How to Groom a German Shepherd: Behind the Clippers

The German Shepherd is a deshedding job in the truest sense. There is very little scissoring, no body clipping and no clever styling. What there is, in abundance, is undercoat. A Shepherd in full moult can produce enough loose coat to fill a bin bag, and doing this breed well is about getting that coat out efficiently, thoroughly and comfortably. It is physical, it is methodical, and when you nail it the owner walks out amazed at how much better their dog and their carpets look.

Here is how I approach a Shepherd from start to finish.

Understanding the coat first

The German Shepherd is a double-coated breed, most commonly seen in the medium-length variety with a dense, harsh, weather-resistant topcoat over a thick, soft undercoat. There is also a long-coated variety with more feathering, but the coat structure and our approach are the same.

That undercoat is a serious insulation layer. It keeps the dog warm in winter and, crucially, helps keep it cool in summer by regulating airflow against the skin. This is why shaving a Shepherd is never the answer to shedding. You remove the very layer that protects the dog and the coat frequently grows back patchy and coarse.

> Welfare note: A healthy Shepherd double coat should never be clipped down. Shaving destroys its temperature regulation and sun protection, and regrowth is often damaged and uneven. The correct answer to a heavily shedding Shepherd is a proper deshed, not a clipper. Explain this to owners who ask for a summer shave.

Step 1: Pre-bath deshed

Start dry. Go over the whole dog with an undercoat rake and a slicker to lift the bulk of the loose, dead undercoat before it ever gets wet. Concentrate on the hindquarters, the trousers, the ruff around the neck and behind the ears, which is where the density is greatest.

Check for any mats, which on a Shepherd usually mean the coat has been neglected during a moult, and clip out anything felted rather than raking through it. This first dry deshed makes the bath and dry far more effective.

Step 2: Bath with a deshedding shampoo

Bathe with a quality deshedding or coat-release shampoo, working it right down to the skin through that dense coat. On a big Shepherd this takes commitment, so make sure you are actually reaching the skin and not just lathering the topcoat.

A conditioner helps loosen the remaining undercoat and preps it to blow out. Rinse and rinse again until the water runs completely clear, because trapped product in a thick coat causes irritation and dulls the finish.

Step 3: High-velocity dry, the heart of the job

This is where the real deshedding happens. The high-velocity dryer forces loose undercoat out in clouds that no hand tool can match. Work systematically over the entire dog, pushing the airflow down to the skin, and follow the air with a rake to gather what it releases.

Do not rush the dry and do not stop at surface-dry. A Shepherd's coat can be bone dry on top and wet to the skin underneath, and damp trapped undercoat is exactly where matting and skin trouble begin. Dry all the way down.

Step 4: Final deshed and minimal tidying

Once dry, go back through the whole coat with the rake and slicker to pull the last of the loosened undercoat. You will always get more out at this stage than you expect. Keep going until the coat combs cleanly and stops releasing significant undercoat.

Tidying on a Shepherd is deliberately light:

• Feet: Trim the hair between the pads for comfort and grip, and neaten stray hair around the foot.
• Hocks: Tidy any straggly hair on the back of the hocks into a clean line.
• Sanitary area: A light, discreet tidy for hygiene.

That is genuinely it. The body coat is deshedded and left completely natural. No comb attachments, no shortening, no shaping.

Step 5: Final checks

Comb through one last time to confirm the deshed is complete, check the nails and pads, wipe the ears and assess the dog overall. A well-groomed Shepherd looks clean, plush and natural, with a coat that lies properly and skin that can finally breathe.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a German Shepherd be groomed professionally? Every eight to twelve weeks for general maintenance, moving to every four to six weeks during the twice-yearly heavy moults in spring and autumn when the undercoat blows in earnest. Regular deshedding through those periods makes an enormous difference.

An owner wants their Shepherd shaved for summer. How do I handle it? Explain clearly that the double coat helps keep the dog cool as well as warm, and that shaving removes sun protection and often damages the coat permanently while making overheating worse. Offer a thorough deshed, which genuinely cools the dog by opening up airflow. Standing firm on this is part of responsible grooming.

Why does so much undercoat keep coming out even after drying? Because the double coat holds an enormous amount of loose undercoat, especially in moult, and the high-velocity dryer keeps releasing it as the coat opens. Keep working the rake through after drying until it genuinely runs clear.

Do long-coated German Shepherds need a different approach? The deshedding process is the same, but you will spend a little more time on the feathering behind the legs, the tail and the ruff, and check those areas carefully for tangles. The body is still deshedded and never clipped down.

Written from the salon floor by Lucy, City & Guilds Level 2 & 3 qualified groomer and owner of Fluffs, a one-to-one dog grooming salon in Wigginton, York. For more professional grooming guides, explore the Fluffs grooming blog.

Further reading: the Royal Kennel Club German Shepherd Dog breed standard, an explanation of the double coat, and our dog deshedding service in York.