Dog Grooming

Dog grooming. Is It Necessary To Commit To Regular Dog Grooming?

Domesticated dogs are more than just the household pets. They are respected members of our family unit, a playfellow and guardian.

They give devotion and unparalleled love. All they ask in return is to be cared of, and part of this care is dog grooming.

The first piece of advise you should remember is how vital it is you find the right individual to groom your dog.

Dog grooming is not an easy business. It is hard work that calls for decent professional education and also a dedication to dogs.

A domestic dog will sense what type of person is grooming them and will react according to what their senses tell them.

If the person grooming the dog has a genuine love of dogs, and acts in a confident manner, then you have located a good dog groomer.

Dog Grooming – Is it something you should try?

It is crucial you acquire experience on dog grooming before you start out on one’s own. Grooming skills can easily be acquired through an apprenticeship. It would be wise to spend a year or more gaining experience from a registered professional dog groomer.

Remember, grooming is not just about keeping the coat and skin healthy and clean There are other areas requiring attention, like the dogs eyes, ears nails and teeth,.

Dog grooming does a few things for your dog:

The dog smells and look better after grooming which contributes to the dogs physical and mental health. Cleaning and caring for a dog is also a health requirement. Grooming is necessary both for the dogs welfare and the owners piece of mind.

When grooming a dog, make a point of checking the dogs ears are treated properly. This part of dog grooming is really crucial since domesticated dogs depend on their ears more than the other senses. Making sure you keep his ears clean and healthy is essential. It is all to easy for a domesticated dog to suffer with their ears if not cleaned the right way.

Dog Grooming and show dogs

It is crucial to understand that brushing the dogs entire coat is exceedingly important. Brushing merely the top of the external hairs can compress the undercoat and cause mating. Learning to groom your dog everyday can be fun and gratifying. However, in fairness, how easy or difficult depends completely on which breed of dog you own.

There are some breeds of dog that require professional dog grooming. Some herding breeds, Spitz, hunting dogs and Hound have difficult coats requiring special care. The famous Shin Tzu and of course the Poodle are 2 particular breeds needing experienced grooming.

It is possible to learn how to groom your dog, as long as you have the correct dog grooming tools and a good deal of time and patience!

Even so, once you gain some experience and a bit of self confidence from grooming a dog, you will discover something you and your dog will grow to love. When you have instituted a day by day procedure of grooming your dog, they will be in dog heaven as soon as the grooming brush appears!

Dog grooming is the basis for preventive health care for your dog and puppy. It gives you a chance to see small changes in and on your dog’s body that could lead to health concerns such as a lump or problems in his ears or with his teeth.

Dog grooming can be a time of further bonding with your dog. This is some serious one on one time when he gets loads of your attention.

So what do you do and when do you start grooming your dog and puppy? As with most things with your puppy, you need to introduce him to dog grooming slowly and help him be comfortable with it. Start with short sessions of about five minutes and work up to the whole routine as he adjusts.

Begin with brushing and combing. There are several different grooming tools used for brushing and which you use depends upon the breed of your dog and the type of coat he has. Ask the breeder you got your puppy from for the proper techniques.

Brushing should be done before you bathe your dog or puppy. Bathing your puppy should begin when he is about 14 weeks old or sooner if he is a very dirty dog. Most dogs should need bathing only once a month unless he gets dirty. Wherever you decide to bathe your dog, bathtub, sink or some type of tub, place a rubber mat within to give him something secure to stand on so he won’t slip around.

Soak down his body but not his face. Keep water out of his ears. You may wish to block his ear canals with cotton balls to prevent the water from getting into his ears. Lather up your wet dog with a dog shampoo. Rinse well. Any leftover shampoo in his coat is likely to cause dryness or skin irritation. Wipe his face off with a damp cloth. Squeeze off the excess water and then towel dry your dog. Complete the drying process with either a hair dryer set on warm, not hot, or by leaving him in a warm room until dry.

Be aware that a dog will shake just as soon as you release him. This is why some people want to run their dog outside quickly after a bath on a leash to prevent him from rolling and getting dirty again. If this is not an option, such as in winter, you may wish to consider a professional groomer.

A professional groomer may be a consideration for some of the more difficult haircuts and dog grooming considerations such as the stripping required by some wire-haired breeds. This depends upon your ability to do the required tasks and your desire to do them as well.

copyright 2005. Sandra Dinkins-Wilson