Grooming the Coated German Shepherd Dog

Grooming the Coated German Shepherd Dog

by Jaime Landrum, owned and loved by Pieka (B-litter Markus vom Status Quo x Quellie vom Kirschental)

1.  Supplies You Will Need

• A natural bristle brush (I like the Vellus brand)
• A soft slicker brush
• A comb for any tangles/mats
• A spray-on coat conditioner.   Miracle Coat makes a good one that smells non-offensive.  Earth Bath has great products but they smell strong.  My favorites are often found at a horse tack store – they usually come in concentrate.
• A pair of clippers with interchangeable guards.   I like cordless ones the best.

2.  Jaime’s Grooming Routine

• Good grooming starts with a good diet.  If you feed poor quality food or food that does not agree with your dog, you can see it in the coat.
• It’s important to give a couple of sprays with the coat conditioner before brushing.  This cuts down on static and keeps the coat moisturized.
• I brush with the soft Vellus brush twice weekly. This is very gentle on the coat and is great for warding off mats.
• Once a week,  I go over her GENTLY with the slicker brush. You can scratch a dog with this, so be careful. The slicker pulls out dead hair,  especially from the wiry hair on her hindquarters,  but too much use can break the coat.   On the same day,  I use the comb behind her ears,  on her tail, check her armpits…all the places where mats are likely to develop.  If there is a mat,  I hand-scissor it.
• Once a month,  I use the clippers with a medium guard to trim down her ears and the crazy hairs on her neck.   I often trim down her paws as well to lessen the likelihood of getting a burr stuck in there.  The ear trimming is not necessary but I have found that I no longer get asked whether she is a mixed breed.

* I only bathe when Pieka truly needs it – I think over-bathing would dry out her coat and make it brittle. She is 1.5 years old and has had 3 baths. She is shiny and has little to no dog odor.

* I would be very careful using a Furminator on a coated GSD. It would be very easy to break off the coat. I LOVE the Furminator for short haired breeds, I used it frequently on my Rottweiler, but do not use it on Pieka. If she’s really shedding,  I will use a regular comb to pull out the dead hair.