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Bernese Mountain Dog Grooming.
Informtion on how to groom your Bernese Mountain Dog
DBT highly recommends the How To Professionally Groom Your Dog At Home ebook when learning to groom your dog or pet.
Your Bernese mountain dog is also referred to as the Burmese mountain dog. It has a thick coat and is a high shedder. This coat is lustrous and self-cleaning to the point that even skunk odour is shed with a simple rinse.
The coat is glossy not silky, short and dense.
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.
Its seasonal growth cycle is disturbed.
It will have problems regulating its temperature and it can get windburn or sunburn easily. Shaving also leaves a dog itchy and irritated because the dead hair shafts are left behind.
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
Tools: Bristle brush, slicker, medium-toothed comb, rake, shedding blade
Use a firm-bristled brush on the short-haired Bernese Mountain dog.
Use the slicker and comb to untangle hair on the long-haired.
Line brushing consists of holding hair up and out of the way and then brushing/detangling a small amount of hair, a line or a row, at a time from underneath.
Always work from the inside out on a coat and from the bottom to the top of the hair.
Use one hand to brace the skin of your dog firmly while working out knots.
Use the rake to pull out the undercoat.
This dog will benefit from the shedding blade during shedding seasons.
Eyes: Check your dog's eyes daily.
Debris is flushed to the corners of the eyes and daily wiping with a wet cloth or paper towel can prevent the build up of bacteria.
Ears: Check the ears of your Bernese Mountain dog once a week.
Your dogs ears should be pink and healthy inside. If not, don't do anything to them until you see a vet. Keeping your dogs' ears clean minimizes odour, removes dirt, bacteria and mites trapped in wax. Never use a cotton swab on the inner ear.
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 ear and rub and massage to loosen wax. Swab out with cotton wool balls or cloth.
Trim the hairs inside your dog's ears as needed.
Teeth: Regularly.
80% of 3 year old dogs have periodontal disease due to lack of brushing. 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.
Nail care is very important for your Bernese Mountain dog.
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. It will affect its 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 of the pliers variety, 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 to prevent catching and splintering. 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 causes the quick to recede farther away from the tip.
Paws: Check daily/Trim every two weeks.
It is very important to Check between your dogs pads for foreign objects that may have wedged there and check the pads themselves for cuts, scrapes and infection.
Tools: Small, blunt scissors, slicker brush.
The hair that grows between pads can mat and trap bacteria, besides becoming painful to walk on.
Otherwise, Trim hair around the paws to keep them clean. Only do this when the dog is standing on the paw.
Then, push feathers growing on top of the foot down through the toes to the pad.
Lift your dogs paw, and from the back, brush out the hair and trim to the same level as the pad.
Push feathers back up through the toes and trim from the top.
Hygienic trimming: 2 to 4 weeks.
Tools: Thinning shears, electric clippers
Thinning, trimming and clipping at the ear opening, base of the tail, around the anus and privates keeps your dog feeling better as well as keeping it and your house cleaner.
Expressing Glands: Every 2 to 4 weeks
This is a task normally done when you take your dog in for professional grooming. Your dog uses scent glands in the anus to mark its territory.
These glands also excrete when your dog defecates. At times, they may get impacted. Signs of this include: increased doggie odour, excessive licking and chewing of the behind and worst of all, scooting (when your dog drags its bottom along the floor or carpet).
There is no risk of overly expressing these glands so it's best to get accustomed to doing it regularly as it will lessen dog odour.
Tools: Warm cloth
Lift the dog's tail and hold the cloth against it's behind. Place your fingers at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock and press inward and squeeze to expel.
Bathing: As needed
The Bernese Mountain dog does not need regular bathing. They have an all-weather coat and natural oils that moisturize their skin, keeping their coat glossy and resistant to dirt and water. Stripping these oils with frequent bathing dries out the skin and stops the effects of their self-cleaning coat.
A rubdown with a damp towel can remove dirt and sponge cleaning of the face, legs and feathers is always an option.
With regular brushing, ear cleaning and gland expression, dog odour will remain minimal.
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, leash, towels.
Choose a place where you can block escape routes and expect 1-3 water-spraying shakes.
A leash tied to a higher point than your dog's head will keep it standing and prevent it from escaping. This is highly recommended as it's really difficult to hold a slippery dog.
Never bathe your dog in standing water. A sprayer hose is a must.
If you'd like to bathe your Bernese Mountain dog outside with warm water, simply attach a hose to the kitchen sink. Many grooming shops now offer self-serve tubs and supplies.
Wet your dog using your hand so as to massage and lift the hair to get to the undercoat.
Avoid getting water into the eyes, nose and ears.
cotton wool balls can be placed in the ear canals to deter water.
Massage lather down to undercoat.
Rinse thoroughly as 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.
Dry with a towel.
If it's not a breezy day, use a self-serve salon's blow-dryer. They're more powerful and cooler than a human one. A damp undercoat can lead to painful mats.
Salon Stuff/Haircuts:
If you'd like to show your Bernese mountain dog, it is shown naturally, the only trimming done is on its ears and feet.