Grooming plays a huge role in owning a dog. One key component of grooming your dog is brushing.
This helps remove dead hair and dirt, keeping their skin and coat healthy and smooth. With the right brush, you can remove your dog’s tangled hair without causing discomfort or pain!
When it comes to brushing your dog’s hair, the main concern is what kind of brush to use. We’ll answer this, why you should brush your dog’s hair, and the four types available, and more!
Why You Should Brush Your Dog’s Hair
No matter how long or short your dog’s coat is, it’s a good idea to brush them regularly. Here are some solid reasons to regularly brush your dog’s hair.
Hair and Skin Conditioning
Brushing your furry friend’s fur aids in distributing oils all over the skin and fur. Good circulation to their coat and the underlying skin will help keep your dog’s coat healthy and shiny.
Monitor Your Dog’s Health
Brushing your dog’s hair regularly provides you with a chance to do an overall health check on their skin and fur.
Do they have fleas or ticks? Are there bug bites on their skin? Do they have rashes or lumps?
These are just some of the things you need to look out for.
Routine brushing helps you find fleas before they spread.
It lessens the possibility of contracting something more debilitating such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or in extreme cases of tick infestation, anemia.
Remove Loose Hair
Some dogs shed more than others, but brushing can help remove loose fur from any dog.
Remember that dogs with double-layered thick coats are not the only ones who leave fur all over the house. Even short wiry-haired dogs do!
If you don’t want fur all over your furniture and clothes, make sure your dog’s coat is properly brushed once in a while.
This will stop the fur from dropping everywhere.
Deter Matting
Matted fur attracts first, debris, and pests. Once they form, they can be very painful to your dog to have their fur brushed.
It is better to prevent this extreme measure by keeping your dog’s fur brushed regularly and removing any small matted areas before they become too big to handle on your own.
What Kind of Brush to Use for Your Dog?
There are four primary types of dog brushes: Slicker brushes, rakes, bristle brushes, and pin brushes.
Slicker Brushes
This kind of dog brush has fine, short wires that are close together on a flat surface.
Use this brush on medium-to-long haired or curly-haired dogs to remove mats. Choose a slicker brush that is the correct size with a flexible handle to make grooming your dog easier.
Slicker brushes are the perfect choice for breeds like Golden Retrievers, Yorkshire Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, and St. Bernards.
When using this type of brush, be gentle since the fine, tightly spaced wires can cause your dog discomfort if too much pressure is used.
Rake Brushes
Rakes are brushes made to penetrate deep into a dog’s thick coat.
Their job is to remove tangles and dead undercoat near your dog’s skin with their razor-shaped features as well as their tightly spaced pins.
Rake brushes are intended to be used with minimal pressure. They should be used on thick-haired dogs including German Shepherds, Malamutes, and Chow Chows.
These breeds tend to develop dead undercoats, especially during shedding season, and their thick coats also tend to trap debris.
Bristle Brushes
Bristle brushes are for short-haired, smooth-coated dogs that frequently shed. Their clusters of tightly packed natural bristles remove loose hair and stimulate the skin.
Bristle brushes are ideal for Pugs, Italian Greyhounds, Jack Russell Terriers, and Boston Terriers.
Pin Brushes
Lastly, pin brushes are those that look similar to brushes used by people. These oval-shaped brushes have a loosely arranged set of flexible wires with pins on top.
They are the most common yet the least useful.
Their job is to pick up loose hair before it is shed onto your furniture or finish and fluff a well-brushed coat but they provide little benefit to your pet. They are best used to finish off the grooming process.
Other Tips for Brushing Your Dog’s Hair
Brushing may seem like the most basic grooming procedure for your dog, but it’s more than just picking the right brush for them.
Here are some tips for brushing your dog’s coat.
- Long-haired breeds like Collies and Tibetan Terriers need to be brushed weekly or more often. Although pin brushes are the least useful, they work best for these breeds because their bent-wire bristles grip the undercoat and remove loose hairs without causing pain.
- Short-coated dogs like Labrador Retrievers don’t need frequent brushing since their hair doesn’t mat easily. Any type of brush is okay as long as the bristles are soft and gentle.
- Short, wiry breeds need to be combed once every few days.
- When brushing your dog’s hair, do it down and out, away from their skin. Dogs don’t like to be brushed backward.
- Be gentle when brushing their fur or you might end up damaging their coat by pulling and stretching their hairs.
- For matted dog hair, apply a coat conditioner or mat spray and let it dry for a few minutes. Then, use a mat-splitting tool to get through the tangle. You can cut them with scissors too but be careful not to cut their skin.
- Despite good intentions, your dog might refuse to stay calm when being brushed. If this happens, go to a groomer or talk to your vet about the behavioral issue.
This video shows the right way to brush your dog’s hair.
Choose the Right Kind of Brush for Your Dog
Brushing your dog’s hair is not just a way to keep their hair free from mats and tangles, it also helps distribute oils all over the skin and fur and remove loose hair.
Not only that, brushing your dog’s hair is a great way to spend time with them and strengthen your bond.
There are four different kinds of dog brushes that are each designed for specific lengths of coat and their texture.
Remember to brush your dog’s hair down and out, away from their skin.
Start getting the right kind of dog brush for your dog to guarantee that their coat is always healthy, smooth, and shiny! Here are 6 more ways to keep your dogs happy and healthy.
