How to Groom Your Maremma Sheepdog
(Or other double coated Livestock Guardian Dog.)
In order for your Maremma Sheepdog to stay healthy he will need to be groomed occasionally. Maremmas are double coated breeds, which means they have a fluffy undercoat and a slicker, smoother topcoat. This coat acts as insulation against both cold AND heat, and for this reason you should never shave down your Maremma, unless it’s medically necessary. Dogs don’t sweat to cool off like humans and horses do. Instead they pant, like goats do. 🐶🐐 If you shave their coat you are actually taking away the insulation and making them hotter so just don’t do it! Shaving them also can ruin the coat, often making it grow in curly and coarse. It is ok to trim under their tail and their belly to help keep those areas clean, but otherwise it’s best to leave that amazing double coat alone.
However, a dirty, matted coat is not the best insulation against heat or cold and can lead to uncomfortable skin conditions. Maremmas that live outdoors will shed their undercoats in the spring and fall though it’s most noticeable in the spring. Sometimes the loose hair gets trapped and tangled and this can cause uncomfortable matts. Therefore you should help your Maremma by grooming him to help get all the loose hair out. Grooming him regularly will prevent problems before they start. If he’s already gotten matted it might be a bit more work to get the tangled hair out but it can be done. Read on below for our recommended tools to make grooming your Maremma easier. You can click on the hyperlinks and photos to purchase these items.
However, a dirty, matted coat is not the best insulation against heat or cold and can lead to uncomfortable skin conditions. Maremmas that live outdoors will shed their undercoats in the spring and fall though it’s most noticeable in the spring. Sometimes the loose hair gets trapped and tangled and this can cause uncomfortable matts. Therefore you should help your Maremma by grooming him to help get all the loose hair out. Grooming him regularly will prevent problems before they start. If he’s already gotten matted it might be a bit more work to get the tangled hair out but it can be done. Read on below for our recommended tools to make grooming your Maremma easier. You can click on the hyperlinks and photos to purchase these items.
Tools for Removing Loose Undercoat and Brushing Your Maremma
Removing loose undercoat requires two things - the right tools and lots of elbow grease!
Bathing Your Maremma Sheepdog
You may have noticed that Maremmas absolutely love water and mud, so they can get really dirty sometimes. Luckily their double coat does repel dirt so usually once they dry most of the dirt comes off, therefore they don’t need to be bathed very often. But an occasional bath is good for them, especially if they have fleas or ticks. Also, if they do end up with a matted undercoat bathing them will help to loosen that hair so it will let go. And if you blow dry them with a force blow dryer you can actually blow most of the undercoat right out in record time. We have a professional grooming tub installed in our milking parlor to make grooming easier. But you can bathe your Maremma outdoors with a garden hose and a good spray nozzle if the weather is warm enough. Below are some of the products we use for getting our Maremmas squeaky clean and tangle free!
Our Favorite Shampoos & Conditioners
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Useful Equipment for Bathing and Grooming Your Maremma
These are some other useful items for grooming Maremmas. Some are big ticket items but we love them and they sure make the job easier! But you can also improvise with cheaper alternatives. We installed a professional dog grooming tub in our milking parlor but you can always use a garden hose. We also splurged on a electric grooming table so we don’t have to lift these heavy dogs up onto the table. You could use a regular grooming table or improvise some other way. One item I do highly recommend, though, is a force blow dryer. It truly makes the job of getting the loose undercoat out so much easier. We have two different models, which are both listed below.
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Nails and Ears
No grooming is complete until the ears & nails are done! In fact, your Maremma will probably need his ears cleaned and nails trimmed more often than he will need a full grooming. Once a week would be great, but at least every couple of weeks or once a month is recommended. It’s really not hard and the more you practice the easier it will be for both you and your Maremma. Below are the tools to get the job done.
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Always reward your dog with a treat after the job is done, so he learns to associate grooming with good things!
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