Regularly Grooming Your Siberian Minimizes the Fluff

Once you've had about a year with your Siberian, you've had a chance to see at least one real shed with a full coat drop. Siberian Huskies drop their coats on average twice a year. In warmer climates, they might drop their coats three times per year, or even get a little "confused" and drop fluff at any time during the year.

Don't give up! Intensive, regular grooming is the answer. I'm not talking about taking a little swat here and there with a comb. Siberians need a much more intensive grooming to get rid of that bushel-basket full of fluff if you're going to have a hope of getting it under control.

There are two ways to go about doing this. The first is to bring your Siberian to a groomer. The second is to invest in real grooming equipment and learn to do it yourself. I don't recommend trying to eek out create a third option and just comb your Siberian a bit now and then -- both you and your Siberian will truly be happiest if you can swallow hard and make the real investment it takes to do a great job on your Siberian's coat.

What the Groomer can do for you

In very short order, your groomer will give your Siberian a warm water bath, a quick towel-dry, and then turn the blower on your dog's coat and all that loose fluff will go flying with almost no effort at all. Groomer's don't sit there for hours combing out fluff, they take a blower and blow it out in minutes. Once that packed in undercoat is gone, your Siberian will be as happy as a clam and much more comfortable. Siberians are cold weather dogs, and our houses are warm weather abodes. Their coats are not suited for our environments, so the less time that loose fluff stays on their bodies, the happier they are.

What you'll need if you do it yourself

You'll want to purchase or somehow mimic a "home" or "show" version of each of the groomer's basic supplies. These are:

• A medium-sized pet tub on a stand
• A grooming table with a harness or loop
• A blower
• A rake for your dog's undercoat
• A comb to dress up the edges
• A toenail clipper
• A scissor or dog hair clipper to trim your dog's feet

Optional supplies for grooming:

• A Dremel tool for closer shaping of toenails

This page was last updated on February 2, 2008