. Every month or two should be more than enough to keep them looking chic.
- Don’t forget to keep their fur trimmed around their eyes. You can teach yourself how to do this (there are lots of online tutorials), or your groomer can make sure they’re able to see through the fluff.
- Plan on grooming them every 12 weeks, just to keep them (and their nails, eyebrows, ears, etc.) in tip-top shape. They deserve it, after all.
And don’t forget that grooming is a chance for you and your pup to bond and spend time together.
Make it a special event for the two of you, and they’re bound to love it more and more as they get used to it.
Grooming A Poodle
Poodle puppies require a lot of brushing.
When poodles are still puppies, their coats are very soft and wavy. Because of this, you will need to brush your poodle puppy every day or, at the very least, every other day. This will prevent your puppy’s coat from getting matted. As your poodle gets older, you can scale back on the brushing to some degree since adult poodles tend to have curlier coats that don’t mat as easily. But during the puppy stage, brushing is of the utmost importance.
Poodles of all ages must be groomed regularly.
Unlike many other dog breeds, poodles have hair as opposed to fur. This prevents them from shedding and makes them hypoallergenic. But it also forces their owners to groom them a lot more frequently than they would have to if they had a dog with fur. If a poodle isn’t groomed often enough, their hair will continue to grow and grow and grow some more and become matted over time. Poodle owners must keep their dogs’ coats short and curly to prevent matting from affecting them.
Poodles need to have their ears and eyes cleaned every so often.
Poodles have ears that are very long and floppy in most cases. As a result, it’s not uncommon for them to develop infections inside of their ears. A groomer can prevent this from happening by cleaning out a poodle’s ears during their routine grooming sessions. They can also stop poodles and their owners from dealing with eye stains. Lighter-colored poodles, in particular, need to have their eyes cleaned regularly to prevent hard-to-remove stains from forming.
When poodles are still puppies, their coats are very soft and wavy. Because of this, you will need to brush your poodle puppy every day or, at the very least, every other day. This will prevent your puppy’s coat from getting matted. As your poodle gets older, you can scale back on the brushing to some degree since adult poodles tend to have curlier coats that don’t mat as easily. But during the puppy stage, brushing is of the utmost importance.
Poodles of all ages must be groomed regularly.
Unlike many other dog breeds, poodles have hair as opposed to fur. This prevents them from shedding and makes them hypoallergenic. But it also forces their owners to groom them a lot more frequently than they would have to if they had a dog with fur. If a poodle isn’t groomed often enough, their hair will continue to grow and grow and grow some more and become matted over time. Poodle owners must keep their dogs’ coats short and curly to prevent matting from affecting them.
Poodles need to have their ears and eyes cleaned every so often.
Poodles have ears that are very long and floppy in most cases. As a result, it’s not uncommon for them to develop infections inside of their ears. A groomer can prevent this from happening by cleaning out a poodle’s ears during their routine grooming sessions. They can also stop poodles and their owners from dealing with eye stains. Lighter-colored poodles, in particular, need to have their eyes cleaned regularly to prevent hard-to-remove stains from forming.
