I got Mozart for companion only...not planning to show him or anything but I've got many people commenting on how great he looks on our walks and even when we visited the dog show some competitors actually said he's coat looks great. If you can spare your dog 10 to 15 minutes a day it would be a piece of cake. Of course some days I'm just too busy or tired I'll skip but no more than 2 days in a row. Mozart is only 5 months old so coat is a little shorter but I think the same thing applies.
Here's what I do for Mozart...Everyday, I give him a good brushing all over with a slicker brush followed by a comb (with longer coat I'll probably start using the pin brush) this keeps the mats at bay. Every 3-4 days I'd clip his paw fur so he won't slip. I trim his nails once a week. Give him a bath once a week with IOD shampoo (got a few allergy sufferers in the house and this was the only way to keep the allergens low but Mozart get fish oil in his fish fudge to keep his skin "moisturized") It takes me about 10-15 minutes to bath him and 30 minutes to blow dry so I do it on weekends. Every other week I'd trim him a little to keep his coat in shape. I brush his teeth every other d Uumay as well. Since I live on a farm with mud puddles everywhere at this time of the year I got a bottle of CC Show Off on hand just for those mud clean ups. On days I trim nail, I don't do the comb. On days I bath him, I don't do anything else at all.
I find with the grooming task so spread out it's not too stressful for the dog and myself. Each grooming session (other than bath day) last only 10-15 minutes and its good bonding opportunity.
