Dutch Summer Coat Care: Ticks, Swims and Hot Spots

Key Takeaways

• Wet coats are the single biggest summer risk in the Netherlands. A double coat that stays damp against the skin for hours creates the warm, humid microclimate in which hot spots (acute moist dermatitis) develop, sometimes within a day.
• Towel drying is not drying. Undercoat holds water long after the topcoat feels dry, so blow drying to the skin or thorough friction drying is needed after canal, plas and North Sea swims.
• Rinse salt and canal water out. Salt crystals and brackish residue are irritants that dry the skin barrier and trigger scratching.
• Tick checks after duinen and heath walks are non-negotiable. The dune and heather habitats of the Netherlands support high tick density from spring through autumn, and dense coats hide attached ticks easily.
• Deshedding beats shaving for double coats. Professional consensus, including guidance from grooming bodies such as the International Professional Groomers (IPG) and the National Dog Groomers Association of America (NDGAA), is that clipping a healthy double coat is not a cooling strategy.
• Book before the bouwvak. Salon availability tightens sharply around the Dutch construction holiday and school break, so schedule full grooms weeks ahead.
• Any hot, painful, spreading, weeping or foul-smelling skin lesion is a veterinary matter, not a grooming one.

Why Summer Coat Care Matters for Health in the Netherlands

The Dutch summer is rarely extreme in temperature, which is exactly why coat problems slip past owners. Humidity, not heat, does the damage. Air that sits at high relative humidity slows evaporation from the coat, so a Labrador that swam in a canal at ten in the morning can still have a wet undercoat at four in the afternoon. That is more than enough time for surface bacteria to multiply on skin that is macerated, warm and deprived of airflow.

Three environmental factors combine in July and August. First, water access is everywhere: canals, grachten, recreational plassen, and the North Sea beaches from Zandvoort to Texel. Second, the landscape favours ticks, with the duinen, heath, and wooded verges providing exactly the leaf litter, humidity and host density that ticks need. Third, pollen and grass seed exposure peaks, adding an allergic itch load to skin that is already compromised.

Coat is not simply decoration. In a double-coated dog, the dense undercoat traps a layer of insulating air while the guard hairs shed water and block ultraviolet light. That system fails when the undercoat is packed with dead hair, sand or salt. A congested undercoat cannot loft, cannot dry, and cannot ventilate. Removing dead coat is therefore a health intervention, not a cosmetic one.

Tools and Products Needed

Core Grooming Kit

• Slicker brush in a size appropriate to the dog or cat, used with light flicking pressure rather than scrubbing.
• Undercoat rake or long-pin rake for double coats such as the Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, Husky and Keeshond.
• Metal greyhound comb with coarse and fine ends, the only reliable test for whether a coat is genuinely mat free to the skin.
• De-shedding tool with a carding blade or stripping stone for carding out soft undercoat on short double coats such as the Labrador.
• Curved and straight shears plus blunt-tip safety scissors for feet and sanitary areas.
• Fine-tooth flea comb, which is also the best tool for finding small ticks and flea dirt in dense coat.
• Tick removal hook or fine-point tweezers designed for the purpose.
• High-velocity dryer or a stand dryer with cool or warm (never hot) settings.
• Microfibre drying towels, which absorb considerably more than terry cotton.
• Non-slip mat for the bath or grooming surface.

Products

Choose gentle, pH-appropriate shampoos formulated for dogs or cats. Canine skin has a different pH from human skin, so human shampoo is unsuitable. For summer in the Netherlands, useful categories are a mild rinsing shampoo for post-swim use, a soothing oatmeal or aloe-based formula for itchy skin, and a leave-in conditioning or detangling spray to reduce brush friction. Avoid heavily fragranced products on animals with a history of atopic dermatitis. Any medicated or antifungal shampoo should be used only on veterinary advice, since these products can strip lipids and worsen a compromised barrier if misapplied.

Tick prevention products are veterinary medicines. Discuss the appropriate option with a Dutch veterinary practice rather than selecting one independently, and never apply a canine product to a cat, as some permethrin-based canine formulations are seriously toxic to cats.

