How to Groom a German Shepherd

The best tip to control shedding in German Shepherd Dogs is to comb or brush your pet daily. Stay ahead of the shedding by removing the loose hair daily and putting it straight in the garbage or outside. Daily grooming will also alert you to any skin conditions, fleas or ticks that may be on your pet. Most dogs enjoy a daily brushing, so treat it like a bonding experience with your pet.

Use the shedding comb to remove loose hair all over the dog. A shedding comb has small tines alternated with long tines to reach through the guard hairs to the dog's undercoat. Lay the shedding comb flat and go in the direction of hair growth. Use short strokes, up and away from the dog's body where the fur is the thickest. Clean the shedding comb as you go, put the hair right into a garbage bag to contain it.

Use the slicker brush to loosen even more hair. Start by going in the direction of hair growth. Remove as much loose hair as possible. Then brush in the opposite direction, against the hair growth, to loosen more undercoat. Follow up with a shedding comb again, or just turn the brush around and go back in the direction of fur growth.

As you brush and comb the German Shepherd each day look for pest infestations (fleas & ticks), as well as hot spots and general flaky skin. Report any severe skin irritations and hair loss to your veterinarian immediately. Treat any fleas or ticks immediately. If you notice your pet's fur is oilier than usual or flaky, call your veterinarian for suggestions. Your pet may have an allergy.

Getting a bath is not the favorite thing for most German Shepherd Dogs. They just are not built for water. Luckily these dogs only need about two baths a year, baring any unforeseen (or smelly) incidents. Try to avoid giving a GSD a bath if possible.Even the best shampoos can build up quickly and make the skin flaky or the coat appear oily or dull.

Always use a quality protein or oatmeal shampoo when bathing your German Shepherd. Dilute the shampoo with water before putting it on the dog. This makes it much easier to rinse the soap off the dog and better disperses the shampoo. No conditioner is necessary on German Shepherd Dogs.

Put the dog in the tub, or preferably teach the GSD to jump in the tub all by themselves, and get your towels and shampoo ready.

Use a sprayer (or a large cup) to completely soak the dog's coat. Use your hands and work against the hair growth to get water all the way to the dog's skin.

Put the diluted shampoo on the dog and rub in all over. Don't over use the shampoo! You don't need much so just gradually add it and work in with your fingers all the way to the skin. Keep the shampoo out of the dog's eyes and ears (just spot clean the face as needed with a clean wet rag).

Rinse all of the shampoo from the dog until the water runs clean. Keep the dog standing to make sure you rinse the tail area well.

Towel dry the dog in the tub.

Print full instructions here: How to Groom a German Shepherd Dog

First and foremost, don't skimp on the toenail clippers for a German Shepherd Dog. This breed has extremely thick toenails and they are usually all black. The double whammie for pet owners trying to clip their dog's toenails at home. As long as you use quality heavy duty toenail clippers you'll be fine.

Don't use the guillotine style dog toenail clippers. They are not strong enough a GSD's toenails. The odds are greater that the nail may split up the back, causing bleeding and possibly pain when the dog walks. Use the scissor style only for this dog breed. Buy the largest available, in whatever style handle feels best for you.

Have the dog lay down if you are alone. If the dog is well behaved during nail trimming standing is fine.

Take a foot confidently in your non-dominant hand and press lightly on the top of the foot to expose each toenail. Clip the toenail just below where the back ridge attaches to the front of the nail. If you aren't sure where this area is, take short clips and whittle down the nail until you feel comfortable.

Don't forget the dew claw! Higher up on the leg German Shepherd Dogs have a dew claw. This claw must be trimmed and may need it more often than the rest of the toenails since it never gets worn down from walking. Without trimming this nail can grow all the way around and into the pad up there. I've seen it happen too many times, so don't forget the dew claw!

When you do cut a dog's toenail too short, and it will happen, have the styptic powder ready. Place a generous amount of styptic powder on the end of the nail and pack it tight. The bleeding should stop immediately, leave it alone! Don't beat yourself up over injuring your pet. Just be careful and don't clip so deep from now on. Don't over love the dog afterward. Just let them relax again and finish the job. The less you acknowledge the incident the faster they will forget.

Use your fingers to work the fur between the pads of your pet's feet out, checking for burs and cracks in the pads as you go. Use professional dog grooming shears to trim the fur even with the pads. Professional shears are much sharper than regular scissors and make fast even work of this job. They won't pull the hair as they cut, so the dog should stay more relaxed.

Do not attempt to trim the fur all the way down between the pads unless you are a professional dog groomer using clippers. Tell your veterinarian immediately if you find a cut between the pads or if there are severe cracks with bleeding on the pads. Should you accidentally clip a pad (the tips of professional grooming shears are very sharp) use the styptic powder you have for nail clipping to stop the bleeding. Call your veterinarian immediately if the cut appears to be deep or the bleeding does not stop quickly.

My veterinarian used to joke that he loved to clean German Shepherd Dogs' ears because his whole arm could fit inside. Of course, that's an exaggeration, but the fact that the GSDs' ears stand straight up and are quite large makes them pretty easy to clean.

Tools: Ear cleaner, extra large cotton balls, paper towels

Gather your grooming tools and take the dog outside or to the grooming area.

Secure the dog. There is going to be a lot o head shaking. Stay in control, use a helper if needed, to keep the dog as calm as possible.

Soak a couple of cotton balls in the ear cleaner and, holding onto them tightly, use them to scrub the inside of the first ear. Squeeze out the excess ear cleaner into the ear canal. Work that in from the outside of the ear at the base. Gently rub the base of the ear to break up any deep dirt.

Use the paper towels to remove excess dirt and ear cleaner from the dog's ear. Use a cotton swab as needed to remove dirt in the creases of the ear. Do not reach deeply into the ear canal with any object other than your finger with a paper towel!

Repeat the process on the other side.

Praise your German Shepherd for being a good dog during the ear cleaning process. Don't give treats right away if the dog is too worked up or excited. Instead give hugs and let them run around and shake it off.

If you notice a large amount of dirt in your German Shepherd Dog's ears or there is any blood in the ear canal call your veterinarian for an appointment. It may be ear mites or other pests. German Shepherds usually have relatively clean ears.

There will be a lot of head shaking going on during the ear cleaning process. The dirtier the dog's ears, the more he is likely to shake. If the dog has ear mites it will be a slightly painful experience. Keep the dog as calm as possible and enlist help to hold him still. If the dog is too hard to handle let your veterinarian do the ear cleaning.