Dog Grooming
The Basics Of Dog Grooming
Dog grooming serves several important purposes:
1. It gives dogs a good appearance.
2. It prevents many parasites from infesting them.
3. It provides a chance for you to examine your dog’s body parts such as eyes, ears, skin and teeth.
The frequency of grooming varies for different dogs according to their rate of hair growth and how dirty they get. It also depends on the owner’s preference but ideally a dog should be groomed at least once a week.
Dog Grooming – What to do:
Dog grooming is about taking care of your dog’s body, making it clean and giving it a better appearance. Therefore dog grooming includes:
1. Giving the dog a bath.
2. Clipping his hair and nails.
3. Cleaning his eyes, ears and teeth.
All of these things can be done easily at home using a comb, brush, nail-clipper, scissors and dog clippers. Alternatively, you dog can be groomed by hiring professional grooming services or taking him to a Dog Salon or grooming parlour.
Hair Trimming – What to do:
Before and after trimming, your dog’s fur needs to be brushed. Brushing removes dead hair and stimulates the skin. Gently combing matted hair is important in dog grooming, and matted hair resistant to brushing should be cut off gently with scissors.
Dog hair is best trimmed by means of dog clippers that are available in pet shops. Dog breeds with longer hair need a more thorough trimming. Some dogs may need to be leashed in order to make sure they let you do the grooming.
Bathing – What to do:
Bathing a dog usually precedes hair grooming so as to make hair trimming easy. It is important to dry the dog’s fur well after bathing and before starting the hair trimming.
It is better to use a bath indoors in winter and autumn to give your dog a warm water bath, while in summer when it is warmer outside a hose can be used for bathing.
Nail Clipping - What to do:
To make the dog accustomed to nail clipping, you should start clipping it’s nails regularly when it is a puppy. Take great care when clipping the nails, especially to avoid the quick from being cut. If the quick gets cut and bleeds, press the wound for a while to stop the bleeding. It is advisable to clip the nails quietly to keep your dog calm and still.
Cleaning Eyes, Ears and Teeth – What to do:
Cleaning the dog’s eyes, ears and teeth is a very important part of dog grooming.
1. Ears - Check for any parasites, dirt or scratches etc.
After restraining the dog, a few drops of mineral oil should be put in its ear. Then the inside of the ear should be gently stroked with a cotton swab. REMEMBER NEVER TO USE THE SWAB INSIDE THE EAR CANAL.
2. Eyes - Dogs usually don’t need any special eye care. You can remove any dirt or foreign matter from the eyes, or from around its corners, with a soft, clean cloth. If the eyes appear reddish and/or irritated see a vet.
3. Teeth - Dogs’ teeth can be cleaned with dog biscuits or by brushing, though many dogs rarely allow the latter.
