Dog Grooming Hints

by Barboni

Now that you have figured out how to best feed and exercise your pet, or made the decision to provide dog grooming services yourself, just what do you need to carry out your good intentions?

Bathing supplies and area

You will, of course need an area to bathe your pet, complete with good drainage and a hose device for quick and thorough rinsing. Specially formulated shampoo and conditioner are must haves and you may have to spend a bit of time researching and trying several before you find the best for your breed of dog. After bathing, your pet needs to be patted down with a designated, super absorbent towel and a quick blow dry. You may even want to invest in a commercial dog blow dryer that comes on a stand that the dog can be strapped into. This is a real aid for long haired dogs and their owners, since drying time can be prolonged. It is important to dry the dog’s coat quickly before it develops tangles and become matted.

Brushes and combs

Brushes and combs are important not only as a beauty aid to provide a silky coat but for maintaining a healthy coat. Even short haired breeds must have regular brushing to remove excess hair that allows the skin to breath. Brushing with a soft brush feels good, calms the dog and makes the coat shine. But using a hard wire brush and/or comb, is the only way to remove debris and tangles. It is also a good way to check for ticks, fleas and other parasites. The brush or comb may be made of metal or hard plastic but must have fine enough to ferret out those invaders and stand up to tangles without breaking.

Dog toenail clippers

Dog toenail clippers are a must have and come in scissor or guillotine style. They should be used biweekly or more often, according to how fast the nails grow. Keeping your pets nails trimmed will prevent nail splitting.

Scissors and trimmers

Scissors and trimmers should be specially designed for your breed of dog. Scissors should be blunt ended to avoid possible injury from a jumpy pet and trimmers must be strong enough to do the job efficiently. Get an electric trimmer with enough power to quickly shave and trim areas of dense fur without clogging and stalling.

Together with these must have dog grooming tools is your love and dedication to keeping your pet clean, attractive and healthy. Your attitude will help make dog grooming less of a chore and a really pleasant bonding experience.

From SteveRosenbaum.com; Professional Groomer and owner of Doggie Detail, mobile dog grooming in Austin, TX, Nedda Galvan grooms my pet Papillon and Papillon mix. Very cute and fun!
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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by sea turtle

These days, everyone is looking for ways to trim the budget. One way you can help do this is to stop those dog grooming appointments and do it yourself. This, of course, depends on a cooperative pet, the proper equipment, the appropriate guidelines and patience.

Dogs with long or curly hair need to have their coats trimmed regularly or the hair can become matted and tangled. However, another important reason to keep your dogs fur trimmed and well groomed is to keep fleas, ticks, lice and other parasites from breeding on your dog and in your home.

How often your dog needs to be trimmed depends on the length of your dogs coat. Long haired breeds like golden retrievers and Irish setters need to be trimmed every month or two. Curly haired or wiry haired breeds may only need to be trimmed every three to four months.

In order to properly groom your dog, you will need certain supplies. A well-oiled set of pet hair clippers, hair brush and comb, a pair of scissors, a blow dryer, and towels will be needed to do the job. You will probably also want a broom and dust pan to clean up afterward.

Here are some general tips for trimming a long-haired dog:

Start trimming underneath with a clipper length of 9 or 10.
Move from the armpits back and up to the tail.
Use a 7 or 8 clipper length to trim the legs and paws.
Use a 9 or 10 clipper length and a comb to trim the face, ears and top of the back. Wash your dog to get rid of any excess loose hair.
Be careful to use shampoos approved for dogs and make sure the shampoo does not get in your dogs eyes.
Lastly, if it is cold outside, you can use the blow dryer to dry your dog. Completely dry one section before moving on to the next. This will keep your dog from getting anxious and unsettled.

That is all there is to it. You may not be great at grooming your dog at first, but practice and patience make perfect. After a few times, you will be grooming like a pro and saving lots of money at the same time!

by windygig

There are many aspects of Do It Yourself Dog Grooming that are easy to perform, and learning how to fluff dry your dog is one of the easiest ones to do. There will be times when you want your pet to have that “just came from the groomers” look, but you don’t have the time, or the money, to get her to a professional dog groomer. Depending on the size of your dog, and assuming she is on the smaller side, you can “neaten up” your dog in about half an hour.

The only items you will need to fluff dry your dog is a tub, shampoo, a blow dryer, and a dog brush. It is really important to wash him first, unless he was just washed in the last week or so. His coat will respond to the fluff drying process much better if it is relatively clean. If you don’t normally wash your own dog, the most important thing to remember is that you need to rinse him thoroughly. Leftover shampoo isn’t good for his coat, and will also make the fluff drying process much harder, if not impossible, because the areas of leftover shampoo will feel oily to the touch.

Once you have thoroughly rinsed the shampoo off your dog, you can towel her off to remove excess water. It is important here to not dry her too much with the towel, as you want the hair damp once you start the fluff drying process. This is especially true if she has curly hair and you are trying to straighten it out by fluffing.

