How To Groom a Dog
Regular dog grooming is essential to keep your dog healthy, clean and fit. All dogs no matter what their breed need to be groomed on a regular basis to avoid health problems such as periodontal diseases caused by plaque buildup in the teeth or ear infections caused by dirt and wax. While there are a number of professional dog grooming services that can give your pet a bath, a nail trim and a brush, these services are extremely expensive. To avoid spending huge amounts on professional grooming services it is best to groom a dog at home. With a little time and patience you can soon become an expert at dog grooming.
Before you can start grooming your dog, you need to first gather the essential supplies like dog nail clippers, dog brushes, ear cleaning solutions, cotton balls, dog trimmers, Pet shampoos, towels and dryers.
Once you have assembled all the necessary tools for grooming a dog, it is now time to round up your dog and start brushing its coat. While you can use a curry brush to groom a short haired dog, for longer haired dog breeds you may be required to use an undercoat rake or a slicker to remove the mats and the tangles.
Bathe the dog with warm water and a pet shampoo. Place your pet in a tub and pour water over it. Then pour some pet shampoo in your palm and apply it over your dog’s body. Lather the shampoo ensuring that it does not get into the eyes and ears of your pet. Rinse thoroughly and then dry your dog’s fur with a towel.
Once the dirt has been removed, you can now trim your dog’s fur using a trimmer. Start with the back and gently allow the trimmer to glide along its fur. Follow this up by trimming along the sides, face, neck and chest. Use a pair of scissors to cut the hair around the eyes and ears.
You need to clean your dog’s ears using an ear cleaning solution. Pour some of the solution on a piece of cotton ball and gently clean the dog’s ears. If there is water in the ears of the dogs then a few drops of rubbing alcohol will help in drying it. In addition to this you also need to regularly brush your pet’s teeth using pet toothpaste to remove the tartar and plaque buildup on your pet’s teeth.
Cutting and trimming your pet’s nails is vital as long nails can lead to irregular gait and sometimes even cause skeletal damage. While trimming the dog’s nails hold one paw of your dog firmly and wrap the other hand around the dog’s body to prevent it from escaping. Snip off a small portion of the nail. Trimming too much can cause skin damage and bleeding.
