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Maintaining Your Dog's Coat In Winter

Maintaining Your Dog's Coat In Winter

During the cooler, wetter months, it's vitally important to keep up with your dog’s grooming and maintain his coat condition. A wintry outdoor environment can see your dog exposed more frequently to mud, puddles, wet grass, bushes and dry leaves and sticks. Not only will you be helping to protect your dog from the elements, but this will give you (or the groomer) the opportunity to check your dog over for any lumps, bumps, skin conditions, fleas and ticks.

Dogs will grow a thicker coat to help them combat the cold, naturally, but you still need to keep this coat neat for the insulation to function optimally. The thickness and length of your dog’s coat will determine the time spent on, and frequency of grooming, but all dogs need frequent brushing in winter. This will prevent matting and make the job much easier and more comfortable when he starts to lose his winter coat. A good brush of the coat also helps spread the dog’s natural oils and gets rid of dead skin.

Breeds that have a double coat, and those with fine hair that mat easily, should have special attention paid to grooming, year-round. In winter, make sure you’re brushing your dog frequently to remove loose hair and stop his coat from becoming matted. Mats cut off the airflow in your dog's hair and trap moisture and bad bacteria, which can cause painful and itchy skin infections, such as hotspots. It also pulls the skin very tight and even mild matting can be painful, but in severe cases, matting can cut off circulation to your dog's skin and cause hematomas.


Clipping your dog’s nails
While you’re tending to his paw pads, keep a close eye on the length of your dog’s nails. Exercise outdoors, especially walks on hard surfaces, helps to naturally wear down his nails, so if your dog has spent more time indoors because of cold or wet weather, he may have missed out on this naturally beneficial process. That said, even with regular exercise most dogs have front and sometimes rear dew claws which will always need attention – regular trimming can prevent the nails from curling and becoming embedded in your dog’s pads. Cutting your dog’s nails is a delicate task, and one you shouldn’t rush, or risk if you’re not confident in doing it. If you want to take extra care when trimming your dog’s nails, or if your dog refuses to let you trim his nails, it may be best to book him in with your local groomer.

Grooming your dog’s paws
Winter dog grooming should start from the ground up. During this season, your dog’s paws can be susceptible to additional damage due to wet, muddy conditions and the cold. It’s good to keep the hair between his paws trimmed neatly, to avoid the chance of mud building up and getting hard between the paw pads and causing discomfort. As this spot is a favourite of ticks, a daily check between all your dog’s paw pads is ideal, especially if you have taken him on walks through bushland.

Cleaning your dog’s ears
Ear care for dogs should remain the same year-round. It’s good to clean your dog’s ears weekly, or bi-weekly, to make sure they’re in good condition. As ears are a common spot for fleas and ticks, your daily check-up will let you keep an eye out for them, as well as any developing ear infections. Using a specific ear cleaner and piece of cotton wool, or special wet wipes, wipe your dog’s ear down gently, only skirting the outside of the ear canal. Dogs with long hair on their ears, such as Spaniels, should be brushed frequently to avoid the hair becoming matted, since brushing matted ears can be quite painful for dogs.

For additional grooming advice, please refer to our article Dog Grooming Basics.
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