The Komondor is loved for its beautiful coat that makes it a great show dog. The coat has been compared to anything from cords, dread locks, to a stringy mop. It is typically white, unless it is dirty, and the dog is considered to have the heaviest coat in the canine world. There are both positives and negatives to this coat. It makes a great insulation for the dog from animal attacks and the weather, but it also provides some special challenges for grooming.
First off, the coat should never be brushed. Since the cords are curly tassels combing them will only make them frizz. As any human being with curly hair knows, you have to separate the curls by hand to untangle them without ruining the curl. If the curl is matted, the mat has to be removed with a comb and then the hair should be re-curled by hand. If you don't want to do this yourself, you can take the dog to a groomer, but ask ahead of time if they have worked with Komondorok. There are plenty of dog groomers that don't know how to treat the densely corded coat of a Komondor properly.
Bathing the coat can be a long process too. You do want to keep the coat clean so that it remains white. It can become discolored with dirt or from the weather. This can happen even more, if your dog is an outside dog. Frequent baths can help the dog's coat to remain in tip-top shape. Bathing a large dog is a difficult task without having the special considerations of the corded coat of a Komondor. You will have to either use a sponge or your hands to work the shampoo completely through the dread locks to make sure they get clean. You can use a whitening shampoo to get the coat whiter. You will have to rinse the dog totally after bathing and then set out to keep the cords from matting and tangling when drying. You can do this by avoiding a hair dryer and brush at all costs. Instead, squeeze the excess water from the cords with your hand and finish this squeezing process with a towel to get the cords dry. Then, let it air dry.
One of the nice things about the dread locks is that they keep the breed from shedding too much on the floor. The dog does shed, but the hair is mostly caught up in the cords and thus doesn't get all over your house as much. So even though this breed requires additional grooming care, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will have more shedding. A well-groomed Komondor is beautiful to behold and well worth the extra effort.
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