I’ve recently adopted a dog. He’s about a year and a half old. 70 pound pitbull, Great Pyrenees, basset hound mix. He’s got very short thin hair on his sides and legs, and on his back it’s a little bit longer and thicker.
Do I take him to the groomers or is that uncommon for a dog with hair like that? I’ve only ever grown up giving my family dog a bath in the bath at home and called it a day, but want to make sure I’m doing my own dog right. How often if at all should he go to the groomers? Or, if anyone can’t answer, does anyone have any suggestions on where I could get this information?
@jerrard It would help us a lot more if you showed us pictures, but ultimately, us groomers are going to recommend a routine cleanup for any kind of dog. Many dogs would benefit from our services in different ways- deshedding, dematting, deworming, etc. If you’re not sure, it would never hurt to walk into a grooming salon and ask for their recommendation
@%E2%98%A6marius%E2%98%A6 Some salons will apply the lotion on the shoulders, but the more advanced is given from the vet. I generally meant flea and tick treatment which I know isn’t the same thing
@jerrard Okay awesome that helps a lot. You said “uncommon for a dog with hair like that” but every dog type comes into the salon routinely, including the shortest haired dogs like a bulldog. So honestly a deshedding package looks like it would suit your dog the most
@imagebeastmarkbeast Awesome! Thank you so much! I didn’t know if it would be stupid for me to take him in when he isn’t your typical dog like the doodles and what not.
@jerrard Most people don't bring in their lower maintenance dogs as they are comfortable doing it at home, but personally I wish I could see more pups with that hair type. It's a nice break in between more time consuming grooms for me.
@jerrard From the picture it looks like at home maintenance should pretty basic but generally most dogs do benefit from grooming. Like he’s shedding a ton or doesn’t like you doing his nails at home/you don’t wanna do his nails I’d recommend a grooming. I have lots of short haired clients like him who come in because we have professional tools to help cut back on their shedding a ton.
@jerrard Sounds like a good descending bath and brush out, nails and ear cleaning is all your guy needs you could do all that at home or bring him to a groomer if you just wanted to leave it to a pro
@jerrard I groomed my very short haired, naked (due to alopecia) dog each month at least. Bare minimum: nails, ears, anal glands (if needed), bath, teeth (ideally but hard for some dogs to get into the habit of). Baths every 4-6 weeks and the other stuff as often as needed. Always liked having a clean pup each month and it helped his skin and his shedding also. I could do all this at home except for during cold months, when it was unsafe to give baths outdoors (aka most of the year where I live.)
@jerrard My big guy I bathed every 4-6 weeks and my current gal I bathe every 2 weeks since she has allergies. As long as you use the right shampoos and products (made specifically for dogs not for people), you can bathe every 4-6 weeks no problem.
@jerrard Sure thing, just be aware of signs of over-bathing like skin irritation. I maintain my dogs at home and am not a professional, just a lifelong dog person. I watched a ton of grooming videos on YouTube to learn proper bathing techniques like how to dilute your shampoo and how to rinse thoroughly and how to wash faces. I like Tropiclean and Earthbath products, which you can find at Petco.
