Dog Grooming Tips for pet parent
ROHIT KR SINGH,PET GROOMERS,DEHRADOON.
Dog grooming is all about the cleaning and hygienic care of a dog. It is also a process of improving a dog’s physical appearance. Dogs can be groomed professionally as well as at home by the owner itself. Now the question is when to start dog grooming. Well, it is better to start dog grooming as early as possible in puppies.
Regular grooming is important for dogs of all breeds – it helps them maintain a shiny, tangle-free coat and gives you the chance to check for parasite infestations and skin issues, improving their overall hygiene. Plus, grooming can be a one-on-one bonding experience for you and your pet. Grooming is an important part of being a dog parent. Grooming doesn’t just make your pup look good, it’s an essential part of keeping them healthy. Overgrown nails, impacted anal glands, and bad teeth can cause pain, discomfort and in some cases, death.
Brushing your dog’s teeth prevents all kinds of unpleasant health problems that have nothing to do with dog breath… like heart, liver and kidney disease.
Keeping nails trimmed allows your dog to move around comfortably. Long, overgrown nails can be very painful to your pup. Plus, trimmed nails are less likely to mark up your floor.
Cutting any hair that falls into the eye can prevent eye irritation; keeping ear hair trimmed can help prevent ear infections. Cutting hair and brushing helps keeps mats and dreadlocks away.
Bathing keeps dirt from being tracked all over your home but also helps control parasites like fleas.
Regular pet grooming will not only help to keep pets hygienic and attractive but also helps in building a strong relationship between pet and pet parents. In this blog, we will discuss everything related to dog grooming.
Benefits of pet grooming
Some of the key benefits of regular dog grooming include:
- Improved hygiene and smell
- Helps in checking for fleas and their eggs build-up
- Early detection of any skin-related problems
- Reduced chances of ear infections
- Nail trimming helps to lessen the risk of developing bad posture or bone deformations
- Helps to preserve healthy and shiny coats
- Regular brushing prevents the chances of matt developing
- Grooming helps to make pets look much better and smart
Ways to determine pet’s grooming needs
So, how pet owners can determine their pet’s grooming needs? Well, every pet has its individual grooming needs. Things that need to be considered before getting your pets on a grooming schedule include:
- Type of coat: Some pets have a light coat that requires less maintenance and some with heavy coats need regular grooming. Some fur stays condition from their natural oils, whereas some furs become dull and dry if not provided timely grooming.
- Fur length: Pets with long hair require frequent brushing and cuts for easy maintenance of their fur. Not brushing and cutting frequently will not only make pets look unhygienic but may also lead to skin irritation and other diseases in pets.
- Outdoor activity:A pet that spends most of its time outside the home (playing, walking, etc.) will require a more frequent grooming regime.
- Self-grooming habits:Some pets like to keep themselves clean. Also, some pets don’t care about keeping themselves clean and hygienic. Such pets may require professional grooming help.
Apart from the above-mentioned factors, pet owners can even consult with their vet or a professional groomer to determine the exact grooming requirements of their pets. One can even go for the best online vet consultation to know about the pet’s grooming requirements.
Tips for pet grooming at home
If you are planning to groom your pet at home, but don’t know how to start, what to do, and how to establish a successful at-home grooming routine with your pet, then below mentioned are some of the best pet grooming tips that can be very helpful for you. Have a look:
- Brush your dog’s coat regularly: No matter what breed it is, brushing your dog’s fur regularly helps to keep their coat neat, clean, shiny, and glossy. The amount of brushing depends on the length and texture of your dog’s coat. Dogs with long hair like golden retrievers and collies need frequent brushing, at least once a week. On the other hand, dogs with short hair like Labradors and greyhounds can be brushed every other week. Regularly brushing longhaired dogs helps to prevent matting from becoming a major issue like skin irritation, severe pain, skin infections, or an abscess. Similarly, brushing shorthaired dogs helps to get rid of dirt, dander, and loose hair from the dog’s coat.
- Trim your dog’s hair carefully: Pet owners can trim their dog’s overgrown hair around their eyes and paws carefully in between professional grooming. Trimming the overgrown hair around the eyes helps to prevent vision blockage and irritation in the eyes. Before trimming the hair, make sure to calm your pet. Be careful while using scissor blades near the skin to avoid hurting your pet.
- Trim your dog’s nails safely: Long nails can create discomfort among your pets. So, if you hear them clicking on the floors while walking, then it’s the right time to trim your dog’s nails. One important thing to note here is that it takes a lot of patience to trim your dog’s nails. Also, you need to be very careful while trimming your dog’s nails.
