March 24th, 2020 by Amy Varley

The German Shepherd… arguably the greatest dog to exist! Also, arguably one of the hardest dogs to keep looking their best as they don’t naturally take to water as they love to be dirty and shed twice a year. Each time they shed, it can last up to 6 months – so, as you can imagine, they can be quite difficult to keep on top of in regards to grooming. Here are our top tips for ensuring your German Shepherd look their best…

1. Start with a Bath

So…you’ve just returned from a walk. Your dog’s belly is covered in mud. So is the end of their nose, the back of their legs and even the length of their tail. In this instance, it’s probably best to start with a bath! Washing all the mud off as soon as you get home keeps your dog’s skin free from irritants and removes any risk of Alabama rot!

I like to bath my German Shepherd in the bathtub – much to her disapproval! Ensuring the coat is wet through with the showerhead, massage through the coat with shampoo. Using a dog shampoo that is specific for dogs is important. This will make sure the coat isn’t stripped of its natural oils and will be gentle for their skin. Our Gentle Touch shampoo is perfect for use on your German Shepherd, and is suitable for all coat types – great if you have other dogs at home! Once you have a good lather of shampoo, it’s time to rinse it off. Cue the puppy dog eyes and the looks that say, “Why are you doing this to me?”, “I prefer being covered in mud…” and my personal favourite from my dog is how she actually takes a deep breath and sighs like a human!

Pretty Pooch Dog Shampoo 2L - Baby Powder Fragrance

Price: £12.95

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2. Time to Dry

Once all the shampoo is out of your dog’s coat, you can towel them dry - this helps to remove any loose hair and prepares the coat for brushing! The German Shepherd’s coat doesn’t have to be completely dry for it to be brushed. It’s useful to go over the coat with a slicker brush before it dries to help ease out any surface tangles.

3. Brush Their Coat

An undercoat rake is my favourite brush to use on German Shepherds, they really help you to brush the hair right from its base which makes removing dead hair almost effortless! However, this is only effortless when your dog isn’t blowing their coat! “Blowing” is a term used to describe your dog having an extreme shed of their coat, it sometimes comes out in clumps and can be pulled out in tufts using your fingers. This makes the rake a little harder to get through the hair but is still the most efficient way of getting all that dead hair out! A metal comb or a dematting tool can be used to remove any tangles or mats that can often be found in the long-haired German Shepherd – especially behind the ears, the back legs and the underbelly! These areas should be brushed more often to prevent a build-up of knots which can tighten and cause your dog pain.

4. Finishing Touches

Once you’ve got any tangles out of your dog’s coat and it is dry you can go over it once again with a slicker brush, ensuring you brush with the direction of the hairs and your German Shepherd should be looking their best! To keep your newly washed German Shepherd smelling fresh for longer, why not use our Doggy Deo Spray? It can be used as either the finishing touch after a good grooming session or as a daily (or as when required) deodorising spray. Just spray a fine mist over your dog’s coat, ensuring you keep away from their eyes, face and other sensitive areas and your Shepherd should be smelling beautiful!

Pretty Pooch Doggy Deo Deodoriser Spray 250ml

Price: £10.00

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