Autumn – the season of change. Where leaves fall for dogs to jump into when they’re raked up, the cooler temperatures mean more walks outside and the upcoming holidays bring a spirit of excitement for many.
However, with all that extra natural debris around: how’s your dog’s fur holding up? Maybe a little more dingy than usual with all the extra time outside and a little grown out since last season’s grooming? Maybe tracking in more from outside since there’s more fur for dew and mud to stick onto?
It’s important to get your dog thoroughly groomed as the fall comes for a few reasons:
Dog Shedding Season
Fall is a major shedding season for most pets, right as the cold weather just begins to roll in. But why lose fur if it’s going to get colder?
This is because the summer coats on many dogs are entirely different compared to the fur that sprouts during the colder months, since they serve different purposes.
A dog’s summer coat is meant to diffuse the heat from the sun, allowing more heat to escape, while providing just enough protection from the sun. Dog winter coats, however, often appear thicker and fluffier, and this is because it’s meant to emulate a natural “sweater” of sorts, trapping in body heat. Some dog breeds, like Huskies or German Shepherds, have double-coats that make this change more dramatic, with some breeds’ summer coats sometimes appearing shorter and sparser.
These natural shedding cycles are spurred by photoperiodism, which is essentially a dog’s natural way of detecting the change in daylight hours that alerts to a seasonal change. The shedding seasons are then put into motion via hormonal responses. Regular brushing, and potentially a Furminator session, can help your dog along in this transition.
Grooming helps shed your dog’s summer coat and replaces it with the thicker, warmer and more functional winter coat to help protect from the seasonal chills.
Dog Skin and Coat Health
With seasonal changes come weather changes – this includes air quality. Just like us humans, a sudden onset in cooler and dryer air can lead to dry and itchy dog skin. When a dog’s fur isn’t being properly managed, a thick coat – or maybe even shedded fur that’s hanging on – can trap moisture and exacerbate, or even create, issues like these.
Frequent brushing and regular bathing can remove unwanted fur that already needed to come off, opening up the coat to receive proper ventilation and mitigating irritants and skin issues from building up without you knowing. Conditioning also keeps the fur healthy, ensuring it's doing the best job it can.
Dog Parasite Prevention
While often associated with the warmer months, fleas, ticks and other dog parasites never take a break from terrorizing pets – and if you live in a place where the seasonal changes bring on weather changes, this might mean hanging onto leaves, dirt or other muck from outside that easily transmits pests like these.
Regular grooming, just like at all other times of the year, is the best proactive measure you can take in preventing parasites from making a home on your dog. Inspection during grooming can make sure that your pup is free from any unwanted guests, so be sure to take those preventative measures – don’t let it be just once a year!
Outdoor Activities and Debris
This might be the most obvious point on the list, but if you live in a place with four seasons, autumn is generally one of the more messy ones. Fallen leaves, mud and dirt, burrs – anything goes when you have a dog with fur like Velcro. Often, dogs spend more time outside during this time of year as well due to the stabilizing temperatures, maximizing the opportunity for your pup to make themselves a second, organic coat (and not their winter double-coat).
A bath during this time of year can remove these irritants and leave your dog feeling very refreshed – preventing skin problems, too. Your tile floors and white couch will also thank you!
Preparation for Winter
As mentioned before, your dog’s biology knows when it’s time to transition to a more effective coat for the season they’re in via certain environmental cues. But while a dog’s body is amazing at initiating these changes on its own, it significantly helps the health of a dog’s coat to do regular brushing during shedding season, namely to prevent matting, manage the shedding and ensure the functionality of your dog’s coat.
A well-brushed and clean coat is a healthy coat because it is less likely to mat when it’s wet from snow or rain. It’s also less likely to hang onto debris when it’s tangled, and it’s more effective at insulating properly for when the cold does eventually settle in.
Monitoring Dog Skin Health and Wellness
Your dog’s skin is his largest organ, and provides some of the largest insights into his health. When your dog is groomed and brushed, you get a better glimpse into the condition of your dog’s skin – and therefore, catch things you wouldn’t have caught sooner without having groomed him.
You can effectively search for lumps, bumps or any other changes in your pet’s body that might be a flag for veterinary attention, even if it’s nothing to be concerned about. You can get to know your dog better, and be his medical advocate – and if your dog’s a cuddlebug, it’s just another great reason for you to bond!
The Benefits of Professional Dog Grooming
Bathing your dog at home, when done correctly and with the right products and tools, is a great thing to do for your dog’s health – and not to mention, the exposure helps them tolerate highly stimulating environments better, especially when done early on. However, professional dog grooming does come with a host of extra benefits.
Some benefits of professional dog grooming include specialized commercial tools for de-shedding and other grooming needs, delicate and expert handling of matted fur, breed-specific knowledge, conditioning treatments, careful handling of necessary procedures like anal gland expression – and, best of all, no more nail trimming anxiety!
Dog groomers have also seen lots of dogs in their time, so they can also point out any signs of health issues, like pests or skin conditions, that an untrained eye can easily miss.
Camp Bow Wow has lots of locations that offer full-service dog grooming for many dogs’ needs — in an environment that your dog will feel safe and comfortable in – and you will, too. To find a Camp that offers full-service dog grooming nearby, use our Camp locator.
Be your dog’s medical advocate, keep him looking spiffy for the holidays and save yourself the work – let us take care of your best friend. You deserve it, and your dog will love it, too.
