Dog Grooming Hints

Dog grooming is essential in maintaining your dog’s health which include routines involving regular brushing, combing for dead hair removal, bathing and nail removal.

Dog grooming provides dogs with shinier and healthier lifestyle plus the opportunity to spend some time with your dog. It is essential that you train your pet with dog grooming in his earlier years with mild approach. Some dogs may view the routine as another way of petting him. Combing and brushing will care for your dog’s coat but it is equally important that you attend to his other body parts, like the ears, toes, eyes and the mouth.

Additionally, dog grooming will significantly contribute to your dog’s over well-being, both in physiological and psychological aspects.

Dog grooming applies differently for the many varieties of dog breeds thus it is essential that you know the different treatments for each dog. But listed below is the general dog grooming methods that you may use as your basis.

Bathing

Bathing is an substantial part of dog grooming. It is wise to bathe your pet once in two months are as frequently as needed. Brush you pet’s coat before each bathe as to eliminate the mats out of his coat.

To bathe your dog:
For secure footing, provide a rubber mat or a bath towel to be placed in your bath tub or sink. Then secure the dog’s ears and with cotton balls as to prevent the water from entering these openings.
Use warm water to rinse your dog. If a spray hose is available it is best to use it but make use the nozzle of the hose is kept close to your pet’s body. Never spray the animal directly on his face, this may irritate or scare him.
Use shampoos that are only made for dogs. With small amounts, start from head to tail but avoid getting the shampoo on your dog’s eyes. Be sure to clear from dirt the dog’s rectum, and other body parts like those under the chin, behind the ears and between the dog’s toes.
Then rinse your dog with warm water, make sure that no shampoo is left on his coat.
Lastly, pat your animal dry with a bath towel or a hair dryer.

Coat
It is essential that your dog’s coat is kept clean. Assure that with your dog’s daily dog grooming routine, his coat is thoroughly brushed. This assures that his coat is kept from dirt. also, a dog grooming procedure like that of brushing may spread the dog’s natural skin oils all through the coat. This may also keep the dog’s skin form irritation and may further prevent his coat from tangling. This does not only apply with dogs having long coats but with short-haired dogs as well.

Nail trimming

For once a month, your dog’s nails must be trimmed. Use a specially designed nail trimmer or clipper for your dog breed, also provide a blood-clotting powder in case his skin tissue is cut. You may also use scissors for this form of dog grooming.

Ear care

Is an important aspect of dog grooming. If not properly address, your pet may develop an ear infection, which in turn may result to permanent hearing loss. The symptoms for an ear infection are constant scratching, ear redness and head shaking. You dog grooming specialist or veterinarian must address sever cases of dog infections.

Dog grooming is the basis for preventive health care for your dog and puppy. It gives you a chance to see small changes in and on your dog’s body that could lead to health concerns such as a lump or problems in his ears or with his teeth.

Dog grooming can be a time of further bonding with your dog. This is some serious one on one time when he gets loads of your attention.

So what do you do and when do you start grooming your dog and puppy? As with most things with your puppy, you need to introduce him to dog grooming slowly and help him be comfortable with it. Start with short sessions of about five minutes and work up to the whole routine as he adjusts.

Begin with brushing and combing. There are several different grooming tools used for brushing and which you use depends upon the breed of your dog and the type of coat he has. Ask the breeder you got your puppy from for the proper techniques.

Brushing should be done before you bathe your dog or puppy. Bathing your puppy should begin when he is about 14 weeks old or sooner if he is a very dirty dog. Most dogs should need bathing only once a month unless he gets dirty. Wherever you decide to bathe your dog, bathtub, sink or some type of tub, place a rubber mat within to give him something secure to stand on so he won’t slip around.

Soak down his body but not his face. Keep water out of his ears. You may wish to block his ear canals with cotton balls to prevent the water from getting into his ears. Lather up your wet dog with a dog shampoo. Rinse well. Any leftover shampoo in his coat is likely to cause dryness or skin irritation. Wipe his face off with a damp cloth. Squeeze off the excess water and then towel dry your dog. Complete the drying process with either a hair dryer set on warm, not hot, or by leaving him in a warm room until dry.

Be aware that a dog will shake just as soon as you release him. This is why some people want to run their dog outside quickly after a bath on a leash to prevent him from rolling and getting dirty again. If this is not an option, such as in winter, you may wish to consider a professional groomer.

A professional groomer may be a consideration for some of the more difficult haircuts and dog grooming considerations such as the stripping required by some wire-haired breeds. This depends upon your ability to do the required tasks and your desire to do them as well.

copyright 2005. Sandra Dinkins-Wilson

If you care about your dog, you should learn the proper procedure for dog bathing which can make life much easier for you and your dog. Your dog should only get a bath when hes dirty and/or smells or you suspect he has fleas.

Most dogs dont really care for bath time. This is why knowing proper dog bathing techniques will help ease your dog into the bath time procedure.

When bathing your dog, if you plan to wash him in your tub, get him used to going in and out of the tub area by making a game out of it. The tub should be empty at this point. Once hes comfortable with entering the tub, slowly get him accustomed to being around water by having him hear the water running and then have him enter the tub with very little water in it.

