Old English Sheepdog
WASHING AND GROOMING TIPS FOR THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG
OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG
A much loved dog once famous as the face of Dulux paint, friendly intelligent and active with a Thick Double layered coat, with the top coat to tangling and knotting and the undercoat to matting. To maintain the coat in good condition they require at least once a day grooming, more if your dog is active and adventurous. We would recommend a very thorough daily brush to avoid the development of knots and tangling of the top coat and matting of the undercoat. Washing we recommend no more than once each 6-8 weeks and if your Old English Sheepdog is generally a clean dog and avoids smelly substances, washing can be every 8-10 weeks.
We would also suggest that during your daily grooming session you carefully check the coat by running your hands through the fur to ensure it is of an even depth and that you have dealt with all matting and knotting. Try to tease out knots by gentle combing using a detangling solution but if this does not work cut out the knot but do this on small knots only large knots gently persevere until you have reduced it to a smaller size.
So, to maintain your Old English Sheepdog in Tip Top condition we recommend the following.
A thorough daily brushing.
Thoroughly brush your dog before washing.
Before you start your shower and grooming sessions make sure you have all tools and materials required: –
Shampoo ensure you use a specific Dog Shampoo this will ensure that the Coat is maintained in great condition, Human Shampoo’s have different formulas not always compatible with your dog. Also a conditioner can help you maintain a lustrous and healthy looking coat
What you will require
Shampoo and Conditioner
Dogs Towels 1 x Roses PVA Mega Absorbent Towel, and I x Roses Large Microfibre Towel, for Old English Sheepdogs you may find that you will require two of each towel to thoroughly dry your dog
1 Roses Grooming and Drying Brush
1 Good Quality Pin Head Brush
1 Good Quality Comb
A good supply of treats
Washing your Old English Sheepdog
Always before washing your dog we recommend giving a good brush of their coat, and remember to maintain their coat in great condition they should be brushed at least once a day.
To wash your Old English Sheepdog, use the shower, or your Bath with a shower attachment (do not forget to use non-slip shower/bath mat) or in warmer months they can be washed outside but do ensure the temperature of the water is comfortable for your dog, and watch out for your Old English Sheepdog running off into the mud! When washing indoors please ensure the water is a comfortable temperature not too hot or too cold and where possible use a shower attachment if no shower head gently pour warm water over your Old English Sheepdog to thoroughly wet its coat, Special Note always ensure that you part the fur and thoroughly wet and rinse the undercoat. Then apply the shampoo and knead it thoroughly into the coat and the undercoat. If your Old English Sheepdog has got extremely dirty you may need to repeat this process, but we would recommend whenever possible to apply shampoo only once. Now this is important when rinsing the shampoo out you must ensure that all shampoo is rinsed away as any residue can cause itchiness, again please take special care to rinse all shampoo and conditioner from the undercoat. Another key point we would make is to avoid getting shampoo into the eyes and keep the inside of ears away from shampoo and water.
If using a conditioner, and with a Old English Sheepdog conditioner will give you excellent results with a wonderful lustrous coat, repeat rinsing process and again make sure the conditioner is thoroughly rinsed out of the coat.
When coat is thoroughly rinsed it is time to brush and dry, firstly remove most of the excess water with the Mega Absorbent PVA Towel, dabbing the dog all over, and squeezing out the towel regularly to ensure the maximum absorbency of the towel. Once all surplus water is removed then wrap your Malamute in a Roses Large Microfibre Towel gently dabbing the dog all over until the coat is as dry as possible. Special note here to avoid knotting, tangling and matting always dab dry do not vigorously rub dry.
To thoroughly and quickly dry your Old English Sheepdog, connect your Roses Grooming and Drying Brush set on medium heat and low speed and start brushing and Drying the coat, always brushing with the fur not against it, there is no correct place to start but the key advice we would give here is to ensure the whole coat is dry particularly around the base of the tail and around the ears. Ensure all the coat is brushed through and dry and if your dogs is a little anxious at first encourage with treats and words of encouragement. Once your dog is familiarised and comfortable with your Roses Grooming and Drying Brush you can increase the heat setting to full and increase the speed to high, but note when drying around the eyes and ears only use medium heat and low power. The permanent IONIC feature will ensure great condition to your dog’s coat and always give you great results when using a conditioner.
The choice of Brush head to use varies from Dog to Dog but generally we recommend that you use the Oval Pin Brush Head this our customer’s advise give’s the best results. However after using the tool you will develop your own technique and use brush heads which feel give you the best results.
We know that following these simple instructions you will soon be getting great results and you and your Old English Sheepdog will enjoy these sessions which can help create an excellent bond between you and your dog and of course keep them looking great and smelling good most of the time.
Following a wet walk, you can also follow these guidelines if not too dirty no need to shampoo, simply rinse with water, towel dry as outlined here and dry off with the Roses Grooming and Drying Brush, and after cold winter walks your Malamute will welcome being dry and warm.
We look forward to hearing your experiences and of course receiving pictures of your Old English Sheepdog after your Grooming and Pampering Sessions
THE ROSES TEAM
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