Do you wish your dog didn’t shed?  Are you sick of seeing those hairballs float across your floor?  Are you sick of having to sweep every day?  Bringing your dog in regularly can drastically cut back on the amount of fur your dog sheds.  Having your dog bathed, and most of all, brushed regularly will help minimize the hair in your house.  I strongly recommend bringing your dog in for a thorough brush out every 4 weeks and a bath every 4 to 8 weeks….and this is only IF you are also brushing your own dog at home at least once or twice a week….otherwise they should come in weekly just for a brushing (brushings are free as long as your dog comes for a full groom every 6 weeks or less, and they only take about 15 to 20 minutes).  Depending on the size of your dog, you can save up to $10 if you come every 6 weeks or less or up to $15 if you come every 4 weeks or less. Plus, every 5th groom, you would receive 50% off.

Some people who own dogs as hairy as this think they should just get them groomed once a year in the summer and they get them shaved.  I do not recommend this as shaving a dog like this is not good for their skin or their fur.  When they are shaved they can get sunburned or bit by bugs much easier.  Also, the more you shave a dog that is not meant to be shaved, the more likely the hair will not grow back properly.  Dogs NEED their fur to help keep them warm in the winter and keep them cool in the summer.  The best thing to do to make your dog more comfortable in the summer and the winter is to get them groomed regularly.

This first picture is of my st. bernard Shiloh before I started grooming/de-shedding her….it had been MONTHS since i had groomed her, which I admit is a REALLY bad example for me to set! But this will show you just how much fur can come off a dog that has not been groomed in a long time.  The blue stuff on her side is toothpaste by the way….my 2 1/2 year old decided to paint her about 2 weeks prior to this.

This second photo is all the fur that came off of her when i combed her out.  As you can see it is A LOT!!!  If your dog is groomed regularly, this pile is very small in comparison.

This last picture is how she looks afterwards.  I did have to shave behind her ears as they were too matted to save and i also had to shave part of her pants in the back…but that is all hidden so no one will ever know

She is all tired out now….i had to do this groom over 2 days since it took so long!  And also because, on the first day i forgot to take an anti-histamine and she makes me sneeze   She got a bath/dry and semi-brush out the first day (which took about 2 1/2 hours) and then the next day i finished brushing her, trimmer her feet, cleaned her ears and teeth (another 2 hours)….She took a total of 4 1/2 hours….but if i had done this 4 to 6 weeks after the last time i groomed her it would have only taken an hour to an hour and a half.  Usually the price of your dogs groom is dependent on many factors, one of the main factors is how long it takes and how “hairy” your dog is.  So, therefore the more often you come, the less it will cost!

When I first started her groom I could NOT get a comb through her at all!  She had sooooo much undercoat in there and i couldn’t feel her skin.  By the time I was done I could put a fine tooth comb through every part of her and when i pet her i can feel how “thin” her fur is….a thorough de-shedding job!  The picture below are the tools I recommend for brushing your long-haired “shedding” dog at home.  Start with the undercoat rake….and them move onto the METAL comb….i use the fine tooth end of it as it gets more fur out.  I also use a recirculating bathing system which helps get a lot of hair out and i give her a semi-brushout in the bath with a slicker brush while she is all soaped up.  Using a good quality de-shedding shampoo and conditioner can help as well.

Getting your dog groomed regularly will keep him/her a happy, clean, nice smelling dog all the time