Summer Dog Grooming: Tips for a Happy, Cool Pup

Abu Dhabi summer can be stunning—with blue skies, colourful beach scenes, and long days encouraging more time outdoors. However, the hot weather can be equally uncomfortable and threatening for your pup. Like humans, we change our skincare and lifestyle in the summer, while dogs also need to be groomed accordingly, to remain cool, clean, and healthy.

While regular home care is essential, professional services like dog grooming Abu Dhabi offer the added benefit of expert care and comfort for your pet. Let’s dive deep into the grooming essentials that will ensure your furry friend enjoys a safe and happy summer.

Why Summer Grooming Is Essential for Dogs

Summer grooming is not just about being presentable, it is about health. The hot weather in Abu Dhabi causes dogs to be exposed continually to high temperatures, possible heat, and humidity, so if not well maintained, the coat and hygiene can create problems.

Dogs do not sweat like humans. To cool down, dogs primarily pant and sweat a small amount through their paw pads. An unruly coat, especially if it is matted and full of loose fur, can prevent heating dissipation by acting as insulation, leading to an overheating dog, discomfort, and possible heatstroke.

Aside from heat issues, during summer, outdoor activities will cause your dog to pick up much more dirt, debris, allergens, and even parasites. Routine grooming helps with this as it will keep ticks, fleas, and bacteria from living in your pet’s coat. Routine grooming is also a good way to look for lumps, skin irritations, or other health issues that may need veterinary attention.

Many pet owners in the area depend on a reliable Pet Grooming Service in Abu Dhabi to accomplish this professionally, ensuring they have peace of mind and that their pet is receiving the best possible care.

Brushing: Your Dog’s First Line of Defense

Brushing is the most basic grooming task you can do, and during the summer, brushing becomes increasingly important to do so. Whether your dog has a long, short, curly, or double coat, brushing helps remove dirt and dead hair, and to reduce mats during the summer months.

During the summer, dogs tend to shed heavily as a natural part of their cycle, and therefore brushing allows you to successfully control this shedding. Regular brushing also helps spread natural oils throughout the coat, which are helpful for keeping the skin moist and the fur shiny. Dogs with thicker or double coats, like Golden Retrievers or Huskies, can be subject to overheating and extreme discomfort if they do not get brushed enough.

Aim to brush your dog at least at least every other day. Your choice of a brush can depend on your dog’s coat system: slicker brushes for thick or curly coats, bristle brushes for short coats, and tools designed to deshed for double coat dogs.

When it comes to professional dog grooming Abu Dhabi services, a lot of them put the time into brushing dogs using professional tools that can get down to the undercoat, making a dog’s coat lighter and cooler.

Bathing: Keep It Clean, But Not Too Frequent

When you are bathing your dog in summer the benefits are to remove any sweat, odor, and allergens that may be attracted and stuck in your dog’s coat. It is important to know that bathing too often may take away your dog’s natural oil, leaving them with dry itchy skin. Again, balance is key.

For most dogs in summer, a bath every 3-4 weeks is adequate. If you have a more active dog or a dog that swims, they likely should bathe more often. Be sure to use dog shampoo, as human shampoo or soaps may irritate dog skin due to the difference in pH. For the summer, your dog may appreciate cooling or oatmeal-based dog shampoos for the extra comfort.

Be sure to dry your dog very well after their bath, paying careful attention to the undercoat to eliminate moisture which can cause fungal or bacterial infection, especially in humid climates. If you’ve ever bathed your dog at home, and found it messy or stressful, you can of course hire professionals experienced in handling this type of bath, or hydrobath. The best dog salon in Abu Dhabi, will typically have dog specific hydrobaths and dryers for quick fast and efficient drying for different dog breeds with an emphasis on comfort and hygiene.

Nail Care: Small Claws, Big Impact

Nail cutting is also an aspect of grooming that often gets overlooked. Long nails can cause discomfort for your dog, that’s easily overlooked, and can affect their posture and strain joints and bones. Long nails are also more susceptible to splitting or getting caught on things while outdoors during the summer, and during more strenuous activities like hiking and running.

Ideally, you should be responsible for trimming your dog’s nails every three to four weeks. If you find yourself hearing your dogs nails click or tap on the floor, it is time to just trim! Please use good quality clippers or a nail grinder that is sharp. Always be aware of the “quick” in a dog’s nail, which is the blood vessel inside the nail.

Professional groomers experienced in dog grooming in Abu Dhabi will be able to cut your dogs nails quickly, efficiently, safely, with little to no discomfort.

Ear Cleaning: Preventing Summer Infections

Summer is the season when ear infections are most prevalent, particularly in floppy eared breeds such as Cocker Spaniels or Basset Hounds. A combination of heat, humidity, moisture, and flap = everything that bacteria and yeast live for.

