Demo on How to Groom a Dog with Short Hair
We found this demo on YouTube showing you how to groom a dog with short hair. The dog that is being groomed is a chocolate Labrador Retriever. The groomer is Jitka Krizova and she’s one of Europe’s top dog groomers. Not only is Ms. Krizova a well-known dog groomer, she’s been grooming and showing dogs for over 20 years.
With an impressive array of awards, Ms. Krizova is definitely qualified to share expert grooming tips and techniques which will help you keep your dog looking great!
Grooming a dog with short hair is much easier than breeds with long hair. Even though this demonstration is for a Labrador, the grooming techniques shown in this video can be used on similar breeds with short haired coats such as:
- Basset Hounds
- Beagles
- Bullmastiffs
- Rottweilers
- Pugs
- Boston Terriers
- Dalmations
- and many more breeds.
This video entitled “How to groom a short haired dog – dog grooming demonstration” is about 4 minutes long.
Characteristics of a Dog’s Short Haired Coat
Grooming dogs with this type of coat is pretty easy because of the texture of the hair. The hair is very dense, somewhat harsh and very close to the body. When a short haired dog gets dirty, you can tell by the feel of the coat.
The best way to describe a dirty coat is that it feels kind of filmy. If the coat is really dirty, you’ll feel like you got some oil on your hands when stroking your dog’s coat.
Bathing a Short Haired Dog
If your dog is small, then it’s quite easy to give him a bath in the sink or bathtub. With large dogs, it’s a little more difficult.
With large dogs, you need more room. Be careful when giving your dog a bath in the tub. It’s quite easy for your dog to slip and fall. This will cause your dog to get excited or panicky and can make bathing a difficult chore. When we give our larger dogs baths, we always put a couple of rubber bath mats down first. This prevents any slipping or sliding.
An alternative to rubber bath mats is to put a large old bath towel in the the bottom of the tub. The towel will provide your dog’s paws some stability and prevent him from slipping and falling.
Of course, if you’re going to use the type of spray shampoo shown in the video, then you don’t need a tub. You just need to be able to secure your dog to something so he doesn’t get bored and wanders off. You could easily do this with a leash. Just attach the leash to something stable and start the bathing process.
Shampoos for Your Dog
Always use a high quality shampoo specifically made for dogs.
In this video, Ms. Krizova is using a waterless shampoo that is sprayed directly on the coat.
This type of shampoo removes the excess dirt and oil from the coat. These types of shampoos are really nice since you don’t need to rinse it off with water. You just rub this shampoo into your dog’s coat and it will come out smelling nice and fresh.
When using “normal” shampoo, be sure to work up a good lather and then rinse your dog off several times. If your dog has a really dense coat, one rinsing probably won’t get all the shampoo out of the coat.
Getting all of the shampoo off your dog’s coat is very important. Any shampoo residue can cause skin irritations and cause your dog to scratch at that irritation.
Our rule of thumb is that when we think we’ve got all the shampoo off our dog’s coat, we spray her coat off with water one more time.
Can You Use Human Shampoo on Your Dog
In general, yes, you can use human shampoo on your dog, BUT don’t do this very often. Human shampoos tend to be more acidic than dog shampoos. Using human shampoo too often can cause some damage to your dog’s skin over time.
If you don’t have any dog shampoo, then go ahead and use your shampoo. We’ve done this whenever our dogs got dirty and we didn’t have any dog shampoo available.
Just make sure to get all the shampoo residue out of your dog’s coat by thoroughly rinsing it with water.
Shedding of Short Haired Dogs
Many people want a dog with short hair because they believe that short haired dogs shed less than dogs with long or very thick hair. That’s really not true. The hair may be short, but short haired dogs have just as much hair as the long haired breed.
You still need to brush the coat on your short haired dog quite often. Brushing helps remove dead hair, which can be considerable depending on the time of the year. You may not have to brush as often as a long haired coated dog, but it is still necessary.
Always use quality brushes on your dog’s coat. A brush that is too harsh can cause damage to your dog’s skin.
Other Grooming Needs for Short Haired Dogs
After your dog’s coat smells nice and fresh, don’t forget to do the other grooming needs.
All dogs need to have their nails clipped and their ears cleaned. Don’t forget about dental ca
re! Brushing your dog’s teeth will help keep him healthy for years and reduce vet bills in the long run.
Some short haired dogs may need additional special grooming such as cleaning stains around the eyes.
Breeds that have folds or wrinkly coats need special cleaning in those areas. Some examples would be Pugs, Mastiffs and the Chinese Shar-Pei. Some dogs need to have the excess hair removed from their ears to help prevent ear infections.
Summing Up – Grooming a Short Haired Dog
Always use quality products and grooming tools for your dog.
Groom your short haired dog on a regular basis.
When it comes to short haired dogs, you can brush the coat at least once a week. In general, you probably should give your dog a bath at least monthly. Clip your dog’s nails when needed. Some dogs have fast growing nails while others don’t. Clean your dog’s ears monthly or more often if needed.
All of this may seem time consuming or a chore, but it’s necessary to keep your dog in good health. In addition, spending this quality time with your dog helps makes the bond between both of you even stronger!
