Behind the Clippers: Grooming the Siberian Husky (Without the Clippers)

The title is a little cheeky, because the whole point of a Husky groom is that the clippers stay in the drawer. This is a deshedding breed, start to finish, and once or twice a year you will meet a Husky in full coat blow that will genuinely test your dryer and your patience. If you understand what the coat is doing and you have a good high-velocity dryer, a Siberian Husky is a straightforward, satisfying job. If you reach for the clippers, you have gone wrong.

Here is how I work a Husky through.

The Husky coat and what coat blow really means

The Siberian Husky has a medium-length double coat: a soft, dense undercoat under a straight, smooth topcoat. It was built to keep a working sled dog alive in brutal cold, and it does that by trapping air in that thick undercoat. You can read the breed background on the Siberian Husky Wikipedia entry if you want the history.

Twice a year, typically spring and autumn, a Husky blows its coat. That means it sheds the entire undercoat in a huge, dramatic moult over a couple of weeks. A dog mid-blow will produce an astonishing amount of undercoat, and clearing it is the single biggest job you will do on this breed. Owners often panic and ask you to shave. Your answer is no, and here is why.

Welfare note: Never clip or shave a healthy Husky. The double coat regulates temperature in heat and cold, and shaving can cause slow, patchy or woolly regrowth that never returns to normal. It also removes the coat's protection against sunburn. The correct response to a shedding Husky is a thorough deshed, not a clipper.

Step one: pre-brush and assess the moult

Start dry. Go over the whole dog with a slicker and undercoat rake and get a feel for where the dog is in its shedding cycle. Mid-blow, the undercoat will come away in sheets. Between moults, it is a lighter tidy. Check the usual spots: the ruff, behind the ears, the trousers and the tail.

Huskies are generally a clean, relatively odour-free breed and they do not mat like a fleece-coated dog, but the sheer volume of shedding undercoat is what you are managing. Do the bulk of the loosening before the bath.

Step two: bath with a deshedding shampoo

Bath with a deshedding or clarifying shampoo, worked well down into the coat. A deshedding shampoo and conditioner combination helps release the dead undercoat so the dryer can move it. Follow with a light conditioner to keep the topcoat sleek.

Rinse thoroughly. Any product left in that undercoat will leave the dog itchy and the coat looking dull, so rinse past the point you think you are finished.

Step three: the high-velocity dry, the main event

The high-velocity dryer is the tool that grooms a Husky. Work methodically in the direction of coat growth, section by section, and the dryer will blast the dead undercoat clear in great clouds. This is exactly the point of the whole appointment, so take your time and be thorough. Follow the dryer with a rake to gather and clear what it lifts.

Keep the nozzle moving so you are never focusing heat or force on one spot, and be careful and gentle around the face and ears. A properly dried and deshed Husky feels noticeably lighter, and you should be able to run a comb cleanly from skin to tip anywhere on the body.

Step four: finishing, which is barely any

There is essentially no trimming on a Husky. Neaten the hair between and around the pads, tidy the feet into a natural round, and clean up the sanitary area for hygiene. That is genuinely about it for the body. The coat is left entirely natural.

Finish with nails, a proper ear check making sure they are dry, and a full hands-on once-over for any lumps or sore spots to mention to the owner for their vet. Comb the whole coat through one last time and check for any pockets of undercoat you have missed, particularly round the hindquarters where it likes to hide.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it so wrong to shave a Husky, even in a heatwave? Because the double coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving removes that protection while exposing the skin to sunburn. Regrowth is often patchy and woolly. A deshedded coat with the undercoat cleared out keeps the dog far cooler than bare, damaged skin would. Deshed, never shave.

How do you handle a dog in full coat blow? Book plenty of time, use a deshedding bath, and rely on the high-velocity dryer followed by a rake to clear the undercoat. It is a big, messy job by nature. Warn the owner it takes longer during the moult, and suggest they come back in for follow-up deshedding sessions while the coat is blowing.

Do Huskies need frequent bathing? Not especially. They are a clean, low-odour breed and over-bathing can strip the coat. A deshedding bath every few months, timed around the moults, plus regular brushing at home, suits most Huskies well.

How often should a Husky be professionally groomed? A deshedding groom every couple of months works for most, with more frequent visits during the spring and autumn coat blows. Regular brushing at home in between keeps the undercoat under control.

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.