Dog Grooming Hints

Grooming a Blue or Red Heeler is a simple and pleasurable task as their weather-resistant coat requires only basic care.

The Blue Heeler, also known as the Australian Cattle dog or the Queensland Heeler, has two layers to its coat: a thick, downy, under-layer, and a thin, straight top-coat. A de-sexed Heeler will generally shed part of its under-coat twice a year, while a breeding female will shed after each cycle.

Regular brushing with a stiff bristled brush will speed up the shedding, which can come out in clumps that resemble staples of wool.

The Heelers coat is resistant to weather and so needs little washing; a few baths a year is plenty. Heelers love swimming and allowing them this opportunity for super exercise has the additional benefit of freshening up the fur and removing the dust, while leaving the important natural oils on the fur and skin.

When your dog does need a wash, choose a low-allergen dog shampoo and be sure that it is completely rinsed. Don’t use conditioners as this disturbs the process of their natural oil production.

If your dog lives inside, you will need to clip its toenails regularly; about once a month. This job is also easy. Buy good quality clippers that include a nail-guard, which prevents you from cutting the nail too short. Make sure your clippers are sharp for a quick, clean snip. If you haven’t seen this done before, it’s a good idea to ask your vet to show you how. You need to avoid the “quick” within the nail as cutting it will hurt your dog and the bleeding can be difficult to stop.

Dogs that live outdoors and do a lot of their walking on hard surfaces, such as footpaths, may need their nails clipped a little less often.

One point to note with Blue Heelers: basic obedience is vital for this breed, particularly if living in a domestic situation, as it has been bred as a farm-dog, built to work hard and take orders.

If your dog is given no job or is dominant in your relationship, then grooming, or any other task, will be a nightmare.

It’s just as well then, that Heelers are so intelligent and easy to train. Basic obedience classes are a must and are enough for some owners. Others, though, on seeing how agile and easily taught their dogs are, are keen to exercise their intelligence further by enrolling them in classes for agility training, at which Heelers truly excel, search and rescue training, or tracking.

All of these are great for Heelers as they need a lot of exercise and should be walked for at least an hour each day. They need a large yard and should never be kept in an apartment. A frustrated Heeler is liable to nip at your heels. If your dog is doing this, it is out of desperation: give it something to do and it will stop trying to herd sheep, the job it is bred for.

Just as well they’re easy to groom, huh?

An important aspect of dog ownership is regularly bathing your dog. This will help not only to keep your dog clean and odour free but will also help to keep the skin in healthy condition, free from irritation caused by natural toxin release, environmental pollutions and dog saliva which can cause hot spots.

As a former dog groomer, I’m going to guide you through how to have a pleasant experience with little mess and limited strain on your back.

THE PREPARATION

Preparing the Dog

There are two things to consider in preparation; the bath area and the dog. First let’s talk about the dog. The single most important thing you need to do before you even turn on the water is to make sure the dog’s coat is prepared to be wet. You MUST brush the dog first. This is particularly important for long-haired breeds. The coat must be tangle and knot free before it gets wet or the tangles will set and form huge mats that will be very difficult to brush out later. If you have a double-coated breed, its important to brush out that under coat or big clumps will come off in the bath causing drain blockages. Even with a short-haired breed, use a rubber curry comb to rid your dog of as much excess hair as possible.

Now that that is done, its time to protect your dog’s ears. Taking two cotton balls, gently insert them into the ears. This will keep out any water avoiding possible ear infections later on.

Preparing the Area

Now that your dog is ready, let’s choose our area and prepare it. To avoid strain on your back, where you bath the dog is important. If you have a smaller dog the best choice is a laundry sink. It’s elevated and deep so you will avoid spilling excess water on the floor, and it is bigger than a kitchen or bathroom sink.

If you have a large dog, consider taking it to a U-bath facility. These are usually found in a grooming salon where they have an extra elevated bathtub for clients who want to bathe their own dog. If you don’t have one of these in your area then the next best thing is your own bathtub.

Next most important thing is to get a hand held shower attachment, the kind that have a long hose with a shower nozzle on the end. You really aren’t going to give your dog a bath; you are going to give it a shower.

Let’s talk about the shampoo. You need to buy a good quality PET shampoo. A human or baby shampoo is PH balanced for a human- not a dog- and it will cause irritation and dry out the coat. If your dog has dry, oily or other

Dog grooming is an important facet of being a pet owner. Proper grooming helps with the prevention of parasites (such as ticks, fleas, etc.), and contributes to the overall comfort of your dog depending on the season and temperature.

Proper dog grooming includes fur brushing, baths, and other items such as tooth brushing or nail clipping. All of these should be done on a regular basis to keep your dog healthy. This article will describe some of the techniques you may use in order to properly groom your dog.

Bathing should be the first step for any pet owner. This should be done before any hair trimming, nail clipping, or other treatment is done, as this will remove many of the parasites that may have found their way onto your dog. This will also get rid of some of the dirt or debris that may have worked its way into your dog’s fur, and will make your job easier when it comes time to actually start brushing or trimming. Also, this softens up the hair, which is to the benefit of you and your dog.

Some dogs don’t like to have their hair trimmed, so it’s important that you leash your dog if you feel as though he won’t like it. For dogs that like to nip (Border Collies are one such breed), it may be a good idea to put on a humane muzzle to keep yourself from getting bitten. Of course, if this is a serious concern with an aggressive dog, your best bet is to leave grooming to a professional! Brushing is important both before and after trimming. This removes clumps of hair and untangles areas that may be difficult to trim. Purchase a good pair of grooming clippers and simply trim down your dog’s hair in areas that may have become overgrown. During the summer months, you may consider trimming to a shorter length than during the winter months.

Your dog’s nails should be clipped at regular intervals, as this will contribute to your dog’s paw health and keep your furniture (and you!) from getting scratched. This should be done starting when they’re puppies to get them accustomed to the procedure. Cut the nails short, but don’t clip too far and into the dog’s “quick.”

Teeth, eyes, and ears are important parts of dog grooming, just as they are for humans. Tooth health can be provided by giving them specially designed chew toys, or using special dog toothbrushes and toothpaste. Eyes should be checked for leakage, and may need to be cleaned on a daily basis to keep from becoming infected. Finally, ears should be checked regularly for parasites and cleared of dirt and other debris.

I hope this article has given you a better understanding of dog grooming techniques.