Dog Grooming to Keep Your Best Friend Healthy
by Cat Archer
Dog grooming is absolutely
essential in maintaining your dog's health. Grooming includes such things as
regular brushing and combing to remove dead hair, skin and general debris,
bathing and nail trimming as necessary, as well as looking after your dog's
ears, eyes and mouth.
Regular dog grooming will
provide your dog with shinier coat and a healthier lifestyle, plus it gives you
the opportunity of spending some 'one on one' time with your dog. It is
essential that you train your pet by dog grooming him in his earlier years with
a gentle approach, as this way he will not worry when you continue to groom him
as he gets older - he will know what to expect. Often dogs can look on the
grooming routine as another way of you 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.
Dog grooming will have to be
applied in a different way, depending on the breed of dog that you have, so you
need to make sure that you research the right way for your dog. We have listed
below the generally dog grooming methods used, but you need to make sure if your
dog has special grooming needs, then you abide by them.
Bathing
is a very large part of dog grooming. It is wise to bathe your pet once every
two months or so, or as frequently as needed. Brush you pet's coat well before
each bathe so that you eliminate dead skin, hair and knots from his coat.
To bathe your dog: · Firstly to ensure secure footing, place a rubber mat
or a bath towel in your bath tub or sink (deciding which to use will to a great
extent, depend on the size of your dog!. You must be very careful to ensure that
you do not let water into your dogs ears - it can be a good idea to secure the
dog's ears with cotton balls so you make sure that you are preventing the water
from entering these openings. · Use warm water to rinse your dog. If you have a
spray hose available then this can be best to use, but do make sure that the
nozzle of the hose is kept close to your pet's body. Never ever spray the animal
directly on his face, as this is likely to scare or irritate him, and he will
not want you to bathe him again. · Use only specially formulated shampoos that
are only made for dogs. Using 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 also a very necessary part of dog grooming to ensure that your
dog's coat is kept clean. Make this part of your dog's daily dog grooming
routine, so that his coat is thoroughly brushed each day. This assures that his
coat is kept from dirt, and to get rid of dead skin, old hair and other debris
that finds its way onto a dog's coat. A dog grooming procedure like brushing may
spread the dog's natural skin oils all through the coat, which can help to 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 also short-haired dogs
benefit from regular brushing.
Nail trimming Depending on your own dog, but generally around once a
month, your dog's nails should be trimmed. Use a specially designed nail trimmer
or clipper that has been designed 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. If you don't feel confident with this procedure
then leave it to your vet to do when necessary.
Ear care Ear care is also an important part of dog grooming. If not
properly addressed, your pet could well develop an ear infection, which in turn
may lead to permanent hearing loss. The symptoms for an ear infection are
constant scratching, ear redness and head shaking. Your dog grooming specialist
or vet must deal with severe cases of ear infections in your dog.
Follow these simple dog
grooming hints and you will be helping to keep your best friend healthy.
About the Author
Cat is an experienced dog
owner and writes articles about
dogs as pets and other pet related
articles for www.petinformationsite.com
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