Benefits Of Grooming Your Dog

Why should you take time in grooming a dog? A pet cannot take care of itself without a human. New pet owners are often faced with worries on how they can survive handling their pets. Grooming is one of the issues that dog owners face. Dog grooming is considered a waste of time by some owners which is the reason dog salons have been established. Professional grooming homes or salons will help you take care of your dog. However, grooming should be a regular care on any animal in your care. There are benefits that are associated with regular grooming of pets.

The following are reasons why you should groom your dog often:

When a pet is groomed, it improves the health of the dog. The overall health of a dog is enhanced through grooming. A dog is physically and mentally fit because it is given attention. You may not know how to massage a dog, but when the coat is brushed, it will improve the circulation of blood, reduce infections and boost the muscle mass.

The dogs' health is improved when grooming is regularly carried on them. The vitality of the skin of the dogs and their health is encouraged when they are brushed. Brushing is known to stimulate the blood cells to produce oxygen that the animals need through their bloodstream. Bathing a dog will clear toxins just like brushing does to them.

Most owners don't like the smell of their pets. The smells can be awful! You are conversant with this problem if you have a dog that has not been properly cleaned or washed. One of the first things that you will notice about the home of dog owners is the smell associated with their dogs. The smell of pets can be kept to a bare minimum through grooming. Some dogs smell better after grooming.

The fact that dogs cannot talk makes it nearly impossible to detect problems. A domesticated animal that is regularly groomed has little chance of getting sick from wounds or ticks. Grooming makes it possible to spot any problem within a short time.

Dog owners who are not fond of grooming their dogs are prone to spending more money on their pets. You can cut down the cost of hiring a professional if your pet is regularly groomed. Also, going to the clinic will be reduced because your dog is healthy.

You can improve the bond between you and a dog through grooming. You should learn how to make grooming exciting and enjoyable for both of you. The more time you are with your pet, the better the bond that is developed.

Are you too busy to groom your dog? There are professional dog grooming salons that can help keep your dog healthier and neat. Grooming is essential for any animal. When pets are groomed, they tend to be friendlier and happier. Aggressive dogs can be easily tamed when bonds are developed during grooming.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Benefits-Of-Grooming-Your-Dog&id=9305691

Easy DIY All Breed Dog Grooming - 7 Tips

Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to pay to get your dog groomed? Whether you have a short-haired dog or a long-haired dog, there are some basics you need to follow when doing at-home dog grooming. I'll give you basic all breed dog grooming tips so you can save money and time by learning how to groom your dog at home. Then I'll teach you specifics for short coat and long coat dogs.

So, here we go.

All Breed Dog Grooming Tip #1 - Handling and Preparation

No doubt, it's cheaper to do at home dog grooming than it is to go to a groomer. Here are the fundamentals. First, in order for your dog not to bolt out of the tub, he needs to understand and obey the stand, sit and stay commands.

And hopefully, you've been handling your dog since he's been a puppy. If you've been playing with your dog and letting others handle him, there's far less likely chance of him causing trouble when it's time for clipping.

Your Grooming Kit

Ideally, when it comes to clipping hair, nail clipping, teeth and gum cleaning, you should use a no-slip mat and let your dog stand on a table so that you don't strain yourself by having to bend over a lot and so you don't have to overly restrain the dog.

Your kit should contain scissors or clippers, combs and brushes.

All Breed Dog Grooming Tip #2 - Bathing

I cover this topic in more detail in another post, but basically you need a tub that's suitable for your dog's size. Fill it with warm water. If your dog doesn't like being put in water, have a bucket of warm water handy.

Now, get your non-slip mat, a plastic jug, a towel or hair dryer (depending on the coat of the dog) and canine shampoo. There are many types shampoo on the market. For instance, if your dog has fleas and ticks, get a shampoo for that. If your dog has a skin condition, get a shampoo that provides relief for it.

Lathering Up

Now it's time to pour the warm water over your canine until he's thoroughly saturated. Or, if you're putting him in the tub, put the non-slip mat in it. To prevent soapy water from getting in his ears, you can use cotton wool.

Mix 15-20 ml of shampoo in the jug of water. Start lathering him up. Avoid putting the soap on his face for now. Work up a really good lather on the dog's body. Then carefully move to his face.

Be careful to avoid his eyes and mouth. Better yet, use a sponge on your pooch's face. You can also use the sponge to clean under your dog's tail. Because of fecal matter, bacteria often spreads in this area and can cause infections.

