Great Danes can be as tall as 32 inches at the shoulder which make them among the tallest dogs in existence today. Great Danes also weigh up to 175 pounds. With their combined height and weight, Great Danes stand out as giants among many other dogs. The Great Danes are originally from Germany where they are descended from a group of wild boar hunting dogs that existed during the Middle Ages period.
Great Danes come in different colors and patterns, but the most well known one is most likely the white and black patchwork pattern called harlequin. If you are looking for a place to learn how to groom a Great Dane, you have come to the right place.
The Process For How To Groom A Great Dane
1. Brush Your Great Dane’s Hair
Great Danes have short and smooth coatings and so matting isn’t particularly known to be an issue with these dogs. So, you don’t have to worry about that with your Great Dane.
As far as shedding is concerned, Great Danes are known to be moderate to high shedders of their hair overall and that is thanks in a big part to their giant sizes. The spring and fall seasons are where the shedding is at its heaviest.
With all that in mind, you will want to brush your Great Dane’s coating in order to get rid of the dead hair. That will bring the shedding under control. Otherwise, the shedded hair will end up on your floor or furniture and that can become a mess.
Brushing your Great Dane’s coating once per week should be enough for most of the year, but when the spring and fall shedding seasons arrive, you will want to brush his/her coating daily in order to keep the shedding under control.
As far as brushes are concerned, the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is popular with dog owners and is effective at getting rid of the dead hair without scratching your Great Dane’s skin in the process.
The brush also comes with a self-cleaning feature that will allow you to easily clean out the brush once it has accumulated the dead hair collected from brushing your Great Dane’s coating.
Once you have the brush, you are all set to start brushing your Great Dane’s coating. For best results, I would brush your Great Dane’s coating in the direction of hair growth.
2. Brush Your Great Dane’s Teeth
Brushing your Great Dane’s teeth is an important part of the grooming routine. A dog’s teeth can be breeding grounds for tartar buildup which isn’t good for any dogs because tartar buildup can result in tooth decay if not taken care of.
So, make sure that you brush your Great Dane’s teeth regularly – ideally on a daily basis. You will want to get the Virbac toothpaste for your dog’s teeth because that is the one that veterinarians often recommend to dog owners for their dogs’ teeth. You can use a toothbrush to brush your Great Dane’s teeth.
3. Bathe Your Great Dane
Your Great Dane can be bathed once every six to eight weeks. Be careful not to bathe your Great Dane too often because that can cause him/her to lost the natural oils that nourishes his/her skin and coating.
Once you are ready to bathe your Great Dane, here is how you can go about doing that. First, take your Great Dane to your bathtub. Once there, fill a cup with warm water and then pour it onto your Great Dane’s coating in order to get it all wet.
Now, apply the shampoo onto your Great Dane’s coating in a thorough manner, taking care not to get it into his/her eyes. As far as shampoos go, the Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner is one of the best shampoos that I can find. So, I recommend that you get that shampoo.
Once you have finished shampooing your Great Dane, be sure to rinse his/her coating until every trace of the shampoo is gone. With the bath over, proceed to dry your Great Dane’s coating with a bathing towel and then re-brush it.
4. Clean Your Great Dane’s Ears
Your Great Dane needs to have his/her ears cleaned out. That is because your Great Dane’s ears can become breeding grounds for wax buildup which can result in ear infection if it is left untouched.
So, make sure that you check in on your Great Dane’s ears periodically. If you notice that your Great Dane’s ears look dirty, that indicates that it is time for you to clean them out. You will want to use the Virbac ear cleaner as that is the one that veterinarians often recommend for a dog’s ears.
You can apply the ear cleaner onto cotton balls and then use them to clean out your Great Dane’s ears.
5. Clip Your Great Dane’s Nails
Your Great Dane also needs to have his/her nails clipped in order to keep them short. That is because you don’t want your Great Dane’s nails to be too long as that can be painful for him/her, resulting in discomfort when he/she is walking around.
So, be sure to keep an eye on your Great Dane’s nails or listen for any clicking sounds when he/she is walking around. That way, you will know for sure when you need to clip your Great Dane’s nails.
You can use a nail clipper like Millers Forge Dog Nail Clip to clip your Great Dane’s nails. Be careful not to clip the quick part of your Great Dane’s nails as that can easily lead to bleeding.
Concluding How To Groom A Great Dane
There you have it for how to groom a Great Dane. As far as trimming your Great Dane is concerned, given his/her short and smooth coating combined with the fact that he/she is a moderate to heavy shedder of hair, hair trimming isn’t going to make sense for him/her.
Also, if you are struggling to get your Great Dane to cooperate with you while you are grooming him/her, this post will help you with that.
What are your thoughts? Have you groomed a Great Dane before? Feel free to leave a comment down below.