Coat Care

Corgi Hygiene or "The Long Term Effect of Dog Shampoo on the Human"

You will often hear the corgi referred to as a "wash and wear" dog and for the most part, this is true. Your house mate, computer buddy, lap corgi or performance star requires a minimum of "fussing" to stay healthy and looking good. A corgi being actively show in conformation does require more specialized grooming, of course, but we are talking about your corgi in residence.

I bathe my guys about once a month on average. The exception would be a close encounter with something unsavory in the woods, or a good roll in an especially aromatic 'eau de corgi'.

Bath day looks like this.

I comb out each dog before bathing him/her. I use a greyhound comb with medium/large combination teeth and try to get out as much loose hair as possible.

I trim pads and shape feet after the bath. Clean hair is easier to cut and when it dries it shrinks thus making the hair a little shorter than it would be than it if was cut dry. This gives me a chance to inspect their feet and pads for cracks, sores etc.

I use a gentle non-flea shampoo for all my kids. Since I use Frontline, I don’t see any reason to re-invent the wheel by using a flea shampoo. You can use a very diluted conditioner to help keep the coat in condition. Nothing heavy please! Some people do not use conditioners as it has been suspected of causing an otherwise straight coat to become wavy.

I wet them down and lather with shampoo, add more water and lather up again. Anyone who has bathed a corgi knows "you can’t get um wet and then you can’t get um dry!" Don’t give up, just suds up as much as you can, add water and suds again. I then rinse, re-lather and then rinse again. I am very careful to get out all the soap on the second rinse. (I believe it is extremely important to rinse all the shampoo from the coat and make sure that you rinse under the arms and belly.) This would be the time to use the conditioner if you choose to go this route.

After they are rinsed, "wring" them out, while they are still in the sink. It is amazing how much water you can get out of their coat right there in the tub. Start at the ruff, and working backwards gently squeeze the excess water out of their coat. Don’t forget the feet! They hold a lot of water. Best to do them last.

Finally, rough towel the dog in the sink and then move to a grooming table, or outside. Continue to towel dry (could take several towels) until they are as dry as you can get them.

The next step for me is the dryer. I use the Force Air Dryer that is used at the dog shows. It blows cool air and is great for getting the water out of the coat. If you do not have a Force Air Dryer, you can use a regular human hair dryer but only if it has a cool setting. I do NOT recommend using heat on a corgi’s coat. If you choose not to use a dryer just continue to towel dry and then crate for awhile until they dry a bit. Depending on the coat, this could take anywhere from a couple of hours until next spring (just kidding!) I dry them as much as possible, stopping several times to comb them out in the process. I use the greyhound comb and a pin brush for this step.

Lastly, I clean ears, grind nails and often brush teeth as part of the routine.

I use witch hazel to clean my dogs ears, using a trick I learned in my groom shop days. I use a pair of straight hemostats and clamp a cotton ball near the end. I then wind the cotton ball around the tip to cover all the metal. I dip this "swab" in to the witch hazel and proceed to clean out the ears. I find I can do a very through job this way. Another method is to use Bio Groom Ear Care Cleaner which can be purchased at some pet supply stores. Simply place a few drops in each ear and gently massage then let the dog shake his head to loosen any debris, etc. Then take a clean cotton ball or part of a small towel and gently wipe dry. Also a few drops in the ears after a bath (or a swim) can help any water that may have gotten in the ears evaporate more quickly.

As for nails, I use a Dremel grinder with a fine sand paper wheel, especially on puppies. If you are grinding puppy nails it is best to use the low speed since it makes less noise and causes less friction. I always do nails AFTER the bath because you can see the quick of the nail much more clearly on a clean foot! Once you and your dog get used to this method, you will never go back to the guillotine clippers! Unlike the clippers, you take off a bit at a time so there is no chance of "quicking" the dog. It also leaves a nice smooth nail, not a jagged "weapon" poised to shred your hose or legs, respectively! I would caution you to go in very short strokes on each nail, (from the bottom of nail towards you) as the friction builds up heat quickly, and can be uncomfortable for the dog. When you feel the nail surface getting soft you will know you are getting near the quick, and that is all for today.

I TRY to brush my dog’s teeth twice a week. I have a finger brush that has a regular bristle tooth brush head that I prefer over the other types. This is really something you need to begin doing with your puppies when they are very young so they become used to it. Teaching an older dog to accept sparkling white teeth is not easy, but can be done. Just go slow, reward often and be patient. You can purchase an enzymatic tooth paste from your veterinarian that is chicken flavored. Also some vets have rawhide chews that have been basted in this same enzymatic cleaner which is a nice way to get the cleaner on the teeth in between regular brushing.

So, for the most part, this is how I go about bath day. Everyone has their own trick and routines and you will develop your own over time. Just take the phone off the hook, lay out all your tools, shampoos, towels ahead of time, (there is nothing worse than trying to hold a dripping corgi under one arm while you search for a towel!) and go for it. You will finish the day wet and tired but with a shiny clean, albeit disgusted, corgi!

Editor's note: This article is intended as general information and does not represent professional advice or veterinarian advice.