Dog Grooming Hints

Think grooming a dog involves washing it in the bathtub? Think you don’t need a groomer?

Dog groomers do far more than just fluff and dry; they address several vital health practices regarding your dog’s eyes, ears, and anal glands. Of course, it’s not impossible to take care of these grooming concerns yourself, but in many instances it’s safer and more practical to let a professional handle these sensitive areas.

Proper ear car requires periodic ear cleanings. Veterinarians and professional dog groomers use an agent that dissolves earwax, or saline solution to clean dogs’ ears. These cleaning agents are usually put into the ear before bathing. It is crucial for the groomer to keep the dog’s ears dry. If water runs into a dog’s ear during the bath, a drying agent containing isopropyl alcohol, acetic acid, or boric acid must be put into the ear. Professional dog groomers recommend using a wash rag instead of Q-tips to help dry out the ears. Using Q-tips increases the chance of injuring the dog’s eardrum. If the cleaning requires reaching places that are out of a wash-rag’s reach you should seek professional help.

Dog groomers usually apply an ointment to the dog’s eyes before bathing in order to protect the cornea. However, the trend is to move away from these practices because some professionals believe the ointment may trap irritants that run into the eyes during the bath. Closing, redness, squinting, and excessive tearing are good indicators of eye problems.

Another part of proper dog grooming that the professionals see to is expressing the anal glands. Have you ever noticed your dog dragging its bottom across the carpet? If you have, you know how important it is to take it to the dog groomer. What it is trying to do is release the fluid that has built up in tiny sacs located under the base of his tail. If he is successful, you will know it by the rank smell. Since the sacs are fragile (and discoloration of the fluid could indicate infection), this part of grooming should be left to a professional or a veterinarian.

Adequate grooming is absolutely necessary to maintain your dog’s health. If it’s something you want to do personally, educate yourself on the finer points. But using a professional dog groomer will be the most beneficial to you in the long run.

Dog grooming is an important task that is needed for more than one reason. Good grooming covers things such as bathes, brushing the fur and brushing the teeth. Good grooming helps the prevention of parasites such as flees and ticks on a dogs skin. Depending on the length of the fur will depend on how often you will need to groom your dog. The longer the fur the more washing and brushing it will require. The shorter the fur the less it will require maybe once a week.

What You Do In Dog Grooming

When you groom a dog you are taking care of their whole outer body, cleaning it and making it look better. You can easily groom your dog at home by bathing your dog, clipping their hair and nails and cleaning their eyes, ears and teeth. If you don’t have the room at home to do these things you can go to a professional grooming service and have it done.

Hair Trimming

When you trim a dog’s hair you may need to leash the dog. You will need to brush the hair both before and after trimming it as the brushing removes dead hair and stimulates the growth of new hair. Gently combing the matted hair is important in dog grooming, as matted hair resistant to brushing should be cut off with scissors. To trim a dog’s hair you will need a pair of good dog clippers which can be purchased at the vets or pet shops. The longer the hair though the more trimming it will require especially in the hot seasons.

Bathing

Before you trim your dog’s hair you will need to give them a good bath to remove the debris inside the fur then dry the fur completely before starting the trimming process. During summered you can wash your dog outside with a hose but during the colder months a bathtub is a better option with warm water.

Nail Clipping

It is best to start clipping your dog when they are puppies so that they get accustomed to the process. You need to take extreme care when clipping a dog’s nail especially to avoid the quick from being cut. If you do cut the quick then press on the bleeding area until the wound stops bleeding.

Cleaning Eyes, Ears and Teeth

Don’t forget that the eyes, ears and teeth are an essential part of grooming your dog as well. The dogs ears need to be checked for parasites, dirt and scratches etc. Depending on the dog will depend on what eye care it will require. Some dogs have hair that grow around the eye which needs trimming occasionally other dogs will have weeping eyes that will need to be washed out on a daily basis to avoid infection. The groomer can remove any dirt or foreign matter from the eyes, or from around its corners, with a soft clean cloth. Dogs teeth can be clean by giving your dog bones once a week or using specially designed tooth paste and tooth brush for dogs as well as giving then good dog biscuits.