COAT CARE

It can be challenging for many new dog owners to determine how often you should bathe your dog. The answer depends on many things, and every dog is an individual with different hygienic needs. How frequently a pet needs a bath greatly varies based upon their breed, lifestyle, length of coat, and how much time you are willing to spend keeping your dog clean and well maintained.
  

Just like with humans, over-cleaning can be just as harmful as under cleaning. For instance, like us, dogs need to build up a level of natural oils in their hair and skin to keep them healthy. Just like you shouldn't wash your hair every time you shower, your dog probably doesn't need to be given a wash the second they have a speck of dirt on their coat. While they have an instinct to maintain a basic hygiene level, their idea of clean is very different from what we would call clean!

Your Dog's Activity

If your dog is highly active and spends a lot of time outside, they'll probably need a bath more often — mainly if they regularly swim or play in the dirt. Even if they're not prone to getting into messes, athletic dogs could need more frequent baths to control their odor. With Doglyness, you can bathe as often you wish without any risks involving skin irritations or coat damage. Doglyness natural grooming products are working to strengthen dog's skin and hair shafts and won't strip their valuable skin oils.

Their Type of Coat or Skin

Long-haired and curly-haired dog breeds generally require more regular bathing and grooming to keep their coats from matting. We recommend bathing these types of dogs at least once every three to four weeks, with regular brush checks between baths to maintain their coat tangle-free.

Short-haired breeds such as Dobermans or Labrador retrievers get away with infrequent bathing as long as they are healthy.

Sulfates are chemical cleaning agents that are a cheap and easy way to clean, but they're not very helpful in maintaining a healthy coat. This is because they tend to dry out your dog's skin and coat, stripping them of essential oils. A quality sulfate-free shampoo will be gentle on your dog's strands. It will encourage natural oils to soften and smoothen hair cuticles without leaving their coat greasy and weighed down.
 

When it comes to shampoos, it is always worth spoiling your dog to keep them healthy and safe from chemicals impacting. Shampoos with natural ingredients generally require a lot less shampoo per wash and help maintain their coat in balance. The journey towards a glossy coat starts with a proper wash!

Brushing is an essential step in keeping your dog's skin and coat healthy and tangle-free.

As a responsible pet parent, you know that at-home brushing between grooming appointments can help keep your dog's coat clean and mat-free. Brushing your dog's coat benefits them beyond just ensuring that their coat does not become tangled.

Understanding the length of time between at-home brushing depends on your dog's coat type and length. Certain dog breeds need to be brushed more frequently than others because their hair is more prone to matting and shedding. 

Dogs do not require daily brushing. Even dogs who require frequent at-home grooming for coat maintenance still usually only need to be brushed a few times each week.

You cannot over brush your dog, but you should be mindful of the types of grooming tools you're using and watch out for signs of skin irritation such as redness or dryness. Besides helping maintain skin and coat health, brushing your dog regularly can help grow your bond, so feel free to get in some short, off-schedule sessions to connect with your dog and get them more comfortable with the process.

Dogylness Tip: Always use a detangling or conditioning spray while brushing to prevent damaging the coat. Spray on parts you wish to brush or detangle and gently work from the hair's tips to the roots.

Get the right tools! It's amazing what you can accomplish if you have the right type of tools at your disposal. Take a hairbrush as an example. If you use a brush with harsh bristles, it can dull your dog's coat and reduce shine. Softer bristles are always a better option for distributing natural oils from the skin, and the result is a natural sheen on your dog's coat.

Here you can find our selection of the highest quality Bursta pin brushes designed for smooth detangling without the risk of tearing the coat or causing skin irritations.

Wet brushing makes the overall grooming faster and easier, and it's a healthy routine for the dog's skin and comprehensive immune system.

Brushing increases blood flow and improves circulation. It's a simple, reliable practice that keeps the skin healthy and vital. Wet body/coat brushing is a great way to relieve stress because it induces relaxation, stimulates blood flow, and helps the lymphatic drainage system remove toxins.

The skin is the largest eliminative dog's organ and plays a vital role in body detoxification. Wet brushing helps cleans out the lymphatic system. Lymph is a component of the immune system.

When and why

After you rinse the shampoo, apply the conditioner on and start to wet brush the entire dog's coat part by part. Always use the conditioner so that pins glide more easily through the coat. The coat is immediately going to get that soft feeling under the fingers and become very manageable. At this point, it's great to brush to detangle most of the hair, and by doing this, coat and skin are soaking up the conditioner's most valuable ingredients.

Use a quality pin brush

It is essential to use a quality pin brush.

Pin brush must have extra-fine & rounded pins because they touch the dog's skin, and they must leave a pleasant feeling on the skin but with exceptional detangling properties. Our Bursta pin brushes are designed to penetrate the coat deeper without tearing it.

Brush massage wet coat preferable during every bath session. A thorough skin brushing takes only about 5-7 minutes. You can brush head-to-toe or toe-to-head. What matters most for best results is brushing the entire dog's body consistently and gently.