Dog Breed Photos

HOW AND WHY YOU SHOULD GROOM YOUR DOG

Grooming your dog regularly benefits your dog in so many ways. If your dog has hair that matts (such as a poodle, bichon, shih-tzu or any long-haired breed), and you don't brush it regularly to keep your dog matt free, that causes pain in your dog. Matts start forming near the skin and as time goes by and the matts get worse, they get tighter and tighter on the skin. It's like taking a handful of your own hair and twisting it and twisting it and twisting it. Everytime you bath your dog it makes the matts worse, as the hair dries, the matts get tighter. You should always brush your dog before you bath them.

If your dog has shorter hair and sheds all the time, you should be brushing them regularly to keep the dead hair out to help their skin breathe. If you don't brush the hair out, the skin can't breathe and your dog can end up with skin conditions.

Almost all dogs need their ears checked and cleaned regularly if needed, especially dogs who have droopy ears. If you don't keep your dogs ears cleaned they can become infected and lead to serious problems including deafness. You can take a cotton ball or q-tip (but be careful you don't go too far into the ear) and use an ear cleaner meant for dogs and simply wipe out the ears as best you can. Dogs who have hair that grow in their ear canals need the hair pulled out frequently. There are ear powders you can buy that help you grip the hair to pull it out. Most dogs don't even feel it when you do this, and they will let you know if it hurts them.

There are many different brushes and combs available to use on your dog. The only 3 tools I use are a slicker brush, a rake and a metal comb. For a dog that has curly hair like a poodle or bichon, you should slicker brush them all over first, and then use the comb on them. You have to make sure you are combing all the way down to the skin or you will be missing matts. On short haired dogs who shed, you can just use the comb, as they never matt, but it will pull out the dead hair. Dogs that have long hair such as a saint bernard, husky or afghan hound, you should use a rake on them first, and then use the comb after.

Dogs who have leaky eyes should get their eyes cleaned regularly. If your dog suffers from this, just wiping their eyes once a day with a warm washcloth will keep them from getting crusty and infected. You should also keep the hair away from the corners of the eyes, by cutting it or shaving it out every couple of weeks.

Most dogs have hair between the pads of their feet, and this hair should be kept short, especially if your dog is outdoors a lot. If this hair is not kept short, it can get matts in them and can cause the dogs toes to spread apart farther than they are supposed to. You should also keep your dogs nails trimmed, but be careful not to cut too short as you may cut the quik, which is a vein that runs through the nail.

Most dogs should not be bathed too often. Bathing your dog too much can dry out their skin and cause skin problems. Most dogs should only be bathed a couple of times a year

You should always take your dog to a groomer to get all of these things done if you don't feel comfortable doing them or if you don't know how to do them properly. Dogs who go to a groomer regularly should be going every 4 to 6 weeks.