How to Groom a Wirehaired Dachshund for Pet or Show Reasons
Place your wirehaired dog on a comfortable spot on the floor or on a grooming table., Use your pin brush and comb his ears gently., Repeat the steps above, but this time, use a bristle brush., Use the rubber brush and gently brush his back, neck...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Place your wirehaired dog on a comfortable spot on the floor or on a grooming table.
If you choose to be on the floor, lay out a soft, large towel.
Remove any accessories he is wearing such as a collar or dog clothing. -
Step 2: Use your pin brush and comb his ears gently.
Then turn him over on his back and brush his chest, under his armpits, and on his "under" legs.
Brush his legs too.
Pay SPECIAL attention to his beard, brush that very gently.
Also, pay special attention when brushing his back, that is what people will pet the most! , Make sure to brush his face and muzzle gently. , This will help to remove all the dead hairs. , DO NOT do this if you are going to give the dog a bath, the bath will take the oily feeling away. , The wax is usually a brown or black color.
Be careful not to stick your finger through the ear canal.
For the cleanser, use something like Nova Cleanse or Doctor's Foster and Smith Ear Cleanse.
Squirt the solution in the dog's ear and rub the ear in a circular motion.
Take a cotton ball, place it right under the flap, and tip your dog's head toward it.
The solution will be caught in the cotton ball.
Next, take a clean cotton ball and wipe were the solution stayed.
Your dog's ears should be very clean afterwards! , There is also a tiny finger brush with plastic bristles you can buy.
You can buy these at any pet store, in pet catalogs (such as Doctor's Foster and Smith), or from your veterinarian.
Brushing your dog's teeth is very important and can prevent painful and costly dental surgeries.
Use the toothbrushes and toothpastes formulated for dogs and rinse under hot water for about three seconds.
Then, put under cool water so it doesn't hurt your dog.
This will clean the toothbrush.
Take the toothpaste and squirt a pea-sized amount on the toothbrush.
Gently, move your dog's lip upward so you can see it's teeth.
Brush all the teeth inside the mouth for about one minute.
You should brush your dog's teeth at least twice a week. , Be careful! Do not get the wipe into the eye, this can really sting! , Use a small dog nail clipper, not a human nail clipper.
Ask your veterinarian to show you how to clip the nails, don't try it by yourself first! Clip only the tip of the nail, not any further or you will hit the quik.
The quik is very hard to see in black nails, so don't get any farther than the tip.
If you hit the quik, it will be a very painful and even fatal experience for your dog.
Check the warning section to learn what to do when you hit a quick.
Don't let the quick part of the nail stop you from clipping your dog's nails, clipping the nails is essential in the grooming process! ,, Scroll down to learn how to hand strip the coat.
Hand stripping wirehair brings out the clean, tidy coat of a dachshund and the clean body line.
It is worth the time it takes to do it (it can take longer than an hour).
There are several techniques, the quickest is to firmly pinch a small amount of long/dead hair between thumb and finger and pull it quickly with the direction of the hair.
Use a good pair of rubber gloves to prevent the hair from slipping out from your hands.
Start at the head and move towards the tail.
Hold your dog in your lap and under one arm.
At first do several short sessions to get your dog used to the procedure and make sure you win a struggle.
If you accidentally pull too much hair it can cause your dog to yelp, but carry on with smaller amounts of hair.
When you first start stripping the coat, to completely finish the whole stripping can take you a couple minutes each day, for a week.
This will get the dog used to the stripping, and will keep his skin from getting sore. , If you would like to learn how to do a quick "fast bath" go to the Tips part of the page.
Otherwise, stay here. , You MUST buy dog shampoo specially formulated for wiry coats.
The best I have used on my wires is Bigroom's Wire Coat shampoo.
It works! , Take the shampoo and squirt some in your hands.
Start to lather from the top of the neck to the end of the tail.
