Grooming the African Boerboel

Grooming The short, dense and thick coat of the African Boerboel is easy to care for. They can be groomed once or twice a week using a heavy pin brush or stiff bristle brush. Regular grooming both removes dead hair from the coat as well as massages the skin, allowing for increased circulation. The coat can also be groomed using a grooming mitt that is easy for even kids to use to help with the grooming routine. During the grooming routine the African Boerboel should be carefully checked for any signs of fleas or ticks should they be present in the area. Fleas are often first noted by small, dried blood flecks in the coat next to the skin that are known as "flea dirt". The owner may also notice the dog licking, scratching or rubbing at the coat. Ticks are blood-sucking insects that will attach themselves to the skin of the dog, usually in areas such as the inner legs, ears and around the lower jaw. Fleas can be treated with monthly topical applications, flea powders and flea collars and ticks can be removed with the fingers or with tick pullers, similar in appearance to tweezers. The African Boerboel can also benefit from routine dental care. Just like with humans, tartar and plaque can build up on a dog's teeth, resulting in early tooth loss, bad breath and even infections in the mouth. Brushing the African Boerboel teeth using a finger sleeve or specially designed dog toothbrush as well as dog toothpaste will help minimize tooth decay and prevent the need for costly tooth de-scaling procedures. Bathing the African Boerboel can be done whenever necessary using dog quality shampoo and following with a conditioner. Avoid over bathing as this can cause the hair to dry out and the skin to become dry and flaky. Some African Boerboel may also have an allergic reaction to some shampoos and conditioners, even specialized dog products. In these cases, an oatmeal shampoo may help soothe and clean the skin without any irritation. The nails of the African Boerboel are very hard and durable and with regular exercising on hard surface the nails should stay trimmed naturally. If they need trimming a set of slotted scissor style trimmers or guillotine style trimmers are the most effective. Avoid using any type of human nail clippers as this can cause the nails to shatter.