Owning a dog will require learning some basics of dog grooming so that you can keep your little friend happy, healthy and looking good. Dogs give us so much of themselves and it is our duty to look after this adorable animal and give it a proper dog grooming.
Keeping your best friend and companion free from tangles, clean skin from bathing on a regular basis and performing the other dog grooming tasks that keeps you pooch healthy and beautiful will help you enjoy your dog and keep her by your side for many years to come.
You might opt to take your dog to a qualified professional to take care of your pet’s skin, hair, ear, teeth, eyes, nails, etc.
Even though I took Trixie to a professional dog groomer, there are still some basic tools you’ll need at home to maintain and care for her between grooming sessions.
For example, a brush is necessary to prevent dogs with long hair from developing tangles and matting that might result in irritation to the dog.
Trixie’s coat was fairly easy to maintain and regular brushing with a stiff bristle brush kept it looking good. Because of her long ears, she would pick up burrs when outdoors that needed to be removed. I also needed to regularly check her ears for signs of infection.
The hair on the feet needs to be trimmed to prevent burrs and foxtails from becoming imbedded. The longer coats will pick up burrs and branches and need to be combed out after outside exercise or it will mat badly.
Nails are an important part of dog grooming. Dirty or elongated nails seem to trap some germs or infections in them. So always make sure that your pet’s nail are properly trimmed and cleaned with the help of good dog clippers. But, you should cut your pet’s nail slowly and carefully so as not to cut it’s skin. The dog’s nails should be cut from the point from where it starts curling. At first, I attempted to trim Trixie’s nails and that went pretty well for a while. As she got older, though, she just would not sit still enough for me to trim her nails. Instead, she got her nails trimmed by my vet or the groomer.
You should regularly clean your dog’s body by giving it a regular wash of shampoo and conditioners. This basic dog grooming makes your dog’s skin healthy by removing all flee, dander, dirt, dead cells, dermatitis and other parasites feasting on your pet’s body.
Bathing Trixie was not a problem when she was young as I could set her in the bathtub. I put a rubber mat on the bottom of the tub to prevent her paws from sliding around. I connected a flexible hose to the bathtub faucet that allowed me to spray water on her underside and all around. Be sure to purchase a proper dog shampoo at your local pet store, online, or check with your veterinarian to make sure you don’t need a special shampoo that will better clean and treat your dog’s skin.
In the summertime I would bathe her in a kiddie pool I bought at Walmart and used a garden hose to provide water. I thought many times about buying a large tub specifically designed for bathing dogs online or at the local pet store, but never really needed it. As Trixie got older, I tended to take Trixie to the groomer for her baths.
After Trixie has been given a wash, her eyes and ears would be given separate attention. You can use a sterile eye cleaner or special drops for your dog’s eyes and take care to wipe excessive “tearing” from around the dog’s eyes so that eye infections don’t occur.
Because of her long floppy ears, Trixie would often develop an ear infection that required special drops provided by my veterinarian.
Dental care is also part of dog grooming. Daily clean your dog’s teeth with the help of a special dog toothbrush and formulated dog toothpaste.
Your dog may initially resist your dog grooming sessions, but with continuous practice it could start seeing it as a regular practice and would finally accept them. Your dog may even start looking on these grooming sessions as a part of a pampering exercise and look forward to them. So be patient initially and it will be a great pay off.
So get the right dog grooming tools and give your dog a regular grooming as you watch it grow into a strong, healthy dog.
