African Wild Dog Grooming

To put it simply, grooming an African Wild Dog will be next to impossible. These animals are incredibly difficult to domesticate, they refused to be trained, and as carnivores they'll attempt to kill and eat any animals (including humans) that aren't part of their own pack.

The African Wild Dog has a single-layered coat of stiff fur; the coat is usually medium-length on the head, neck, chest, and torso, but short everywhere else. No info is available about shedding tendencies, but it is known that African Wild Dogs tend to start losing fur as they age.

No documentation exists of grooming these animals in a manner similar to the grooming of domesticated dog breeds.

Aside from its coat, here are some other facts about African Wild Dog. As with the animal's coat, any attempts to maintain the AWD in these areas will likely prove fatal.

• Teeth: Unlike dog breeds, which have 42 teeth, African Wild Dog teeth only number 40. These animals have larger canine teeth than dogs do, which they use to tear the flesh of their kills.
• Ears: The African Wild Dog has large, round, erect ears that have two purposes: the ears allow them to hear sounds at great distances, and they regulate body temperature. (The ears have many blood vessels, and air cools the blood as it circulates through them.)
• Paws: The AWD's paws are narrower than those of dogs--in part because they only have four toes (as opposed to five for dogs).