Step by Step: Drying a Coat Properly After a Swim

Proper drying is the highest-value skill for a Dutch summer. The sequence below reflects standard salon practice.

Step 1: Rinse Before You Dry

Rinse with clean, cool fresh water immediately after sea swims to remove salt, and after canal or plas swims to remove silt, algae residue and bacteria. Pay attention to the areas that hold water: the chest apron, armpits, groin, tail base, and between the toes. If a full rinse is impractical at the beach, carry a container of fresh water for at least a feet, belly and armpit rinse.

Step 2: Squeeze, Do Not Rub

Squeeze water down the length of the coat with your hands, working from the neck to the tail and down each leg. Rubbing a wet double coat with a towel drives loose undercoat into knots, particularly behind the ears, in the armpits and on the trousers.

Step 3: Microfibre Blotting

Press microfibre towels into the coat rather than dragging them. Change to a dry towel when the first is saturated. On a large double-coated dog, two or three towels is normal.

Step 4: Force Dry or Friction Dry to the Skin

A high-velocity dryer on a cool or low-warm setting blows water out of the undercoat and simultaneously lifts dead hair. Work in sections, keep the nozzle moving, hold it a hand span from the skin, and follow the direction of hair growth for smooth coats or against it for lifting undercoat. Never aim a dryer directly at the face, ears or genitals. If the animal is noise sensitive, introduce the dryer gradually with the motor running in another room and pair it with food rewards, or use a stand dryer at a distance.

Without a dryer, friction drying plus airflow is the fallback: brief brisk towelling, then a well-ventilated indoor space with a fan on a low setting, plus repeated combing to open the coat. A dog should never be left to air dry in a crate or a car, where there is no airflow.

Step 5: Comb Through and Check

Once dry, run a metal comb from the skin outward across the whole body. The comb should pass without catching. Any catch is either a developing mat or an object such as sand, a grass seed or a burr. Grass awns migrating into skin are a well-recognised summer problem, and the guidance in this vet guide to grass seed and foxtail injuries is worth reading before dune and verge season.

Step 6: Dry the Ears and Feet Last

Wipe the outer ear with a soft dry cloth and do not push anything into the canal. Dry between every toe and pad. Interdigital moisture is a common precursor to pododermatitis and yeast overgrowth.

Preventing Hot Spots in Muggy Weather

Acute moist dermatitis, commonly called a hot spot, is a rapidly developing area of inflamed, weeping, self-traumatised skin. It usually starts with an itch trigger, followed by licking or scratching that breaks the skin barrier, followed by bacterial overgrowth in a moist environment. Thick-coated breeds, dogs with recent swims, and dogs with allergies or flea sensitivity are over-represented.

Practical Prevention

• Dry to the skin every time. This single habit removes the main environmental driver.
• Keep the undercoat open. A raked-out, ventilated coat dries in a fraction of the time.
• Clear the friction zones. Neatly trim sanitary areas, the coat between paw pads, and the dense hair under collars and harnesses. Remove wet collars and harnesses after swims.
• Maintain parasite prevention. Flea allergy is one of the most common itch triggers behind hot spots.
• Watch the ear bases, cheeks, tail base, hips and flanks. These are the classic hot spot locations.
• Intervene early on licking. A dog that returns repeatedly to one spot is signalling a problem before it is visible.

When It Is Already Happening

If you find a warm, red, hairless, moist or crusted patch, stop grooming that area and contact a veterinary practice. Owners should not attempt to clip out an established lesion at home, since these areas are extremely painful and clipper contact can worsen trauma. Treatment usually involves clipping under veterinary supervision, cleaning, topical or systemic medication, and preventing self-trauma. Hot spots enlarge quickly, so same-week veterinary attention is appropriate.

Checking Dense Coats for Ticks After Duinen and Heath Walks

Ticks in the Netherlands are found in the dunes, heathland, woodland edges, tall grass and parkland, and the risk period runs across the warm months. The genus commonly encountered in northwest Europe is Ixodes, which can transmit Borrelia, the bacterium associated with Lyme disease. Prompt removal reduces transmission risk, which is why the post-walk check matters as much as the preventive product.

