Why You Should Groom Your Dog Regularly

Grooming your dog regularly is vital for his good health and well being. Not only will you notice if anything is wrong with your dog when you groom him, you will also be keeping his coat and teeth in good condition. General grooming entails:

• Brushing or combing your dog’s coat
• Bathing
• Nail trimming
• Ear care
• Eye care
• Dental care

If you take the time to train your dog to being groomed at a young age this will help ensure you have an easy to handle dog, but even older dogs can learn to enjoy being groomed with some patience and persistence.

Professional dog groomers can perform the grooming for you, or if you’d like to save a bit of money you can learn to groom your dog yourself. Whichever method you choose, make sure you groom your dog regularly to prevent any health issues from going unnoticed.

Brushing or Combing your Dog’s Coat:

Brushing or combing your dog’s coat will improve your dog’s circulation and keep his coat clean and healthy. Regular brushing removes dead hair and skin from your dog’s coat and allows new fur to grow. Brushing your dog removes any grime or debris from your dog’s fur and keeps your dog’s coat shining and soft. Long haired dogs in particular need to be groomed regularly otherwise they develop tangles in their coats and their hair becomes bedraggled and unkempt. Brushing your dog will also help establish a bond between you and improve his sense of well being as well as spread natural oils in his coat.

Bathing:

Giving your dog a good brushing before bathing him will remove any debris or loose hair and tangles. Small dogs can be bathed in a sink while larger dogs will need to be bathed in the bath tub. Provide your dog with a bathmat or bath towel to stand on so he doesn’t slip and slide while you’re giving him his bath. Put some cotton balls in his ears to prevent water from getting into them and causing an infection or any problems. Give the dog a good rinse with some warm water before adding any shampoo. Use a good quality shampoo especially formulated for dogs and lather the dog from head to tail avoiding the eyes and nose. Some dogs enjoy having a bath while others hate it, if your dog hates having a bath try to do your best to make it a pleasurable experience for him. Lather the dog then rinse thoroughly. Make sure you don’t leave any traces of shampoo on your dog and that’s it, you’re done. Dry your dog thoroughly with a hair dryer or towel to ensure no wet areas are left that can cause infection or sores.

Nail Trimming:

Keep your dog’s nails trimmed regularly or they can overgrow and cause damage and injury to your pet. Use special pet nail trimmers to clip the tips of your dog’s claws making sure not to cut into the quick where the nerves are which will cause a lot of pain and bleeding.

Ear and Eye Care:

Inspect your dog’s eyes and ears on a regular basis and keep them clean and clear. There are special products your vet can recommend that will help keep your dog’s eyes and ears healthy and clean.

Dental Care:

It is very important to establish a dental hygiene routine for your dog to avoid dental problems and other health issues that can develop for lack of dental hygiene. Only use special enzymatic toothpaste developed for use on dogs as human toothpaste can make dogs very sick.