Dog Grooming Hints

by Barboni

When it comes to grooming your dog, there are a number of activities that should be included in order to keep your dog looking and feeling his or her best. The following list contains some of the top dog grooming activities which are not in any particular order because they are all very important and should be treated as such when you’re providing care for your dog.

Dog Bathing

Dog bathing is a very important dog grooming activity that can help keep your dog’s coat looking healthy but be careful, you don’t want to over do it because bathing your dog too often can leave his or her coat damaged and unhealthy. Bathing too often could also result in irritating skin conditions, namely dry, itchy skin that can leave your dog feeling uncomfortable. It’s generally a good idea to only bath your dog when it is absolutely necessary, like if he comes home from an afternoon of rolling in mud down by the creek, or if he finds something with a not so pleasant smell to roll in. These types of scenarios would call for a good scrubbing in a nice warm bath anytime. Bathing frequency ultimately depends on the type of coat that your dog has so if there is any question about how often you should do it, you’ll want to consult your veterinarian.

Nail Trimming

Dog nail trimming is also a grooming activity that you should keep up on for a number of reasons. One reason that nail trimming is important is that it helps keep your dogs nails healthy by not allowing them to overgrow. Nails that grow too long are more susceptible to cracking and irritation because of constant contact with whatever surface your dog may be walking on. Nails that become brittle and unhealthy leave your dog feeling uncomfortable and can find the simple activity of walking a discomfort. When trimming the nails, be sure to only trim the areas where no flesh is present. You can identify the fleshy areas by locating the part of the nail where a pinkish color exists. Typically there will be an identifiable line between fleshy area and non-fleshy area where it is ok to trim. If you’re dogs nails are black, it may be more difficult to identify this area so use extra caution when trimming. You’ll want to trim away enough nail so that there is no contact between the nail and the floor or surface.

Dog Brushing

One final important dog grooming activity is brushing, which can be a very affective activity when trying to keep your dog’s coat looking healthy and clean. Brushing not only makes the coat look nice, but it helps remove excess hair that has been shed, which allows the remaining healthy hair to absorb the natural oils that your dog’s coat gives off. This is what allows the coat to shine. The strategy of removing the dead hair is the key to keeping your dog’s coat looking healthy, and a good undercoat brush will help you do so. One product that works great for this type of activity is the FURminator. The FURminator helps remove the loose hair from the undercoat, while leaving the healthy hair of the top coat in tact. One substitute for dog shampoos is deodorizing powders which can be used in conjunction with the brushing activity.

There are other important dog grooming activities, but the activities listed above are perhaps the most important and should be given special attention on a regular basis. Keeping up with these activities will keep your dog’s coat looking clean and healthy.

While many people feel that removing dew claws from newly born puppies is cruel, the trouble they can cause if left on is much more painful for the dog than most people think. I have bred Show dogs for over 40 years, and always have my puppies Dewclaws removed by my Veterinarian at three days of age. At most the puppy will give a little whimper, and within a minute is back safely with “mum”.

Many breeds are bred for a reason, Gun-dogs to Point or Retrieve, usually in rough scrub land. Some Terrier Breeds are bred for flushing game out of their lair in the ground, as are some of the Hound Breeds. If these dogs have not had their Dewclaws removed, the can rip them to the point where the are only just hanging on by a tiny bit of flesh.

Think how painful it is if you accidentally remove a hang nail and it touches the quick of the nail. Agonizing, isn’t it? Well multiply that pain by ten, and be aware that the poor dog may have to suffer for as long as it takes to reach a Veterinarian. The Dog then has to undergo an Anesthetic, followed by surgical removal of the offending appendage, it has to be stitched, necessitating a further trip to the Veterinarian to have the Stitches removed. Painful for the dog, painful for the owners Bank Balance. After all this has been done, if the owner wishes to continue hunting, there are three more chances for a similar accident to occur. Bearing this in mind, surely it is easier to remove the Dewclaws at birth.

On another point, having run a Dog Grooming Salon for ten years, I could not even begin to count the number of dogs that have come in with their nails more like talons than nails. Seeing this would make my heart sink, because, while it is relatively easy to shorten the nails, what many people do not realize is, that when Dewclaws are neglected, the grow in a circular pattern, eventually piercing the flesh on the dog’s leg, and that causes the dog so much pain while it is extracted from the flesh so it can be cut back. During the many years of evolution, dewclaws have basically become redundant, and I can see no point in leaving them on a dog, considering the accidents that can , an often does, happen to them.