A Complete Do’s and Don’ts of Grooming Your Dog at Home
If you are thinking about dog adoption or have already adopted one, there are a few things you must prepare for and learn about. Grooming is one of the essential parts of pet care. How would you start to feel if you left yourself ungroomed at all? Yes, animals do not care about how they look but impact their lifestyle and how they feel. People often assume grooming is another name for bathing. While bathing is a major part of dog grooming, there is more to it.
How to groom your dog:
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‘How to groom a dog’ is a frequent question asked by new dog owners from the experts. It is also one of the most searched questions on the internet. Dog grooming includes their physical appearance enhancement, hygiene and cleanliness.
Bathing is an essential part of dog grooming. The grooming dog must be bathed two times a week. We know that dogs or any other animals can not take care of their cleanliness themselves and they play outdoors, which causes dirt on their skin and hair.
Bathing regularly helps remove all the dirt and deeply clean the skin as skin allergies are one of the most common health issues in dogs, often caused by lack of bathing and ignorance. Your dog’s veteran might suggest some medicated shampoo for their bathing but mostly, people use regular mild shampoos. It would be best if you were soft while bathing the dog; otherwise, you will scaring them. If you do not have the experience, you can also get the job done by a dog groomer.
Regular haircuts and nail cutting is another essential part of dog grooming. If you leave their hair untouched for a long time, they will become a mess and start shedding. This will cause an unhealthy environment in your home and a very uncomfortable experience for the dog itself. Regular haircuts help maintain the health of their hair and prevent shedding.
Teeth brushing is another important part that is often neglected in dog grooming. Many people think that dogs do not need to get their teeth cleaned but that is false. If the dog’s teeth are not brushed regularly, its mouth will start smelling bad. Nobody wants their pet to start smelling bad and this is why you must set up a toothbrushing routine.
Flea and tick prevention is a must in dog grooming. If they are left unbathed or uncleaned for a long time, they will attract fleas and other small insects. In addition, you must keep a safe flea repellent to create a healthy environment for your dog.
Eye cleaning is another part of their grooming as dogs often have dirty eyes and might throw dirt in their eyes. You must be aware of it as anything left in their vision will cause an eye infection. Wipes are helpful in regular cleaning i.e. after they’ve had their meal or eye cleaning.
Similarly, if you leave their nails untrimmed for a while, your dog will end up hurting you while playing, petting and cuddling. Nail trimming is not as easy as it seems because it is hard to keep your dog calm in one place for a long time. If you do not have the experience, you must not do it yourself because you might cut their skin and trim the nails, which will be painful for the dog.
Grooming dog essential kit:
- The right hairbrush
- Toothbrush
- Regular shampoo
- Flea prevention shampoo
- Nail clippers
- Wipes
Ways to maintain dog grooming:
Many people often assume that taking your dog to a dog groomer once in a while is enough, but it is the dog owner’s job to ensure that the grooming is maintained. Otherwise, your little companion will not take a minute to get dirty again as they don’t understand or care about that. You must keep them away from dirty areas. This does not mean you stop taking them for walks or parks, but make sure the parks or other outdoor places are clean.
You do not need to wait till their hair becomes a mess to go for a haircut. However, whenever their hair becomes unmanageable, you should get them trimmed to prevent any further tangling issues.
Consistency and maintenance are the keys. If you manage to maintain their cleanliness and grooming, you might maintain it at home for a long time and will only need to take them to the dog groomer once in a while.
Different grooming for different dog breeds:
While the main essentials of dog grooming are similar for all dogs, some things vary in different breeds. For example, some breeds have curly hair/fur, requiring a different shampoo and a different hairbrush. The length of nail trimming will also vary according to the kind of nails of the breed of the dog.
Is dog grooming costly?
Dog grooming can be costly and not. This depends on how much you maintain it and how clean you keep the dog. If you do not maintain their grooming at all, the list of work will increase for the dog groomer and so will the length of the bill. Maintenance will impact how much dog grooming costs you. You must also not waste products as some people waste many shampoos and need to refill them often. Dogs do not require a lot of shampoos, a little goes a long way.
Your pet dog is not just someone to play with or spend your free time with. They are fully living beings who have needs and rights. You must treat them like one and take care of all their essential things. They’re not going to speak about how dirty they are, but they will surely get sick because of it. Before adopting a dog or any other animal, please do your research, speak to fellow dog owners and educate yourself about all their requirements.