Home grooming series – caring for a double coated dog.
Our 3rd installment of grooming advice is how to brush a double coated dog. Our colleague, Lisa, a professional dog groomer, gives her helpful tips on taking care of these breeds.
A double coat on a dog, in essence, is a coat that has two layers. These breeds have an undercoat that is a dense layer of short hairs giving a thick, wool texture, and a top coat of longer hair.
Double coated breeds will begin to matt up easily, especially if they are due to be groomed and you are unable to get to your groomer during lockdown.
A common mistake with these coats is to brush the top coat and think that this is all they need. If you only brush half of their coat, then the base is likely to matt, therefore start with the undercoat and work up.
The best brush to use is one a bristle brush – shown in the pictures
Hold the hair in one hand, and part from bottom to top making sure that you can see the skin while you are brushing as shown in pictures.
Use the same method when doing your dog’s body – you will find it easier to work from bottom to top, rear end to head. If you use this method, you can see as you progress that you are thoroughly brushing your dog’s complete coat.
Main image credit: Instagram @australianshepherdworld