Grooming is an important part of the dog bathing procedure. Introduce the grooming tools to him by having him sniff them. Be gentle when using the grooming tools for the first time because a bad experience, such as a nail being clipped to short or yanking on matted hair with a comb could have your dog running in the opposite direction every time its bath time. Investing this time will save you much grief later on.

Dog bathing procedure

Before you begin bathing your dog, make sure you have all the tools you will need for dog bathing and grooming. These tools are: Plenty of towels, hair dryer, comb or brush, cottonballs, ear wash, ear powder, cotton swabs, nail clippers, toothbrush, mineral oil, toothpaste, a small pitcher, blunt scissors, mineral oil, a stripping knife, dog shampoo and a few treats wouldnt hurt either. You dont want to leave your dog alone in the middle of a bath to get grooming supplies. The thought of what you might find when you come back can be quite scary.

Another thing you should do before dog bathing is brush him thoroughly. Remove all mats with a stripping knife, or for more stubborn matting, use a pair of blunt scissors because bathing can make matting worse.

Be sure to place a rubber mat in the tub (if you dont already have one) to keep your dog from slipping and sliding. He could get injured. For smaller breeds you can use a rubber basin. This can keep dog bathing from being a backbreaking experience. The tub should only be filled up a few inches.

Assuming youve accustomed him to the bath area, it should be no problem getting him into the tub. If you have trouble getting him in, you can try using a harness and a leash (different from the leash used to take him out). If he attempts to bite, use a muzzle until he gets comfortable. Hopefully, you wont have to use it all the time.

When starting your dog bath, wet your dog use a small pitcher or a detachable nozzle. Do not get water in his face, this can scare him and make him afraid of water. Use a washcloth with a mild soap to clean his face.

Dog shampoo is recommended for dog bathing. DO NOT USE ANY OTHER CLEANING AGENTS, such as dish washing liquid, detergents, or human shampoo, which can strip your dogs skin of its natural oils leaving it dry and chaffed. Use a dog shampoo that is appropriate for your dogs breed, age and type of fur.

With a cotton swab, apply mineral oil around the eye area. This will protect his eyes from irritation.

Pour the shampoo from the back of his head down to the tip of his tail and lather. You may have to apply more to each of his legs and paws. Lather him up good and try not get shampoo in his eyes, nose or ears. Dont forget to clean his belly. If your dogs ears dont flop over, put a cotton pad in each ear to keep water out. Dont forget to take them out when youre done.

Using a small cup, gently start to rinse his face avoiding as much as possible, getting water in his eyes, nose and ears. Do not use a detachable spray nozzle. This may be too aggressive initially. You can, however, use a spray nozzle for rinsing the rest of the body. Be sure to rinse a few times in order to get all the soap off the body because leftover soap can cause a skin irritation.

Once hes been rinsed thoroughly, wrap him in a towel and towel dry him in a playful manner. This will help make dog bathing a pleasurable experience for both of you.

You will want to groom your dog after drying him because dogs tend to be very restless when they are wet. Use a hair dryer at a low setting to fluff dry your dog. If the weather is warm, you can lay out a few towels outdoors for him to lie on and leash him in the sun. He will use the towels to rub his ears against and the towels will keep him from getting dirty all over again. If you plan to put him outdoors, you may want to groom him first if you can keep him still.

Grooming your dogs coat, ears, eyes, nails and teeth is part of the bathing routine. You will find more information on grooming through each of the links above. Remember, if grooming your dog is too much of a hassle, leave it to your groomer and just have him groomed more often.

Remember, dog grooming won’t be a hair-raising experience if you take the right approach.

Dog grooming has its own significance in pet care. It not only improves the look of your pet, but also provides it with better health.It is important that you brush your pet every day to keep your pet’s hair dirt free. It also spreads natural oil, which in turn prevents tangling of hair and keeps the skin clean and irritation free. If you make grooming a routine, then your pet will eventually begin to enjoy it.To cut the nails, make your pet sit beside you. Next, place one of your pet’s paws in your hand, and then trim the nails gently. Trim carefully, making sure you stop before the quick, which contains nerves and blood vessels. If the quick does get harmed, then use a moist cotton ball with clotting powder and press it for a few minutes to stop the bleeding.You should check your pet’s ears twice a month. The skin of the ears must be pale pink in color. If you notice a foul odor or change in color, take your pet to a veterinarian.Cleaning of your pet’s teeth is another important aspect of grooming. Your pet may get cavities in his or her teeth that can develop into periodontal disease. Clean your pet’s teeth twice a week with a soft, small pet toothbrush.Place a rubber mat or a small towel in a bathtub so that it is not slippery for your pet. Use cotton balls to prevent water from going into your pet’s ears, and use warm water to bathe your pet in. You can use a spray nozzle, but be sure that you keep the nozzle close to your pet’s body when spraying, and do not spray your pet in the face.It is important that you regularly give proper attention towards the grooming of your pet. It will keep your pet healthy and active, both physically and psychologically.