Great dane health : the hair and its maintenance

The hair

The hair is the basic element of the dog fur. For the great dane, it's very short, dense, smooth, close lying and glossy.

great dane hairs

The fur renews continually : the hair grows up in the hair follicle and then falls in order to make way for a new hair. This phenomenom is more important during specific periods : this is the moult.

The moult occurs in the beginning of autummn (renewing of the spring hairs by a thicker winter pelage) and of spring (losing of the winter hairs). The pelage becomes adapted to the seasonal temperatures.

It's impossible to prevent a dog from moulting. It's possible at best to reduce its duration by a precocious use of essential fatty acid.

The maintenance of the hair

It can be done by a brushing and a washing of the hair. The appearance of the dog hair can also be modified by a good feeding and a vermifugation.

The brushing

A brushing at regular intervals eliminates the dead (and so drab) hairs, airs the skin and favours the regrowing of the hairs by stimulating the circulatory system at the surface of the skin. It helps also to prevent some skins diceases. The general skin aspect will be largely improved.

With the brushing, it's aslo possible to see close the skin of the dog and to see if necessary the presence of parasits (fleas, ticks) or skin lesion (scabs, nodules, ...).

The washing

The washing is necesary to the maintenance of the hair. It eliminates all the dirty substances and eliminates the eventuel stranger bodies on the hairs. It eliminates also parasits, dandruffs, scabs, ... It's also an hygienic factor for the circle.

The dogs with short hairs like great danes must be washed two or four times if necessary.

More, the skin of a dog is more delicate than the skin of a human. Specific products must be used for the dogs because human shampoos, adults and even babies, must be absolutly banned. The shampoo must have an acidity (called also pH) between 5,5 and 7,2.

The feeding

Drab hair and also an important moult are often due originally to a bad feeding.

The elements which favour a good health of the skin and the fur are :

The vermifugation

The hair can become scab because of intestinal parasits. In fact, they take a part of the nutricious substances for the dog and it creates finally deficiencies in vitamins. So it's better to not forget this factor and vermifugate regularly the dog.

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