Grooming Tips

For those of you who have dogs which need constant attention to their fur – Here are a few items you will need.

*A pair of sharp scissors.

*An electric shaver if you plan on cutting your dogs hair short

*A dog brush

*Dog nail clippers

I myself have two Pekingese dogs, who both require DAILY brushing to keep their fur soft and smooth.

If you don’t brush breeds like this often, you will see their hair is prone to getting “dread locks”. These then have to be cut out of the fur.

Okay, so first things first, if this is your first time cutting your dogs hair, your dog might be a little to busy – so it is best to do this when your dog is tired, so take them for a nice walk first.

Secondly, this can be stressful for your dog especially if you are using an electric shaver – so be sure to make the sessions only about 15 minutes long, not longer.

Remember to pet your dog as well – all over her body to make them feel more trusting and loved.

You can also give your dogs treats too, this could make them feel that its a pleasurable experience.

Believe it or not, but even short coated dog fur needs to be brushed – naturally dogs pick up lots of dirt on their fur on a daily basis. So its essential to brush these dogs at least once a week to keep their coat shiny and healthy. The amazing thing about this is that, you can take a softer bristle brush to remove all the dirt, then a harder brush to remove all the loose hair – then lastly take a cloth and run it down the dogs coat. This will help your dog shed A LOT less on your furniture – win win.

Basically what this means is that different breeds require different types of brushes as well. So when you are buying a brush make sure you are buying the right one. Saying this, if you want to keep your dogs hair long, you may still need to trim areas such as around the feet to maintain a perfect hairstyle.

BATHING

Then you also have to bathe your dog too. It is recommended to buy DOG shampoo – you get lots of different kinds which can also be for sensitive skin.

You can look at getting a rubber mat for your dog to stand on in the bath so that they don’t slip too.

While you are bathing your dog you can also check to see if their ears are clean. To clean your dogs ears take an approved ear cleaner from your vet on a cotton ball (NOT AN EAR BUD).

NAILS

When it comes to cutting your dogs nails – you can buy yourself nail trimmers and do it at home. Or you can go to your local vet and pay for it to be done if you are to nervous to do it yourself. There is a technique in which you have to use – this is to ensure that you don’t cut your dogs nail to deep and hurt them. A lot of dogs you can see when the nail bed starts (this is known as the “quick”) but other dogs have black or dark brown nails and you actually have no idea where to cut. This will come with practice – just be careful at first. Always be prepared and have a cream on hand which you can use to stop the bleeding in case you do cut your dog a little bit by mistake. Also most dogs tend to get aggressive when it comes to people playing with their paws – so if your dog does shown signs of aggression be sure to back off and maybe rather seek professional help.