How to Groom a German Wire Short Hair Dog
German wire-haired pointers are one of the easier dog breeds to groom. Wire-haired pointers have a harsh, short coat that sheds dirt easily, requiring less upkeep and infrequent bathing. Even a muddy dog, when allowed to dry, can usually get by with just a good brushing to remove dirt and debris. In fact, bathing too often isn't recommended and can damage the dog's coat. All wire-haired breeds require occasional "stripping" to removing the old, dead undercoat. With short-haired, wire-coated dogs, the stripping process is fairly easy to accomplish.
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Things You'll Need
- Stiff bristle brush
- Medium-tooth steel comb
- Scissors
- Short-hair deshedding tool
- Wire-haired dog shampoo
- Dog nail clippers
- Cotton balls
Instructions
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Brush the dog regularly. Use a stiff-bristle brush on the dog's body and a medium-tooth steel comb on its eyebrows and beard at least once a week. The more often you brush the dog, the less hair will experience in the house from shedding.
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Hand-strip the dog's coat. At least twice a year, the dog will usually require a more extensive grooming to remove its dead undercoat. Use your dog comb to brush the dog's hair backwards, opposite from the direction in which it grows. Hold the dog's skin taut with one hand and grasp the tips of dead hair with the other. Pull straight on dead hairs in the direction they naturally grow. The dead hair should come out easily.
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Continue the hand-stripping process over the dog's body until you have removed all straggling dead hairs from the healthy coat.
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Use a short-hair deshedding tool to remove the dog's dead coat. If you don't have the time or patience for hand-stripping, this grooming tool can be used to easily and quickly remove dead undercoats.
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Trim excess hair from the dog's paws. Long hairs between toes and pads should be trimmed regularly to help keep debris from building up.
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Bath the dog with shampoo designed specifically for wire-haired dogs. If the dog gets into something sticky or smelly, bathe it using wire-haired dog shampoo. The wrong type of shampoo can damage the coat.
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Clip the dog's toenails. The dog's nails need to clipped every few months to keep them from growing too long. Be careful to only trim the tips and watch to avoid clipping the bloodline in the nail. Cutting the bloodline is painful and will cause the dog to bleed.
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Check inside the dog's ears. Use damp cottonballs to gently wipe out the inside of the dog's ears weekly. Don't attempt to clean deep into the ear canal because you might injure the eardrum. If redness, soreness or odor is present, the dog probably has an ear infection and should be taken to the vet for treatment.
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Tips & Warnings
Never shave or cut a wire-haired dog's coat. It will be permanently damaged.
If you are inexperienced clipping a dog's nails, have your vet or a professional groomer show you how before your attempt it.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
