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What if I told you the tools you use to groom your corgi could keep their shedding under control?
If there’s one thing that drives most corgi parents crazy, it’s their dog’s shedding.
For such small creatures, the large tumbleweeds of fur they leave around the house are unbelievable.
Luckily, with proper grooming tools and a schedule, you can cut back drastically on the amount of hair your corgi leaves behind.
While they’ll still shed heavily twice a year when their coat transitions, you’ll be able to control the all-season shedding more effectively.
Best Brushes For Grooming Corgis
Corgis should be brushed at least once a week to optimize shedding control.
It’s crucial that you start with the proper tools. The wrong tools can, unfortunately, ruin your corgi’s coat and can even cause skin irritation, patchiness, and issues with future coat growth.
Despite popular misconception, tools you should avoid at all costs are de-shedding tools like Furminators.
These tools can, and will, destroy your corgis’s coat. They use blades to remove both dead and live undercoats with no discrimination between the two.
It is important that a dog’s undercoat remains healthy since it provides insulation which helps them regulate their body temperature.
While a compacted undercoat can be problematic, you also do not want to remove an otherwise healthy undercoat from your dog.
Helpful Tip: It is best to brush your dog’s coat wet. Just a fine misting of water from a spray bottle will make sure that the brushes don’t damage the coat. It also aids in loosening tangles and getting dead hair out. You can take this one step further by using a conditioning spray.
Greyhound Comb
The greyhound comb is a must-have comb for any grooming kit. It teases out tangles and helps remove dead hair.
When used during line brushing, it can remove large amounts of dead hair as well.
You might be asking, “What is line brushing?”
Line brushing is a specific brushing technique used by groomers to thoroughly brush each section of a dog’s undercoat.
How to line brush:
- Pick a direction. I recommend starting from the bottom and working up in sections.
- Move about one inch above/below your starting point and part the hair. You know you are doing this right if you can see the fur under the topcoat.
- Brush the 1-2 inches of exposed undercoat until the comb/brush moves freely through the fur.
- Repeat
You repeat this process until the entire dog has been groomed. This allows access to all layers of the coat which greatly reduces the continuous corgi shedding.
Our Favorite Combs
Pin Brush
Pin brushes are by far one of the most important general brushes to have in your grooming kit. They whisk away loose hair from both the top and bottom coats.
They’re a great starting tool, as well as a great finishing tool.
After you’ve misted your dog, a quick pass with a pin brush will help evenly massage the moisture into the coat.
Once you’ve finished your groom using other tools, pin brushes also help pick up any leftover loosened hair to give a tidy appearance.
When choosing a pin brush you will want to purchase a soft cushioned metal pin brush without balls on the pins. Balls on the pins will damage and pull hair.
This allows the brush to tease tangles out of the coat instead of ripping them out.
Our Favorite Brushes
- Chris Christensen Brush (oval)
- Chris Christensen Brush (square)
Best Nail Trimmers For Grooming Corgis
Corgi nails should be trimmed every 7-14 days, depending on how much time they spend walking on abrasive surfaces.
In general, if you can hear the sound of your corgi’s nails clicking on the ground as they walk, then it is time for a nail trim.
Most corgis have white nails, which makes it easy to trim their nails safely without the risk of hitting their quick (the pink center with all of the nerves).
It is important to feed lots of treats and take breaks since nail trims can be a stressful ordeal for some dogs.
If you would like a more in-depth guide on how to care for your dog’s nails, check out this article.
If you find yourself stressing out or simply not having time to trim your corgi’s nails, there is nothing wrong with seeking out a professional groomer for this process.
If you do decide to use a groomer, be sure to go at least every other week so the nails and quicks do not get overly long.
Dremels
Using a Dremel is, by far, one of the best ways to trim a dog’s nails.
Dremels allow you shape and round the nail so there are no sharp edges that may snag carpet, skin, or bedding.
They also allow you to gradually grind down the nail, getting the shortest and safest trim without hitting the quick.
Unlike the other tools, using a Dremel takes lots of practice and time for you and your dog to get used to it.
The noise of the Dremel can be startling to a dog and the vibration of the bit against their nail can be scary.
Be sure to take the time to expose your dog to the sound of a Dremel before moving on to doing one toe at a time.
Be sure to start off slow and use lots of treats and breaks.
Our Favorite Dremel
Clippers
Nail clippers are the classic way of doing nails, however, they pose a much higher risk of cutting the quick.
Clippers are designed to take off small slices with every cut and not large chunks.
There are two main types of clippers are guillotine and the type that look like scissors.
Ideally, try to stick with the scissor style as the guillotine style is more difficult to cut precisely with and is more likely to accidentally hit the quick.
Our Favorite Clippers
- Miller Forge (Small)
- Miller Forge (Large)
Scissors/Trimmer
Corgis should have the bottom of their paws tidied so the hair isn’t coming out in tufts between their toes.
The fur which grows between the pads on a dog’s foot provides protection from hot or cold surfaces.
If these hairs get too long, they can eventually turn into a matted, muddy mess.
Believe it or not, this is the only hair on the corgi you should ever trim. While the cute round corgi butt is in style, shaving or trimming any other part of your corgi can permanently damage their coat.
Our Favorite Scissors
Best Bathing Products For Grooming Corgis
There’s long been a myth that a dog can go months without a bath. This is not true.
The longer a coat goes without a bath the worse it will become, making it harder to prevent shedding and skin issues.
Bathing loosens not only dirt, but excess oil, dead skin, and lots of hair.
While a dog’s coat requires some natural oil to prevent it from going dry, too much oil can build up and cause skin issues.
In general, you should strive to bathe your corgi at least once a month, ideally every other week.
Regular baths keep the coat and skin free from excess oil and dirt build-up while also allowing dead hair to shed or brush out easily.
During bathing, remember to only use lukewarm or cool water. Too hot or too cold can also contribute to skin issues.
Shampoo
The shampoo you choose is incredibly important to the health of the coat and skin.
You should avoid shampoos that are cheap or claim to be “deshedding” shampoos.
Also, do not use shampoo made for humans as it is not properly PH balanced for a dog’s coat.
These types of shampoos can be harsh and excessively dry the coat and skin.
When rinsing, it is crucial to get all the shampoo out. The hair should feel squeaky clean when rubbed between your fingertips.
Our Favorite Shampoos
Conditioner
Conditioner is shampoo’s often overlooked partner.
It is hands down one of the absolute best ways to de-shed and maintain a coat.
Don’t be shy with the conditioner. Lather it in and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Conditioner can be a challenge to fully rinse out, but it is important that no product is left in the coat as it can cause skin irritation.
After a thorough rinse, the hair should feel squeaky and not slippery.
Our Favorite Conditioners
Force/Velocity Dryer
Force dryers are a professional groomer’s secret weapon to de-shed a corgi.
When used after a bath, a force dryer will make quick work of drying the coat and forcing dead hair out.
The best way to use a force dryer is to make quick back and forth movements.
This technique will quickly dry the fur while also blowing away any remaining loose or dead fur (but it might also create some unwanted cowlicks).
If you want a pristine-looking coat, blow air in the direction the coat grows.
This method takes much longer to get a thorough dry, but you get a more flawless groom.
Our Favorite Blowdryers
Final Thoughts
Owning a double-coated dog is not the easiest endeavor when it comes to grooming.
Corgis require significant upkeep to manage the shedding and dead hair.
Regular grooming will keep your dog’s coat and skin health in the best possible shape.
By arming yourself with the appropriate tools and supplies, bath time and nail trims will become just another positive experience for you and your pup!