After you have toweled off the excess water, put his leash on your dog and loop it on a door handle or heavy piece of furniture. The object here is to not allow him an avenue of escape! Most dogs don’t like the blow drying process, although if they are regular visitors to the grooming shop your little household blow dryer will seem tame compared to the dryers we use on them.

The heat and force setting you use on the blow dryer is really dependant on the amount of hair your dog has. The more hair that’s there, the higher the force setting you should use. Watch out for the higher heat setting, as you may dry her coat too quickly, and could actually irritate her skin if she has an extremely thin coat of hair and sensitive skin.

Now all you do is dry the dog with the hairdryer and brush it at the same time against the grain. If you start at his rear end, brush and blow dry toward the head. Basically, you are going to brush up, or towards the top of the dog. Use short, quick strokes, and do this all over his body. In most cases you can do some of the drying without the brushing, as long as you continue to dry against the grain. Once you have finished drying, brush him all over, still against the grain. If you find any areas that look out of place, or funny (too fluffy), just brush it back with the grain.

When you have finished, your dog will have that just been to the groomer look!

Learn tips and techniques on how to shave your dog in this free video. Expert: Anne-Marie Forde Bio: Anne-Marie Forde and Jon Fless have owned and operated The Sudsy Dog Grooming Shop for 8 years. Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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by dcdan

Just like us dogs like to be groomed and pampered at least once a week. will keep your loved one happy and healthy. You can take your dog to professional groomers at a pet store or a place that is dedicated to , but you can attempt to do it yourself. All you need is to have some basic supplies. You will need dog shampoo, nail clippers and a comb or a brush. If you need more information on how to groom your particular breed of dog, your vet can help you or you can get a book that will teach you how to groom your dog. To begin with start from cleaning his ears. You should check your dogs ear while grooming. Dogs with droopy ears are particularly vulnerable to waxy ears, ear mites and fungus. This should be done at least once in a week.

Move on to clipping your dogs nails. The most important aspect of . You should clip your dogs nails every two to three weeks. If you start clipping nails in puppy hood they will get used to the idea of the process. Now, you are ready to give your dog a bath. This is the messiest part of grooming your dog. Start bathing your dog with a mild shampoo from the legs first and then the body and the face at last. Let the shampoo sit in the fur for three to five minutes and rinse thoroughly. You can towel dry your dog or you can use a blow dryer. If you decide to use a blow dryer, dry one area at a time, do not jump around from one spot to another. Be sure to separate your dogs coat and dry all the way to the dogs skin. Do not forget to dry underneath your dogs paws. When blow drying the head, do your best and not to direct the air flow into the dogs eyes and ears.

After the bath, brushing your dog is the most time consuming. When you brush your dog is careful no to use a brush that is too hard otherwise you can accidentally cause your dog to have brush burn. It may seem like an unnecessary part of , but you need to brush your dogs teeth. You need to do so at least once every week. There is also mouth wash that is formulated specially for dogs that will aid in reducing bacteria. A common cause of your doggies bad breath can be from the source of a build up of plaque and tartar on their teeth. To help prevent this from happening, you can feed them with a particular brand of dog food that will slow the process of plaque and tartar from developing on their teeth. There are also rawhides to chew or a nylon bone to prevent dog breath. So there is no reason your dog should go around with doggie breath.

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by Barboni

What Type of Grooming?

Will you be simply brushing out Fido’s coat or providing a full on manicure — brushing the coat, shampoo and conditioning, clipping toenails, brushing teeth and trimming. Before sitting down to groom your dog understand what dog grooming supplies you need to have on the ready.

Where Will the Grooming Take Place?

Be prepared for a uncooperative pup. Professional groomers utilize grooming aids, nooses and leads, and other special equipment to complement the dog grooming area. Chances are that you do not have such supplies at home and must utilize household items like bathtubs and your everyday leash. (You are able to purchase dog grooming nooses and leads if you feel it would be beneficial to aide in restraint.)

Will Cooperation be an Issue During Dog Grooming?

Depending on your pet, cooperation may be an issue and a major obstacle. Remember not to get frustrated, maintain eye contact and offer reassurance as you groom. Grooming in contained places will prevent fido from blowing the coop and you chasing a sopping wet dog around your house or yard. Professional groomers utilize dog grooming nooses and leads to aide in the grooming process

How Will Your Dog Dry Off After Grooming?

A dog’s natural instinct is to shake the water from its coat. Do not wear clothes you are unwilling to get wet, also, do not groom in an area which you would not want wet. With that in mind, be sure to have a blow dryer or towel on the ready once you complete your dog’s grooming. Soaking up the majority of the moisture before letting your dog loose will prevent your dog running around the hose spraying water everywhere. Many grooming aids exist to aide with drying. These are important factors to consider before grooming. Remember, your dog may seem to not be enjoying the whole process but neither did your children and they always came out clean and refreshed. Do your dog a favor and be sure to groom on a regular basis.