Grooming Guides
Dog grooming by breed in St. Charles
A Poodle, a Husky, and a Frenchie could not need more different grooming. These breed guides explain what your dog's coat actually needs, why grooming matters for them specifically, how often to book, and what our St. Charles groomers watch for.
Afghan Hound
Long, fine, silky coat covering the body, with a short saddle along the back and a distinctive topknot
Airedale Terrier
Hard, dense, wiry outer coat over a softer undercoat, with distinct furnishings
Akita
Thick, plush stand-off double coat with a soft dense undercoat
Alaskan Malamute
Thick, coarse double coat with a stand-off outer coat and a dense, oily, woolly undercoat.
American Eskimo Dog
Thick double coat with a dense undercoat and a stand-off white outer coat
American Foxhound
Short, hard, close-lying hound coat
American Staffordshire Terrier
Short, stiff, glossy single coat that lies flat against the skin.
Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Dense short-to-medium double coat
Australian Cattle Dog
Short, weather-resistant double coat with a dense undercoat
Australian Shepherd
Medium-length double coat with feathering and a mane
Basenji
Very short, fine, smooth single coat
Basset Hound
Short, smooth, dense, weather-resistant coat over loose skin
Beagle
Short, dense, weatherproof double coat
Bedlington Terrier
Distinctive crisp-and-soft mixed coat with a curly, linty texture that feels like lamb's wool
Belgian Malinois
Short, straight, weather-resistant double coat with a dense undercoat
Bernese Mountain Dog
Long, thick, silky double coat
Bichon Frise
Soft, dense, curly double coat that grows continuously
Black and Tan Coonhound
Short, dense coat that lies close to the body
Bloodhound
Short, dense, loose-fitting coat over deep wrinkles and heavy folds
Bluetick Coonhound
Short, smooth, dense coat lying close to the body
Border Collie
Double coat in two varieties — rough (medium, feathered) and smooth
Border Terrier
Harsh, wiry double coat with a dense, softer undercoat.
Borzoi
Long, silky coat that is flat, wavy, or curly, with a heavier neck frill and feathering on the tail, legs, and hindquarters
Boston Terrier
Short, smooth, fine single coat that lies close to the body
Boxer
Short, tight, smooth single coat
Boykin Spaniel
Flat to slightly wavy medium coat, sometimes curly, with moderate feathering on the ears, legs, and belly
Brittany
Dense, flat or slightly wavy single coat with light feathering on the ears and legs
Brussels Griffon
Rough wiry coat or smooth coat, both with a beard
Bull Terrier
Short, flat, harsh single coat with a glossy finish
Bulldog
Short, smooth, fine single coat over loose, wrinkled skin
Bullmastiff
Short, dense, slightly coarse single coat
Cairn Terrier
Harsh, weather-resistant double coat with a soft undercoat and shaggy outer coat
Cane Corso
Short, stiff, dense coat with a light undercoat
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Short to medium, dense, weather-resistant double coat
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Medium-length, silky single-to-moderate coat with feathering
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Short, dense, harsh, oily double coat with a woolly undercoat
Chihuahua
Two varieties — smooth coat and long coat, both single
Chinese Crested
Two varieties – the Hairless with soft skin and tufts of hair, and the Powderpuff with a soft, full double coat.
Chinese Shar-Pei
Short, harsh, bristly coat over the breed's signature deep wrinkles
Cocker Spaniel
Medium-to-long silky coat with heavy feathering on the ears, legs & belly
Collie
Rough variety has a long, dense double coat with a heavy mane; smooth variety has a short dense double coat
Coton de Tulear
Long, soft, cotton-like single coat with a fluffy, slightly wavy texture.
Dachshund
Three varieties — smooth, longhaired, and wirehaired
Dalmatian
Short, dense, fine single coat
Doberman Pinscher
Short, smooth, sleek single coat
Dogue de Bordeaux
Short, fine, soft single coat
English Cocker Spaniel
Silky, flat-to-slightly-wavy medium coat with abundant feathering on the ears, legs, and belly
English Setter
Flat, silky coat with long feathering on the ears, chest, legs, belly, and tail, often flecked in a pattern called belton.
English Springer Spaniel
Medium-length double coat with feathering on the ears, legs, chest, and belly
Flat-Coated Retriever
Moderate-length flat coat with feathering
French Bulldog
Short, smooth single coat with prominent facial wrinkles
German Pinscher
Short, dense, smooth coat lying flat and glossy
German Shepherd
Dense double coat, most often medium-length
German Shorthaired Pointer
Short, dense, water-resistant coat that lies flat and sleek
German Wirehaired Pointer
Harsh, wiry, water-repellent outer coat with a dense undercoat in winter, plus a distinct beard and eyebrows.
Giant Schnauzer
Harsh, wiry double coat with soft furnishings
Golden Retriever
Dense water-repellent double coat, feathering on legs, tail & chest
Gordon Setter
Soft, shining coat that is straight or slightly wavy, with long feathering on the ears, legs, chest, belly, and tail.
Great Dane
Short, smooth, dense single coat
Great Pyrenees
Thick, weather-resistant double coat with a long coarse outer coat and dense undercoat
Greyhound
Short, fine, single-layered coat close to the skin
Havanese
Long, soft, silky double coat that grows continuously
Irish Setter
Moderately long, silky coat with long feathering on the ears, chest, legs, belly, and tail.
Irish Water Spaniel
Dense, crisp ringlets of tight curls covering the body, with a smooth face and a distinctive smooth rat tail
Irish Wolfhound
Rough, harsh, wiry coat that is especially long and wiry over the eyes and under the jaw.
