Not to be confused with the Tibetan Mastiff which is a dog breed of its own, the Mastiff is a massive and heavy-boned dog measuring at a minimum height of 27.5 inches tall at the shoulder and weighing all the way up to 230 pounds. If you have ever seen a black-masked giant with a broad and massive head and a wrinkled forehead, then you have most likely seen a Mastiff. The coating of a Mastiff can be found in fawn, apricot, or brindle stripes.
The Mastiffs are descendants of the Molossers which are one of the most ancient groups of dogs, having been known to be alive five thousand years ago. If you are in need of help with Mastiff grooming, this is the post for you.
The Mastiff Grooming Process
1. Brush Your Mastiff’s Hair
Mastiffs are known to shed moderate amounts of hair throughout the year, but the spring and fall seasons are the times that they shed the heaviest. Whenever a Mastiff sheds his/her hair, they will fall down on the floor or furniture.
So, you will want to bring your Mastiff’s shedding under control by proactively brushing his/her coating. Mastiffs have short double coatings and so while matting may not seem like a big deal when compared to dogs with longer coating, you will still want to look out for mats on your Mastiff’s coating.
That is because although your Mastiff has short hair, his/her coating is still a double coating and double coatings, in general, are known to be breeding grounds for mats which can cause skin pain for a dog if left unaddressed.
Brushing your Mastiff’s coating will also take care of any mats that take form there. As for which brush to use, I would go with the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush as it is effective at collecting the dead hair and mats from a double coating without scratching the dog’s skin.
The brush also comes with a self-cleaning mechanism that is designed to make cleaning the brush easy to do as all you need to do is to just press the button located on the brush in order to clean it.
Once you have got the brush, you are ready to start brushing your Mastiff’s coating. In order to get the best results, you will want to brush in the direction of hair growth.
As for how often you should brush your Mastiff’s coating, for the most part, doing it once per week should be fine. However, during the spring and fall seasons, you will want to brush your Mastiff’s coating daily in order to keep the shedding under control.
2. Brush Your Mastiff’s Teeth
Like all dogs, your Mastiff needs to have his/her teeth brushed. That is in order to keep tartar buildup from taking form among your Mastiff’s teeth since tartar buildup can cause tooth decay for the dog if it is left alone.
So, you will want to be brushing your Mastiff’s teeth regularly – ideally on a daily basis. You will want to get the Virbac toothpaste for your Mastiff’s teeth because that is the one that veterinarians often recommend for a dog’s teeth. You can use a toothbrush to brush your Mastiff’s teeth.
3. Bathe Your Mastiff
Your Mastiff can be bathed once every six to eight weeks. But, be careful not to bathe your Mastiff too often as that can cause him/her to lose the natural oils that nourishes his/her skin and coating.
Once you are ready to bathe your Mastiff, here is a walk through for how you can do that. First, take your Mastiff to your bathtub. Once there, fill a cup with warm water and then pour it onto your Mastiff’s coating in order to get it all wet.
Now, thoroughly apply the shampoo onto your Mastiff’s coating, taking care not to get it into his/her eyes. If you aren’t sure which shampoo to use, I would go with the Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner as that is one of the best shampoos that I can find.
Once you are finished with shampooing your Mastiff’s coating, be sure to rinse it until every trace of the shampoo has been rinsed out. With the bath over, proceed to dry your Mastiff’s coating and then re-brush it.
4. Clean Your Mastiff’s Ears
Cleaning your Mastiff’s ears is an important part of the grooming process. That is so that your Mastiff’s ears don’t become breeding grounds for wax buildup. Wax buildup can lead to ear infection for your Mastiff if it isn’t taken care of.
So, be sure to check in on your Mastiff’s ears periodically. If they look dirty to you, that indicates that it is time for you to clean them out. You will want to use the Virbac ear cleaner for your Mastiff’s ears 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 Mastiff’s ears.
5. Clip Your Mastiff’s Nails
Your Mastiff also needs to have his/her nails clipped in order to keep them short. You don’t want your Mastiff’s nails to be too long as that can be painful for him/her and that is most felt when he/she is walking around.
So, make sure that you keep an eye on your Mastiff’s nails or listen for any clicking sounds when he/she is walking around. That way, you will know fur sure when you need to clip your Mastiff’s nails.
You can use a nail clipper like Millers Forge Dog Nail Clip to clip your Mastiff’s nails. Be careful not to clip the quick part of your Mastiff’s nails because that can easily result in bleeding.
Mastiff Grooming – Conclusion
There you have it for Mastiff grooming. As far as trimming your Mastiff’s hair is concerned, given your Mastiff’s short hair combined with his/her shedding, that is really something that will make sense at all.
Also, if you are in need of help with getting your Mastiff 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 Mastiff before? Feel free to leave a comment down below.