Samoyed Grooming

For Samoyeds, regular and expert grooming is key to a healthy, happy dog. For this double-coated arctic breed, grooming is a “whole thing” and requires specialized knowledge of how to groom a Samoyed coat correctly. Left untended, a Samoyed’s coat will become matted, dirty, uncomfortable and lead to skin irritation, sores and infection. The key to success is to stay ahead of your Samoyed’s coat by making grooming a regular, even daily occurrence.

Samoyed owners typically take one of two paths (or a combination of both):

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Samoyed Grooming

At a minimum this requires a specialized set of brushes and commitment to a near-daily regimen. The most committed DIY groomers often add additional brushes, a grooming table and a blower to their grooming toolkit. See “Samoyed Grooming Resources” below for some links to recommended gear and instructional videos.

Professional Samoyed Grooming

If you’re going to rely on a professional groomer as your primary path to keep your Samoyed’s coat in great shape, you should plan to make that approximately a monthly commitment and expect to spend between $125 and $250 on each grooming session, including tip.

Also make sure your groomer has experience with Samoyeds specifically. “Novice mistakes” include only giving a Samoyed a superficial grooming (missing the undercoat entirely), or giving your Samoyed an overall crew cut which can be actively dangerous to your Samoyed (see “Samoyed Grooming Dos and Donts” below).

Samoyed Grooming Resources

Recommended Samoyed Grooming Video Tutorials

Recommended Gear

Chris Christensen Samoyed Grooming Brush & Comb Bundle

Diamondg Cordless Dog Nail Grinder

Millers Forge Dog Nail Clippers

Flying Pig Grooming High Velocity Dog Dryer

(FYI on dog dryers: a shop vac on reverse setting can serve as a lower-cost alternative, though delivers less power. Almost any dog-washing facility with DIY stations will also have high-velocity dryers available.)

Samoyed Grooming Dos and Donts

Do

  • Budget (in time and / or money) for grooming to be an essential, regular occurrence in your Samoyed’s routine.
  • Even if you “go pro” with a professional groomer on a regular (e.g. monthly) basis, augment that with regular (daily to weekly) brush-outs of your Samoyed’s coat (or parts of it). This will make the professional groomer sessions easier for both groomer and dog.
  • Before a dog bath, use your dog dryer to blow loose hair out of your Samoyed’s coat before getting them wet, which will minimize felting (e.g. matting) of the loose hair and result in an easier, more comfortable bath-and-groom session overall.

Don’t

  • Give your Samoyed an overall haircut. Not even in summer. A bit of leg-shaping or cleaning up the back-end so it stays clean is fine, but an overall haircut is a no-no. Samoyeds rely on their coat to protect them from the elements, even in summer.