Dog Grooming – Tips and Tricks
Dog Grooming – Tips and Tricks – Keeping your dog nice and clean is a hard task, but an important one. Some people choose to take their dogs to the groomers, others do it on their own. Here are a few pointers and suggestions if you do want to groom your own dog.
Brushing
You should brush your dog’s fur every couple of days regardless if it’s short or long. Sometimes you’ll be doing it to remove their winter coat or any matting but mainly it’s just general maintenance. I’m assuming that you already have the equipment to brush your dog if not, you’ll need to choose a brush based on the length of your pups fur. The chances are that your dog won’t like being brushed the first couple of times. So just let them sniff the brush a little, see what it’s all about and then start brushing. Whilst brushing you should give your dog some positive reinforcement with treats and praise. At first, you should keep your sessions quite short, gradually increasing the time until your dog gets used to it.
Clipping Nails
Clipping should be kept pretty regular, every 2 weeks is a good amount of time. This can be a tricky one for both you and your dog to get used to. It’s more than likely your dog won’t like getting their nails clipped but it’s one of those things you have to do. You should start in the same way as brushing. Allow your dog to sniff around and see the Clippers, let them hear what it sounds like when it clips too. This way there will be no unwanted surprises for them. Remember, you don’t need to clip all of your dog’s nails in one sitting.
A lot of people are unsure of where to clip a dog’s nails. If your dog has white nails it will be a bit easier as you can see the vein through the nail. So just clip the top of the nail off avoiding the vein. If your dog has darker nails it will be a little trickier. Firstly, clip a small amount off and check afterwards. Keep doing this until you start seeing a pale oval in the tip of the nail. This will show that you’re getting close to the vein and should stop clipping there.
Ears and Teeth
Your dog’s ears should be cleaned every week to reduce the risk of an ear infection. You can use wipes for doing this or a cotton ball with some ear cleaning solution will do the trick. If you use a wipe, wrap it around the tip of your finger and slowly insert it into your dog’s ear. Do not force your finger further than it comfortably fits, you could cause serious damage if you do. Then simply and gently wipe the inside of your dog’s ear. If you notice anything unusual or any weird smells, you should tell your vet.
Dogs can suffer from the same things we do when it comes to their teeth. So it’s important you clean your dog’s teeth regularly, aiming for at least twice a week. With the same as everything else, you should be patient with your dog. Start off slow, let them see what you’re going to be using and let them get used to it. Keep your sessions short at first gradually increasing them. Start off slowly, gently brushing the toothpaste onto their teeth. Don’t be too rough or fast, take your time and you shouldn’t upset your dog too much. You will only need to brush the outside of the dog’s teeth, their tongue will clean the inside.
Last Thoughts
Thank you for reading Dog Grooming – Tips and Tricks. These are a few tips that we can offer if you plan on grooming your own dog. It is important to keep your dog clean to try and prevent illnesses and keep your dog looking healthy and happy. To see our full range of grooming equipment, click here.
At HugglePets we have now opened our own pet grooming service called ‘Huggles Pamper Lounge’ and we have the chosen the best team for the job. Our grooming team will always be willing to provide information and help where it’s needed and there’s never a job too difficult. To get an insight into our grooming team why not check out our ‘Meet Our Grooming Team’ blog here.
If you would like to book a grooming session with us go over to our Facebook page and click ‘Book Now’ or give us a call on 01902 494860 and get your 25% off.