A Reliable Check Routine

• Do the check within a couple of hours of returning, ideally outdoors or in a bathroom where a dropped tick is easy to see.
• Work with your hands first. Run fingertips over the whole body feeling for small bumps. A fed tick feels like a smooth pea or a skin tag.
• Then use a flea comb through the thinner-coated areas.
• Prioritise the hotspots: inside and around the ear flaps, under the chin and throat, the chest between the front legs, the armpits, the groin, between the toes, around the tail base and around the eyelids.
• Part the coat down to skin on double-coated and long-coated dogs. Surface brushing finds nothing.
• Check cats too. Outdoor and semi-outdoor cats pick up ticks around the head, neck and ears. For owners tracking free-roaming cats, the practical notes in this piece on GPS trackers for free-roaming cats pair well with a daily tick check habit.

Removing a Tick Correctly

Use a purpose-made tick hook or fine-point tweezers. Grip the tick as close to the skin as possible, then lift or twist steadily according to the tool design. Do not squeeze the body, do not apply oil, alcohol, petroleum jelly or a flame, and do not attempt to make the tick detach on its own, as these approaches can increase regurgitation into the wound. Afterwards, clean the site, wash your hands, and note the date. If a mouthpart remains embedded, if the site becomes inflamed, or if the animal develops lameness, lethargy, fever or reduced appetite in the following weeks, contact a veterinary practice.

Full Groom or Deshedding Before the Bouwvak?

The bouwvak, the traditional Dutch construction holiday, alongside the regional school summer holidays, creates a predictable squeeze on salon diaries in July and August. Salons close, staff take leave, and the remaining appointments fill weeks in advance. Deciding what your animal actually needs, and booking early, prevents the common outcome of a matted coat and an emergency shave-down in September.

Choose a Full Groom If

• The coat is single coated and continuously growing: Poodle, Bichon Frise, Cockapoo and other doodle crosses, Shih Tzu, Maltese, Havanese, Yorkshire Terrier and similar.
• The animal needs a shorter summer trim for hygiene, comfort or mobility.
• There are existing mats that cannot be safely brushed out.
• Feet, face, sanitary areas and ears need scissoring and tidying.

Choose a Deshedding or Bath and Blast If

• The dog is double coated: Golden Retriever, Labrador, German Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, Husky, Malamute, Australian Shepherd, Keeshond, Border Collie, Corgi.
• The goal is less shedding, faster drying and better airflow, not shorter hair.

A deshedding service typically involves a bath with a coat-releasing shampoo and conditioner, high-velocity drying that blows out dead undercoat, and systematic raking, carding and combing. The result is a coat that lofts, ventilates and dries quickly, which is precisely what a humid Dutch August demands.

On Shaving Double Coats

Professional grooming bodies including the IPG, the NDGAA and the British Dog Groomers Association, alongside general veterinary guidance, consistently advise against routinely clipping a healthy double coat for cooling. Removing guard hairs removes ultraviolet protection and the insulating air layer, can cause post-clipping alopecia or permanently altered texture in some individuals, and does not reliably reduce heat stress. Legitimate exceptions exist: severe pelted matting where clipping is the humane option, medical necessity, or veterinary instruction. Those decisions belong with a professional groomer or veterinarian. For a deeper treatment of undercoat management, see the companion guide on double-coated dog grooming and summer shedding.

Cats in Summer

Long-haired cats such as Persians, Maine Coons and Ragdolls mat under the armpits, on the belly, behind the ears and at the britches. Daily short combing sessions with a metal comb are more effective than weekly long ones. Never use scissors to cut out a cat mat, since feline skin is thin, mobile and easily lacerated. Matted cats should go to a groomer or veterinary practice, often for clipping with clippers rather than blades near the skin. A sudden drop in self-grooming, or a greasy coat along the back, is a common early sign of pain, dental disease or obesity and warrants a veterinary check.

Frequency Guide by Coat Type

Double Coated Dogs

Brush and rake two to four times weekly through the July and August shed, and after every swim. Professional deshedding roughly every six to twelve weeks, with a session booked before the bouwvak. Bathe only as needed, typically every four to eight weeks, since over-bathing strips protective coat oils.

