Brushing the resident GSD

I came across this article on dogchannel.com this morning and it made me rethink the way I perform my daily  GSD coat brushings.

The following is an excerpt from the Popular Puppies Series magabook German Shepherd Puppies/ The publisher is: BowTie magazines, a division of BowTie Inc.

"For a German Shepherd puppy:

1. Lightly mist your German Shepherd Dog with water from a spray bottle to eliminate static and dampen the undercoat.

2. Brush your puppy’s coat in the direction in which it grows, using a brush with flexible bristles. Use gentle strokes to get him comfortable with the process.

3. Next, brush your German Shepherd’s coat backward, going against the natural direction. This is called back brushing. Back brushing is important for several reasons: It fluffs the dog’s entire coat, aerates the undercoat, releases trapped moisture and lifts away dirt and dead hair. It also helps eliminate odors and prevents hot spots (painful skin infections).

4. Approximately 15 minutes after back brushing, your German Shepherd’s coat will return to its normal state – just shinier and cleaner. If you brush the dog’s coat only in the direction in which it grows, you will trap the dirt and moisture, which causes that unpleasant dog odor.

5. Starting with your GSD puppy’s paws, brush up from his paws to the tops of his legs. Brush his tail from the tip to his hips, then do the same on his back, brushing from your dog’s hips to his shoulders and in the same direction on his sides. Finally, brush your German Shepherd’s chest from bottom to top.

6. End the session by rubbing your German Shepherd puppy with a soft towel. Don’t smooth out his hair; leave it fluffed up to aerate and invigorate the undercoat. Give your little German Shepherd lots of praise for his cooperation.

“Within a week of repeated brushings, your GSD puppy will get excited to see you coming with the misting bottle and will be anxious for you to start the back brushing,” says American Kennel Club Judge and German Shepherd Dog expert Dr. Carmen Battaglia.

At this point, you’re ready to move on to a simpler daily German Shepherd Dog brushing routine, which can be accomplished in less than two minutes.

1. Lightly mist your German Shepherd’s coat.
2. Back brush your dog all over with a soft brush.
3. Rub him with a soft towel.
4. Leave the coat standing up.

In the spring and fall, your GSD’s coat will replace itself. This is known as shedding or “blowing the coat.” You’ll need a more aggressive daily brushing plan during these seasons. Try the following:

1. Brush your German Shepherd’s coat with a grooming rake (a brush with a series of curved, metal tines designed to remove loose undercoat). Start at your dog’s head, and rake in the direction in which the coat grows. Rake down your GSD’s neck, down his front side to his paws, under his body, along his back to his hind legs, and finish at his tail. Repeat this two or three times.

2. Mist your dog’s coat.

3. Use the back-brushing technique.

4. Rub your dog with a clean, plush towel.

Brushing your GSD in this way during his shedding period will aid in the shedding cycle. If you don’t use a rake during this period, the shedding process might take as long as three or four weeks."

Sooooo
My assignment will be to convince this girl, Leia, that backbrushing, tho it feels strange, is actually awesome...can you say "yogurt-dipped milkbones"?