4 Dog Grooming Tips
Posted on: 15 March 2016
As a dog owner, it's important to know just how important keeping up with your dog's fur is. Without regular grooming, your dog can suffer from discomfort due to matting of the fur and even skin irritation. In order to avoid these issues, you will want to provide regular dog grooming. Here are four tips for dog grooming that can help you better understand what you can do to keep up with your dog's fur maintenance:
- Groom at the Right Time: Every dog will need to be groomed at different times depending on the type of fur that they have. For example, long-haired dogs are going to need to be groomed more regularly than other dogs. Long-haired dogs should be brushed by their owners every few days in order to prevent matting of the fur. They should also visit a dog groomer at least every six months to trim off some of the fur to keep it healthy, as well. Short-haired dogs can instead visit a groomer just once a year in order to keep their coat healthy.
- Don't Bathe too Often: Giving your dog a bath is something that you probably want to do often because dogs can start to smell quickly. However, you should only be bathing your dog about once a month or less depending on personal preference. If you bathe your dog more often than that, it can dry out their skin and lead to skin irritation. Also, be sure that you use dog shampoo, which is more gentle on their skin, as well.
- Be Patient With Mats: If your dog has any matted fur, which is a common occurrence behind the ears and on the legs, you want to patiently weave them out. The best thing to do is to use a pet conditioner and rub it around the matted area and then brush the matted hair out with your fingers carefully. Be careful not to pull on the hair too hard because it can cut your dog's skin. If you aren't comfortable doing this yourself, you should take your dog to the dog groomer as soon as possible. Not attending to matted fur right away can result in your dog's skin being pinched by it, which is uncomfortable for them.
- Clean Your Dog's Ears: Your dog's ears should be cleaned out every time you bathe them. Without cleaning your dog's ears, the debris that sits on the outside of the ears can make its way into the canal and potentially cause an early case of deafness. The best way to clean your dogs ears is to use a damp cotton ball to clean around the external part of the ear. Don't try to clean the inside of their ears, which can push debris further into the canal.
When you follow these four tips, you are going to better be able to provide efficient dog grooming for your dog, which is going to help keep them healthier for a longer period of time. For more tips, contact a local groomer or vet at a clinic like Rush Animal Care Clinic PC.
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