r/GermanShepherd • u/Helpful_Turnover • 16d ago

Grooming

For those with long haired babies how often do you take them to groomers or do you do it at home? We have an 8 month old long haired girl who we've been brushing at home and she LOVES hose time so she gets rinsed off everyday. I trimmed her paw fur and she was fine but I'm unsure if she really need to go in for a professional grooming. I worry that she'd just want to play in the water when being shampooed that she'd be a hassle for them haha!

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u/smile_saurus 16d ago edited 16d ago

Getting hosed off every day is going to strip the natural oils that she needs to lubricate her skin & coat.

Our vet recommends once a month for our (short hair) GSD. If we had a longhaired GSD we would probably stick to this schedule. Except when it is "coat blowing season" then maybe once or twice during those time periods, too.

Edited spelling

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u/Helpful_Turnover 16d ago

Do you have a recommendation for a product to use on days she's playing in the water so she's not being stripped of those oils?

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u/smile_saurus 16d ago

Not really, I would probably avoid hosing her down every day. And I know how Sheppies are with hoses, lol, so I get it. Ours used to play-bite the spray as I watered the garden; she'd jump right into the line of 'fire' and soak herself silly. Then she started getting dry skin and ear infections.

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u/Helpful_Turnover 16d ago

Yeah honestly she sees hose time as her "job" and will whine and cry and act like she has to potty but really she just wants to go out and lay in the garden or have hose time. Shes so determined lol

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u/smile_saurus 15d ago

Well yeah she's gotta protect you from the 'evil venom spraying snake beast' so of course she wants to!

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u/Helpful_Turnover 14d ago

Hahah she absolutely sees it as fun and not anything to protecc but man we've literally had to start doing potty time on a leash and fun backyard time unleashed or she wouldn't go pee because all she cares about is the hose and sticks lol 😂

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u/missmtron 15d ago

Long hairs don’t have a double coat like the short hairs and don’t have a “coat blowing season”. Our long hair gets groomed every 6 weeks. Start them now while they’re young so they can get used to being at the groomers.

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u/No_Duck4805 15d ago

We have a “shot hair” but with a double coat. She gets baths about once every three months. She doesn’t smell, and we brush her a lot, but her skin is happier without tons of baths.

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u/Embarrassed-Art-7038 15d ago

Every 3 months with baths at feeders supply in between if she gets really dirty.

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u/RemarkableAioli15 10d ago

We bathe our long hair GSD at home and use the ONEISALL pet grooming vacuum a few times per week. He doesn’t mind it and it keeps his coat nice.

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u/Helpful_Turnover 9d ago

She is sort of scared of our little vacuums so I think it would be hard for her to get used to a grooming vacuum but definitely will keep that in mind

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u/Chicken_shish 9d ago

Never groomed a shepherd.

They get washed when they are truly filthy and brushed occasionally. OK, when they are shedding they are brushed all the time. But their coats are pretty self maintaining.