Italian Greyhound
Very short, fine, smooth single coat with almost no undercoat.
Japanese Chin
Single, silky, moderately long coat
Keeshond
Thick, plush stand-off double coat
Kerry Blue Terrier
Soft, dense, wavy single coat with no undercoat, in shades of blue-gray
Labrador Retriever
Short, dense water-resistant double coat
Leonberger
Long, water-resistant double coat with a lion-like mane
Lhasa Apso
Long, heavy, straight double coat that parts down the back and falls to the floor.
Maltese
Long, straight, silky single coat of white hair that grows continuously
Manchester Terrier
Smooth, short, dense, glossy single coat lying tight to the body
Mastiff
Short, dense, straight coat over loose skin and a wrinkled brow
Miniature Pinscher
Short, smooth, hard coat
Miniature Schnauzer
Wiry double coat with a soft undercoat and signature furnishings (beard, eyebrows, leg hair)
Newfoundland
Heavy, water-resistant flat double coat with a coarse outer layer
Norfolk Terrier
Hard, wiry, weatherproof coat lying close to the body with drop ears and a mane
Norwegian Elkhound
Dense, weatherproof double coat
Norwich Terrier
Hard, wiry, weatherproof coat lying close to the body with a slightly longer mane
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Water-repellent medium double coat with feathering
Old English Sheepdog
Profuse, shaggy double coat with a harsh-textured outer coat and a soft, waterproof undercoat.
Papillon
Long, fine, silky single coat with no undercoat
Pekingese
Long, thick stand-off double coat
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Medium-length weatherproof double coat
Pit Bull Terrier
Short, stiff, glossy single coat
Plott Hound
Short to medium, smooth or slightly coarse coat
Pointer
Short, dense, smooth coat with a sleek, glossy finish lying tight to the body
Pomeranian
Thick, stand-off double coat with a dense undercoat
Poodle
Dense, curly single coat that grows continuously and doesn't shed out
Portuguese Water Dog
Profuse single coat that is either tight and curly or loosely wavy
Pug
Short, smooth, glossy coat that can be single or double depending on color
Rat Terrier
Short, dense, smooth coat
Redbone Coonhound
Short, smooth, coarse coat lying flat against the body
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Short, dense, sleek single coat with the signature ridge along the back
Rottweiler
Short, dense, coarse double coat
Saluki
Smooth, silky short coat over the body with longer feathering on the ears, tail, and sometimes the legs
Samoyed
Thick, profuse stand-off double coat built for arctic cold
Schipperke
Harsh, short double coat with a distinctive longer ruff, cape, and culottes
Scottish Terrier
Hard, wiry weather-resistant outer coat over a soft dense undercoat
Shetland Sheepdog
Long, dense double coat with a straight harsh outer coat and soft undercoat, plus a heavy mane
Shiba Inu
Thick, plush double coat with a stiff, straight outer coat and a soft, dense undercoat.
Shih Tzu
Long, flowing double coat of hair (not fur) that grows continuously
Siberian Husky
Thick, plush double coat built for arctic cold
Silky Terrier
Long, fine, glossy single coat
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Soft, silky, gently waving single coat with no undercoat
Spinone Italiano
Dense, wiry single coat with a bearded face and bushy eyebrows
St. Bernard
Dense double coat found in both a smooth (shorthaired) and rough (longhaired) variety
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Short, smooth, single-layered coat that lies close to the body.
Standard Schnauzer
Harsh, wiry double coat with soft furnishings
Tibetan Mastiff
Long, thick double coat with a heavy mane around the neck and shoulders
Tibetan Spaniel
Silky double coat of moderate length with feathering and a neck mane
Tibetan Terrier
Long, double coat with fine, soft undercoat and profuse outer coat
Toy Fox Terrier
Short, fine, smooth coat
Treeing Walker Coonhound
Short, smooth, fine to medium coat lying flat
Vizsla
Very short, smooth, dense single coat with no undercoat
Weimaraner
Short, smooth, sleek single coat
Welsh Terrier
Hard, wiry double coat with a soft undercoat and dense, weather-resistant outer coat
West Highland White Terrier
Harsh, wiry double coat with a straight outer coat and soft dense undercoat
Whippet
Very short, fine, smooth single coat
Wire Fox Terrier
Dense, harsh, wiry double coat with a fine, soft undercoat.
Wirehaired Vizsla
Dense, wiry coat with a pronounced beard and bushy eyebrows
Xoloitzcuintli
Hairless variety with smooth, bare skin, or a short-coated variety
Yorkshire Terrier
Long, fine, silky single coat of hair that grows continuously
Breed grooming FAQs
How often should my dog be groomed?
It depends on the coat. Curly and continuously-growing coats like Poodles, Bichons, and Shih Tzus do best every 4–6 weeks, while many short- and double-coated breeds do well every 8–12 weeks. Each breed guide gives a recommendation specific to your dog.
Do you groom every breed?
Yes — all breeds and sizes are welcome, from tiny toy breeds to giant breeds and every coat type in between. We have a grooming guide for each breed explaining what that dog's coat needs.
Should I shave my double-coated dog in summer?
Generally no. Double coats (Huskies, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Corgis, and similar) insulate against heat as well as cold and protect the skin, and shaving can change how they grow back. Regular de-shedding baths and brush-outs are the right way to keep them comfortable.
What happens if my dog is matted?
We always put your dog's comfort and skin first. Light matting can often be brushed out; tight matting that pulls on the skin is safest to shave out. We'll talk through the options with you at check-in.