Swissys are quite low maintenance when it comes to grooming. Their short double coat does not require extensive care, but remember, Swissys will shed! So be prepared to get used to ever present Swissy hair in your home!

Coat: Weekly brushing usually is sufficient except during shedding time in spring when daily brushing and the use of a shedding tool such as the Furminator may become necessary. Unless you show your Swissy, bathing is recommended only every 2-4 months, unless of course the dog gets "skunked" or decides to roll in something not compatible with the human nose! Keep in mind that some tick and flea products such as BioSpot will loose efficacy with shampooing.

Nails: Keep your Swissy's nails short by clipping or grinding them with a grinding tool such as as a Dremel at least biweekly. Most Swissys do not like their feet to be handled, hence it is important to start to trim the nails of puppies regularly to get them used to the procedure. Remember, it is much easier to accustom a puppy to nail trimming than a fully grown irate adult! A Swissy initiated to nail clipping as a puppy might still not particularly like it as an adult, but at least he will tolerate it.

Ears: Like other drop-eared breeds , Swissys are prone to bacterial and fungal infections. Basically, this is a question of air circulation, since open or erect ears dry out better and provide less favorable conditions for bacterial and fungal growth. Watch for redness of the ear flap and the ear canal, excessive head shaking and ear scratching bad odor or a brownish-blackish discharge. In Swissys, the most common ear infections are secondary fungus or yeast infections caused by excessive wax build-up and moisture.

Check your Swissy's ears regularly. If the inside of the ear flap and tip of the ear canal are dirty, they can be cleaned with a soft cloth or cotton ball. You can carefully insert your finger into the ear canal but do not use a Q-tip as incorrect use can damage or push wax deeper into the canal. Commercially available ear cleaning solutions are available. Some veterinarians use their own cleaning mixtures.

At Brush Creek, we check our Swissys ears periodically. The cleaning solution we use is a recipe from our veterinarian. It is a solution of equal parts of white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water. Vinegar helps to maintain the ph balance in the ear, alcohol is a drying agent.