An important part of maintaining a healthy dog is ensuring he or she has a healthy skin and coat. The amount of care your dog needs will vary, but all dogs need a good grooming regimen.

Grooming options to be considered:

• Check with private pet groomers, your veterinarian or even your local pet specialty store.
• Reputable groomers are well trained and familiar with the needs of your particular breed of dog. They’ll also clean your dog’s ears and cut his nails.
• You may choose to groom your dog, or do part of the work yourself with the occasional trip to the groomer. This is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your dog. Most dogs love the attention they get with a good brushing.

Healthy coat's appearance: A healthy coat will be soft and relatively smooth even on short or wired hair breeds. The coat should be shiny but not greasy, and it should not have a strong odor.

Unhealthy coat's appearance: A dog with an unhealthy coat will have dry and brittle hair with lots of loose hair in the coat. The coat itself may also be greasy or have a dusty appearance and include bald spots and an unpleasant oily smell.

Brushing is the most important part of dog grooming:

• Long-haired breeds — such as Irish setters, border collies, shelties and Pomeranians — need to be brushed twice a week.
• Dogs prone to shedding, or with thick undercoats, should be brushed once a week.
• Even short-haired breeds benefit from regular grooming to remove loose hair.

Brushing requires the appropriate tools. There are as many different types of brushes as there are types of coats on a dog. Ideally, you need two brushes: one with widely spaced teeth for the coat's outer layer and a finer-spaced brush for combing and brushing around the face. You can also ask your veterinarian or groomer for a recommendation.