The Brushing Routine
4 cards · about a minute
Match tool to coat
A slicker for tangles, a rubber curry for short coats, an undercoat rake for double coats, the wrong brush is why most dogs decide they hate this.
Brush a calm dog
Wait until after the walk when your dog has already settled, because grooming a wound-up dog teaches them that the brush arrives with restraint.
Five minutes, daily
A short brush every day beats an hour every fortnight: mats form close to the skin, and by the time you can see one it already hurts.
Use your hands too
Run your fingers over the whole dog as you go, lumps, ticks, hot spots and sore joints are all found here first, weeks before anyone else would notice.