Yes, you will need to keep on top of grooming with your labrador. Grooming your Labrador will ensure you are keeping your dog looking clean and fresh as well as discarding any loose hair. Labradors, on the whole, are a simple breed to groom at home. However, if you are wanting to give your pooch some professional pampering you should visit your local groomer for some well deserved TLC.
To make sure that your dog’s coat is at its best, you will need to groom and brush your Labrador at least once a week, potentially more if you have been out walking your dog. However, when it comes closer to moulting season, you will need to up your grooming to around 4 times a week to make sure the dead hair is removed.
Although you may be tempted to trim your Labrador’s hair when it gets dirty or the warmer months approach, it isn’t something that is widely recommended in the world of grooming. Instead, taking the correct steps whilst grooming your dogs will keep your dog’s coat in a naturally healthy condition. The issue with trimming or shaving your labrador’s coat is that it can often damage the undercoat. Damaging your dog’s undercoat can lead to a lack of protection and disrupts their ability to self-cool during the summer months. Avoid trimming your dog as, although it may feel like you are helping, you could be disadvantaging your pup without realising.
Labradors, generally speaking, are a short-haired breed but on the rare occasion, you may come across a long-haired Labrador which is a recessive gene. Labrador’s coats are dense and double-layered giving them that lovely smooth and sleek appearance.
Unfortunately, to all homeowners out there, you can’t fully prevent your labrador from shedding hair and leaving deposits around the house. However, you can follow some steps to minimise your Labrador shedding. Keeping on top of grooming and brushing will make sure that you are removing any excess or dead hair before it falls out naturally. Likewise, you will need to shampoo and condition your dog’s coat with something that offers key nutrients and oils that all dogs’ coats need. As well as grooming, you will need to take close care with the nutrition your dog is getting from its food. This way, your dog’s coat will be looking its best as a healthy gut is often reflected in the condition of their coat.
The amount of shedding that your dog’s coat will undergo is highly dependent on each individual dog. It is impossible to quantify whether one dog will shed significantly more or less than another. You may hear people say that yellow Labradors shed much less than the chocolate and black variation of the breed. However, there is no proof of this and it is said that the belief may derive from the fact that when yellow Lab’s moult, their hair is more difficult to spot than the chocolate and black.
