Good grooming insures a healthy dog; it can also help develop a good sense of self worth in your dog; while it makes you a very proud parent, when you show off your Foxhound to others.
A dog’s appearance and care is just as important as other health issues. In some cases, where there is a lack of proper care, cleaning, or grooming can severely affect the behavior of your Foxhound.
Brushing
A good grooming kit containing tools for shaving and cutting is a very important tool to have. It makes it easier to groom your dog which will improve its health.
Never wait to groom your dog that way they won’t have a build up of matted fur. That would make him associate the experience with unpleasantness. Dogs grow to love regular grooming as another source of affection and attention.
It is important to brush all knots out of the fur. Since this is a risky job to do, the best way out is to prevent them from forming in the first place. By brushing on a regular schedule it is easy to maintain a good coat for your dog. If and when you see any mats or tangles, use a detangle solution and a brush for untangling fur.
Go against the fur growth with a smaller brush to loosen any mats of fur. If your foxhounds paw pads are hairy, then clip them using electric clippers. Do not clip the hair in between the pads. Clip only the excess hair.
Bathing
To wash your dog, use the shower (do not forget to use a non-slip shower mat) in warmer months they can be washed outside, but do ensure the temperature of the water is comfortable for your dog. When washing indoors please ensure the water is a comfortable temperature not too hot or too cold; and when possible use a shower attachment, if no shower head is available, gently pour warm water over your dog to thoroughly wet its coat and then apply the shampoo. Knead it thoroughly into the coat; ensure you wash right down to the skin.
If your dog has got extremely dirty you may need to repeat this process, but we would recommend whenever possible to apply shampoo once.
When you rinse the dog shampoo out make sure you are getting the entire soap residue out. Leaving soap in the fur leads to itchy dry skin.
If using a conditioner repeat the rinse process, and again make sure the conditioner is thoroughly rinsed out of the coat, however generally it is advised that the Foxhound’s coats do not require conditioner.
When the coat is thoroughly rinsed it is time to dry, and with Foxhound’s this is quite a simple process, firstly remove most of the excess water with a towel. To maintain your dogs coat in great condition when towel drying avoid vigorous rubbing, as this can damage the coat and also cause tangling and knotting.