Continuously Growing Single Coats

Comb to the skin daily or every other day. Professional groom every four to eight weeks depending on length. Extended intervals in summer are a common cause of pelting.

Short Smooth Coats

Rubber curry or hound glove once or twice weekly. Bathe every six to twelve weeks. Check skin folds daily in wrinkled breeds such as Pugs and Bulldogs, and dry folds thoroughly after swims.

Wire Coats

Hand stripping every two to four months for a correct terrier coat texture, with weekly combing and regular tidying between sessions.

Cats

Long-haired: daily combing. Short-haired: weekly. All cats need increased attention during the summer shed and a tick check after any outdoor access.

Warning Signs to Watch for During Grooming

The grooming session is the best routine health check most pets receive. Contact a veterinary practice if you find any of the following.

• Red, hot, weeping or foul-smelling patches that appeared quickly.
• Hair loss in a symmetrical or expanding pattern.
• Persistent head shaking, ear odour, discharge or pain on touching the ear.
• Scabs, papules or black grit in the coat, which may indicate fleas or flea allergy dermatitis.
• Any lump, swelling or thickened area, particularly one that is new or changing.
• Swelling between toes with a discharging tract, a classic grass seed presentation.
• Flinching, growling or guarding during handling of a previously tolerant animal, which usually means pain.
• Greasy, flaky, thickened or darkly pigmented skin, which can point to endocrine or chronic allergic disease.
• Circular scaly lesions, which require ruling out dermatophytosis and are transmissible to people.

Professional Groomer or Home Grooming: A Decision Guide

Safe at Home

• Routine brushing, combing and raking of a mat-free coat.
• Bathing and drying with appropriate products and a cool dryer setting.
• Tick checks and correct tick removal.
• Trimming hair between paw pads with blunt-tip scissors, if the animal is calm.
• Wiping ear flaps and drying skin folds.
• Nail trimming, once shown the technique by a groomer or veterinary nurse.

Refer to a Professional Groomer

• Mats that do not release with a comb, or any pelting.
• Full breed-standard trims, hand stripping and scissoring.
• Deshedding of a heavily blown double coat.
• Matted or fractious cats.
• Animals that will not tolerate handling, where a fear-free, low-stress approach is needed.
• Nail trimming in dark-nailed or resistant animals.

Refer to a Veterinarian

• Any suspected hot spot, infection, or open wound.
• Ear pain, discharge or persistent shaking.
• Lumps, non-healing lesions, or suspected grass seed migration.
• Sudden coat or skin change, or a sudden change in grooming behaviour.
• Selection of tick and flea preventives, and any medicated shampoo protocol.

A Weekly Grooming Routine for July and August

Adapt the intensity to coat type, but keep the structure.

• Daily: A two-minute hands-on body scan, particularly after duinen, heath, park or verge walks. Check ears, armpits, groin, tail base and toes. Long-haired cats get a short comb.
• After every swim: Fresh water rinse, squeeze, microfibre blot, force or friction dry to the skin, comb through, dry feet and ear flaps, remove wet collars and harnesses.
• Twice weekly: Full line brushing or raking to the skin, followed by a metal comb check across the whole body. Trim hair between the pads if it is collecting sand.
• Weekly: Flea comb pass over the head, neck, chest and tail base. Inspect skin folds, check nail length, and look over the pads for cracks, burns from hot pavement or embedded grit.
• Monthly: Review parasite prevention timing, assess whether coat length is still appropriate, and check that the next salon appointment is booked. Wash bedding at a high temperature.
• Before the bouwvak: Book the full groom or deshedding session, confirm holiday closures at your salon, and if your animal is staying with a sitter, hand over a written grooming and tick-check routine. Guidance on briefing carers is covered in this article on arranging sitters during a national holiday period.

Final Word

Dutch summer grooming comes down to three disciplines repeated consistently: get the coat genuinely dry, keep the undercoat open so air can move, and put hands on the skin every single day during tick season. None of this requires expensive equipment or advanced skill. It requires a routine, a metal comb, and the willingness to check the places that are inconvenient to check. When something looks wrong, the correct move is a phone call to a veterinary practice rather than a home remedy, because skin conditions in humid weather rarely improve on their own.