How to Make a Dog's Coat Shiny

Healthy dogs have shiny fur.

Every pet owner wants their dog's coat to be shiny, soft and full. With proper diet, nutrition and grooming, the dullest of fur can be brought back to life. Making a dog's coat shiny can be achieved within a few weeks of maintenance. To preserve the shiny coat, a new lifestyle of high protein foods and regular grooming must be maintained.

Things You'll Need

• Premium dog food
• Grooming tools
• Nutritional supplements

Instructions

1. Determine why the dog's coat is dull. If a simple bath with moisturizing dog shampoo or trip to the groomer doesn't do the trick, there are health issues that will need to be addressed.

2. Moisturize the dog from the inside out. Feed the dog high-protein, nutrient-rich dog food. Cheap dog foods are often heavy with fillers such as corn, wheat and flour. Although they make the dog feel full, they don't give his body many nutrients. Dog foods high in fatty acids, proteins and fish oils will nourish the dog from the inside, which will make his coat look healthier and shiny.

3. Add a supplement to the dog's food. Visit your local pet store for nutritional supplements. Some are labeled for skin and coat heath. These added oils and nutrients will nourish the dog from the inside out, making his coat shiny. Supplements are available in pills, liquids to add to the dog's food and powders to add to wet dog food.

4. Brush the dog's coat regularly. Stimulating the skin and hair follicles will increase natural oil production, giving the dog a shinier coat. Brush the dog on a regular basis, even if it has short fur, to stimulate the skin.

5. Bathe the dog sparingly. One bath every few months is plenty. Bathe the dog if it gets extra messy, but otherwise a bath once every 8 weeks is plenty. You want oils to build up on its fur. Bathing it too often will lead to dry skin and dull fur.

6. Apply a finishing spray. Visit the grooming supply aisle at your local pet store. Along with shampoos, conditioners and detanglers, shine sprays can be applied directly to the fur to give the coat a shiny appearance. These should not be used to mask a nutritional deficiency.

Tips & Warnings

• Never use human shampoo on a dog. Human shampoo is designed to strip oils out of our hair, so it won't look greasy or wet. A dog needs to have oils in its fur. A protective layer of oil in a dogs fur also helps them repel rain and stay warmer.