Does My Dog Need a Haircut?

One of the most common grooming questions is, "Does my dog need a haircut?" The answer depends heavily on their coat type. While some dogs need regular haircuts throughout their lives, others rarely (or never) need a full haircut.

Breeds with continuously growing coats have hair that grows much like our own. Without regular grooming, it will continue to grow, becoming tangled and/or matted, which is incredibly uncomfortable and often painful. Dogs such as Poodles, Doodles, Bichon Frises, Shih Tzus, Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Lhasa Apsos, and Havanese all fall into this category. Routine haircuts help keep these coats healthy, manageable, and set up for success.

On the other hand, many breeds have coats that naturally grow to a certain length before shedding. Golden Retrievers, Huskies, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Australian Shepherds, and many other double-coated breeds usually don't need routine haircuts. Instead, they benefit from regular brushing, baths, and deshedding treatments to remove loose undercoat while preserving the protective outer coat. See my previous blog post “Don’t Shave Double Coats” for tips and tricks for managing double-coated dogs.

Every dog's grooming needs are unique, even within the same breed. Factors like coat texture, speed of growth, lifestyle, and how much brushing is done at home all play a role in determining the best grooming schedule. If you're unsure what your dog needs, your groomer can help you create a plan that keeps their coat healthy, comfortable, and feeling its best.

As for in-between haircuts, regular brushing is key to avoid matting, and therefore a shave down. If you want to keep some fluff on your pup, maintenance between grooming is necessary.

You’ll want to make sure you’re brushing all the way to the skin. If you’re only brushing the top layer of hair, you’re not really brushing it through and will end up with mats at the skin level.

You’ll absolutely need a slicker brush (https://amzn.to/4tNFDXH) and fine tooth comb (https://amzn.to/4a8DEpR) for this.

To ensure you’re reaching the base of the coat, lift the hair in sections starting at the bottom, take your slicker brush and brush backwards. If you can’t see the skin, it’s not the base of the coat. To finish this off, ensure you can get your fine tooth comb through the entire coat. Do this every 1-3 days, and you’ll get the haircut of your choice each time their groom comes around!

Whether your dog needs regular haircuts or simply routine maintenance, grooming is about more than appearance. Keeping your pet's coat clean, healthy, and free of mats helps them stay comfortable and allows you to catch skin issues before they become bigger problems!

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