[onyxdaily]

Is anyone familiar with Saint Bernards and any special grooming needs they have? I use a regular dog brush I got at the pet store, and I brush him daily, but I see so many other tools out there (undercoat rake, slicker brush, furminator, etc), and so many specialty shampoos / conditioners, that it gets a little confusing on what's the best / most breed appropriate. Jasper is my first Saint and I want to make sure and thin him if I should, bath him as much as I should, and just take the best care of him that I can, including his grooming needs.

[Sluggodog]

Hi There - sorry i don't have a Saint Bernard (but would LOVE one!), but our Bernese Mountain dogs shed like crazy, especially with the weather right now. We try to brush them as much as possible - we use a blue plastic hand-held brush - very simple and not expensive. I have tried the metal looking ones, but on the long coat it feels like it is ripping the hair out. I don't find those glove brushes to work very well either. If you are not already, you may want to add an essential oil (Flax,3-6-9, etc) to the diet. I find that really helps.

[icepaws20]

Hi ya,
I do not have a saint bernard, but i have a malamute which also has a double coat ( undercoat and top coat), It is important to remove as much of the loosened and dead undercoat hair as possible,for this i would use a rake,i do have a little grooming experience so these would be my steps for a saint bernard.

- Cut Nails
- Use a 10 or 15 blade to remove excess hair from between pads of feet.
- Also use the same blade to trim the stomach and bottom area.
- Clean ears if needed.
- Brush and comb dog throughly b4 bath.
- Wash and dry dog.
- brush and comb again to remove any loosened hair.

Remember,dont brush one spot more than 5/6 times at once, you dont want to give your dog brush burn,if a particular part needs more brushing move on to another part then go back to it.
I would use a gentle cleansing shampoo for your dog.

Hope this helps,

Kirsty and koda xx

[Pistolero Dancer]

Hello! I am a groomer, and I agree with the above. Only thing I would add would be to use a heavy duty blowdryer if you have access to one, as it helps to loosen any undercoat before brushing. Make sure you can easily get a rake through your dog's coat before bathing - any matts or thick areas in the coat will get tighter & harder to remove if they get wet.

Have fun!
Holly (with Chevy & Rogue)

[Keno's Mom]

I'm assuming your Saint is a longhair and not the short hair version? I would use grooming tools that have teeth in them if longhair so you can get to the skin and not just comb over the surface.

[lindseyanne]

i have had a saint bernard "magnum" named after magnum p.i lol and that dog shed and shed so i just used a wire brush and it really helped i also fed him a coat supplament as you may know the coat in the summer comes out in chunks ewww.good luck!

[onyxdaily]

Actually, Jasper is a short haired saint bernard. I don't know if this changes his grooming needs or not. We are still brushing him daily with a regular dog brush, and we are thinking about getting an undercoat rake and a slicker brush to add to his grooming regimen. I also was reading the post about the kong zoom groom and wondered if that tool would work for Jasper. I'm going to try to do some checking into that, but any suggestions are always welcome.