SK Dox Mini Dachshunds
Purebred AKC Miniature Dachshund's since 1992
Grooming the Dachshund
If you socialize your Dachshund to grooming early, he’ll probably enjoy it. And the more your Dachshund enjoys grooming, the easier and more fun it will be for you as well.
To socialize your Dachshund to grooming:
Start a consistent grooming routine immediately after you bring your Dachshund home.
Keep grooming sessions short.
Reward with praise for staying still and allowing his feet, muzzle, and ears to be touched.
How do I groom a dachshund?
You can do a lot of the grooming yourself and don’t need to pay a professional. Simply brush, bathe and trim (if needed) to keep it healthy, shiny and tangle-free. Check his ears, eyes and paws regularly to make sure they’re clean, and check for fleas and ticks. Brush his teeth with doggy toothpaste once a week and get his nails clipped regularly.
Grooming Equipment
Tools to assemble for grooming should include
A grooming table or suitable surface
Dog shampoo and conditioner
A non-slip matt or towel for the bath/sink
A towel to dry your dachshund or a hairdryer if your dachshund is used to it and doesn’t mind!
A pin brush for long or wire hairs
A coat king for fluffy wire hairs
A grooming mitt for smooth hairs
Brushing your Dachshund
The main aim of grooming is to remove dead hairs that are clinging to the coat. In the process, you are cleaning the skin and shafts of the living hair.
Long-haired dachshunds need weekly brushing, regular trimming and a bath every three months. Their coat is long and wavy, so can pick up dirt and get matted, especially around the ears and feet. The best tool for detangling is a slicker brush, as it’s gentle but effective. Once you’ve detangled him, you can switch to a pin brush (make sure the pins are rounded) to make his coat nice and shiny and brush his fur backwards to fluff him up.
Wire-haired dachshunds don’t shed very much. His coarse fur is fairly low-maintenance and he only needs brushing a couple times a month and bathing twice yearly but they do vary from fluffy to coarse.
The wires with fluffier coats have a soft undercoat that sheds twice a year, usually in spring and fall. As the undercoat dies, you’ll need to strip it by using a special comb like a coat king, the rest of the year a pin brush is just fine.
Pin wires with shorter, coarser, ‘pin wire’ coats don’t actually need stripping at all. They just need baths and brushing, because they don’t molt much, they could be a better choice for allergy sufferers.
Smooth-haired dachshunds do not require much grooming at all. They are generally free from dogie odor and unless they have gotten into the mud, don't need bathed very often. Wiping a Smooth Dachshund down with a wet wipe or a damp washcloth can keep him looking shiny between baths. Smooth Dachshunds shed, but not too much, so a once-per-week brushing will suffice. Using a rubber grooming mitt gently run it over your dachshund’s body to loosen and remove any dead fur.
Bathing your Dachshund
He’ll need a bath every few months, no more as it can dry out his skin.
Prior to bathing you should brush out as much of the loose hair as possible. The Dachshund will not need bathing more than every three to four months. When bathing is needed, use a very mild shampoo designed especially for dogs. Human shampoos designed are too harsh and drying for a dog's coat.
There are a wide variety of shampoos available including ones for dry itchy skin, sensitive skin, antibacterial, tea tree oil shampoos, and whitening shampoo for white or light-colored dogs. Wet the dog thoroughly and use plenty of the shampoo.
The most important step is rinsing, rinsing and rinsing again. Then towel dry as much as possible and finish with the blow dryer. Shampoo left on the coat or not thoroughly drying your dog can lead to hot spots.
1. Wet your dog’s coat thoroughly with warm water.
2. Wet his head as well but tilt it back so that water doesn’t get in his eyes.
3. Avoid getting water in his ears, or gently insert cotton balls into the opening to keep out water.
4. Lather well with dog shampoo, rubbing your hands with and against the coat in circles.
5. Once you’ve shampooed him, rinse him thoroughly, making sure to get all of the soap out.
6. When your done rinsing, rinse again!
7. Dry him with a towel or a hair dryer set to a low setting, being sure not to burn him.
Nails
Nail trimming will go a lot easier if you handle your dog’s feet often. Nail clippers come in a few styles. Plier styles often comes with a safety to prevent cutting to deeply. Many people myself included, prefer to use a cordless Dremel tool to file the nails. This method works great but, some dogs don’t like the noise. However if you use it regularly and reward the dog with treats after each foot or if he is very upset by the procedure reward after each nail and only do a few at a time until he is more comfortable with the process.
Trim each nail just a tiny bit at a time or you’ll risk cutting the quick, the blood vessel inside the nail. In a dog with light-colored nails, you can see the quick as a pink line running up the middle of the nail nearly to the end. On darker nails, you can see the quick by holding a flashlight under the nail. If you do cut the quick, dip the nail into styptic powder or gel to stop the bleeding.
Eyes
To clean your Dachshunds eyes, you’ll need a moist cloth. Whenever necessary, remove discharge from the corners of his eyes by wiping it away carefully with a moist cloth. If he seems to have constant eye discharge, bring him to the vet.
Ears
Dachshund's ears can be prone to infection, so regular ear cleaning should be part of all grooming regimens.
Check your Dachshunds ears once a month for signs of mites or illness, and bring him to the vet if his ears have:
• A color different from the skin
• Red blotches
• A strong, unpleasant odor
Clean each ear once a month. To clean his ears, you’ll need cotton balls and dog ear cleanser.
1. Use a cotton ball (not a cotton swab) moistened with ear cleanser to clean the visible area inside the ear. Do not stick anything deeply into the ear.
2. Use a dry cotton ball after cleaning to remove any waxy buildup.
Teeth
To keep your Dachshunds teeth and gums clean and healthy, brush them once a week.
You’ll need a dog toothbrush or finger brush and dog toothpaste, Never use human toothpaste on a dog.
1. Put a little toothpaste on the toothbrush.
2. Rub the brush against the front of your Dachshunds teeth.
If you don’t brush your Dachshunds teeth regularly, plaque will build up, and plaque can be removed only via a thorough cleaning at the vet.
Vet cleanings require full anesthesia, which can be risky.