- Check your dog’s ears for any infection:Ear infection can be very painful for dogs. Make sure to check your pet’s ears closely while grooming them. Any unusual signs like moist or inflamed ears, odd ear smell, a different kind of discharge than usual, or if dog shakes its head or scratches at its ears continuously, it can be a sign of discomfort and pain in ears. Also, if you notice any changes in their behavior, make certain to take your pet to your vet for a check-up.
- Examine your pet’s skin closely while grooming: Dogs are prone to allergic skin diseases, leading to itchiness. Extreme itchiness may make your dog chew, lick, or scratch its skin. Besides, external parasites like fleas, lice, ticks, and mites can transfer various skin-related diseases. Therefore, make sure to check your dog’s skin every time during grooming. Checking skin helps to detect any unusual lumps or bumps, rashes, bald spots, sores, or signs of parasite infestations.
- Allow your pets to enjoy grooming sessions: Sometimes dogs need encouragement and positive support when they are introduced to a grooming routine for the first time. So make sure to make each grooming session more and more enjoyable for your pets. Try to introduce things slowly to them and don’t forget to praise and reward them with lots of treats so that they will look forward to their next grooming session.
- Avoid bathing your dog too often: Dogs with healthy skin can be bathed every couple of months to avoid unpleasant odors and to maintain their hygiene. Frequent bathing may take away natural oils from their coat and dry out their skin. Also, make sure to use quality products that are specially formulated for dogs and are gentle on their skin.
So these are some essential tips that pet owners can try to keep their pets hygienic and healthy. This also demonstrates the pet parent’s love for their pets and provides them the opportunity to spend quality time together. However, taking the help of professionals is recommended if pet parents are not comfortable in grooming their pets or don’t have time to do so.
If you are taking the help of a professional groomer, you must first make your pet feel safe and secure at the groomer’s hand. Some of the key strategies you can implement yourself that can make the job of the groomer quite easier so that he can take good care of your pet. Some of these strategies include:
- Frequent brushing: Make sure to gently brush your pet’s fur frequently to prep him for the grooming experience.
- Play with your pet’s paws: Often playing with your puppy’s paws will prepare them for the groomer’s handling.
- Socialization: Make sure to socialize your pet. An experience with strangers can make puppies feel more relaxed and calm when handled by professional groomers.
AT-HOME GROOMING ESSENTIALS
Proper grooming is really a vital part of your dog’s health and well-being, and helping clients take the best care of their dogs is always Corinne’s #1 goal. We asked her what dog owners can do at home, in between professional grooming, to keep their dogs’ coats up to snuff.
The tools There are three basic tools for maintaining a freshly groomed coat: a comb, a brush, and a rubber brush.
For long coats, a half wide-tooth, half fine-tooth comb should be your primary tool. Use with a slicker or dematting brush to help keep your long-coated dog fluffy and knot free.
For short coats, a rubber brush will be your primary tool. Use it with a deshedding tool to remove under coat, and finish up with a comb for a wonderfully smooth and shiny result.
The brushing Pick a pattern and follow it over your dog. Try starting on the right hip and work down to the foot. Then move to the neck and work across the back and down the side. Then brush the front right leg, under chin, chest, and start the pattern over on the left side. Save the tail and head for last.
Lift the hair and work small sections at a time, making sure to get to the root of the hair directly at the skin. Corinne told us this about brushing to the root, “Far too often, clients tell me they brushed their dog, and are surprised by having to choose between dematting charges or shaving their pet because they did not comb through to the root.”
Corrine suggests that if you like to bathe your dog at home, try combing the knots out while the hair is wet. It is easier to see exactly the size and location of the mats. When towel drying, pat, don’t rub, the coat dry. Rubbing aids in the formation of mats. If you dry your dog with knots left in, they will tighten, forming more mats. If mats are left unattended, they cause discomfort, irritation, and can be very dangerous to remove.
Nail trimming Probably the most disheartening duty of pet grooming is nail trimming. Corrine uses a motor-operated grinder, which allows her to work the nail down slowly. The dog’s reaction tells her when she’s close to the quick. For those of us at home with old fashioned clippers, it can be hard to gauge the right spot to clip, and if you clip too close, you cut into the quick which bleeds and causes your best buddy pain.
It’s most common to use styptic powder on a pet’s bleeding nail. Corinne also reports that, “Cornstarch or flour helps stops bleeding nails if you don’t have a styptic powder or gel. To staunch the bleeding, hold the powder to the nail and apply pressure. Keep an eye on those nails, though—the bleeding may resume if the nail scratches a rough surface.
How Professional Pet Grooming Is Different From Grooming At Home?