Time To Rinse

Now rinse and dry your dog's head first using the towel before you rinse the rest of his body. The total amount of time to rinse should take about 3 minutes of rinsing for short haired dogs and 5 minutes rinsing for long-haired dogs.

When drying the rest of your dog, be careful not to irritate your dog's skin by having the dryer on high heat. In fact, you should start out on low to be safe.

Make sure you give your dog lots of praise during the process.

All Breed Dog Grooming Tip #3 - Clipping His Hair

When clipping your dog, clippers are preferred over scissors. The advantage of using clippers over scissors is that with a clipper, you can cut your dog's hair to the specific length easily because clippers have different length snap-on attachments.

For great clipping results, follow these tips:

· Use the clipper head flat on your dog's coat.

· Move the clipper in the same direction of the grain of the dog's hair

· Don't accidentally dig the clippers into your dog's skin. Use a light hand.

· Be especially careful around the neck and facial areas.

· Don't use the clipper on your dog's anal muscle. The anal muscle is extremely sensitive. Use scissors in this area if you have to remove any excess hair.

· For difficult to reach areas, use scissors.

All Breed Dog Grooming Tip #4 - Cleaning Your Dog's Face

Gently dab your pup's eyes with a damp cotton wool ball to clean off any debris. Don't put it directly in your dog's eye. Clean around it and on top of the lid.

Ear Cleaning

Next, hold your dog's head forward and hold open one of your dog's ears and gently wipe it with a new piece of damp clean cotton wool. If you have a Sharpei, or some other dog with folds on his face, make sure you clean out the folds weekly using a cotton wool. Don't push the cotton too deeply into the dog's ear. When you're done, do the other ear.

All Breed Dog Grooming Tip #5 - Nail Clipping

Trimming your dog's nails requires extreme care. So you can either get your vet to do it, or you can do it yourself, but you'll have to be extremely careful. Here are some tips to help you trim your dog's nails without a problem:

· Buy a good solid pair of clippers and a muzzle. Flimsy clippers break too easily. As for the muzzle, your dog may mouth you the first few times before he gets used to the process.

· It's best to have started clipping your dog's nails when he was a pup. But if it's too late, start playing with your dog's feet gently so that he's not terrified when you try to use the clippers.

· For the first few times you clip his nails, only trim a tiny bit of nail off so he gets used to the process.

· Try to trim his nails every six to ten weeks. If your dog goes outside a lot, the pavement actually keeps the nails at a decent length. But if your dog stays indoors, you'll have to clip them every 4 to six weeks.

· DO NOT cut into the live part of the nail. Your dog will be in agony! The live part is where you see the nail starting to turn pink. Also, you can tell the live part by the differing texture and color of his nails.

· Don't forget to trim the pointed end of the declaw (that's the dog's thumb).

· When in doubt, you can always ask your vet or groomer to show you how to trim your dog's nails.

All Breed Dog Grooming Tip #6 - Smooth Coats and Short Coats

Rubber Brush

For smooth and short coat dogs like Jack Russell Terriers, you'll need a rubber brush, a bristle brush, and a chamois. Brush against the grain of your dog's hair. To remove large matter or foreign debris, first use the rubber brush.

Bristle Brush

Next, use the bristle brush to remove smaller particles of dirt and hair. Lastly, you're going to use the chamois to give your dog a glossy sheen.

To keep your dog looking pristine, you should do this type of grooming every 3 to 4 days.

All Breed Dog Grooming Tip #7 - Long Coat Dogs

Dogs like Collies and Shetland sheepdog need to be groomed at a minimum twice weekly. If you wait too long, then when it's time to groom, their hair will be matted and difficult to work with.

You'll need:

1. A slicker brush

Slicker Brush

2. Bristle brush

Bristle Brush

3. Wide tooth comb

The slicker brush should be used daily so that your pooch's hair doesn't get matted and tangled. Then use a pin brush to go even deeper into your dog's coat. Don't pull on your dog's hair though. Be sure you pay attention to untangling hair from underneath your dog's legs. This area is really sensitive and is often times overlooked.

Next, use the wide tooth comb to take out any last vestiges of hair. To finish off the coat, use a fine tooth comb. Trim any overly long hair from around his hocks and feet. These areas are more susceptible to getting foreign objects caught in them like mud, dirt, and pebbles.

Source:https://ezinearticles.com/?Easy-DIY-All-Breed-Dog-Grooming---7-Tips&id=8915207