GROOMING YOUR PYRENEAN MASTIFF

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Brushing

There are 3 brushes highly recommended when it comes to grooming your puppy. The first one is the Andis Large Firm Slicker brush; this is a wonderful slicker brush for routine brushing. The second brush that we really like is the JW Pet Company GripSoft Double Row Undercoat Rake. When your dog is blowing coat this undercoat rake is wonderful to help pull up the undercoat. The last brush is really a comb, the Safari by Coastal De-matting comb is a comb that cuts out mats. Puppies and even some adults tend to get mats behind their ears often because it is a very plush spot in their coat. The reason we like the Safari de-matting comb is because it cuts out mats but keeps the coat looking natural without having rigid cuts that are obvious. Fair warning it is very sharp so use with caution.

Cutting

It is important to groom the feet and keep hair neat on the paws, the hair between the paw pads is prone to get dirt clumps, ice balls in the winter and grass burrs. Trimming up the hair around the nails will also prevent hair getting caught in the grinder if you grind your dog’s nails. See nail care for more. Unless you are cutting hair for a medical reason, cutting out mats or cleaning up feet there is not a need to cut or shave your dogs coat. For pet dogs you can do a trim to lighten the topcoat overall if you are in very hot climates but if you are showing your dog do not trim the coat at all!

Nail Care

Nail maintenance is extremely important!!! If nails get to long, it can alter the way your puppy stands and can cause joint issues. It is important to not miss the dew claws on the front and back paws; on average many pet owners tend to ignore the dew claws and they will curl back into the paw pad.

We highly recommend a variable speed corded Dremel with a sandpaper bit when it comes to taking care of nails. A Dremel will last longer than any pet nail grinder! Because the Pyrenean Mastiff is a giant breed their nails are much thicker than smaller breeds. A grinder allows you to get closer to the quick as well as being able to round off the nail so it doesn’t scratch you as easily if you happen to get pawed at.

It is important to be careful if you decide to do nail clippers as there is a potential for the nails to split when clipped. The nail clippers that come highly recommended are the Millers Forge Large Nail Clippers. These nails clippers are durable and high quality and are less likely to cause the nail to split as they cut very quickly. 

Bathing

The Pyrenean Mastiff has a double coat and because of this their coat is self-cleaning for the most part. You will only need to bathe your puppy when it is dirty. Most of dogs can go several months without a bath if we do not have shows planned.

For puppies we recommend the Tropiclean brand of shampoos and conditioners as it is very easy on the coat and does not strip the coat of necessary oils. They have many wonderful fragrances as well.

For show dogs! Tropiclean shampoos are great for everyday baths but for show preparation we really like Chris Christensen White on White and the Day to Day Conditioner. It is important to apply a conditioner after a whitening shampoo to help close the follicle or else the hair is likely to stain more than it was before you used the whitener.

Drying

If your puppy plays often in water, if they are out in the rain playing, or after a bath it is very important to make sure their undercoat is dry. If moisture is trapped in the undercoat, they are likely to end up with hot spots which can be a hassle to take care of.

There are tons of dryers out on the market and it can be hard to decide which one to get. A good dryer that is on the lower price range is a Shelandy variable speed force dryer. Having a variable speed force dryer will allow you to have it on low for when your puppy is young and still getting use to the dryer and a high speed for when your puppy is older and blowing coat. Then you have your higher price range for a velocity dryer which is the K9 III force dryer. This dryer is amazing at blowing out coat! While the Shelandy dryer can help with blowing out coat it doesn’t have as much force as the K9 dryer. A coat blow out grooming session with the Shelandy may take 45 minutes while with the K9 III it will take 15 minutes to give prospective on the difference.  If dogs are a little dirty, we like to just use the force dryer to blow out any dirt or debris that may be in their coat vs brushing them out or giving them a full bath.

Teeth and Ears

The last things that should require attention but are simple to do is teeth and ears. It is important to keep an eye on ears and keep them clean. If your puppy ends up with an ear infection it can get bad fast! Routine ear cleaning allows you to keep an eye on ears, while most dogs are not prone to ear infections if there is any moisture caught under the ears you can end up with a serious ear infection because the moisture cannot dry easily with their big floppy ears.

Dental health is very important as it is linked to many other conditions if your dog’s teeth end up covered in plaque and tarter. If you stay on top of keeping your dog’s teeth clean by brushing their teeth occasionally it can help prevent dental disease. If you do not brush your dog’s teeth, then it is still important to inspect their teeth and if need be scheduling a descaling with your veterinarian.