Hovawart is a breed which is relatively easy to take care for, it is not artificially derived decorative dog, and therefore it should not be excessively groomed for the “sleek” look. Because this breed has medium-length hair, it is usually recommended a thorough combing once or twice a week. Hovawart have almost no undercoat, to some extent, it makes it easier to groom and helps in self-cleaning. This means that if your dog on a rainy day is back from a walk splashed with mud, much of this dirt will disappear when the dog is dry. Although, in my opinion, to carry all the dirt from a walk into the living room is absolutely wrong. Washing paws after every walk for your dog will become as routine exercise, as you washing your hands, if you want to teach your dog to order.
Regular combing is necessary for the coat, it will not twist and do will not fall down, “mat” won’t formed. Combing removes dead skin and hair. Combed wool must get rolled up carefully so as not to hurt the dog. Many dogs like the process of combing, until it is done softly and gently, no pulling the wool. This procedure helps the dog and the owner to feel the great trust in each other.
Hovawart is not one of those breeds of dogs that shed heavily, but during the molting you should frequently combing the dog in time to remove dead hair, to make easer a process of molting for the dog. In addition, it will save you from doing wet cleaning more often than usual.
Bathing.
Dogs do not need to bathe as often as men. Too frequent bathing dries the skin of dogs and can damage the hair. You should bath the dog when its hair becomes dirty or smells unpleasant. My dogs are so accustomed to bathe, that by the command “In the shower” they both compete to try to be first to get in their shower cabin.
Before bathing, try carefully to comb the dog, as this will facilitate the process of combing after bathing. Wet wool is much harder to comb. Make sure that in the process of bathing your dog will not fall into slip. Wet the hair gradually, check that the water is not too cold or too hot for the dog. Use a shower or hose, that would be good to soak and rinse hair.
After the wool is well soaked with water, apply shampoo for dogs, beating it in dense foam. The head should be washed last, that would help to avoid getting shampoo into the eye while you wash other body parts. You should only use a shampoo made specifically for dogs. Wash the entire length of the hair. Washing out the wool to the skin, you can inspect it for damage, bites, inflammation. Try to wash everything, even places hard to reach.
After the dog was well lathered and washed, it should be thoroughly washed. The shampoo left on the hair after bathing, can irritate the skin. Protect your dog’s eyes, covering them with his hand and directing a jet of water in the opposite direction. Also try that would have no water got into his ears. Be prepared for the fact that the dog will want to shake off the drops of water from the wool after, that will be washed away as shampoo.
If you plan to take the dog in the summer with you to the sea and give it the opportunity to swim in salt water, do not forget to rinse off the dog in fresh water after swimming in the sea. Otherwise, the dog may have skin irritation from sea water.
After you have bathed the dog, make sure it is thoroughly washed, remove excess water from the wool with his hands and dry it with a large towel. Never let your dog go outside with wet hair, especially in the cold season.
Recently, a large number of animal care has appeared, including facilities for dry cleaning (sprays and powders) that can be used between baths to keep the wool clean. In some cases, when bathing, for some reason is not possible, you can do dry cleaning, after which the dog must be well combed, remove excess detergent from wool. Do not use these devices before the show, because on dark dogs they can leave whitish marks for the next few hours.
Care for teeth.
Dry food is more useful for teeth of Hovawart. You can also clean your dog’s teeth, but not with normal toothpaste and brushes. Use personal hygiene products, specifically designed for dogs. Also there are substance on sale that eliminate the odor from the mouth of the dog and prevent the formation of dental tartar. Usage is optional, but may be possible at the request of the dog and owner.
Cleaning the ears.
The purity of ears should be keeped always with a special liquid for cleaning the ears of dogs. How often to clean the dog’s ears – vet decide individually for your dog. In my opinion, it is healthy enough to clean the dog’s ears once every two to three weeks. Pay close attention to ensure that your dog had no ear infections or ear parasites. If the dog is constantly shaking his head or scratching his ears, it is often a sign of illness or allergies. If the dog’s ears smell unusual, it can also be a sign of ear infection or parasites. If you have any suspicions immediately show the dog to the vet.
Trimming of nails.
Your dog should be since childhood used to the fact that its nails are trimmed regularly. This is a lifelong mandatory procedure for a dog. The dog can scratch you not purposely with very long nails, too long nails can damage the foot, cause painful bleeding scratches made by the dog itself. If you hear that the nails of your dog knock when it walks, it means they are too long.
Consult with your veterinarian, he will tell you what mode and frequency of trimming nails precisely fit your dog. If the dogs have black or dark nails, it is better to cut the cup, but quite a bit so as not to damage the blood vessels and nerve endings. Bright nails are easier to trim, because you can see the vessels, which shine a little through the shell of the nail.
Before you start trimming nails, make sure that you picture to yourself, where the blood vessels in the talons are situated. Each talon has a vessel which passes through the center of a claw and ends fairly close to its tip. Talon will bleed if you touch the vessel, it will be quite painful for the dog because there are nerve endings close to the vessels. Always keep near you materials which can facilitate blood to stop. These substance will help to stop the bleeding of the damaged claw. Do not panic if you have damaged claw, just stop the blood and calm the dog, gently talking to it. Once the dog calmed down, go to the next claw. Remember, it is better to cut less, not to damage the nail and do not hurt the dog.
You should use tweezers, specially designed for dogs, they are sold in many zoological shops.
The dogs nails, who spend a lot of time outside the house, on a solid surface (concrete or asphalt), will grind in natural way, and they can be cut less frequently. Except winter months, when any dog spend more time indoors.
Care for legs.
In winter, you should closely monitor the paws of your pet. During the walking the space between pads can be crammed often with snow, which can turn a walk for the dog into severe trial, so walk becomes painful. Pads are crammed with a snow because of the wool, which grows between the toes. Dogs are not always able to free themselves from such lumps, if you can help it would be quicker and easier. To prevent such clots of snow you should clip out a little the hair on his paws between the pads of his fingers. It is only important not to overdo it, because this same coat is needed to protect the skin on the paws of the various salts and preparations, which are sprinkled on the winter road.