Dog Grooming Hints

There are several different breeds of smaller dogs that are known and noted for being good in a family situation. A question that you want to ask yourself is; “How actively involved will you and your children be able to be with this new dog?” This is important considering smaller breeds are active dogs, and need exercise if they are to be cooped up in the house while the children are at school and the parents are at work. You also need to consider the maintenance level of specific breeds, some need to be groomed more than others, and some shed more as well.

In my research I found the following dog breeds (and there are more than I felt compelled to list) that are good with kids and the basic characteristics for that specific breed:

Boston Terrier; Noted for being good with kids and suitable for most any type of lifestyle, intelligent, and they should only weight, at the most, 25lbs. Boston Terriers have short, fine hair, and are easy to groom.

Jack Russell Terrier; This breed is recommended for the more active lifestyle, intelligent, lively, they do require a lot of attention, can be aggressive if not trained properly, tolerable of children. The Jack’s coat is short and smooth, broken, or rough, easy to groom.

Maltese; This is a good, small protective breed of dogs. Maltese do have long silky hair and are considered “high maintenance” when it comes to grooming. Children must be supervised due to the fragile nature of this breed.

Shih Tzu; This is a good natured, non-aggressive, friendly dog. Due to their long coat they require daily brushing, but a plus is that they are non-shedding. Children should be supervised, this breed is also fragile, but a good choice.

Bichon Frise; Known to be good with kids and other animals, intelligent, easy to train, and lively. Plus this is also a non-shedding breed.

Dachshund; These little “wieners” are good with family members, but have been know to show aggression towards children outside of their “pack”. They make watch dogs, but may have problems learning to use the bathroom outside. They come in short-hair and long-hair varieties, even as a miniature. Grooming should be considered low maintenance and shedding is minimal.

Skye Terrier; A Scottish based breed, that is known to be fearless, good-tempered, and loyal, he is friendly those he knows and cautious with strangers. This breed is also double coated, meaning that it has an undercoat, and

Many people look at the Pomeranian and just a cute little fluffy dog. They do not have any idea what it takes to be a Pomeranian owner. Grooming a Pomeranian takes a lot of work. Herman is my oldest Pomeranian. He turned 12 years old this year. His hair needs to be brushed daily. If I don’t brush his hair daily, it’s very knotted up and hard to comb through. I need to get him groomed every four to six weeks or he’ll have all sorts of things caught up in the hair.

Oreo is my second Pomeranian. She is seven-years-old this year. She is black. Her hair is a little smoother than Herman’s hair. She has black hair and the hair sheds badly in the summer. I have to brush her daily. I have to vacuum daily to avoid having clumps of hair on my carpet. I need to get her groomed every six weeks.

Both of my Pomeranians are outdoors some of the day, but inside at night. They get grass, goat heads, and about everything else caught up in their fur. They are very high maintenance dogs. They need lots of attention to their beautiful coats.

Regular combing is important so that you can remove the thick wooly hair that sheds from the massive undercoat. The Pomeranian hair matts easily if there is not brushing from the upper and inner coats. Pomeranians need to have the hair trimmed around their anus. You can comb around the coat growth to add fluffiness. The last part of the grooming should be the brushing the coat up to add volume.

Bathing the Pomeranian needs to be enjoyable by the Pomeranian. Make sure the water is the right temperature and that your Pomeranian is calm and enjoying the bath. Talk softly to the Pomeranian to ensure they are feeling relaxed. Be very gentle as you bathe the Pomeranian. Use a conditioner for dogs after the shampoo to get the silkiest hair possible. Blow dry after you bathe your Pomeranian to keep the hair fluffy and smooth.

No matter how tempting it may be, never get your Pomeranian shaved. The skin will not be as protected by the sun, insects, and other things that could irritate the Pomeranian’s skin. If there is a huge matt in the hair, try brushing the matt out before shaving the Pomeranian dog. The hair will grow back more course if you shave the Pomeranian.

In conclusion, grooming is essential for the Pomeranian. Every 4-6 weeks the Pomeranian needs a trim and a major brush through with their bath. A Pomeranian should be brushed once a day to avoid matts.

Actually, the size of the dog isn’t nearly as important as the breed of the dog and the temperament of the dog of that breed. Throw in the age of the child and the temperament of the child. Then tack on the ability and knowledge of the adult’s responsibility in teaching that child the proper way of handling, training, grooming of that new friend and any dog no matter the size, shape or breed will make an excellent pet for your child.

Most people will just automatically start naming different breeds. But in every breed, I’m sorry to say, there are good ones, and there are bad ones. Do not ever make the mistake of just assuming, that you have read “Labrador Retrievers” make excellent kid dogs without first selecting the right Labrador Retriever that coincides with the personality of that child.

Do all of the research you can on the breed of dog you feel as an adult, you yourself can handle. For you as the adult, will be the one who teaches that child/dog relationship. Dogs learn from the alpha of any pack, and let’s face it, in the eyes of that new addition, that is exactly what you are to him or her. It’s new pack. For someone who wants a great dog but isn’t around dogs all that much and for those who may work a lot of hours away from the home and don’t have a lot of time, I would steer clear of the high maintenance grooming type breeds; (cocker spaniels, poodles, schnauzers.) For someday it will be your child that takes on the role of grooming and not much worse than a matted coat that you have to shave off on a dog that just doesn’t quite look right with no hair!