It is important to note that hygiene requirements may vary between different breeds of pets and their lifestyles. Some pets need frequent grooming, whereas some need very little maintenance. Therefore, there are many considerations when deciding whether or not to go for professional grooming. Some of the key considerations include:
- Time and Budget:Grooming a pet at home can be very time-consuming. Besides, cleaning up the mess after grooming, need a lot of hard work and patience. Offering this job to a professional can be very convenient and time-saving as well. Nowadays, there are several professional pet grooming services available in the market that provides pet grooming services at very reasonable rates. Usually, prices vary based on the size of the pet ad the type of coat they have. Moreover, professional grooming is not a frequently reoccurring expense. Depending upon the individual needs of your pet, you can schedule another appointment with a professional pet groomer.
- Ability to groom pets at home:Another most important consideration for pet grooming is that being a pet owner do you think you will be able to groom your pet easily at home? Many dogs dislike grooming activity which may cause them to act unusual and misbehave. Bathing them is another biggest task, especially for those who don’t like getting into the water. Moreover, clipping and trimming their nails require a lot of attention and patience. On the other hand, professional groomers are equipped with all the necessary equipment (like grooming tables, commercial bathing tubs, professional drying equipment, a variety of products, etc.) and knowledge that can make the whole grooming experience much more pleasant for the pets. In addition to this, professional groomers provide certain professional services that can be difficult to administer at home.
A professional or stylist who professionally grooms dogs, cats, and other pet animals are known as a pet groomer or pet stylist. A professional takes instructions from the pet owners for grooming and accordingly groom pets as per the client’s wishes in a professional manner.
Health Benefits of Professional Grooming
Professional pet grooming not only helps to make a pet look and smell awesome but also reduces a lot of time and effort that pet owners need to spend grooming their dog. Some of the key health-related benefits that can be achieved by investing in a good pet grooming session include:
- Professional bathing sessions (regular but not so frequent) helps to get rid of dirt, thereby reduced the chances of skin irritations or infection.
- Professionals make sure to detangle dog’s coasts that help to prevent them from getting tangled and leading to excruciating pulling on the skin.
- Professional groomers make use of professional tools and products for grooming. For instance, they make use of the correct brushes based on the type of coat to remove any dead or damaged hair. This helps to accelerate new hair growth, leading to a healthy and shiny coat.
- Proper and careful brushing also helps to distribute the dog’s natural oils evenly and removes dead skin as well.
- Trimming of nails with professional equipment greatly reduces the risk of nail tears and cracks.
- Proper grooming also helps in the early detection of lumps, bumps, or skin irritations.
AT THE GROOMER’S
There are a few things that you can tell your groomer to make the grooming visit the best possible experience for all:
- Does your dog have any medical conditions, food allergies, ever had a seizure, or need medication?
- Have you ever been informed of bad behavior at a previous groomer?
- Does your dog have sensitive feet? Hates getting wet? Freaks out with the dryer?
Essential equipment
When you’re completing basic grooms, you’ll want to have a few of these items. If you’re unsure about the size and type of equipment needed, ask a professional!
- Hairbrush
- Nail clipper
- Flea shampoo
- Dog toothpaste + toothbrush
- Towel
You can consult your vet and get your dog professionally groomed at least once before you tackle grooming. They’ll be able to identify your dog’s coat type, and shed some light on their sensitivities, allergies, and health conditions. Especially if it’s your first time, you may not be equipped to groom your pet if they have specific skin conditions. If there are significant scabs and/or infections, it’s best to see a vet so you won’t end up seriously injuring your dog!
Tips to Groom Your Pet at Home
Grooming your pet is the most important part of owning a pet. While it’s okay to send your pet to a professional pet groomer once in a while, you may find it financially impossible to do so regularly. Here are some basic tips that will help you groom your pet at home.
- Make your Pet Comfortable
The first step before you start grooming is to get your pet acquainted with the whole grooming process. Pets, in general, do not like to be groomed so you need to calm down your pet before you start any grooming. You can keep grooming session short initially and reward them with a treat once the grooming is over. Try to restrain them as little as possible and if they show signs of stress or discomfort then stop and try the next day. You can also try to groom them at the end of the day after taking them for a long walk.
- Invest in Good Quality Grooming Tools
If you regularly groom your pet at home then you should buy some good quality grooming tools. Grooming kits are available in the market that includes clippers, trimmers, nail clippers, brushes, combsand scissors which will make it easier for you to groom your pet at home.
- Use the Right Brush
Before you bath your dog, you need to brush its coat to free it from mats and tangles and also to remove dead hair. The frequency of brushing your dog depends on its coat type. If your dog has a thick and long fur then you have to brush it regularly and if it has a short coat then it needs to be brushed just once a month. Different types of brushes such as bristle brush for short coat dogs, pin brush for medium to long coat dogs are available, so make sure that you use the right brush for the right coat.
