Dog Grooming

Depending on the breed, dogs have different kinds of coats; some of them have long hair while others have short bushy hair and still others have no fur at all. As a part of dog grooming, fur brushing is very important. If ignored, his fur will knot and you will notice your pet get restless. Moreover, your pet is quite likely to create a mess over your carpet, sofa and everywhere in your home- the best way to curtail this is by regular brushing. Improper dog grooming can lead to skin rashes or itching which can further lead to open skin wounds and infections. Lack of dog grooming can invite parasitic mites and ticks. Dog Grooming is therefore very important for you and your dog to live a healthy life together.

Here at Talk-a-Dog, we discuss various methods of Dog Grooming, use of dog grooming supplies and special tips are given to help you with Dog Grooming. You can groom your dog yourself at home or take him to dog groomers for a special grooming experience.

Dog Grooming was an important part of a dogs life when they lived in packs and they established the master- servant relationship during the course of grooming. It is therefore an important part of building your relationship with your dog. It is therefore advisable for you to groom your dog yourself although a thorough one can be obtained from professional dog groomers every once in a while.

It is best to begin when your dog is still a pup. This will ensure that he is used to it and you will not find too much resistance after a few grooming sessions.

Initially, dogs will not take grooming too kindly so half your battle is won if you have got your pet to allow you to groom her. The sooner you begin grooming your pet the better it is; you should ensure you maintain it as a regular routine. All you need is a good grooming supply kit and some amount of patience to get started. Today, there are various dog grooming supplies available in the market to help you groom your dog, so ensure that you get a good dog groming kit.

General Dog Grooming Tips

• Daily inspection of your dog is essential to ensure she has no fleas, ticks, dirt and cuts or sores.
• To remove ticks, use tweezers and firmly grip the tick before pulling it out firmly moving it back and forth until it is out. You can put these ticks in alcohol.
• To remove fleas, comb your dog’s fur and the fleas caught during this activity can be put in soapy water. Flea medicines are also available.
• A good grooming session is necessary at least once in three days.
• A bath is required at least once a month .

Combing/ Brushing

Your dog’s fur coat needs to be brushed and combed to remove dead hair, to ensure that hair is not tangled and to ensure it is free from foreign objects. Dogs with long fur need a good brushing at least several times a week while a short- coated dogs would need it thrice a week. Choose a brush that suits your dog’s fur type. A coarse washcloth will do for a short coated dog but a comb with fine teeth will be required for a dog with soft hair. You need to check that the fur easily flows through the teeth of the brush or comb which suggests that the hair is well combed. A softer brush will be required when brushing a pup’s fur; a coarse washcloth will also do.

Dogs also shed hair seasonally to cope with the changing environment but health and nutrition also influences shedding to a large extent. You may want to increase the frequency of your grooming sessions during the 'shedding season' to reduce the amount of dog hair on your sofas, carpet, etc.

While grooming a dog you need to constantly talk to your dog and keep praising her especially if the session is a painful one due to tangles, etc. in the coat. If there are tangles you need to start combing outside of the tangle and then slowly move towards the skin covering small areas at a time. Always comb in a direction that goes from the base of the hair outwards. If you find getting rid of tangles too difficult, please visit a professional as pulling at tangles can pull skin and cause pain or irritation which can later lead of infection or infestation. If mats are too tough to untangle, it is best to shave off hair in the area but ensure that this is done with utmost care.

It is best to brush away all tangles in your dog’s hair prior to bathing your dog.

Bathing

You may bathe your dog at least once a month but certain breeds need more frequent or less frequent baths. Too frequent baths rob the skin of its required natural oils and this may be the reason why your dog constantly scratches herself, this may lead to sores and infections. Special shampoos and conditioners are available to help maintain a healthy skin but choose them with care and consult your vet if required.

Steps & Tips to be followed to help ensure a good bath

• Remove all tangles and mats before you begin bathing your dog
• Use warm water to bathe your dog
• After soaking your dog in water, lather it well ensuring that you reach all parts of her body except her eyes and ears as you will need a washcloth to clean these. If soap enters any of these delicate parts, rinse well with water and then dry.
• If your dog’s face is stained special cleaning products are available but ensure that this is not used on the rest of the fur coat
• Rinse your dog well to reduce irritation caused by the chemicals in shampoos
• At all times, no water should be allowed to enter the dog’s nose
• Dry your dog with a towel or a sponge cloth or even a blow drier (for long coated dogs).

