Basics Of Dog Grooming
Dog grooming serves more than one important purpose. It gives dogs a good appearance, prevents many parasites from infesting them and provides a chance to examine their body parts like eyes, ears, skin and teeth. The frequency of grooming varies for various dogs according to their rate of growing hair and getting dirty, but it also depends on the groomers' own choice. Ideally a dog should be groomed at least once a week.
What You Do In Dog Grooming
Dog grooming is about taking care of nearly the whole of a dog's outer body, making it clean and giving it a better look. Thus dog grooming includes giving the dog a bath, clipping his hair and nails and cleaning his eyes, ears and teeth. These can be done easily at home using a comb, brush, nail-clipper, scissors and dog clippers. Alternatively, the dog may be groomed by hiring professional grooming services.
Hair Trimming
Dog hair is best trimmed by means of dog clippers that are available at pet specialty stores. Dog breeds with longer hair need a more thorough trimming. Many dogs need to be leashed in order to make sure they let you do the grooming. Before and after trimming, the hair needs to be brushed. Brushing removes dead hair and stimulates the skin. Gently combing the matted hair is important in dog grooming, as matted hair resistant to brushing should be cut off with scissors.
Bathing
Bathing a dog usually precedes hair grooming so as to make hair trimming easy. It is important to dry the dog's hair well after bathing and before starting the hair trimming. Bathtubs are better to use in winter and autumn for giving the dog a warm water bath while in summer hose water can be used for bathing.
Nail Clipping
To make the dog accustomed to nail clipping, one should start clipping the dog's nails regularly during the puppy stage. Clipping the nails needs a good deal of care, especially in avoiding the quick from being cut. If the quick gets cut and bleeds, press the wound for a while to stop the bleeding. It is advisable to clip the nails quietly so as not to arouse the dog.
Cleaning Eyes, Ears and Teeth
Cleaning the dog's eyes, ears and teeth is an important part of dog grooming. Ears need to be checked for any parasites, dirt or scratches etc. After restraining the dog, a few drops of mineral oil should be put in its ear. Then the inside of the ear should be gently stroked with a cotton swab. Remember not to use the swab inside the ear canal. Dogs usually don't need any special eye care. The groomer can remove any dirt or foreign matter from the eyes, or from around its corners, with a soft clean cloth. Ointment may be applied if the eyes appear reddish and/or irritated. Teeth of the dog can be cleaned with dog biscuits or by brushing, though many dogs rarely allow the latter.
