# Grooming/ear care for short haired dog?



## andi42 (Dec 3, 2013)

Hi there-
I've grown up with Cairn Terriers and the were regularly going in to be stripped or trimmed in some way. I am getting a short haired dog (think boxer/ridgeback type of coat). What type of grooming is necessary??

Also.. she is a hound so she has droopy ears. Should I be regularly cleaning her ears?

Thanks for your help


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

andi42 said:


> Hi there-
> I've grown up with Cairn Terriers and the were regularly going in to be stripped or trimmed in some way. I am getting a short haired dog (think boxer/ridgeback type of coat). What type of grooming is necessary??
> 
> Also.. she is a hound so she has droopy ears. Should I be regularly cleaning her ears?
> ...


I have a (best guess) Ridgeback mix, probably Boxer/RR. I bath him a few times per year, maybe 3 times unless he rolls in something stinky. If he gets muddy, I spot clean with a washcloth. 

I run a soft brush over him to remove loose hair or just brush him with my hand. I wipe his outer ear if it gets goopy but it rarely does. I feed a good diet and make sure he's getting enough healthy fats in the diet which really reduces shedding and keeps the coat smooth.

I trim nails with a cordless Dremel or I stop by the vet's where they do it for free for regular clients. 

Short haired dogs shed but they are wonderfully low maintenance for grooming in general


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## andi42 (Dec 3, 2013)

Thanks Shell  That helps!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I like this sort of soft rubber curry comb for brushing and loosening up fur. It seems to feel good to the dog and doesn't scratch their skin the way a comb sometimes does. You brush in circular motions but it's not meant for legs or face brushing. 








Really cheap in any farm store like Tractor Supply Company (they sell them at pet stores to but the ones for dogs are like $8-9 but the ones meant for foals and ponies are more like $2 and I think are a bit better even)

Getting her used to teeth brushing from early on is also good.


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## andi42 (Dec 3, 2013)

Awesome- I definitely have a few old curry combs lying around from my horses.  Will try to get a head start on the teeth too!


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

You'll be amazed on how much loose fur a curry comb can get off a dog, I have the Kong version and I get a cloud of fur when I use it.

When it comes to shedding we fing short hair worse than long hair. Our last dog was long haired and it would be like tumbleweeds but Zoey's is everywhere.

Ear cleaning is dependent on the dog. Maggie had the same ear type as Zoey and we never had to clean her ears but Zoey gets yeasty ears if we don't clean them often. I was cleaning them once a week but I have increased it to twice.


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## andi42 (Dec 3, 2013)

I grew up mostly with cairn terriers who don't really "shed"... I'm not looking forward to the clean up, but she will be kept in an area with hardwood floors for the most part so at least cleaning will be easy! I will keep an eye on her ears and when she goes for her last set of vaccinations I will ask our vet what he suggests.


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## d_ray (Nov 5, 2013)

I find that my dog's ears smell. Not like an infection or anything, but like dog. Should I be cleaning her ears more often or will they always be a little stinky? I wipe the outer ear with cleaner, but that's it. Should I be doing something more? there is no dirt on the outer ear and she doesn't have overly floppy ears nor does she ever get water in her ears. Thanks


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

Doesn't hurt to clean them. I never had to clean our last dog's ears but with Zoey I do. I know that some people use home made recipes but I have been using the Epi-Otic Advanced and it cleans the ears really well. Unless you find them really dirty I would probably clean them once every two weeks or so. Zoey needs hers cleaned 2x a week and I am constantly pulling brown stuff out of one of them. 

The Epi-Otic also makes their ears smell nicer then dog or yeasty and on Zoey it lasts a few days.


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