Check your dog’s ears weekly. If you see any redness, swelling, bad odor, excessive accumulation of wax then it is likely there is an infection. Use a vet approved ear cleaner solution and cotton balls, do not put anything into the ear canal.

Professional Grooming Services in Abu Dhabi usually include current ear cleaning as part of their services. It is safe, easy and the best way to keep your dog ears clean and healthy and not getting any infections during the summertime.

Coat Trimming: Less Isn’t Always More

Many pet owners think that the best way to keep their dog cool during the summer is to shave them. Shaving them will help with cleanliness and shedding for sure and may get the dog cooler. However, if your dog is a double coated breed shaving the coat is probably not a good idea. The double coat of a dog is designed to keep a dog insulated regardless of temperature, both hot and cold. When you shave a double coat you are disrupting the normal insulation process for the dog.

Use them to trim your dog’s coat, continue to do some trimming to get rid of dead hair so there is more airflow on the skin. Just keep enough coat to protect the skin from sun or insect bites. Certain grooming can create too much coat for a dog to stay cool, for example Poodles or Shih Tzus, etc. So for those breeds a summer grooming may be a benefit but always consult a professional groomer first.

Reputable dog grooming Abu Dhabi salons understand breed-specific grooming needs and can recommend the best summer trim for your dog.

Paw Care: Protect Those Precious Pads

In the summertime, your dog’s paws frequently come into contact with hot pavements, hot sand, and rough surfaces. This can lead to your dog having cracked pads, burns or infections.

It is important to regularly check your dog’s paws for redness, blisters and debris lodged in between toes. The hair in between your dog’s toes also need to be trimmed to prevent matting and possible ticks, and if possible, use paw balm or coconut oil to moisturize and create a barrier.

Whenever possible it is best to walk your dog in the early morning or after dusk when the ground is cooler. If you are unsure, you can try the “hand-on-pavement” test, if it’s too hot for your bare hand, it’s too hot for your dog.

Certain pet grooming service providers in Abu Dhabi, will even offer paw cleaning and moisturizing as part of their grooming package which is ideally what your dog’s paws need to ensure total paw protection.

Hydration and Skin Health

Dogs like people also need extra hydration to remain active during the hot weather. This is perhaps not suitable as a direct grooming tip, but it will certainly change the condition of the skin and coat. A hydrated dog will have supple skin, a shinier coat and a resistance to irritants in the environment.

Make sure your dog has a supply of clean cool water during the day. If your dog likes fruit, provide fruits high in water content such as watermelon (seedless), cucumbers and blueberries.

Omega-3 supplements or fish oils can also support skin health and reduce seasonal shedding. Check with your vet before starting any supplements.

Use the Right Tools and Products

Buy grooming tools to match your dog’s coat type, such as brushes, de-shedders, nail clippers, ear cleaning solution, and hypoallergenic gentle shampoos.

Avoid human grooming products, as they can irritate your dog’s skin. Look for hypoallergenic, vet-approved items. If you’re unsure what to use, consult a professional groomer or vet.

Be sure to book your dog a grooming appointment at one of the many dog grooming Abu Dhabi providers. They not only have the tools and equipment for the best possible grooming experience at needs and complexity the way the dog was originally bred, but they also have the properly trained staff to execute the specific attention to detail that is needed.

Don’t Forget the Felines

Although this blog is aimed at dogs, you should still consider that cats can suffer as well in the summer heat. If you have more than a dog, and some cats, you might want to call a cat grooming services in Abu Dhabi to ensure they are clean and confident, or to help protect them against matting and the heat stress of seasonal weather.

Regular Checkups with Your Groomer

Professional groomers are not just there to clean and clip dogs. They can be your first line of detection for any health matters that may go unnoticed. Groomers are trained and know what to look for to detect unusual lumps, conditions of the skin, parasites, or changes of behaviour that might need to be seen by a veterinarian.

When you schedule regular dog grooming appointments with a reputable pet grooming service in Abu Dhabi, you are making it easier to monitor your dog’s health, with the added advantages of hygiene and appearance.

Final Thoughts

Summer is a joyful time for both pets and owners in Abu Dhabi – even as the temperatures rise – but summertime grooming requires extra diligence. If you brush, bath, trim, clip nails, and clean ears, you can make sure your pup is cool and comfortable, happy and healthy throughout the hot summer months.

For the busy pet mom and dad, and for those who want expert help, professional dog grooming Abu Dhabi services provide personalized, stress-free grooming to suit your dog’s needs. Whether your dog needs a cool summer cut, a deep cleansing bath, or just some pampered cleaning of ears and paws, grooming professionals can work wonders for both the comfort and health of your pet.