Labrador Retriever grooming in Gloucester, MA

The breed standard calls the coat a distinctive feature: short, straight and very dense, with a fairly hard feel to the hand, over a soft, weather-resistant undercoat that protects the dog from water, cold and all types of ground cover. A slight wave down the back is allowed. The AKC's breed page sums it up as a thick, water-repellent double coat that sheds, and it scores the Labrador at four on its five-point shedding scale.

Because the hair is short, a Lab coat seldom mats. What it does instead is drop undercoat steadily, with heavier pushes as the seasons turn, and hold on to whatever the dog swam in. Salt, sand and pond water sit in the undercoat close to the skin, and a coat that feels dry on top can still be damp underneath long after a swim. That is the whole grooming problem with a Lab, and it is a bath problem, not a haircut problem.

The AKC's word for a Lab's baths is occasional, and in practice that means when the coat smells, feels greasy or has been in salt water. Our general guidance for a short coat is a bath every eight to twelve weeks, sooner after the beach. Shed Release belongs on the visits that land in a heavy shed. Nails are the part that cannot wait: the AKC says a Lab's nails should be trimmed regularly, whatever the coat is doing.

Skipping a cycle on a Lab costs less than on any coated breed, because there is little to mat; the dematting line on our menu seldom applies to a coat this short. The cost shows up elsewhere: hair on the furniture, a dog that smells of low tide and nails that click on the kitchen floor. Book the next bath before you leave and it is $5 off, which makes the rhythm easier to keep.

On Gloucester's public beaches, a Lab's swimming season is the off-season. Good Harbor opens to dogs on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 and Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30, and both close to dogs through the summer. Salt dries the skin and sand works down into the undercoat, so rinse with fresh water before the drive home and dry the dog to the skin once there. A water-repellent topcoat can hide a wet undercoat for hours.

In summer, swimming moves to ponds, rivers and, for daycare dogs, the pools on our turf yard. The AVMA explains that leptospirosis bacteria live in soil and water and reach dogs mainly through contact with urine-contaminated water or soil, and it suggests keeping dogs from drinking or swimming in ponds and slow-moving water; ask your vet about the vaccine. Our guide to cleaning a dog's ears after the beach covers the ears, and tick season runs April to November.