Jack Russell Grooming

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Have you ever felt like your “little” fur baby just doesn’t seem to understand that he needs a bath? Or maybe you’ve caught him rolling in the mud yet again and it’s time to get him groomed, but you’re not sure what steps to take. Fear not! This article is here to help make your decision on how to groom your pet as easy as possible. Some of these tips will be especially useful if you’re a first time “pet parent” and haven’t groomed your pup before, while others are just general guidance to help you along the way. Yes, today’s blog is all about Jack Russell Grooming.

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What kind of Coat does your Jack Russell have?

To start, you’ll want to decide what type of coat your Jack Russell has. Most dogs come in three primary types: short hair, medium hair and long hair. Not all breeds fall into these categories; Shih Tzus, for example, have long hair even though they aren’t very large dogs. Moreover, some dogs fall into more than one category as their coat may change as they grow older. The best way to determine what kind of coat your dog has is to feel along their back and neck. If the hair feels smooth and lies flat near their skin, then your dog probably has a short hair coat. If the hair is thicker, but still lies flat, then your dog may have a medium hair coat. Lastly, if the hair feels coarse and sticks out from the dog’s skin even when they’re not touching it, your dog probably has a long hair coat.

Jack Russell Grooming – How often?

If you have a short haired Jack Russell you may find that brushing him just once a fortnight is plenty. My current brown smooth haired Jack Russell cross rarely needs brushing and we probably only do him once a month! My previous tri-coloured Jack Russell moulted a lot more and we used to take him to the pooch parlour at the start of the summer to get his hair stripped and trimmed when his coat was changing. This kept him nice and cool in the summer months.

You might also like to read: Do Jack Russells shed?

Do Jack Russells need a Grooming salon?

If you’ve got a short haired Jack Russell, you may never need to take him to the grooming salon if you are on top of quarterly baths and fortnightly brushing. If you live in a hot country you may like to get his fur stripped for the summer and if you have a long haired Jack Russell you will probably find that you do need to visit the salon (although only maybe a few times a year).

Grooming your Jack Russell at Home

You can also do this grooming in the comfort of your own home with a few tools. This is cheaper for you and less stressful for your dog. Bath your dog in a nice smelling dog shampoo. We love Bugalugs (below) but if your pet has sensitive or itchy skin go for Johnsons skin calm dog shampoo.

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A stripping knife can be used to de-shed your dog. What this does is it runs through the fur and brings out lose hair resulting in less shedding and your dog being cooler. These are available in right handed and left handed tools:

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You can then get a small pair of dog grooming scissors and use these to trim the fur around his bum and his face (especially if you have a long haired Jack Russell. It is also handy to trim the excess hair between their paw pads, but only if necessary. Some JRTs hate having their feet messed with! Curved dog grooming scissors with a safety end are the best and safest to use.

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What is the Ideal Brush for Jack Russells?

The ‘slicker brush’ is an essential item for any Jack Russell owner. This wire brush will remove loose excess hair from your dogs coat resulting in less shedding (read do Jack Russells shed?)

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Don’t Forget to De-Flea!

As well as regular Jack Russell grooming you need to make sure that you keep on top of preventative flea treatments for your dog. We use Frontline every 6-8 weeks (especially in the summer) and it protects from fleas as well as ticks. Its a pipette that you apply to the skin on the back of the dogs neck.

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Brushing your Dogs Teeth

Don’t neglect those canine toothy pegs! You can brush your dogs teeth and also encourage them to keep their teeth clean with dentasticks and similar healthy chews.

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For brushing your dogs teeth, meat flavoured dog toothpaste is recommended. These products are more gentle on your dog’s teeth and gums, and they won’t cause any harm if they do swallow the toothpaste. Toothbrushes that have small soft bristles are typically best for dogs because they will be better at cleaning teeth in between their teeth.

Dogs typically don’t like toothbrushes because of the bristles and will avoid them. If you do use a toothbrush on your dog, get him used to the toothbrush in his mouth before brushing. Then try to make sure that you reach all of their teeth when you do start to brush.

If you enjoyed this article you might also like to read about Why do Jack Russells’ Eat Grass? and Best Brush for Jack Russell Terrier