Take in major consideration the age and activity level of your child; and make sure that child goes with you in the selection process! Watch how your child interacts with the puppies but don’t be fooled if he or she shows a strong like for one. Watch that puppies interaction with your child too! If you child leans more on the “lazy” side and spends much more of his or her time in front of the TV rather than outside running and jumping and playing; you sure do NOT want to pick out the highest energy puppy! Those require a lot of exercise to spend that energy, and unless you are willing to be the one to “entertain” this new addition, you might want to persuade your child for a less active, calmer puppy.

Certain breeds are just naturally “more protective” then other breeds. I would NEVER suggest one of these breeds for any child who is that of a “loner”. For when you introduce this type of breed to a child that is not known to have a lot of other people for that dog to come in contact with, the dog will become TOTALLY protective of that child. (German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, Dobermans), and that child’s territory.

Also, you may just love the little toy breeds. But more for the safety of the dog, rather than your child, please, please PLEASE, take in consideration the “gentleness” factor of your child. Dachshunds are sweet and cute, but they also have a very weak back, and if your child is klutzy or just plain a rough houser, PLEASE stay away from this child/dog relationship.

I am a firm believer that there is a kid for every dog as well as there’s a dog for every kid. I am also a firm believer that it is the parents responsibility to be able to teach children the RIGHT way to handle and love a dog, and then nature just takes over from the dog’s point of view of how to handle and love your child no matter how big or how small it is!

After you have made the decision to add a canine companion to your life, you must then decide what kind of dog will work best for your home and your family. Whether you have limited space or have concerns about a large dog toppling over your toddler, making the decision for a small breed dog can be rewarding but can also come with challenges.

The best small dogs for families will greatly depend on the time and energy you will put into the raising and training of the dog. For example, the Pomeranian will remain fairly small, and tend to be great companions for children with whom they have been raised. However, these dogs, bark frequently and are quite high maintenance when it comes to grooming.

A Chihuahua will make a great pet for those in smaller places and without a lot of time to put into exercising the dog. These dogs are very loyal and affectionate to their owners and tend to be quite stubborn.

Boston Terriers are great companions for families. These dogs make great playful pets and are quite loyal. These dogs remain small into adulthood and require very little upkeep. The downside of the Boston terrier is their habit of chewing on things that they shouldn’t. With proper training these dogs can make great pets.

The Bichon Frise makes an excellent pet. These dogs are relatively easy to train. They are playful and lively. These dogs are great with kids and require very little maintenance. These dogs are love attention and are very loyal.

Shih tzu’s are great family dogs as well. They are rather small in stature and are great with children and other animals. These dogs are medium maintenance dogs and will require daily grooming to keep their coat pristine. These dogs make excellent family dogs.

Regardless of the breed you choose to add to your family, factoring in your home situation is vitally important to consider before making your decision. Choose a dog that will get along well with the space that you have to provide, interact well with your children, and that you will have the time and energy to bathe and groom as necessary. Once you have made your decision contact your local humane society and consider adopting a dog from them.

As a professional dog groomer for more than twenty years all too often I see the effects of neglecting your dog’s grooming during the winter months. It never fails, every spring dogs start coming in with their heavily matted, filthy coats. Some are so matted they don’t even have free movement of their limbs. Every groomer probably has an extensive list of horror stories about their findings under the “once-a-year” dogs. The truth is these owners usually love their pets very much and feel like they are doing them a good turn by letting them keep their warm fur throughout the cold season but the reality is that grooming is a year round chore in caring for your beloved pet. If your dog spends the majority of time indoors it is fine to keep getting regular hair cuts at your groomer. You should stay on your regular schedule of every six to eight weeks. Just ask your groomer to go up a couple of blade sizes to leave a bit more hair. We call this a puppy cut. Along with the haircut also comes bathing, trimming nails and cleaning ears and you wouldn’t go four or five months without these things so why would your pet want to. If you decide to keep a short cut on your pet throughout the winter they will be perfectly fine while outdoors for short periods of time. For longer excursions in cold weather take advantage of the many adorable and practical dog fashions widely available.

If you decide to forego cutting your pets coat during the winter months please remember that you still need to keep up with the other necessary parts of grooming. A schedule of regular brushing and combing should still be adhered to as well as bi-weekly ear cleaning and monthly nail trimming. Short haired dogs will continue to shed even throughout the winter months and require at least twice a week brushing. Long coated or curly coated breed are much more high maintenance and require a complete brushing even more frequently. It is best to brush the coat first with a slicker or pin brush and then follow up with a steel comb to make sure there are no tangles still in the coat. A wonderful tool for this is a rubber tipped brush called the Zoom Groom. Make sure that you dry your dog completely after bathing to reduce the chances of illness. As you can see winter may lessen some of the tasks of dog grooming during the winter but please do not cut them out completely and become the next grooming salon horror story!