Rottweilers are an intelligent breed, often commended for their strength, confidence and loyalty. They are also affectionate with family, highly trainable, relatively energetic, adaptable, and playful. Additionally, they are valued for their protective nature and relatively sedate personalities; they are not highly excitable and won’t bark at every disturbance.
However, a rottweiler is probably not the dog to get if you do not have the time and energy to devote to pet care or, at least, time enough for regular visits to your favourite pet grooming Dubai shop. Not only do rottweilers require regular activities (i.e., tasks to do). They are also quite the shedders, so they require a fair bit of grooming.
The following are some of the most essential rottweiler grooming tips.
1. Bathing
How often should you bathe your rottweiler? Rottweilers have short to mid-length hair. Thus, their coat doesn’t trap as much dirt, grime and debris as long-haired breeds. Therefore, you can keep baths to a minimum — say, once every two months.
Of course, the specific bathing frequency depends on various factors. For instance, if you have a highly active dog that often gets dirty going places, or if he comes with you on climbs, trail runs, or other physically strenuous activities, you probably should bathe him more frequently.
So, the dirtier and the more active your dog is, the more frequently you ought to bathe him. You can even bathe him every other week.
Likewise, if your dog has allergies, you might have to bathe him more or less frequently. If your rottweiler has a skin condition, be sure to ask your veterinarian how often you should bathe your pet.
2. Hair Brushing
How often should you brush your rottweiler’s hair?
Rottweilers have a double coat, which means they have a top coat and an undercoat.
The topcoat helps protect the rottweiler from moisture and dirt. It helps keep water off the dog’s skin. Meanwhile, the undercoat has a vital role in your pet’s ability to regulate its temperature. Specifically, the undercoat helps a rottweiler trap its body heat or prevent heat loss.
Unfortunately, all this hair — even if such hair is relatively short — means rottweilers are quite the hair shedders. You must have noticed how much rottweiler hair you seem to collect on the couch, on the bed, on the floor, and everywhere else your pet likes to go.
Since you cannot prevent your dog from shedding, you need to brush your rottweiler’s hair regularly. Once a week is an excellent brush-out schedule. Doing this will help you remove most of your dog’s dead hair (especially the dead undercoat hair), so he will have less uncontrolled shedding. This will also help remove accumulated dirt and grime on the topcoat, which can help keep your dog’s coat healthy and reduce his shedding.
In spring and fall, Rottweilers also shed even more hair than usual around two times a year. At that time, you can brush your pet’s hair more frequently.
To brush your rottweiler’s hair, you can use a rubber curry grooming brush, a soft bristle brush or a slicker brush. Whichever brush you decide to use, make sure you brush your pet’s fur thoroughly and systematically.
It is best to start from the head and down to around the ears, neck, chest, and front legs. Then, brush on top of the body, from head to tail. You can then brush down the sides of the body. End your brush-out routine by brushing down the rear legs.
When brushing your rottweiler’s coat, brush along the direction of hair growth to minimise coat damage. Additionally, you should brush both the topcoat and the undercoat. You should also keep the brushing pressure even throughout; do not tug at tangles, but carefully and gently straighten out snarls.
Aside from the once-a-week thorough brush-out, you can also give your dog a quick daily brushing to remove stray hairs and the occasional debris trapped in his topcoat.
3. General Grooming
Aside from regularly brushing your pet’s coat, you should also periodically check and clean his nails, teeth and ears.
Nails
Trim your rottweiler’s nails regularly. Otherwise, they could get torn and lead to secondary infection.
How do you know it’s time to trim your dog’s nails? If your rottweiler’s nails are touching the ground, it’s time to cut them.
A rottweiler’s nails consist of a hook and a quick. The hook takes up around one-fourth of the nail from the tip. The quick starts where the hook ends. Why is this detail important? You see, the quick has a blood vessel that runs through it. Therefore, if you cut your rottweiler’s nails too short, you will cut the quick and cause your dog to bleed.
Therefore, while it is crucial to trim your rottweiler’s nails regularly, it is also vital to ensure you’re only cutting the hook and not the quick. How do you tell which is which? The hook is hollow, slightly grooved and thin, whereas the quick is dense and solid.
Teeth
You can brush your dog’s teeth twice a week to prevent tartar build-up. If your dog eats dry dog food, you can perhaps keep to a once-a-week brushing schedule.
How do you brush your dog’s teeth? Use a dog toothbrush and dog toothpaste. Brush the canines using a downward brushing motion, from gum to tooth tip. Use a circular motion to clean the molars.
Ears
You should check and clean your rottweiler’s ears once a week.
See if your dog’s ears have a foul odour, indicating an infection. Check for ear mites and other potential ear problems as well. Consult a veterinarian if you detect any issues with your dog’s ears.
You can use a specialised ear cleaning solution to clean your pet’s ears. Apply a few drops of the ear cleaning solution into your dog’s ear, then massage outside the section along the base of the ear for a few seconds. This will help distribute the cleaning solution inside the ear canal, softening accumulated debris and making them easier to eject when your dog shakes his head.
After cleaning the ear canal on both ears, clean the outer ear. Apply a few drops of the same ear cleaning solution on a clean cloth or gauze, then just gently wipe inside the ear (do not poke the ear canal) to remove any dirt there.
Regularly Groom Your Rottie
Rottweilers are a strong and sturdy breed, but they need regular care just like other dogs. At the very least, regularly bathe your dog and brush his coat. You should also periodically check and clean your dog’s nails, teeth and ears.
Of course, you can always take him for regular grooming at your preferred groomer in a reputable pet shop in Dubai. With this kind of care, you’ll have a happier, healthier pet.