- Use Good Quality Shampoos and Conditioners
Regular shampoo and conditioners for humans may be toxic for your dog, so make sure that you use shampoos and conditioners for dogs while bathing your pet. Good quality shampoos and conditioners for dogs help in retaining the shine on your dog’s coats and also keeps their coats healthy. If your dog has sensitive skin or allergies then consult a vet before using any shampoos and conditioners.
Don’t bathe your dog too often
Most dogs with healthy skin only need to be bathed every couple of months to prevent hygiene issues and unpleasant odours. Bathing your dog more often than this can strip the natural oils from its coat and dry out its skin.
If your dog smells bad but hasn’t rolled in something awful, then you should discuss this with your vet. Underlying issues may indicate dental disease or a skin infection.
When bathing your dog, keep these tips in mind:
- A dog’s skin has a different pH level from humans, so never use baby or human shampoo. Choose a soap-free shampoo specially formulated for dogs, which will be gentle on their skin.
- Pour warm water over your dog until it is thoroughly wet then gently massage the shampoo into the coat. Avoid the dog’s eyes, mouth and the insides of its ears.
- Rinse the shampoo off with warm water, then let your dog shake and air dry outside, if the weather is warm. In cooler weather, dry the dog by gently towel-drying the coat or blow-drying it using the coolest setting.
- Superior Quality Clippers
Your dog’s fur needs to be trimmed depending on their breed or coat type. Some breeds with double coat need to be frequently trimmed as compared to dogs with short coats. Once you finish bathing your dog, make sure you dry it well using a dry towel or a blow dryer before you start trimming your dog’s fur. Make sure that you use superior quality clippersto trim your dog.
- Thorough Checkup of Eyes and Ears
You need to perform a complete checkup of your pets’ eyes to check for any inflammation. Ear infections are very common in dogs so make sure that you check your dog’s ears for any redness, inflammations, smell or discharge. In case you notice any of these, then you need to take your pet to the vet.
Regularly check your dog’s ears
While grooming your dog, remember to take a closer look at its ears. Ear infections can be painful, so if you notice any of the following changes or behaviours, take your dog to your vet for a check-up:
- The inside of the ears is inflamed or moist.
- The ears smell odd (often, the smell of a dog ear infection is sweet).
- Your dog shakes its head or scratches at its ears.
- The ears contain more or a different kind of discharge than usual (a little wax is normal).
- Whines or yelps when you examine the dog’s ears.
- Trim your Pets’ Paws
You need to trim the excess hair that grows around your pets’ paws otherwise, dirt and debris could get stuck inside the paw which will cause them pain and make it difficult for them to walk. Trimming your dog’s paws not only helps to improve their traction while walking but also makes it easier for you to clean their paw pad. Use special grooming scissors for this purpose and make sure that they are sharp because you want to cut it as swiftly as possible. However, try not to cut too close to the paw pad as it may hurt your dog.
- Clip the Nails
Grooming doesn’t end at just bathing and brushing. Your dog’s nails also need to be trimmed every three to four weeks as long nails might cause certain problems like difficulty in walking or running or can even hurt your dog. Start by gently holding your dog’s paw and slowly cutting the nail one at a time. Reward your pet with a treat after trimming each nail to encourage it to remain calm during the whole trimming process. If you are apprehensive to use a nail clipper then you can also use a nail grinder. A nail grinder is a less stressful way to trim your dog’s nails as it gradually grinds the length of the nail.
- Brush their Teeth
Dental hygiene is one of the most important for your pets but is often neglected. Poor dental health can lead to other health problems for your pet so make sure that you brush your dog’s teeth at least once a week to maintain good oral hygiene. Toothpaste and toothbrushes specially designed for dogs are easily available in the market so use those and avoid using human toothpaste or toothbrushes as they could harm your dog.
- Use only Pet Specific Products
Pets have sensitive skin so make sure that you use only products that are specifically designed for pets. Avoid using products meant for humans on your pet as they may not suit your pets. For example, use shampoos for dogs while bathing your dog as human shampoos are harmful to them. Also, you shouldn’t use products meant for cats on your dog or vice versa.
So now that you are equipped with all the tips, you can easily groom your pet at home. Grooming your pet at home is beneficial to both you and your dog. It not only saves you expenses of visiting a professional pet groomer but also establishes a good bond between you and your pet.
Even dogs with short, low-maintenance coats need regular brushing, bathing and nail trimming. Dogs with longer coats may also need clipping and hair trimming.
Source-on request
https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/good-management-practices-of-dog-grooming/
