10,460 answers about dogs
From a puppy’s first feeding schedule to a senior dog’s comfort care, dog owners ask it all — this page gathers the dog library of KinsLe Answers in one place. Browse by topic below, from feeding and training to health, grooming, safety and travel. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
900 answers in Grooming & Daily Care — page 9 of 38
A Bulldog rarely grows true mats in that short, flat coat, so a tight clump usually means shed hair and skin debris have packed into a fold, behind an ear, or where a harness rubs. Soften that spot first, hold the skin flat and still with one hand, and tease the clump apart with your fingers before a comb ever touches…
Remove a mat from a Boxer with extra caution and a close look at the skin, because true mats are rare in this breed's very short, tight coat — what feels like a mat is often a clump of loose hair, dried debris, or a raised skin patch that should not be combed out at all. Tease any genuine loose tangle apart with your…
Remove mats from a Border Collie by splitting each tangle into smaller sections and teasing it out from the ends toward the skin, holding the base so the skin never takes the pull. Border Collies mat most in the feathering behind the ears, the breeches, and the tail, where the longer double coat rubs and traps loose…
Remove a mat from a Beagle by working it apart gently with your fingers and a comb at its edges, because a Beagle's short, dense coat mats only occasionally — usually behind the ears, in the armpits, or where a harness rubs — and pulling or yanking will hurt and bruise trust. Soften the tangle first, hold the base of…
Dry a Yorkshire Terrier in a warm room with gentle, small-scale handling, because this tiny dog gets cold quickly and the fine, silky coat tangles and breaks if it is rubbed or blasted. Squeeze water out with a soft towel, then dry in small sections with low warm air while brushing the hair smooth, keeping the dryer…
Dry a Tibetan Terrier by pressing water from the long, profuse double coat and then drying it in layers with gentle warm air and a brush, so the undercoat dries without the topcoat tangling over it. Take the beard, ear fringes, and leg furnishings slowly, keep every stroke along the hair, and check the dense areas at…
Dry a Standard Poodle by fluff-drying the coat — brushing each section straight while warm air runs through it — because curly Poodle hair left to air-dry sets into tight curls that mat far more easily. Work from the legs and body up to the topknot and ears in layers, keep the dryer moving, and never leave a section…
Dry a Siberian Husky by blowing the coat out in sections with cool air until the dense undercoat is dry at the skin, because towels alone barely dent the water this thick double coat holds. Expect loose hair everywhere, work from the neck and back through the breeches and tail, and keep checking the roots with your…
Dry a Shih Tzu by gently squeezing water from the long coat, then drying in small sections with warm air while brushing the hair straight as you go, so it does not set into tangles. Support this small dog securely, keep air away from the face and flat muzzle, and spend extra time on the ears, beard, and skirt where…
Dry a Shiba Inu by blotting the plush double coat thoroughly and then lifting the fur with cool air so the dense undercoat dries at the roots, especially around the neck, tail, and hindquarters. Keep handling calm and minimal, work on a secure surface, and respect this breed's low tolerance for fuss — short, quiet…
Dry a Saint Bernard in planned sections, because that enormous thick double coat can hold water for hours if you only towel the surface. Start by pressing water from the neck, chest, and feathered hind legs, then alternate dry towels with cool air worked down to the skin, checking the dense areas behind the ears and…
Dry a Russell Terrier quickly and lightly, because this small, busy dog gets cold fast and will not stand still for a long session. Press a towel over the wiry or broken coat instead of scrubbing it flat, pay extra attention to the beard, chest, and belly that pick up the most bath water, and finish with brief warm…
Dry a Rottweiler by pressing water out of the short, dense double coat before any heat, then towelling firmly along the chest, back, and heavy hindquarters where dampness lingers longest. Work in a warm, draught-free spot and part the coat with your fingers at the neck ruff and behind the ears to check the skin is…
Never leave a Lagotto Romagnolo to air dry: this breed's dense, woolly curls felt and mat as they dry undisturbed, so a Lagotto must be blow-dried right through to the skin while you lift and separate the coat with your fingers or a brush, working in small sections all over. Towel by squeezing sections of curl rather…
A Labrador Retriever's short-looking coat is a double coat with a water-repellent top layer and a dense undercoat, so expect more drying than the length suggests: let him shake, towel firmly, then run a dryer or a good towelling session over the neck, chest, hips and the thick otter tail until the skin underneath…
A Golden Retriever's dense, water-repellent double coat needs towelling, then a dryer worked through the feathering on the chest, legs, belly and tail while you brush it straight, because this coat air-dries slowly and unevenly and tangles where it is longest. Give the ears special care — a Golden's floppy ears over a…
Plan on time: a German Shepherd's dense double coat holds water deep in the undercoat long after the guard hairs feel dry, so towel thoroughly, then blow-dry in sections against and with the lie of the coat to lift moisture out of the thick ruff, hips and tail. Work outdoors or somewhere the loose undercoat can fly,…
A French Bulldog should be dried with towels and cool air only, working methodically through the facial folds, the neck, under the tail and between the toes, because this flat-faced breed cannot handle dryer heat and its creases hold the moisture that leads to sore skin. Blot the short coat first, then dry each fold…
Dry a Dachshund while keeping that long body fully supported and level, because a wet, slippery Dachshund who twists or jumps from a height is risking the back the breed is known for. Towel along the body with one hand under the chest and hindquarters supported, dry the low-slung belly that picks up the most…
Warmth is the whole story when drying a Chihuahua: wrap him straight from the bath in a warm towel and keep him against your body or in your lap, because a dog this small loses heat fast and can be shivering within minutes. Smooth-coated Chihuahuas finish with gentle towelling alone, while long-coated ones benefit…
Dry a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel by blotting the silky coat with a towel, then blow-drying on a gentle warm setting while brushing the long ear feathering and leg furnishings straight, because this breed's fine hair tangles fast if it dries in a heap and the heavy ears trap moisture against the skin. Detangle…
Drying a Cane Corso is a two-towel, two-stage job simply because there is so much dog: let him shake first where the spray can fly, then towel the short, dense coat in sections and walk him through it so he stays calm and cooperative at his size. A dryer on a cool-to-warm setting speeds up the chest, neck and…
A Cairn Terrier's wiry jacket should be towel-dried and finished with gentle warm air while you brush the coat outward, because that harsh outer layer over a soft undercoat is bred to shed weather and loses its texture if it is blasted flat or left to dry in a crumpled tangle. Work in the direction the coat grows, pay…
Drying a Bulldog is mostly about the folds, not the coat: towel the short hair quickly, then work a soft, dry cloth into every facial wrinkle, the neck folds, under the tail and between the toes, because moisture parked in those creases is what leaves a Bulldog sore and smelly. Use a dryer only on a cool setting and…
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