A dog is obviously not something that comes to mind when we hear the word Brittany, and yet that is the name of this breed of dogs. Brittanys are recognized by their beautifully patterned coatings that are white with markings of one color or another on the sides, head, and tail. As for the color of the markings, orange and liver are by far the most common colors.
Brittanys are named for the Brittany region of France where they originated from. Brittanys have historically been bred to be hunting dogs specializing in hunting birds. If you are in need of help with Brittany grooming, you have come to the right place. So, continue to read on down below.
The Brittany Grooming Process
1. Brush Your Brittany’s Hair
Brittanys have single, but dense, coatings with straight or wavy hair of a short to medium length. One thing that you will want to take care of with your Brittany is matting. You don’t want mats to get a hold of your Brittany because that can cause pain for him/her with the skin.
And so, brushing your Brittany’s coating will help you to get rid of the mats. Another thing for you to know is that Brittanys shed a moderate amount of hair evenly throughout the year.
As a result, any dead hair that isn’t brushed out will eventually end up on your floor or furniture – and soon. So, you will want to be proactive and brush your Brittany’s coating in order to remove all the dead hair before they fall off the coating.
As far as brushes are concerned, you will want one that is effective with dense coatings like the one that your Brittany has. The Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is a popular choice among dog owners.
Thanks to the brush’s fine bent wire bristles, it can remove all the mats and dead hair from your Brittany’s coating without scratching his/her skin in the process. The brush also comes with a self-cleaning feature that will make cleaning your brush much easier for you.
Before you start brushing your Brittany’s coating, I want to let you know that his/her hair is fine which means that it can easily break off if you brush his/her coating while it is dry.
So, you will want to dampen your Brittany’s coating first before you brush it. In order to do that, all you need to do is to fill a spray bottle with water and then spray water onto your Brittany’s coating.
With your Brittany’s coating dampened, go ahead and start brushing it. For best results, you will want to brush in the direction of hair growth. You should brush your Brittany’s coating a few times per week.
2. Brush Your Brittany’s Teeth
Brushing your Brittany’s teeth is an important part of your grooming routine. Failure to brushing your Brittany’s teeth will result in tartar building up among his/her teeth which can lead to tooth decay.
So, you will want to brush your Brittany’s teeth on a regular basis – ideally daily. Veterinarians often recommend that dog owners get the Virbac toothpaste for brushing their dogs’ teeth. So, you will want to go along with it. You can use a toothbrush to brush your Brittany’s teeth.
3. Bathe Your Brittany
Your Brittany should only be bathed once every three to four months. Bathing your Brittany more often than that can result in the loss of natural oils that nourishes his/her skin and coat.
When it is time for your Brittany to take a bath, here is how you can bathe him/her. First, before we get started, let’s make sure that you have a shampoo that is worthy of your Brittany.
From what I have seen, Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner is one of the best shampoos that you can get. It is specially formulated with coconut base, aloe vera, and vitamin E to nourish your Brittany’s skin and make his/her coating soft and shiny.
The shampoo is also free of any harsh chemicals like soap and alcohol. That will ensure that your Brittany will have a smooth shampooing experience. The shampoo comes in three flavors: lavender and mint, green tea and bergamot, and rosemary and mint.
With the shampoo in hand, take your Brittany to your bathtub. Once there, fill a cup with warm water and pour it onto his/her coating to get it all wet. Now, apply the shampoo thoroughly onto your Brittany’s coating, taking care not to get it into his/her eyes.
With the shampoo applied, rinse your Brittany’s coating until every trace of the shampoo is gone. Now, dry out your Brittany’s coating with a bathing towel, but make sure that it is still damp as you will be re-brushing it. Once that is done, go ahead and re-brush your Brittany’s coating.
4. Clean Your Brittany’s Ears
Your Brittany needs to have his/her ears cleaned out in order to prevent the buildup of wax which can lead to ear infection if left unaddressed. So, be sure to keep an eye on your dog’s ears. If you notice that your Brittany’s ears look dirty, that indicates that it is time for you to clean them out.
Veterinarians often recommend the Virbac ear cleaner to dog owners for cleaning their dogs’ ears. So, you will want to go along with it for your Brittany’s ears. You can apply the ear cleaner to cotton balls and then use them to clean out your Brittany’s ears.
5. Clip Your Brittany’s Nails
Another one of your grooming routine is to clip your Brittany’s nails. You don’t want your Brittany to have overly long nails as that can cause pain for his/her paws. So, be sure to keep an eye on your Brittany’s nails.
If you start hearing the clicking sound while your Brittany is walking around, that indicates that it is time for you to clip his/her nails short. You can use a nail clipper like Millers Forge Dog Nail Clip to clip your Brittany’s nails.
Be careful not to cut the quick part of your Brittany’s nails as that can easily result in bleeding.
Brittany Grooming – Conclusion
So, there you have it for Brittany grooming. Also, if you are wondering if you should trim your Brittany’s hair, you don’t actually have to do that at all. That is because, by shedding a moderately amount of hair evenly all year long, your Brittany is in effect giving him/herself a haircut on a consistent basis.
So, there is really no point in you trimming your Brittany’s hair when he/she is already doing it him/herself. If your Brittany isn’t being cooperative while you are grooming him/her, this post will help you gain his/her cooperation for the grooming.
What are your thoughts? Have you groomed a Brittany before? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
Brittany is a hunting dog. Imagine it running in the woods while on a hunt and you’ve followed every step in this article in grooming it. It will be so free and enjoying every minute of every moment it will be running around. It can actually appreciate you by getting the biggest hunt you’ve ever got.
For sure, it will be helpful for your Brittany to be groomed before going on a hunt with you. That way, your Brittany can focus on enjoying the hunt with you without being distracted by the pains/discomforts that results from not being groomed at all.
It is good to know that your Brittany will enjoy being groomed, but if he/she doesn’t, please know that there is help available here.
Interesting blog post on the grooming of a Brittany. Their fur is actually quite easy to brush, in my opinion. I was wondering though if I need to give their ears a trim, but it seems that is not necessarily. The tip on clipping the nails when you can hear them clicking while walking, is also a good one! I’m always afraid of clipping too much, so that it would start to bleed, but I will just wait now until I hear that sound. thanks!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on grooming a Brittany. I can’t remember for sure of Brittanys have hair inside their ears. If that is the case, then it’s a good idea to trim these in order to allow for better air flow.
As for clipping your Brittany’s nails, yes, that is a good plan to go with if you are worried about clipping the nails too much.