Before adopting a dog there are many things you need to take into consideration including size, energy level and grooming needs. There are many grooming-intensive dog breeds that will either require a lot of time or a lot of money to properly care for. Before adopting a dog you'll need to consider how much time you're willing to put into his grooming needs at home (which could include learning how to groom him as well as the actually grooming tasks) or how much money you'll be able to invest in professional grooming.
Grooming-intensive dog breeds generally have long hair, which is easily matted or tangled. That's not the only deciding factor, though. They may also need regular ear and eye care, have special bathing needs (like lots of folds and wrinkles to wash between), or skin conditions that require special grooming maintenance.
Sometimes I get a little tired of brushing and bathing our chocolate Labrador retriever, but then I realize how much worse it could be if I owned one of the grooming-intensive dog breeds. I decided to read up on these breeds this week and share some great resources with you.
RELATED: Dog Grooming Supplies 101 – The Ultimate Buyers’ Guide
If you're thinking about adopting a new dog, these may be breeds that you'd like to steer clear of. Or maybe you're like me, and reading this article will make you appreciate your own dog a bit more. The brushing, bathing and nail clipping can get a bit frustrating at times, but remember that you could have to care for one of these grooming-intensive dog breeds.
Grooming-Intensive Dog Breeds
1. Dog Breeds of the World
You might be thinking, I can get away with adopting one of the grooming-intensive dog breeds and not putting in the full effort to keep their coat maintained. First of all, grooming is more than just your dog's coat. It includes ear and eye care, toenail clipping, anal gland expressing and many more tasks that you may not be willing to do yourself.
But, you're right. The coat is the biggest part of grooming. If you think you can get away without maintaining your dog's coat on a regular basis, think again! Grooming-intensive dog breeds need to be on a strict grooming schedule. If their coat begins to develop tangles and mats it will cause them a lot of pain. It may also lead to more serious medical issues, as this article from Dog Breeds of the World explains:
- Listed here are breeds that need regular grooming, whether professional or just intensive, usually daily, grooming at home. In these breeds grooming represents an important investment, whether time-wise or financially, that should be carefully evaluated before buying or adopting one of these breeds. When neglected, these breeds will be prone to infectious skin problems and parasites.
2. Dogs.PetBreeds.com
If you just want a rundown of some of the top grooming-intensive dog breeds, this quick slideshow created by Dogs.PetBreeds.com shows 25 of the most time-consuming dogs to groom. They don't give a lot of information on the individual grooming needs of the breed, but it's a nice starting point. Not to mention, just by looking at the photos, you can usually tell why a dog is placed on this list.
- Dogs are a lot of work. They require feeding, walking, the occasional visit to the vet, and cry literally every time you leave abandon them at home alone (at least that’s how they would describe it). But some breeds take even more work than that…to identify the 25 most high-maintenance dog breeds–the ones that require the most grooming, shed the most, need rigorous exercise, and take the longest to train.
3. PetPeoplesPlace.com
Grooming requirements should be one of the deciding factors that you consider when deciding to adopt a dog. Most potential pet owners overlook this area, but it will affect you (and your pet) more than you think. This website has compiled a list of popular dog breeds and sorted them by their grooming requirements.
If you click on the breed that you're interested in, you will be taken to specific information about the breed and the grooming requirements that come with it.
- Grooming Considered Difficult
- Afghan Hound
- Australian Shepherd
- Bearded Collie
- Bichon Frise
- Borzoi
- Bull Terrier
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Chow Chow
- Collie
- Great Pyrenees
- Lhaso Apso
- Old English Sheepdog
- Pekingese
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Shih Tzu
- Wire Fox Terrier
4. Pet GroomerMagazine.com
This website is full of information for professional groomers. If you are a professional dog groomer, that's great, but you're probably wondering why I included on my list this week. Well, put simply, groomers end up telling a lot of dog owners the same things over and over. There are many common grooming mistakes made by pet parents who are uneducated.
This is no one's fault, but by doing a bit of research you could save yourself, your dog and your groomer the hassle. The information in this post gives some great tips for owners of the most grooming-intensive dog breeds. It may also teach you about a few treatments that may be right for your dog – just make sure to discuss it with your groomer before making that decision.
- Dogs that are not groomed often enough are typically in poor condition; either heavily matted, overgrown or extra dirty. A dog on an irregular schedule may not be used to the grooming experience – making the job more difficult. I find dogs that are groomed regularly within two to six weeks enjoy the experience a lot more then dogs that come in every three months or more. When addressing long double-coated breeds, sometimes just getting the dogs on a regular rotation of four to six weeks cuts down on time and stress for you and the dog.
5. PetHelpful
This website is full of great information for dog owners and professionals who work with canines. The reason that I wanted to share this article is because there may be a few reading this who feel there is no way their dog is going to let them, or anyone else for that matter, come near them with a pair of clippers.
It's rare, but there are times when a dog needs to be groomed and cannot be restrained safely to get the job done. In that case, sedation may be used or your grooming and veterinarian may recommend a prescription medication to be given before grooming. This will vary on a cases by case basis depending on the severity of your dog's reaction to being groomed.
This article explains when it is necessary for a dog to be sedated for grooming, other tips that you might try if you don't want your pet sedated and ways to teach your pup to enjoy grooming. It's well-written and very informative.
- Need to groom your dog, but not too eager in having your vet prescribe drugs? After all, drugs can give side effects as you may know and won't go to the root of the problem. Studies reveal that drug therapy is rarely curative by itself and in most cases is only indicated as ancillary therapy in a behavior modification program. So perhaps you may find some natural calming aids a better option.
6. There are low-maintenance dog breeds too!
If you're worried about adopting one of the most grooming-intensive dog breeds, then you're likely looking for a canine companion that won't require as much primping. I figured it would be best to include a site with information on dog breeds that require very little grooming as well. That's exactly what this article from VetStreet.com is focused on.
- From brushing to odor control to water-resistant coats, various dog breeds sport certain characteristics that make them easy to care for in different ways, even if they don’t always appear to be at first glance. Take a gander at the following breeds who rank high in these five low-maintenance grooming categories…
