Effective Dog Grooming Tips

Dog grooming refers to the complete hygienic care and cleanliness of dogs. It is sometimes done with the use of dog grooming supplies. It can also point to the process of enhancing a dog's physical appearance for competition or show purposes. Dog grooming actually involves the overall cleanliness and beauty of your pet canine. It basically includes combing and brushing of its hair, trimming of its nails, brushing of its teeth and bathing its entire body.

One of the most important benefits of dog grooming is its ability to stimulate blood supply in your pet's skin. This is obviously the reason why groomed dogs have healthier, shinier coats than other dogs. Here are some of the things you can do to care for your pet's grooming needs:

1. Brush the coat.

Brush your dog's hair everyday to remove dirt and dust that are trapped in your pet's coat. Brushing enhances the distribution of natural oil all over the entire coat of your canine friend. It also helps to sort out tangled hair, protects skin from irritations, and keeps dirt and ticks away.

Grooming is not meant for adult dogs alone. The best way to introduce your pet to grooming sessions is when it is still a puppy. This gets your pet used to the grooming sessions as it grows older. Your pet will surely love each grooming session because it can have all of your attention and praises.

2. Trims the nails.

Nail trimming isn't just an ordinary part of the grooming routine. It is an important element of your pet's overall health and well-being. Allowing the nails to overgrow will give them a chance to break. Overgrown nails that are broken can cause your dog pain and soreness. It causes difficulty in walking and sometimes arthritis.

Trim your dog's nails with a sharp dog nail clipper. Be sure to do it gently as you might cut a blood vessel by accident. You might also need a small bottle of blood-clotting powder to prevent bleeding just in case the unexpected happens.

3. Clean the ears.

When you are grooming your dog, you should include the cleaning of its ears as part of the normal routine. Your pet's ears need cleaning and proper care because they can easily get infected especially when ticks and soil are allowed to stay there for a long time.

When cleaning the ears, you should watch out for signs of infection to prevent it from getting worse. Other signs of dog ear infection include frequent scratching of the ears, frequent shaking of the head, and the presence of unusual odor near or in your dog's ear.

You can clean your pet's ear twice a month. The color of a dog's inner ear is a good indication of its health. You will know that your pet is very healthy if you will notice that its inner ears are pinkish in color. If the color of your dog's inner ear turns black, brown or red, you need to take your pet to a vet for checkup and medication.

Remove dirt and soil from your dog's ear with the use of cotton balls soaked in mineral oil. Refrain from going too deep into your pet's ear to prevent it from getting hurt.

4. Brush the teeth.

Like humans, dogs have the tendency to produce cavities if their teeth are not properly taken cared of. Brush your pet's teeth with the use of a baby toothbrush and pet toothpaste at least two times a week. You can ask your vet to show you how to brush your pet's teeth if you don't know how to do it.

5. Bathe the entire body.

Bathing is the main part of the dog grooming subject. Before you do this, you need to brush your pet's hair lightly first. This will help to sort out tangles which are difficult to remove when wet. Tangles will become mats which are favorite spots of yeasts and bacteria.

Once you are done with brushing, you can now proceed to bathing your dog with water and mild pet shampoo.

Having a pet dog requires you to be sensitive and responsive to its basic needs. Your pet can be content with your attention and feeding, but they will become healthier, cleaner and better looking if you groom them regularly. Dogs love to be groomed. It's the time that they can have their master's undivided attention and love. It can actually help to keep them calm and assured of a great companionship.