Dog grooming is very important, to enjoy your partnership with your dog, you have to take good care of them so that they can live longer and healthier. One of the main essential tasks you should fulfill to preserve your dog’s overall health is grooming.
Grooming is the act of cleaning and having hygienic care for your furry friend. In short, grooming is looking after your dog. While you may want to hire a pet groomer, some grooming can also be a D.I.Y. task that you can do by yourself.
If you need to know more about dog grooming, you are in the right place! Below, you will find the most crucial pieces of information that you need to successfully groom your pet.
1- Why Is Dog Grooming Important?
Indeed, grooming is more than having a stylish haircut for your dog. It is highly essential in the sense that it has a number of benefits on the overall health of your dog. The following points show you why is grooming important for your dog:
– Early Detection Leads to Prevention
Your dog may be suffering from some health issues without you noticing them. As a result, the problem may arise leading to undesired consequences. By grooming your dog, you can detect health problems and address them as early as you can. This will help you to have an easier and more effective treatment.
– Dog Grooming Maintains Healthily Coat
We all want our feline friends to have healthy coats. Well, this can be achieved through grooming as well as brushing. Do not forget to brush your dog’s coat. This will make you closer to each other in addition to avoiding mats. The latter can result in abrasions, ulcers, pain, and discomfort.
– Prevent Some Kinds of Joint Pain
Taking care of your dog’s nails is a fundamental part of your dog grooming. If your dog’s nails remain uncut, they may experience some types of joint pain and start walking with misaligned pads. By trimming your pet’s nails, you will keep them from feeling pain.
– Dog Grooming leads to Positive Behavior
The positive reinforcement that your dog will receive after grooming will surely affect its behavior. Smelling good and having a catchy haircut is what your dog really needs to behave well.
2- Best Dog Grooming Practices
As a pet parent, you have to be aware of certain grooming practices. We have attempted to include them below for you:
– Brushing
If you wish to keep your dog looking good, you need to, obviously, brush its coat. Because you take your dog for a walk, and because dogs are curious they tend to approach anything around them. As a result, they may build up dirt in their coat.
Brushing will help you greatly before the actual bathing. This will reduce the amount of dirt in your dog’s coat. Moreover, you can trim off all the mats or knots in your dog’s coat and then easily give them a bath.
Please remember to utilize the right type of brush so that the process will be comfortable and effective. The frequency of brushing depends on the type of your dog’s coat:
- If your dog has long hair, you have to brush them each day to keep its hair untangled.
- Medium-haired dogs, on the other hand, need to be brushed each week to prevent mating.
- Your short-haired dogs do not need to be brushed as frequently as others. Brushing every few weeks is enough for them.
By brushing your dog and massaging their coat, you will build a good rapport with them. Being close to them and talking to them while brushing will make the process interesting and engaging.
– Bathing
While your dog’s bathing day may not be your favorite, it has huge benefits for your dog’s health. How many times to give your dog a bath depends primarily on its breed and lifestyle. Once each week is the best option for dogs that have long hair or those that spend much time outdoors.
The first thing you should think about is getting your pet the right shampoo. The latter should be appropriate for them depending on their age, coat type, and other special needs such as dryness. Do not ever think of using human shampoo as your pet may be sensitive to the chemicals found in these kinds of shampoos. Remember to place your hands above your dog’s eyes so that the shampoo will not result in any irritation.
While bathing your dog, focus on certain areas where the dirt and critters may be accumulated. These include their ears, belly, and collar area. Moreover, each time you give your dog a bath, try to closely notice if there are any wounds or something unusual underneath their coat. This will help you recognize any potential health problem before it becomes serious.
To make the process easy for your dog, you need to follow some necessary steps. Here you can find what to do to make your dog enjoy their bath time.
– Nail Trimming
The nail trimming time can be highly stressful to you as well as your dog. In fact, your dog’s nails include nerves and blood vessels. There is an area, close to the paw, called “the quick”. If you, unintentionally, cut the quick, your dog will start bleeding and feeling uncomfortable. For this specific reason, you have to learn how to trim your dog’s nails before the actual practice. You can ask your vet to teach you so. On the other hand, there are many local groomers available to do the task on your behalf.
Whoever does the task, it is important to trim your dog’s nails once each month. Do not worry, the process is easy and has many health benefits.
– Brushing Teeth
Yes, your dog’s teeth must be brushed every day as many veterinarians have suggested. Do not use your own toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth as it incorporates several ingredients that may upset your pet’s stomach.
Furthermore, you have to look for an appropriate toothbrush or brush strip so that you can easily and comfortably brush your dog’s teeth. Choose the one that enables you to brush those hard-to-reach areas without hurting your furry friend.
