Welcome To Dog-Behavior-Training.co.uk
Anatolian Shepherd Dog Grooming.
Informtion on how to groom your Anatolian Shepherd Dog
DBT highly recommends the How To Professionally Groom Your Dog At Home ebook when learning to groom your dog or pet.
This large, rugged powerful dog has a short coat that looks deceivingly simple. In fact, the Anatolian Shepherd has a double coat that sheds heavily. Brush your dog several times a week, and daily during shedding seasons.
Regular brushing is one of the best things you can do to keep your pet healthy and happy. You should always brush in the direction of hair growth.
Brushing:
. Removes dirt and debris
. Invigorates the skin
. Spreads oils to moisturize skin and keep its coat shiny
. Prevents mats and tangles which are irritating and painful and can harbour bacteria, fungus and other infection
. Keeps your house clean, especially during shedding seasons
. Bonding, massaging, loving interaction
. Early detection of fleas, ticks, eczema, infection and smells
that signals something's wrong.
Its seasonal growth cycle is disturbed.
It will have problems regulating its temperature and it can get windburn or sunburn easily.
Shaving changes the coat color and texture and leaves your dog's skin itchy and irritated.
Tools: Firm bristle brush, slicker, rake, shedding blade
Brush your dog often with a bristle brush. Use the slicker to untangle knots in the feathers. Use the rake to pull out the undercoat. The shedding blade can be used in all seasons.
Eyes: Check your Anatolian's eyes daily.
Debris is flushed to the corners and daily wiping with a wet towel can keep that bacterial breeding ground from building up.
Ears: Check ears once a week.
They should be pink and healthy inside. If not, don't do anything to them until you see a vet. Keeping ears clean minimizes odour, removes dirt, bacteria and mites trapped in wax. Never go deep into the ear with a cotton swab.
Tools: cotton wool balls or soft cloth and ear solution.
There are solutions made specifically for dogs but substitutes include: hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, mineral oil, witch hazel, and tea tree oil.
Place a few drops of ear solution in the ear. Rub and massage to loosen wax. Swab out with a cotton wool balls or soft cloth.
Teeth: Regularly.
80% of 3 year old dogs have periodontal disease. Cavities and gum disease are painful for your dog; they diminish its pleasure and ability to eat. Bacteria that develops can infect the heart, kidney, liver and brain.
Really bad breath is usually a sign of gum disease.
Tools: Toothbrush/finger cap/cloth, doggie toothpaste, tooth scraper.
Never use human toothpaste. It is not edible.
Starting your dog off with this practice takes patience. Reward it constantly, no matter what its behavior to get it used to grooming.
Start off by getting it used to its mouth being handled.
Progress to touching the teeth with your finger.
Get some meat-flavoured toothpaste and apply with your finger.
Then introduce the brush. Clean a few teeth at a time and soon you will have a routine that takes just minutes.
Brush in a circular motion and get under the gum line.
If you don't want to brush everyday, use a tooth scraper once or twice a month to get rid of the build up of plaque. It accumulates mostly on the outside of the teeth and on the back molars. This won't be much fun for your or your dog though. Lots of bones and hard, crunchy foods can minimize plaque but not to a truly effective degree.
Nails: Every two weeks.
Nails that aren't trimmed can splinter and infect the quick or grow and curl into the flesh. This can be painful for your dog to walk on, affect it's gait, posture, and eventually it's skeletal and ligament health. Nails should never touch the ground. When your dog is standing its nails should rest above the ground. If you hear clicking on the kitchen floor, clipping is overdue.
Tools: Doggie Nail Clippers (Scissors, pliers, guillotine), Dremel or file, Styptic or Kwikstop.
Sit beside your dog and put your arm around its shoulders if you can so that you are clipping from underneath and at the right angle.
Lift the paw and press on it to expose the claw.
If it has a clear nail you should be able to see the quick: a dark bundle of nerves and blood vessels. Clip from underneath close to the quick but do not cut into it. If you do, your dog will soon let you know. Use Styptic pencil or Kwikstop to staunch the bleeding.
Buff the ragged edge with a file or Dremel.
Some dogs can handle their nails being buffed by the Dremel regularly, rather than clipping.
If it has a dark nail, clip just under the curve of the nail and then you will be able to look inside and see the quick if you look close enough. Clip using tiny snips at a time.
Don't forget to check for dewclaws: an extra claw dogs may have farther up on the leg that works like a thumb. It is better to clip your dog's nails frequently as this encourages the quick to recede farther away from the tip.
Paws: Check daily.
It is very important to check between dog pads for foreign objects that may have wedged there and to check the pads themselves for cuts, scrapes and infection.
Hygienic trimming: 2 to 4 weeks.
Tools: Thinning shears, electric clippers
Trimming, thinning and clipping at the opening of the ears, around the privates, anus and base of the tail makes your dog feel better as well as keeping it and your house clean.
Expressing Glands: Every 2 to 4 weeks
This is one of the services you pay for at the groomers. The anal glands excrete a scented fluid to mark a territory. These glands also excrete when the dog defecates. At times, these glands can get impacted. Signs of this are: increased doggie odour, excessive licking and chewing of the behind and, worst of all, scooting. That's when your dog drags his butt across your carpet.
There is no risk of overly expressing these glands so it's good to get accustomed to doing this regularly. It will lessen dog odour.
Tools: Warm cloth
Lift your dog's tail and place your cloth-draped hand on its backside. Place your thumb and forefinger at 5 o'clock and 7'o clock. Press inward and squeeze.
Bathing: As needed
Anatolian Shepherds do not need regular bathing. Having an all-weather coat, they have natural oils that moisturize their skin and keep their coat glossy and resistant to dirt and water. Stripping these oils with frequent bathing dries out the skin and is a deterrent to a healthy coat.
A rubdown with a damp towel can remove dirt.
With regular brushing/combing, ear cleaning and gland expression, dog odour will remain at a minimum.
Bathing a few times a year is usually adequate.
Exceptions to this are when your dog manages to roll in something or during its shedding season. A bath can help to remove a large amount of shedding hair.
Tools: Non-slip mat, sprayer hose, dog shampoo, conditioner, leash, towels.
Choose a place where you can block escape routes and expect 1-3 water-spraying shakes.
A leash tied to a high point so that your dog's head is elevated will prevent it from escaping and keep it upright during bathing. I highly recommend this as it's really hard to hold a slippery dog.
Never bathe your dog in standing water and never use human shampoo.
Wet your Anatolian using your hand to massage it and lifting the hair to get to the undercoat.
Avoid getting water into the eyes, nose and ears: cotton wool balls can help.
Massage lather down to undercoat.
Rinse thoroughly. Leftover shampoo can severely dry out and irritate your pet's skin.
Squeeze out excess water by running your hands along its body and pressing.
