German Shepherds Dogs (GSDs) are notorious shedders, especially during fall and spring. Having your dog groomed on a regular basis and brushing them daily goes a long way in maintaining their coat and keeping shedding to a minimum.
German Shepherds Dogs should visit a professional groomer at least twice a year, during their shedding seasons. Most owners of long-haired German Shepherds have them groomed every 1 to 2 months, and owners of shorter-haired German Shepherds have them groomed every 3 to 4 months.
There are a range of benefits to having your dog groomed regularly. Professional groomers have all the right tools to do the job thoroughly and efficiently. Some even offer mobile grooming services. While German Shepherds are quite high maintenance in terms of their grooming needs, too frequent bathing and clipping their coat should be avoided.
The Benefits Of Professional Dog Grooming
Having your dog groomed every few months keeps them smelling and looking great. It helps to maintain a healthy, glossy coat, and for German Shepherds it can make a huge difference in minimizing shedding. Many German Shepherd owners agree that regular grooming helps to keep the amount of dog hair around the house down.
A groomer is not just for fancy haircuts, they can take care of your German Shepherd’s routine grooming requirements, like brushing out your dogs’ undercoat and de-shedding. They have all the right brushes, tools, and products. Try to find a groomer with lots of dog handling experience to get the job done efficiently and safely.
Some owners insist on grooming their dogs themselves using professional tools. While this may save money in the long run, owners must be dedicated to learning how to use grooming tools correctly. If used incorrectly, de-shedding tools can damage your German Shepherd’s coat.
Professional groomers keep your dog healthy, by expressing their anal glands (something many owners are not comfortable doing themselves), cleaning their ears and eyes, brushing their teeth, and trimming their nails.
Experienced groomers check your dog thoroughly for parasites, like ticks and ringworms, or any small injuries, lumps, or patches of dry skin. They will be able to give great advice about your dogs’ healthcare, and you can learn a lot of tips about hygiene and daily grooming.
German Shepherd Grooming Requirements
If you are considering getting a German Shepherd, you should be prepared for what you are getting yourself into in terms of their grooming needs. They are year-round, prolific shedders. Their topcoat constantly sheds stiff, guard hairs. And twice a year, in the fall and spring, they shed their entire fuzzy undercoat.
German Shepherds have a specialized double coat that naturally insulates, keeping them warm in winter and cool in summer. Their skin produces oils that coat the hairs, keeping their fur healthy and glossy.
Bathing them too frequently can remove these natural oils, and lead to dry, itchy skin, hot spots, and other skin issues. It is best to only bathe your German Shepherd when they are filthy, and at most every 3-4 months. German Shepherd breeders generally only wash their dogs once or twice a year.
Breed experts recommend against clipping, trimming, or shaving their coat, as it is very slow to grow back, and it diminishes its insulating properties.
German Shepherd’s most crucial grooming requirement is brushing. If you do not keep up with daily, or at least every other day, there will be balls of undercoat all over your home, and they can develop mats of fur and debris that cause skin issues.
German Shepherds have very thick nails. If they do not walk on rough surfaces to wear them down, they can grow too long. Groomers use a Dremel tool to expertly file down their nails. Experienced groomers know how to do this safely and easily, so that it does not have to be a bad experience for your dog.
The Cost Of Grooming A German Shepherd
Professional dog groomers generally charge between $50 and $75 for a full-service groom, that includes brushing, bathing with anti-tick and anti-flea shampoo, ear, and eye cleaning, cleaning teeth, trimming nails, and expressing the anal gland.
Spending $75 every six to eight weeks may sound expensive; however, your dog will not need the full range of services each time if they are groomed every 1 to 2 months. If your dog has not gotten unreasonably dirty, it is unnecessary for the groomer to bathe them. They could just get a very thorough brushing and have their teeth and ears cleaned, for example.
Mobile grooming services charge slightly more for the convenience of driving to your home. It costs around $75 to $80 for German Shepherds. This is an easy way to keep your dog looking their best. Do not worry if you do not have a bathtub or backyard for the groomer to use as a workspace, most mobile grooming services have their own, fully equipped dog salon on wheels.
Some cities have DIY grooming parlors. Self-service grooming only costs around $11 to $24 for large breeds like German Shepherds. This is a great option to cut down the costs of regular grooming.
How Often Do German Shepherds Need To Be Groomed?
It can get quite costly to groom your German Shepherd so frequently. German Shepherd breeders and other breed professionals from the American Kennel Club report only bathing their dogs once or twice a year at most, when they go to conformation shows.
As long as you are dedicated about your dogs’ brushing routine, you may only need to take your German Shepherd to the groomers if they desperately need a bath or an anti-tick and anti-flea treatment.
It is up to you to decide how often you would like your dog groomed. If one or two grooming sessions a year fits into your budget, this is perfectly sufficient for your dog.
Find The Right Groomer For Your German Shepherd
Leaving your beloved German Shepherd alone with someone else is a big deal, so you want to be sure you find a groomer that you trust and feel comfortable leaving your dog with.
The best way to find a good groomer is to ask your vet for a referral. They know reliable local groomers who are certified and have lots of experience.
Find out if a groomer is comfortable working with large dogs, like German Shepherds. The breed has a reputation for being aggressive and dogs can behave unpredictably when they are with a stranger, getting a bath or blow dry, so some groomers are fearful.
Check if a groomer knows the breed standards and specific grooming requirements for German Shepherds. You do not want to risk an inexperienced groomer giving your dog a bad haircut.
Feel free to enquire if you can view their facilities. Ask about their training and credentials, how they house dogs, and if they have access to plenty of drinking water. Ask what their policy is in case of emergency, or accidental injury, or if you can watch while your dog gets groomed. None of this should be a problem.
Get Your German Shepherd Used To Grooming
Make going to the groomer a positive experience for your dog by giving them lots of treats and praise good, calm behavior. If dogs develop a negative association with grooming, it can make the job quite difficult.
Get your German Shepherd used to getting wet, and having their feet, teeth, ears, and face touched from a young age. Socialize them well around bathtubs, scissors, nail clippers and blow dryers. It is especially important to get them used to being brushed. This will make grooming them much easier as they get older.
It is possible to teach older dogs that are not used to being groomed to keep calm during grooming, but it takes extra time, patience, and loads of treats. They will come around eventually.
Final Thoughts
German Shepherd Dogs’ gorgeous, glossy coats are prone to quite a lot of shedding year-round. Although they are not a breed that require their coat to be clipped or trimmed regularly, they do need to be brushed with a de-shedding tool on a consistent basis. You should brush them at home every day, or at least 2 or 3 times a week.
You only need to take your German Shepherd to a professional groomer (or have them come to you) once or twice a year. If your dog sleeps on your bed or climbs on the couch, you may want to have them bathed and groomed more regularly. Every two months should be sufficient for long-haired German Shepherds, while every three to four months should suffice for shorter-haired ones.
There are so many benefits to having a professional groomer work on your dog. Not only do they make them look and smell great, but they also keep your dog healthy by expressing their anal glands and checking for lumps, small injuries or patches of dry skin that are indicative of health issues.