If you’ve recently purchased an Australian Shepherd, are interested in buying or adopting one, or already have one and are looking for some grooming tips, then you’ve come to the right place.
Grooming can sometimes be challenging if you don’t know where to begin, but thankfully, our guide has everything you might need to know about grooming your Australian Shepherd’s coat.
While Australian Shepherd grooming can sometimes be extensive, owners generally don’t need to worry about giving their dog a haircut.
Some owners do, however, like to give their dogs haircuts just to make them look a little more spiffy, and there are some great styles you can choose from.
The Australian Shepherd Club of America recommends using a pair of trimming scissors with 42 to 46 teeth, as this will give your dog more of a natural look that you wouldn’t be able to get using normal scissors.
Keeping your Australian Shepherd’s coat shorter will also prevent them from shedding as much, which you will want, as these dogs shed A LOT!
As stated above, it is hardly necessary to trim your Australian Shepherd’s coat, but you can do so if you want to.
If you don’t trim their coats, they will not turn into unmanageable furballs like some other breeds do!
If you want to trim your Australian Shepherd’s coat, then you have three popular hairstyles to choose from. Make sure to purchase a good pair of thinning shears or a grooming kit before you begin dog grooming!
You can choose to experiment with the style of your dog’s coat, but you shouldn’t cut their hair too short, as it could mess with the balance of their coats, which they use for insulation from the heat and cold.
The first popular style is called the minimal trim, which won’t change the look of your dog much but will neaten them up a bit.
This style entails trimming the hair around the feet, tail, ears, legs, and britches. Trimming this hair will stop your dog from shedding as much as they normally do, which will stop you from needing to sweep your floors as much!
The hair around their feet is normally trimmed, and some of the fur in between their pads if it is long enough to warrant a trim. You should generally brush this hair around their feet first, as it will then be easier to cut with shears. Owners should carefully trim around their dog’s feet, as cutting their pads by mistake may make it painful for them to walk around.
When trimming the tail, you should cut a straight line across the ends of their tails and only trim the hair that looks long and unkempt.
When trimming your dog’s ears, you should brush the fur towards their tails. You should then trim the fur so that it is flush with their ears.
The legs are often not trimmed, but some people choose to trim the fringe on their front legs. They should generally be lying flat on the ground with their legs out in front of them. You can then trim about half the length of the fringes on their legs.
When trimming your dog’s britches, which are the long part of the coat just below their tails, you should follow the curve of their coat and not cut too much off.
The teddy cut is another popular style that many owners choose for their Australian Shepherds. This will make your dog look a lot less fluffy.
It entails trimming the excess hair around their faces, feet, bodies, bellies, and sides, giving them a cute stuffed animal-like look.
This hairstyle is a little bit more difficult to achieve if you are a beginner, so you should generally take your dog to a professional groomer if you want to get this look right.
This is also the case for the Simba cut, which will make your dog have a bit of a lion-like appearance! This is a very cute look that entails trimming most of the rest of the body short and leaving the fur around their heads and necks nice and fluffy.
This will have your Australian Shepherd looking like the king of the jungle, which is definitely fitting for this spunky breed!
If your heart is not set on making your Australian Shepherd look like a teddy bear or lion, then their grooming requirements aren’t all that high maintenance.
Give them a daily brushing. This is a necessity for this breed, so it is best to look elsewhere if you don’t have the time to groom them this frequently. If you don’t brush your Australian Shepherd enough, loose fur, oils, dirt, and residues will build up and cause some issues.
Daily brushing is especially important during shedding season, which is normally around spring, as this double-coated breed will shed off its hefty winter coat.
Brushing stops excess dog hair from getting all over your home, so you will end up having to sweep far less. Brushing also stimulates new hair growth and spreads oils around your dog’s double coat, which will help keep it looking and feeling healthy.
When brushing, you should generally use a long tooth undercoat rake and a slicker brush. You should brush using the slicker brush going with the grain, as going against the grain could pull your dog’s fur and cause them pain.
Continue combing. Once you have brushed off the loose hair from the top of the coat, you should use the long-tooth undercoat rake to get deeper into your dog’s coat to remove excess hair from the dead coat better.
When brushing and combing, you should be sure to do so gently, as brushing too hard or vigorously can cause your dog pain and irritate your dog’s skin.
Bathe them occasionally. You should only bathe your Australian Shepherd once every few months or when they are dirty. You should always use a dog-friendly shampoo, and make sure to rinse it off properly, and then dry them off with a towel.
Grooming does not just end with brushing and bathing, as dog owners also need to take care of their dog’s teeth, nails, and ears. This will keep your dog healthy and clean!
When the time comes to trim the nails of your Australian Shepherd, you should use guillotine-style dog nail scissors to clip them. If your dog has lighter-coloured nails, you should avoid the pink part of their nails, as this will cause them to bleed.
If your dog has black nails, you should only cut around 0,3cm off, as the pink tissue will not be visible. If you aren’t comfortable doing this, you should take your dog to a professional groomer or vet to get them cut.
To clean your Australian Shepherd’s ears, you need some cotton balls and an ear-cleaning solution that is safe for dogs. You should apply the solution to your dog’s ears and then only wipe the visible parts of your dog’s ear. This only needs to take place once a week.
Your dog’s teeth need to be brushed once every two days. You should purchase a dog toothbrush and toothpaste and gently brush your dog’s teeth and gums in a slow circular motion. After this, rinse the toothbrush and brush again to remove any leftover toothpaste. This will keep your dog’s pearly whites healthy.
Australian Shepherd grooming is not particularly difficult, and there are plenty of videos out there on the internet that should help you out.
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