Grooming a dog has many benefits. Apart from leading to greater bonding between the pet parent and the dog, grooming also helps in timely assessment of any abnormality or growth, which can lead to serious issues if left unchecked. While many professional grooming centers are operational today, care must be taken to ensure that your pet is sent to a trusted place. Let us give you a brief overview on how to groom your dog easily at home itself.
While professional grooming services do have an edge over home grooming, all the pros and cons ought to be considered before you decide what is best for you. If money is not an issue and time is a constraint, professional services might be better for you. If, however, you want something that is lighter on the pocket as well as a bonding exercise between your pet and you, home grooming is best.
Home grooming, though might sound daunting, is nothing to be afraid of. Today, there are many types of shampoos, brushes, combs and other grooming essentials that can be safely purchased online and delivered right at your doorstep.
How to Go About It
When it comes to grooming a dog, slow and steady is the approach to adopt. The initial step ought to be to make the dog comfortable enough to willingly cooperate for the grooming session. With this end in view, giving treats early on might be required. However, as the dog is more at ease, treats can be reduced and the duration of the session increased. Patience is of the essence. If ever an occasion arises where the pet’s owner gets exasperated, it is best to take a brief break and resume the session later on.
There are many things that make up a grooming session:
- Bathing. Unless required for any skin issues or if the dog gets dirty a lot, bathing once every three months is enough. Too frequent bathing can strip the dog’s coat of its natural oils and put the dog’s skin at risk for contracting skin diseases.
- Brushing. The manner and frequency of brushing depends upon the dog breed. While a short, smooth coat of a Chihuahua might require just a weekly brushing; long, silky coats of Pooches have to be brushed daily and detangled. The different types of brushes that can be used, depending upon the specific breed, are rubber brushes, slicker brushes and bristle brushes.
- Shedding. A natural phenomenon, shedding often occurs in spring time. While shedding cannot be prevented, the amount of hair shed indoors can be contained with the help of regular brushing.
- Teeth. Proper dental hygiene is important for dogs. To prepare the dog to get his teeth cleaned, massaging the lips up to 1 minute for a couple of days is quite useful. The toothbrush and the toothpaste used should be dog-specific. If you do not wish to use toothpaste, or if your dog does not like the taste of toothpaste, baking soda or even plain water can be used instead.
- Paws and Nails. Clipping of nails is important. Similarly, trimming the hair around paws should be regularly done.
- Eyes. Your dog’s eyes should be checked regularly for any tearing, bulging or eyelids sticking together.
- Ears. The ears of the dog should be checked regularly, as the ears are common nesting places for fleas and mites.
Regular grooming of a dog is very essential. In addition to ensuring emotional well being of your pet, grooming also helps to check and prevent diseases at the initial phase.
