When it comes to grooming a dachshund, many owners find this task enjoyable. It is indeed a pleasant time spending to look after such a cute little thing.
Whether you own a long-haired, wired-haired, or short-haired dachshund type, undeniably this dog breed benefits immensely from good grooming habits.
Most importantly, dedicating time to your dachshund’s grooming can help you to create a deeper bond with your sausage dog.
Moreover, regular grooming will help you to spot any physical signs of possible health issues swiftly. This way, you will ensure that your dachshund remains healthy at all times.
In this article, we consider grooming tips for all three types of dachshund coats.
We will also discuss how to care for your dachshund’s eyes, ears, nails, and teeth. Finally, we will give some tips on how to keep your doxie away from ticks and fleas.
General Dachshund Grooming Information
Some people like to get their dachshunds professionally groomed, from monthly to around every three months. The professional grooming will indeed ensure a more expert finish for the dog. It’s also less work for an owner and equals an excellent looking dog to show off!
It is always an excellent idea if you have your doxie professionally groomed on specific occasions. However, your weiner dog will also benefit significantly from being groomed regularly in between such visits.
Thus, if you can devote to this procedure a few minutes per day, or an hour or so every couple of days during the week, you’ll ensure a fantastic looking dachshund.
Moreover, regular grooming will help your doxie of getting used to being touched and brushed. As well as that, it will also be easier for groomers and veterinarians to handle your weiner dog when the time comes!
In general, regular grooming procedure should include brushing and a quick overall visual health check.
When it comes to bathing, as with many other dog types, grooming experts recommend bathing your dachshund no more than once every few weeks or so.
You can find a detailed guide on your doxie’s bathing routine by reading our complete article on How to bath a dachshund.
Short-Haired Dachshund Grooming
Short-haired weiners are perhaps the dachshund type that requires least in the way of grooming. The smooth-haired dachshund coat is undoubtedly easy to maintain!
The benefits of a shorter coat type mean it requires just essential grooming. Therefore, regular brushing is sufficient enough by use of a brush with soft bristles.
We recommend concentrating on the brushing side of grooming with a short-haired dachshund coat. This way, you can ensure your sausage dog looks exceptionally healthy coat that always looks visually attractive.
Combs should not be used on this dachshund coat type as they are too harsh for this delicate shorter fur.
Some short-haired dachshund owners like to make use of a rubber mitt and run it across the dachshund’s body regularly when petting it. This procedure helps to remove any hairs while giving the coat a lovely finishing shine.
When it comes to bathing a short-haired dachshund, this isn’t one of the dachshund varieties that will need the most attention. In other words, aim to wash your wiener dog when it needs it, usually every few weeks or so.
If your short-haired dachshund is professionally groomed regularly, you may want to leave the bathing to these sessions.
When you do bathe your short-haired dachshund, be sure to use a shampoo designed for dogs, and if possible, for specific coat type.
Long-Haired Dachshund Grooming
Whereas short-haired dachshunds require the minimal of grooming efforts, long-haired dachshunds demand the complete opposite!
One of the dachshund types that owners are getting groomed professionally, a long-haired dachshund needs a daily brushing session and then a good combing straight after!
It is the coat type that is the most susceptible to matting – especially so on those areas of the body where the hair is longer. Mats are often prominent behind a dog’s ears.
However, when you do find mats growing on your long-haired doxie, you will need to untangle them by hand before you can begin to brush them.
If left untreated, mats can develop into mat balls and will often need cutting off in those more extreme of cases. For this reason, extra attention to grooming is vital for a long-haired dachshund.
Regarding bathing, once again long-haired dachshund types do not require obsessive amounts of bathing.
However, when you do bathe this dog type, it will require a little more effort to clean through the coat. Also, pay more attention when drying this type of fur to ensure no knots occur.
Wire-Haired Dachshund Grooming Tips
Wire-haired dachshunds also need more attention when it comes to grooming. However, the brush type you select is more important on this occasion than the frequency of brushing.
Wire-haired dachshunds need a short napped and wired bristle brush. It is because it has stronger bristle types that can cope with the harder coat consistency. Consequently, it will remove any loose or dead hair effectively in the process.
However, though frequent brushing is recommended for a wire-haired coat, it’s not necessary to make this procedure as regular as daily.
Wired-haired coat types tend to need a bit more grooming care around shedding times. Therefore, once or twice a week should be sufficient enough for brushing their coat.
When bathing, wire-haired dachshunds also don’t need regular baths and can do just as well with one every month.
