How to Groom a Rottweiler: 7 Expert Tips & Tricks

Rottweilers are popular dogs. They routinely rank in the top 10 most popular dogs in the United States, meaning there are hundreds of thousands of Rottweilers kicking around. Rottweilers have short coats and do not need extensive grooming, but you should never neglect your dog’s overall health. Grooming is a part of your Rottweiler’s comprehensive health picture.

Rottweilers can benefit from a grooming regimen. Here is how to groom your Rottweiler, including expert tips, tricks, and recommendations to keep your Rottweiler in the best health possible.

Preparation

Before you start grooming your dog, there are some things you will need. Grooming a Rottweiler is not particularly difficult, but it always pays to be prepared ahead of time. To do a full grooming, you will need a number of items and some time to get the job done.

Some people keep all of these things in a kit or bucket. This way, all of your grooming supplies are in one place and are easily available when you need them.

What You Will Need:

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The 7 Tips for Grooming Rottweiler

1. Give Your Dog an Examination Before Your Groom Them

Grooming is the perfect time to give your dog an examination. Looking over your dog with a critical eye can help you spot things that could be amiss or out of place. Finding potential health issues early can drastically improve the success rate for treatment.

Before you dive in and start brushing or bathing your dog, you should look them over. Check their skin. Look for bald spots, lumps, bumps, and bruises. Check your dog’s teeth. Give your dog’s mouth a sniff. You can usually catch dental issues by smell alone. Check your dog’s nails, paws, and eyes. Make notes of anything that could be wrong. This will allow you to cross check your observations to see if things like spots or lumps are growing or remaining static.

Many people don’t examine their dogs before they groom, but it can give you valuable information that can help boost your dog’s overall health by allowing you to remain ahead of the curve for potential issues.

2. Brush Your Rottweiler Consistently to Prevent Shedding

Rottweilers do not carry a heavy grooming load, but they do need to be brushed regularly to help prevent shedding. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), Rottweilers have a straight, coarse, medium-length coat that lays flat. This type of coat does not require trimming or professional grooming. However, Rottweilers will shed constantly. They also shed heavily during spring and fall, like most dogs. Brushing will help keep the shedding to a minimum. Brushing will remove dead hair in a controlled environment before it drops onto your pillow.

You can use any standard, rigid dog brush or comb to remove your Rottweiler’s dead hair. They do not have any special or specific grooming requirements to consider.

How Often Do Rottweilers Need Brushed?

Experts recommend that you brush your Rottweiler weekly. Weekly brushing will help keep your Rottweiler’s skin healthy and the shedding to a minimum. During shedding season (early fall and late spring), you might need to brush your Rottweiler two or three times per week in order to help keep on top of the shedding.

3. Bathe Your Rottweiler Regularly

Rottweilers should be bathed periodically. You should completely wet your Rottweiler from head to toe and use special shampoo or soap formulated for dogs. Dogs’ skin and hair are different from human skin and hair, so they need slightly different soaps to keep them feeling and looking their best. Dog shampoo is slightly different from human shampoo, and that difference can make a big impact on your Rottweiler. Wet your Rotty, scrub them down with dog shampoo, and then rinse them completely. If you are bathing your dog outside, you can let them shake themselves dry. If you are inside, you are going to want to use a towel.

Be careful about bathing your Rottweiler in cold weather. A warm bath in cold temperatures can cause hypothermia and discomfort if you are not careful. Dogs can get cold the same way that people do after getting out of a bath.

How Often Do Rottweilers Need to Be Bathed?

There is no firm recommendation for Rottweiler baths. Your bathing schedule will differ based on a number of factors, including how often your dog goes outside, how often your dog does high physical activity, and how much your dog smells on a regular basis.

Some dogs will need baths once a week, other dogs will need to be bathed once per month. Giving your dog a bath every 2–8 weeks is a good bet, but the exact frequency is entirely up to you and your Rottweiler. Just remember that overbathing a dog can dry out their skin as it depletes the natural oils that are produced to help keep your dog’s skin hydrated.

4. Use Face Wash for Extra Cleanliness

One pro tip to help your dog smell great is to use face wash. Dogs like Rottweilers can carry a lot of smells in their face. Washing your Rottweiler’s face with face wash will help them smell their best. It will keep their snouts clean and can help mitigate bad breath. If your Rottweiler likes to give kisses or get in your face, you will appreciate a good face wash. There are a number of face washes available for dogs. Some of them focus on scent, others are waterless, and others are applied during bath time. Find one that appeals to you and give it a try.

5. Trim Your Dog’s Nails Periodically

Many people are scared to trim their dog’s nails, but nail trims are a necessary part of the grooming process. If you do not trim your dog’s nails, they will get long. Long nails can be sharp and can cause scratches. They are also more prone to breaking, and a broken nail can become painful and infected.

There are two ways to trim your Rottweiler’s nails. First, you can use traditional nail trimmers. These work similarly to human nail trimmers, where you put the tip of the nail in and clip. Make sure not to trim them too short, or you will hit the quick and cause bleeding. The second way to trim your dog’s nails is to use a Dremel. Dremels spin and quickly wear the nail down. Some dogs will prefer nail clippers, other dogs will prefer Dremels. Use whichever method is easiest to get the job done. Just don’t neglect your dog’s nails.

6. Clean Your Rottweiler’s Ears to Prevent Infection and Hearing Loss

Lastly, you should examine your dog’s ears and clean them out when you give them a bath. Rottweilers have droopy ears, which can trap dust, dirt, and wax inside them easier than dogs with erect ears. You can buy liquid ear cleaners that you can use to break up dust, dirt, and wax inside the ear. If you do not clean your Rottweiler’s ears periodically, they could get impacted, which can block their ability to hear. Over time, too much dirt in the ear can lead to infections and even permanent hearing loss.

Ear cleaners for dogs are affordable, readily available, and easy to use. Using them periodically can drastically help your dog’s ear health.

7. Don’t Neglect Your Rottweiler; Seek Help If Necessary

Grooming dogs can be difficult. This can be especially true for large dogs, like Rottweilers. Some dogs hate baths. Other dogs cannot stand getting their nails trimmed. If you have a dog that is resistant to grooming, do not neglect them. Seek help. You can get your dog groomed by professionals in a number of places. Groomers will bathe your dog and often trim their nails for you. Your veterinarian is able to clean your dog’s ears, trim their nails, express their anal glands, and more. If you need help, seek help. Don’t let your dog’s health get out of hand because you don’t feel like you can do it at home. Even getting your Rottweiler groomed professionally once every couple of months is better than never getting them groomed at all.

Conclusion

Rottweilers do not require extensive grooming. However, you should not neglect their grooming needs. You need to brush and bathe your Rottweiler regularly to keep their coat and skin shiny and healthy. You also need to keep an eye on their ears, nails, and teeth. If you cannot meet all of your Rottweiler’s grooming needs at home, don’t be afraid to seek outside or professional help. Grooming is an important part of your Rottweiler’s health, and these tips will help you stay on top of it.

• See Also: 10 Essential Rottweiler Dog Supplies & Products

Featured Image Credit: Kevin Seibel, Pixabay