Dog grooming
Brushing and maintaining your dog's coat between grooms
The best between-groom routine depends on the coat itself. Start with length, density, texture, undercoat and where tangles form, then use the gentlest technique that keeps the coat comfortable and manageable.
Match the routine to the coat
Smooth or short coats
Short coats often need relatively light maintenance. Brushing can help remove loose hair, distribute natural oils and make it easier to notice new lumps, skin changes or areas of sensitivity.
What to consider
Use a gentle tool and avoid repeated scraping over the same area simply because more hair continues to come out.
Double coats
Double coats can hold a significant amount of loose undercoat beneath the outer coat, especially during seasonal shedding. The goal is to remove loose coat without damaging healthy guard hairs or irritating the skin.
What to consider
Work in sections, use a suitable undercoat tool only where needed and avoid aggressive repeated de-shedding.
Long or feathered coats
Longer coats can tangle where hair rubs against collars, harnesses, legs, ears and the body. Regular comb-throughs help find small tangles before they tighten.
What to consider
Pay particular attention to friction areas and use a gentle comb check after surface brushing.
Curly or wool-like coats
Curly and wool-like coats can trap loose hair within the coat instead of shedding it away. That can make regular brushing and combing especially important between professional grooming appointments.
What to consider
Brush through the coat in manageable sections and check down to the skin rather than only smoothing the surface.
Wire, hairless and unusual coats
Wire coats and very low-coat dogs can need a different maintenance routine from conventional brushing. Hairless dogs may need more skin-focused care, while wire coats can have technique-specific grooming needs.
What to consider
Use the coat you can see and feel as the starting point and seek breed- or coat-specialist grooming advice where technique materially changes.
When maintenance becomes a professional-care question
Tight matting, skin pain, sores, persistent redness, unexplained hair loss or a sudden inability to maintain the coat can require professional grooming or veterinary assessment rather than more brushing at home.