How to Clean Your Dachshund’s Eyes
No matter what coat type your dachshund has – when it comes to caring for his eyes, the process is the same. Besides, often the eyes are the area that some owners tend to miss out completely when grooming.
An essential part of the body, this is where you need to be gentle and careful – but it is perhaps the simplest of grooming jobs to do.
An incredibly soft cloth can be used for this task by dipping it in lukewarm water. The fabric needs to be sterile; otherwise, you can use a cotton pad instead. Then proceed to wipe in a downward motion away from the dog’s eyes. This ritual will keep the area clean while ensuring your dachshund’s eyes look brighter as a result.
For some wire-haired dachshund types, you may have to trim a little hair away from the area first. But, make sure you do so when your dog is steady and preferably held by someone else, to avoid injury.
Given that you clean your doxie’s eyes regularly, they should stay bright and healthy. However, sometimes the infections and other eye health conditions can occur despite a proper eye care.
If you want to find out more about possible eye health complications in dachshunds, read our article about Dachshunds Eye Problems.
The best way to help your dachshund live longer?
Watch our video to find out!
How to Clean Your Dachshund’s Ears
Another equally important aspect of your dog is their ears. And, when it comes to the dachshund, they have more prominent and floppier ears than most of the other dog types!
Besides, dachshund ears are also the most sensitive part of the dog’s body. Therefore caution, care, and gentleness are essential here.
This job can be done by use of yet again a very soft cloth that is just dampened enough to wipe the dog’s ears gently.
Be sure to use the cloth as a gentle wipe action, pulling away from the eardrum. Never be tempted to use anything else such as cotton buds – as this can significantly irritate the ears and possibly cause an infection.
How to Trim Your Dachshund’s Nails
For many dachshund owners and other dog owners in general, the task of nail clipping is something they prefer to leave to the professionals!
Even if you don’t intend to have your dachshund professionally groomed, you can book him into the groomers for a simple nail trim.
Nail trimming can, of course, be done at home. However, it’s one of the more challenging of grooming jobs to do. It is especially so if your dachshund doesn’t like the process at all!
The important part of nail trimming is ensuring you do not cut past the blood vessel. If this does happen, it equals an excruciating process for the dachshund and a stressful job for yourself. Your dog will also become terrified each time it sees the clippers.
But this is one grooming task that if you can do regularly – you’ll both get used to the process!
Also, make sure you invest in a quality pair of trimmers that are specially designed for this task.
Then, work to trim off the bare tip of the dog’s claws.
If you trim your sausage dog’s nails regularly, you won’t have to resort to cutting too much off at one time. Thus, you reduce the possibility of snipping into the blood vessel.
How to Clean Your Dachshund’s Teeth
Another job that is hugely important and can be done when grooming is your dachshund’s dental hygiene.
Many dachshund owners like to brush their dog’s teeth regularly to ward off any plaque and tartar build-up.
So, if you can manage tooth brushing for your dog daily or even once or twice a week, it is a great idea to do so! Introducing brushing as a regular part of the grooming process, you ensure a healthier dog all-round.
Firstly, select some specific dog toothpaste for the task and use a soft toothbrush or dedicated smaller brush that you can place on the tip of your finger.
By making this a regular grooming job, you can keep an eye on your pet’s dental health. As a result, you will be able to spot any potential problems immediately.
You can also help make your dachshund more approachable when it comes to the many times they visit the groomer and vets.
If you want to find out about how to care about your dachshund teeth in detail, read our article about How to brush your dog’s teeth.
Dachshund Flea & Tick Treatment
As with all dog types, dachshunds are also susceptible to common fleas, ticks, and other pests. Therefore, by working to control the situation before it has a chance to develop, you ensure maximum health for your doxie.
An extremely effective way to control the threat of such pests is to place your dachshund on regular flea treatments. Also, don’t forget to treat their bedding areas and other sleeping areas.
The best flea treatments will be those that work hard to deter ticks as well.
However, most ticks can’t be stopped entirely by flea treatment alone. It means your dachshund is more susceptible to such pests if it regularly walks through vast grassy areas.
However, if you’re grooming your dachshund regularly, you’ll be able to spot any signs of ticks and act on them straight away.
In essence, if you can make grooming a regular occurrence throughout every week, you signal to your dachshund that grooming is a natural process and one not to worry about.
This way, grooming helps you keep your dachshund looking good, also ensuring its overall health. Also, more importantly, grooming ritual is an excellent time for interacting with your dog.
Therefore, you can make grooming a quality bonding session spent together!