If you have never brushed your dog’s teeth but planning to do so, you have to patiently introduce them to the feel. Do not force them. Instead, go slowly. Firstly, it is a good idea to dab some toothpaste on your dog’s lips so that it will get accustomed to its taste. Start by giving your dog a massage. Then, introduce the toothbrush to them.
Now you can start the task, try to comfortably reach those far areas in order to get all the bacteria found there.
– Haircuts
Here comes the most important part of your dog grooming. The haircut is an essential aspect of every dog’s beauty. Therefore, you need to take good care of your dog when it comes to its hair. If your dog’s hair is perpetually growing, your need to trim it each 6-8 weeks. Long-haired dogs, on the other hand, need to be trimmed once a month.
Getting your dog a haircut is not an easy task. Thus, you make seek the help of your local groomer to do the job on your behalf. If you still want to do it yourself, you should learn first how things are going on so as not to hurt your dog. Why not register for a DIY pet grooming class? The class will help you greatly.
3- Check Your Dog’s Health While Dog Grooming
Grooming time is the magical moment to closely check your dog and see if they are facing any health issues. As we have mentioned above, taking care of your dog’s coat is essential as it protects their sensitive skin.
Additional checks while grooming includes the following:
– Paws
Your dog’s paws will remain healthy by:
- Examine your dog for any potential limping.
- Perpetually check their feet and footpads to make sure that there are no wounds or infections.
- Trim the extra hair if it is found between your dog’s footpads. Otherwise, it can become matted.
– Ears
Here is what you need to make the ears as healthy as they should:
- Immediately take your dog to the vet if you think that they are suffering from some ear problems. (Here, you will find the main causes, symptoms, and treatments of dog ear problems).
- When you take your dog for their annual health check-ups, the vet will check the ears using an otoscope. If there is a certain issue, you will be given ear drops or ear cleaners for your dog.
- Dogs that have long droopy ears may encounter some skin allergies. Thus, you have to regularly monitor them so that you can spot any signs of ear problems.
– Eyes
Follow what is below for healthy eyes:
- You have to examine your dog’s eye health.
- To know whether your dog has healthy eyes, you need to know first how healthy eyes look. Well, healthy eyes are usually bright and appear clear in addition to being symmetrical. Squinting or closing eyes are usually signs of certain eye issues.
- It is important to have some prior knowledge concerning signs and the main eye problems in dogs. Here you will find all that you need about this specific subject.
- Once you notice any eye changes, do not wait, take your pet to the vet as eye issues may result in serious conditions such as blindness.
- If your dog has hair around its eyes, it is better to trim it in order not to prevent their vision and cause other irritations.
4- How Often You Should Bathe Your Dog?
Well, there is no one specific answer to this question as it depends on the type of your dog, their lifestyle, and their health needs. However, we do know that a healthy dog with no health problems or skin issues does not need to be regularly bathed. Generally speaking, you can bathe your pooch one or two times each three months.
Yet, some dogs will need to be bathed more often. The following are some factors that you should consider:
– The Activity Level
If you have an active dog who spends most of the time outdoors, then you need to bathe them more often. This is also important to control their odor.
– The Type of Coat/ Skin
Your need to bathe your dog more if they have long or curly hair to keep their coat from matting. In order to keep their coat healthy, you need to bathe your dog at least once every four/six weeks. Do not forget about brushing between baths. On the other side, healthy short-haired dogs are going to do well with infrequent bathing.
Hairless breeds who do not benefit from the skin protection given by the coat have to be bathed weekly. Also, oily skin dogs require more bathing in order not to have oil buildup on their skin.
– Allergies and Skin Problems
Some dogs are suffering from certain types of allergies or skin problems. Thus, they may need regular baths to keep their condition under control. You have to follow all the instructions your vet gives you to help your dog. The shampoo to be used must be medicated.
– Your Own Health
You may allow your dog to swim and play in the dirt and spend much time outside. While these kinds of activities are good for your pet, you need to think of your own health as well. Imagine that your dog spends most of the day playing in the dirt, then at night, they come to sleep on their furniture. This is not, by any means, working. In such cases, you are the one who will benefit from your dog’s bathing. They are also going to feel relieved.
5- When is Dog Grooming Too Much?
You should be aware of the fact that much bathing can have negative results on your dog. In other words, excessive bathing may hurt your dog.
To make it clear, frequently bathing your dog may take off the oil that they naturally produce to have a healthy coat. This, in turn, will result in a dry coat and itchy skin. If you need to frequently bathe your dog, it is advisable to use a moisturizing dog shampoo or a moisturizing dog conditioner to help in maintaining your dog’s natural moisture.
