Devon is a wonderful county for dogs and a brutal one for coats. Red clay lanes, wet woodland, sea mist at the coast, and a forecast that rarely commits to a dry afternoon. Within a week of autumn rain, a dog that looked tidy on Sunday can come home with mud packed into its feathering and a smell that says something is staying damp under there.
There is no single correct grooming schedule. A whippet and a working cocker living on the same lane need completely different care. What follows is a frequency guide by coat type, plus the small routines that make the biggest difference in a wet climate.
What Devon's Weather Does to a Coat
Rain doesn't just make a dog wet. It lifts the natural oils that keep the coat water-resistant, and on a thick undercoat the water can sit against the skin for hours. That's where trouble starts: damp skin folds, a musty smell, itching, and the kind of matting that has to be cut out rather than brushed.
Devon mud deserves its own paragraph. The heavy red clay holds moisture, dries hard, and pulls coat hairs into tangles as it sets. Left in place on feathering or a curly coat, it forms a solid lump that traps grit and skin debris underneath.
Coastal walks add salt and sand, both drying and abrasive on paws and skin. Indoors, central heating through the winter does the opposite of the weather outside and dries the coat further. Humidity is the quiet factor: on a muggy day, a dog dried with a towel can still be damp at the skin two hours later.
The Everyday Routine That Saves You Hours
Most grooming problems in Devon are solved with five minutes of prevention, not a two-hour session.
After every wet or muddy walk
- Rinse the legs and belly with lukewarm water — a jug or a hose on a low setting is enough. Don't let clay dry on.
- Towel dry the paws, between the toes, the armpits, the groin and under the collar.
- Check the ears, especially on floppy-eared dogs. Damp ear canals are a genuine problem in this climate.
- Run your hands over the coat. You're feeling for lumps, ticks, matting and the hard little grass seeds that work into feet and armpits in late summer.
Twice a week
Brush properly for five to ten minutes. Not a quick stroke over the back — get down to the skin, working in sections, especially behind the ears, under the collar, along the flanks and around the tail base. Those are the four places matting starts on almost every dog.
Grooming Frequency by Coat Type
Smooth, short coats (whippet, beagle, boxer, staffie)
Brush once or twice a week with a rubber mitt or a soft bristle brush. Bathe every six to eight weeks, or whenever the dog has rolled in something. These coats dry fast, which is one small mercy. Watch for dry, flaky skin in winter — a rinse after muddy walks is kinder than repeated shampoo.
Double coats (collie, husky, retriever, German shepherd)
Brush two or three times a week, and daily during the spring and autumn moult. Bathe every eight to twelve weeks, or less if the dog isn't smelly — over-bathing strips the oils that keep this coat weather-resistant. On wet days, dry the undercoat with a towel and then a cool hairdryer on low. Never shave a double coat; it grows back unevenly and reduces the dog's protection from both rain and sun. A professional de-shed once or twice a year is money well spent.
Long and feathered coats (spaniels, setters, Afghans)
These are the coats Devon is hardest on. Brush every day, or every other day at minimum, paying particular attention to the feathering on the legs, the ears and the tail. Bathe every four to six weeks. Book a professional groom every six to eight weeks, and ask for the feet and feathering to be trimmed short through the muddy months — a practical clip saves you a lot of drying time and prevents clay from setting into the hair.
Curly and wool coats (poodles, doodles, bichons)
Brush every one to two days using line brushing — lifting the coat in rows and working down to the skin. A slicker brush over the top does nothing for the layer underneath, which is where the felted mat forms. Bathe every three to four weeks and book a professional groom every six to eight weeks. These coats must be dried completely, not air-dried. If you can still feel cool dampness at the skin, you're not finished.
Wire coats (terriers, schnauzers)
Brush two or three times a week. Bathe every six to eight weeks, and book a hand-strip or clip every eight to twelve weeks depending on how tidy you want the dog to look. Terrier beards hold food, saliva and damp, so wipe them down daily — that alone prevents most of the smell people complain about.
Bathing Without Making Things Worse
Bathe less often than you think, but rinse more often. A plain lukewarm rinse removes mud and salt without stripping oils, and it's fine several times a week for most dogs.
When you do shampoo, use a dog-specific product, dilute it slightly, work it in, and rinse until the water runs completely clear — residue left in a thick coat causes itching. Dry in layers: towel first, then a second towel, then a low-heat dryer or a walk in a warm room. On humid Devon days, skip the walk until the dog is properly dry.
If your dog smells musty a day after a bath, the coat wasn't dry at the skin. That's a drying problem, not a shampoo problem.
Ears, Paws and Skin: The Damp-Climate Trouble Spots
Check ears weekly. If they're red, hot, waxy or smell unpleasant, that needs a vet rather than a home remedy — ear infections are common in wet weather and worsen quickly. Keep the hair around the ear opening trimmed if it's heavy and traps moisture.
Paws take a beating on stony moorland tracks, wet sand and gritted lanes. Trim the hair between the pads so mud has less to cling to, check for cracks and redness, and dry thoroughly after every wet walk. Skin folds — in bulldogs, pugs and other wrinkly breeds — should be dried and checked daily.
Red, itchy, scabby or bald patches, or a dog that won't stop chewing a spot, need professional attention. Persistent skin problems in a wet climate are usually easier to treat early than after weeks of guessing.
Making It Stick Through a Devon Winter
Keep a towel, a jug and a slicker brush by the door. Rinse and dry after wet walks rather than saving it all for the weekend. Book your groomer in advance for November through February, when everyone with a spaniel has the same idea. Do five minutes properly instead of half an hour occasionally, and check the ears, paws and armpits every time you dry the dog.
Do that, and the mud stays on the doorstep where it belongs — which, in this county, is about as much as any of us can hope for.
Photo: Peter Jochim / Pexels