Shampoo the outside of the ears, the legs, the chest, belly, beard, and the rest of the body. (Don't get in eyes!) Rinse the shampoo out of the coat for at least 3 minutes, making sure you get every single bit of soap out of the coat. , Half the drying is done right there.
Take the towel and for about 20 seconds stroke all over the dog's body.
DO NOT RUB! Rubbing makes the coat frizzy and unkept-looking! Dachshund's coats are supposed to lie flat to the body! After, your dog will still be damp, but not wet.
This is perfect.
Take the bristle brush, pin brush, and comb, and repeat the brush routine as previously.
Make sure you are brushing in the direction the hair grows, and brush the coat so that it is flat on the body.
If you brush until dry, your dachshund will have a well-kept and tidy flat-lying coat! , Let your dog stand or if a show dog "stack".
Trim the whiskers, this will give your dog a cleaner look.
Don't worry, trimming the whiskers won't hurt the dog, and if you would rather not, you don't have to cut the whiskers if your dog isn't a show dog! , You will need to trim the beard and "eye brows" once a month.
You must also trim the hair on the paws and pad to keep it nice and tidy (this also prevents safety hazards like slipping).
Trimming the eyebrows , To cut them comb them forward, from the center of the head and with a pair of grooming scissors carefully cut straight across.
Try to leave no less or more than about an inch or three fourths of an inch of eyebrow.
Pluck between the eyebrows and top of the nose to improve appearance. -
Step 3: Repeat the steps above
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Step 4: but this time
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Step 5: use a bristle brush.
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Step 6: Use the rubber brush and gently brush his back
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Step 7: and thighs.
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Step 8: If the rubber brush gives your dog an oily feeling
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Step 9: take a bath wipe and wipe over the body.
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Step 10: Use either ear wipes
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Step 11: or ear cleanser and wipe the ear where wax is evident and through the different crevasses in the ear.
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Step 12: Take your dog's toothbrush and dog toothpaste.
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Step 13: Wipe the eyes boogers away and around the eye rim with the eye wipes.
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Step 14: Time to clip those nails!
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Step 15: Time to hand-strip the coat!
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Step 16: Hand stripping is ESSENTIAL in the grooming process for the wire dachshund (no matter whether it is a tight-coated wire to soft-coated wire).
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Step 17: Time to have a bath!
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Step 18: Get the right Shampoo and Conditioner Buy some dog shampoo that will keep your wire dachshund's coat's wiry and crisp-looking.
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Step 19: Directions for Bathing your Wire Dachshund Wet your dog completely starting from the top of the head to the end of the tail.
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Step 20: Let your dog shake the water off once.
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Step 21: Take out the grooming scissors after the bath.
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Step 22: take out the blunt-edged dog grooming scissors.
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Step 23: The eyebrows of a wirehaired dachshund can grow pretty long.
Detailed Guide
If you choose to be on the floor, lay out a soft, large towel.
Remove any accessories he is wearing such as a collar or dog clothing.
Then turn him over on his back and brush his chest, under his armpits, and on his "under" legs.
Brush his legs too.
Pay SPECIAL attention to his beard, brush that very gently.
Also, pay special attention when brushing his back, that is what people will pet the most! , Make sure to brush his face and muzzle gently. , This will help to remove all the dead hairs. , DO NOT do this if you are going to give the dog a bath, the bath will take the oily feeling away. , The wax is usually a brown or black color.
Be careful not to stick your finger through the ear canal.
For the cleanser, use something like Nova Cleanse or Doctor's Foster and Smith Ear Cleanse.
Squirt the solution in the dog's ear and rub the ear in a circular motion.
Take a cotton ball, place it right under the flap, and tip your dog's head toward it.
The solution will be caught in the cotton ball.
Next, take a clean cotton ball and wipe were the solution stayed.
Your dog's ears should be very clean afterwards! , There is also a tiny finger brush with plastic bristles you can buy.