If things are confusing, it is better to ask your vet. They will give you personalized guidelines depending on your pet’s breed, health, and lifestyle.
6- Why Do You need to Take Your Dog to the Groomer?
You may prefer to groom your dog at home. This will take much time and effort as grooming a dog need patience. But have you ever thought of the benefits that professional groomers offer? Below we have listed some for you:
– They Do All the Work
A grooming session will offer all that your pet needs. Starting from brushing, bathing, drying, trimming, and clipping. They begin the process by brushing and combing out mats before the actual bathing. They also clean your dog’s ears. Once the coat is dried, they trim, clip, and shave your dog if you ask them to do so. Moreover, groomers cut your dog’s nails and brush their teeth.
– They Own the Right Tools For all Your Dog Grooming Needs
Groomers own all the necessary tools to address the work. They have various kinds of clippers and rounded scissors alongside nontoxic, and shampoos appropriate for various dogs with different irritations, fleas, and skin allergies.
What are more, professional groomers know exactly how to groom various breeds with different coats.
– They Know How to Deal with Dogs
Some dogs may become anxious or aggressive each time you try to groom them. Here comes the role of groomers. Thanks to their experiences, they have the ability to deal with various dogs and handle them gently and confidently.
– They Take Care of Other Tasks and Not Only Dog Grooming
Trimming nails, cleaning, removing mats and other tasks may be difficult for you but not for a professional groomer. They successfully tackle all the tasks you may find hard to do.
– They Offer Plenty of Health Benefits
Professional groomers do not only keep your dog looking and smelling good, but they also offer many health benefits. They provide you with the following:
- They are able to clean your dog of dirt and prevent any skin irritation.
- Remove tangles so that your dog’s coat will not become matted resulting in the painful pulling of your dog’s skin.
- They get rid of the dead skin in your dog as well as brushing carefully and distributing the dog’s natural oil.
- They closely look for any lumps, bumps, and skin irritations.
- Closely examine your dog to detect all the potential lumps, bumps, and skin irritations in their early stages.
7- How Much Does Dog Grooming Cost?
The is no one exact price. The cost will primarily depend on the kind of grooming your dog requires. The groomers also take into account other factors such as the type of coat, length, and size of your dog. If your dog requires special shampoos, conditioners, or treatments, the cost will be obviously increased.
8- What to Avoid While Grooming at Home?
If you wish to groom your dog at home, here are what you should not do:
- Do not use human products such as shampoo and toothpaste. The latter may include xylitol, which is toxic to dogs.
- Do not clip your dog’s nails until you recognize the right method to do so. If you do it in the wrong way, it may cause pain and bleeding for your furry friend.
- While grooming your dog, you may notice some wounds or sores. Do not try to treat them by yourself. Instead, seek professional help and take your dog to the vet as soon as you can.
- Do not try to shave your dog’s hair if you do not know how to do it properly. It is better not to try it out at home. Take your dog to professional groomers. They have all the tools needed and the knowledge to do the task.
- While you are trying to remove mats, if your anxious pet does a single movement, this will result in serious injuries.
- Do not ever think of spraying your dog with a given non-veterinarian-approved scent such as your perfume. Yes, when you love, you share, but your dog’s health is a priority. Such products can contain dangerous ingredients leading to some dangerous respiratory problems.
- Do not try to bathe your dog outdoors. This may cause some drops in your dog’s body temperature.
- The moment you notice any foreign object in your dog’s ear, nose, mouth, or paw pads, do not remove it by yourself. This may lead to more serious problems. The best method here is to consult your vet.
9- What are the Responsibilities of a Pet Owner?
Having a dog is not, by any means, a simple task. You need a lot of patience, knowledge, and brave. If you already have a dog or planning to have one, you need to fully educate yourself. Try to know more about dog breeds, needs, health issues, grooming needs, diets, and anything related to the canine world.
As a dog owner, you are responsible for these pure innocent souls. Thus you have to do your best to ensure your pet has a healthy, happy, and long life. The following are some grooming responsibilities you need to be aware of:
- As a dog owner, make sure to trim your dog’s nails every two months to maintain a healthy foot structure.
- As we mentioned above, you do not have to perpetually bathe your dog in order not to strip the coat from its natural oil. The latter is needed to keep the coat healthy and glossy.
- Pay attention to your dog’s ears. You have to clean them twice each week.
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Last words
Grooming is highly essential to maintain the overall health of your furry friend. Being conscious of all that is related to your dog’s grooming needs will keep you from making huge mistakes that can lead to serious issues.
Love means patience and caring. Your dog needs nothing but your love. You need to be responsible and closely look after your pet.
