How to Groom Your Shiba Inu
This article is about how to groom your Japanese Shiba Inu dog. As most Shiba owners know, these dogs are a challenge to groom, due to their inordinate amount of fur!
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Things You'll Need
- A Furminator
- a regular soft bristle hairbrush
- dog nail clippers
- dog toothbrush and paste
- a gentle dog shampoo
Instructions
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Before bathing your dog, use the Furminator to comb out the undercoat of fur, Making sure to comb in the direction of growth. As the furminator stirs up dander, you will want to bathe Shiba next.
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When bathing your dog, you may use a galvanized tub (outdoors bath) or even a plastic tote, placed in your bathtub. This is important because the nails tend to damage a bathtub. It also helps to keep the dog in place during the bath if they resist. We use a gentle shampoo to lather the dog and a handheld shower massage to rinse the shampoo out.
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To dry your dog after a bath, use regular bath towels to dry the excess water. The dog will want to shake so holding them in place to dry is a challenge.
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After the dog has been allowed to air dry fully after towel drying, you may use a soft bristle brush to brush the coat and enhance the sheen.
You may also clip the toenails and dewclaws every 3-4 weeks.
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Tips & Warnings
Shiba Inus do not require frequent baths. Once a month is sufficient in colder months and once every 2 weeks in warmer or shedding months. The skin may become irritated and dry if washed too frequently
remember to be gentle when using the Furminator especially around the leg and neck area. THe Furminator is very sharp.
When clipping your dog's toenails, be careful not to clip too much off. The nails have blood in them and will bleed profusely if clipped too closely. The trick is to identify a faint line on the nail. Do not cut above this line.
- Photo Credit Photo taken by the author
