I'm not sure entirely about other breeds of dogs - but the double coated dogs like GSD's (and yes I know some GSD's have a single coat thru genetics, I don't know correct grooming for these dogs) have an undercoat designed to protect their skin and oils in the top coat to keep the undercoat protected. If you have a french poodle you can shave the dog - but if you shave a GSD you run a high risk of creating skin problems - which are very uncommon in the GSD breed as it is. The "design" of the GSD's coat basically means that it keeps all the dirt and junk out - shampooing a dog will break down the oils (their protection) for 1-2 days while the oils build back up. They sell shampoos that simulate the natural oils to help against this but I don't know how well they work. I still use a puppy shampoo with oils on him when I do need to shampoo him.

Im 100% sure there's other breeds of dogs that this applies to also - but I only know what I've found out about GSD's since thats my breed of choice.

If you brush your dog regularly, the heavy shedding nature of the dog actually keeps the dog smelling clean and looking nice, as well as helping against hair all over the house. If you use the search option I'm sure you can find old posts from me expressing my amazement at the never ending hair that I can brush outta my dog. The 2 grooming tools I reccomend more than anything else anywhere is 1) The "rake", 2) The "Shedding Blade"... Leerburg sells em, Pet stores might I dunno, if you have a Bass Pro Shops store near you go look in the hunting dog section, they have the shedding blades, prong collars, e-collars and a variety of other things that I had never thought of going to an outdoor store to find.

Yep, pet stores all carry undercoat rakes as well as shedding blades. I reccomend the short tooth undercoat rake as opposed to the long toothed, if you have a choice. I also keep a Zoom Groom around. Its a soft rubber brush that is amazing for getting hair off of the legs, head, etc. You can use it on the whole body, but you'll be surprised by what comes off the legs. Never thought there was even that much hair ON the legs, let alone that much to come off. I even "groom" my furniture with the flat side of it, cause it takes the hair off of them in a hurry!

Ian