You can buy these at any pet store, in pet catalogs (such as Doctor's Foster and Smith), or from your veterinarian.
Brushing your dog's teeth is very important and can prevent painful and costly dental surgeries.
Use the toothbrushes and toothpastes formulated for dogs and rinse under hot water for about three seconds.
Then, put under cool water so it doesn't hurt your dog.
This will clean the toothbrush.
Take the toothpaste and squirt a pea-sized amount on the toothbrush.
Gently, move your dog's lip upward so you can see it's teeth.
Brush all the teeth inside the mouth for about one minute.
You should brush your dog's teeth at least twice a week. , Be careful! Do not get the wipe into the eye, this can really sting! , Use a small dog nail clipper, not a human nail clipper.
Ask your veterinarian to show you how to clip the nails, don't try it by yourself first! Clip only the tip of the nail, not any further or you will hit the quik.
The quik is very hard to see in black nails, so don't get any farther than the tip.
If you hit the quik, it will be a very painful and even fatal experience for your dog.
Check the warning section to learn what to do when you hit a quick.
Don't let the quick part of the nail stop you from clipping your dog's nails, clipping the nails is essential in the grooming process! ,, Scroll down to learn how to hand strip the coat.
Hand stripping wirehair brings out the clean, tidy coat of a dachshund and the clean body line.
It is worth the time it takes to do it (it can take longer than an hour).
There are several techniques, the quickest is to firmly pinch a small amount of long/dead hair between thumb and finger and pull it quickly with the direction of the hair.
Use a good pair of rubber gloves to prevent the hair from slipping out from your hands.
Start at the head and move towards the tail.
Hold your dog in your lap and under one arm.
At first do several short sessions to get your dog used to the procedure and make sure you win a struggle.
If you accidentally pull too much hair it can cause your dog to yelp, but carry on with smaller amounts of hair.
When you first start stripping the coat, to completely finish the whole stripping can take you a couple minutes each day, for a week.
This will get the dog used to the stripping, and will keep his skin from getting sore. , If you would like to learn how to do a quick "fast bath" go to the Tips part of the page.
Otherwise, stay here. , You MUST buy dog shampoo specially formulated for wiry coats.
The best I have used on my wires is Bigroom's Wire Coat shampoo.
It works! , Take the shampoo and squirt some in your hands.
Start to lather from the top of the neck to the end of the tail.
Shampoo the outside of the ears, the legs, the chest, belly, beard, and the rest of the body. (Don't get in eyes!) Rinse the shampoo out of the coat for at least 3 minutes, making sure you get every single bit of soap out of the coat. , Half the drying is done right there.
Take the towel and for about 20 seconds stroke all over the dog's body.
DO NOT RUB! Rubbing makes the coat frizzy and unkept-looking! Dachshund's coats are supposed to lie flat to the body! After, your dog will still be damp, but not wet.
This is perfect.
Take the bristle brush, pin brush, and comb, and repeat the brush routine as previously.
Make sure you are brushing in the direction the hair grows, and brush the coat so that it is flat on the body.
If you brush until dry, your dachshund will have a well-kept and tidy flat-lying coat! , Let your dog stand or if a show dog "stack".
Trim the whiskers, this will give your dog a cleaner look.
Don't worry, trimming the whiskers won't hurt the dog, and if you would rather not, you don't have to cut the whiskers if your dog isn't a show dog! , You will need to trim the beard and "eye brows" once a month.
You must also trim the hair on the paws and pad to keep it nice and tidy (this also prevents safety hazards like slipping).
Trimming the eyebrows , To cut them comb them forward, from the center of the head and with a pair of grooming scissors carefully cut straight across.
Try to leave no less or more than about an inch or three fourths of an inch of eyebrow.
Pluck between the eyebrows and top of the nose to improve appearance.
About the Author
Joseph Jimenez
Writer and educator with a focus on practical home improvement knowledge.
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