Grooming Basics
Bolognese grooming at home - useful tips from a professional Bolognese breeder how to make your dog's fur perfectly groomed. Read more about Bolognese tear staining and Bolognese ponytail....
If you see a wiggly, lively, adorable, curly white dog full of life and energy that looks like a stuffed animal and makes you take a second look, you might possibly be looking at an Italian Bolognese!
The critical time to keep the Bolognese in tip-top condition with more frequent grooming / brushing is during the transition time between the puppy fur, which is straighter and much more soft to the adult coat. We try to convince our new owners to keep their Bolos in longer coat and avoid the completely shaved cuts. The Bolognese are beautiful te most in long coat, but many people opt to keep the body in a puppy cut for easy care. If you go for puppy cut please keep ears, tail and face uncut to preserve the special Bolognese look.
Always check the coat carefully after spending time outside and remove all burrs, dry grass, thorns, and anything else that may have gotten into the coat!
Grooming at home
The Bolognese has a curly, silky, white coat. It is important that this breed is combed and/or brushed at least once a week.
Grooming starts at the breeder's home - this is a must because - in such a long coated breed - early grooming sessions (from 4 weeks of age) help the puppies get used to the whole process. In our home the puppies get familiar with the different brushes and the feeling of beeing brushed in a kind and playful way. They connect it with playtime and grooming will become a positive daily routine for them. We ask our new owners to continue this grooming routine until the puppiesare old enough to get an appointment in a grooming salon.
An early socialised puppy who had regular brushing sessions at home from early age is going to be a well-behaved little angel on her first grooming appointment - it is for sure! Trust us, we have been breeding Bolos for 15 years :)
If you maintain your Bolognese's fur properly at home, professional grooming is going to be required for your dog once in a month.

Basic grooming tools: brush, small metal comb, dog shampoo & conditioner, conditioning spray for easier brushing , blow dryer, towels, nail clippers and dental care products.
Bathing at home
It is very important that all mats and tangles are eliminated from the fur with the help of weekly brushing sessions at home. It is the dog owner's responsibility to maintain the fur between two baths / grooming salon visits.
Not everyone agrees as to how often a dog should be bathed. A good rule of thumb is twice a month. You can of course, bathe a little more often, according to your preference. Even when your dog gets wet or a bit dirty after an extended time outside, many times when you towel dry them and then brush them out, they look great. When you do bathe your dog, make sure the water is not too hot or cold - it should be lukewarm, pretty much the same temperature you would use for bathing your little human child.
Dilute tearless dog shampoo with lukewarm water in a bottle and then apply it and work it into the fur. Wash the head last so water isn't dripping into your pet's eyes while you are working on the rest of the body. Try to avoid getting water into the ear canals as well. A cotton ball in each ear works well or hold the ears down with one hand while washing with your other hand. The shampoo is always followed by a conditioner. Dry your dog thoroughly with a towel and then use some conditioning spray and brush or comb out gently the coat. Use the blow dryer at a low temperature to dry him/her off. Make sure you keep your hand running back and forth and fluffing the coat at the same time so you know the dryer doesn't get too warm. Then brush and comb again.
Please remember - tangles are more easily develop in a dry (unconditioned) and uncared coat!
Cleaning the Eyes
Making the Perfect Ponytail
Sometimes dogs can get stains around their eyes. Unfortunately, there are several reasons for tear staining:
- It can be genetic. Dogs can be born with narrow tear canals or extra eyelashes that curl under and rub the eye.
- Food, allergies - we have discovered that the number one culprit has been food. We do not feed our dogs food that contains wheat, corn, or food coloring because these can cause allergies. The most ideal food for a Bolognese is hypoallergic dry food. Always choose premium quality brands!
- Ear infections
- Teething in puppies can also cause staining. This may cause pressure on the tear ducts. Just like a human baby, where teething can cause runny noses and excessive tearing, so it does in a puppy. You need to be patient. This too, will pass.
- If your dog is an adult dog that has had no previous tearing, and suddenly begins it, see your vet to check for ear infections and tooth problems.
- Clean your Bolo's eyes every morning to avoid irritations and eye allergies that can occur when irritating substances get into the eye such as fur and sting. Check our video of the proper eye cleaning procedure.
In this video Sarah shows you 2 different techiques of making the best ponytail. With the help of these breeder's tips we are sure you are going to make the perfect ponytail for your sweet Bolognese.
Dogs don't let you work on their fur, especially on the top of their heads - without training! Training means regular fur maintenance at home and positive feedbacks (basically giving treats as a reward during and after the procedure).
Cleaning the Ears
Groomers tend to pay too much attention on the Bologneses' ears. This "concern" unfortunately very often leads to ear canal inflammations.
Regular grooming at a salon doesn't need to contain pulling out the fur from the ear canals with metal tools - the maximum is pulling out with fingers!
If your dogs shows the signs of ear inflammation such as rubbing the ears with paws and/or regular head and body shaking - then it is time to visit your vet not your groomer. At the vet clinic all the equipment that goes into the ear canal are sterile - that is why you should avoid any non-sterile metal tool or grooming instrument to be used in your dog's ear canals at home or at a grooming salon. And of course, vet will help you to find the best medicine for your dog's ear.
In most cases, ear cleaning sprays are also absolutely unnecessary for your Bolognese. We don't have it at home!
