How often should dogs be groomed?
This is perhaps the most frequently asked question in my career.
And it is an important question!
It’s something you should know when you get a new dog, when you plan what breed of dog fits your lifestyle, and is good to know when looking for a professional dog groomer. It helps you plan your schedule in advance and know what to expect.
So… How often should a dog be groomed?
My (very) professional answer is: As often as the dog needs to be groomed.
Every dog is different.
And this is not necessarily in regard to coat type; it’s about how much maintenance the pet owner wants to do at home, the length of haircut, the physical health of the dog, age of the dog, their behavior, their lifestyle, activity level, whether of not they wear sweaters, if they wear harnesses, if they are walked on pavement regularly, if they go to the beach, if they sleep on a staticky bed…
The list could go on forever.
I have dogs that I see once a year to dogs that I see every week. There’s no right answer, it just depends on what is best for the dog.
Let’s start by breaking down the grooming process.
Dog grooming in its simplest form is the process in which a dog is bathed and dried, brushed, and hair and nails are trimmed.
Bathing
Bathing is vital to maintaining healthy skin and therefore healthy coat. Even if your dog is not out getting muddy or dirty, they still likely need baths to cleanse, nourish, hydrate, and protect their skin and coat. Bathing your dog should always include both a shampoo to cleanse as well as a conditioner to hydrate and protect the skin and coat.
Dogs go through a process called keratinization every 21 days where the outer layer of skin cells is renewed - old skin cells shed out and new ones appear in their place. In an ideal world then, dogs should be bathed every 21 days to help wash away those old skin cells and provide nourishment and hydration for the new layer of skin.
Drying
Drying plays an important role as well as it can help blow away debris, old skin cells, and especially old shedding coat. Some very densely coated dogs should not be bathed without a thorough drying as any retained moisture could trap bacteria or debris leading to irritation.
Nails
Trimming nails depends on the speed that they grow. I have seen dogs that need nail trims every week and I have seen dogs that naturally wear their nails down to the point that they don’t need nail trims at all. Nails should be kept short enough that you cannot hear them clicking on hard floor. If they are hitting the floor they are affecting the dog’s gait and this can cause permanent orthopedic damage. In my experience, the average dog needs their nails trimmed every 2-4 weeks.
Brushing and Trimming
Trimming of the coat is dependent on the speed of growth and brushing the coat is dependent on how quickly the coat tangles. These two factors are in balance with each other. The longer the haircut, the more frequently you will have to brush the dog. Alternatively, the shorter the haircut, the less frequently you will have to brush the dog.
(Note: Not all coat types should be trimmed. Double coated dogs and wire coated dogs can often develop a permanently damaged coat following trimming/shaving down. There are exceptions to every rule, but keep your dog’s coat type in mind when creating a grooming schedule.)
You should also keep in mind that brushing dry coat can lead to breakage and brushing dirty coat only spreads the dirt making matting more likely. Brushing is best done after a bath when the hair is fully clean, hydrated, and protected. Maintenance becomes easier when the health of the skin and coat comes first. In an ideal world, the dog should not need brushing between grooming sessions; if a dog needs to be brushed, they likely need to be bathed first and then brushed.
Given all of the above, when we realize that bathing should be done every 21 days and dogs should be brushed out following a bath and nails typically grow out in 2-4 weeks… We land on a 3 week schedule. In regard to trimming hair, I find the average timeframe for needing a full haircut is 6 weeks. This works splendidly then if we have a 3 week schedule alternating between a bath/brush one visit and a full haircut the next.
The above is my perfect world scenario but alas, it is not a perfect world so compromises need to be made.
What other factors decide grooming frequency?
Budget
Budget is a huge factor and should not be overlooked; not everyone can afford that frequent of a schedule. I always recommend people learn to bathe their dogs themselves and trim nails at home.
Grooming your dog at home and seeing a groomer just a few times a year to touch base and make sure everything is going smoothly is a totally viable option as long as you are keeping up on those essentials; nails, baths, and keeping tangles at bay.
Behavior
The other major factor is the dog’s behavior. If grooming is severely stressful for them, we can compromise. Living with dogs is always a game of balance - we as their caretakers need to find and decide the best options for them. If that means letting them grow long, shaving them down twice a year, and letting them grow long again, then that might be what’s best for them! And no one should argue otherwise. Some dogs need full sedation for their grooming because of behavior - those dogs certainly should not have to have a full grooming every few weeks when a yearly visit can suffice.
We look for the net positive; what is the best approach for a specific dog in a specific circumstance on a specific day. Compromises are an indication that we have the dog’s best interest in mind and we are not just set on making the perfect haircut.
Health
Some dogs cannot stand for extended periods of time due to health or age and some dogs can’t emotionally tolerate more than a few minutes at a time. Imperfect haircuts should never be looked down upon if that is the best option for the dog.
If a dog can only handle one nail being trimmed a day - trim one nail a day and the next day trim a different nail. It is possible to keep a rotating schedule doing a bit at a time. It’s not pretty, but it’s manageable and it’s kind to the dog.
In summary; we work with live animals with real emotions. If the dog is healthy and well, everything else is just icing on the cake.
How often should your dog be groomed?
As often as they need to be groomed.
Thank you for reading! Comments and questions always welcome.
Emma Tinklenberg NCMG
Edit 1.
I want to emphasis again that a 3 week bath schedule, while ideal, is so often not feasible. I want to say that even as a professional groomer, my own dogs do not even live up to this. It’s my goal but it’s not reality every time. We are factoring the net positive for the dog, but we also need to account for human limitations and priorities. I would also like to train my dogs every day and go hiking with them every day but life happens and it’s not always possible.
I have seen dogs on weekly bath schedules with irritated skin and dogs on yearly bath schedules with crystal clear and healthy skin. Dogs are not a perfect science, there’s no textbook way to do anything.
Edit 2.
When essentials are taken care of - brushing, bathing, and nails - the rest of the coat is only personal preference. There’s no right or wrong way to trim hair (trimming double coats can have some consequences, but that is another post entirely). Whatever works for dog and owner is the right way!
Some breeds have traditional breed specific trims that may serve a function for the original use of the dog, but in today’s world they are purely aesthetic.
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