Special Cleaning Requirements

Teeth:
Checking your dog’s teeth is an important part of dog grooming. Bad breath could be a sign of periodontal disease which needs to be treated immediately as the bacterial infection can enter the blood stream and affect her vital organs.

Dry and hard dog food, no doubt helps keep the dog’s teeth clean and so does hard toys. Special food is also available to help oral care. But this needs to be supplemented with regular brushing of his teeth. Fortunately, there is a wide range of products available for cleaning your dog’s teeth. You don’t need much; toothpaste made especially for dogs and something to brush his teeth with. Ensure that human toothpaste is not used as it is not edible and will therefore cause problems since your dog is bound to swallow it while you are in the process of brushing her teeth.

Put some paste on a toothbrush (preferably with soft bristles) or on gauze wrapped around a plastic stick or your finger. Lifting your dog’s lips, gently begin brushing its teeth with circular motions. Target a few teeth at a time, starting from the top set and then going to the lower set. Six to seven circular motions should be sufficient. The back teeth may be difficult to reach but this area is most prone to teeth problems so ensure you reach them. The meeting point of the gums and teeth should also be brushed. You may have to keep changing your position to help you access your dog’s teeth and to help keep your dog still. If required you can get someone to help you.

Brushing your dog’s teeth twice or thrice a week is enough but an annual check by the vet is a must. The vet will advise you on any additional requirements. He may need to clean his teeth if there is a considerable amount of tartar and he will usually do this under anesthesia as it could be a painful for your dog.

Ears:
A dog’s ears can be attacked by fleas, mites, mosquitos or even fungus and bacteria. Dogs with drooping ears are more prone to fungal and bacterial infection due to the reduced movement of air within the ears. As part of your dog grooming exercise you need to include the following:

• Excess hair in the ear should be plucked with your fingers or using forceps. Do not pull out huge chunks of hair in one go but pull out a few hairs at a time.
• Clean your dog’s ears with any special cleaning solution available, preferably the one suggested by your vet. You need to pour a few drops in the ear, massage the dog’s ears and then allow it to shake its head. If her ears contain some foreign particles or secretions, you need to use the cleaner until the ear is clean. Severe cases need a vet’s attention.
• Use a drying agent after every bath which can be applied with cotton wool as it is important to keep her ears dry at all times.

If ear care is ignored your dog will be susceptible to infestation by mites, fleas, etc. or even fungal or bacterial infection. She will not only constantly scratch herself but will shake her head vigorously which can lead to hemorrhage of blood vessels. If this happens it is usually painful for your dog and can result in scrunching up of the ear. Hematoma, as it is medically called, can be a cosmetic issue which doesn’t help if your dog is a show dog. Moreover,it is a cause for concern as this could lead to a change in the shape of the ear canal resulting in difficulties in future ear care and treatment.

If her ears are infected, medical treatment may be needed to stop the itching; it may take a month or so to clear depending on the severity. The cause will also have to be eliminated (eg. mites, fleas, etc). If it doesn’t disappear, it may need to be drained daily by attaching a drain and removing blood by massaging the ear until it is clear. If it is a very bad case, surgery may be required which involves the vet making an incision, removal of the affected blood and blood clots, suture of the ear and then leaving it to heal. He may prescribe medication to help the healing process or to reduce the pain.

Eyes:
Cleaning your dog’s eyes will not only be a part of your dog grooming schedule but is required every other day if it is not possible to do so on a daily basis. Foreign particles can easily enter the eye and this usually comes to the edge of the eyes due to tearing of eyes. Gently move a soft wet washcloth over your dog’s closed eyes taking special care to clean the edges of the eye lids. If there is excess hair around the eyes, you may want to cut it (for show dogs this may not be allowed) or have it tied in pony tails for extremely long hair around the eyes.

If your dog’s eyes tear, you need to be extra careful to clean her eyes. Use a fine toothed comb to remove dirt from below the eyes. If not removed, the bacteria, which is believed to be causing the staining, will result in the skin going raw which will lead to further complications. Eyes are normally clear, bright and free from dirt, discharge and inflammation. If you find that your dog’s eyes are not normal, you need to contact your vet. These are a few common eye conditions found in dogs:

• Conjunctivitis: Here we see the inner membrane of the eyelid and the white of the eye inflamed or reddened. This is either caused due to allergy, soreness of the eye or insufficient tear formation. Frequent or continual conjunctivitis which is usually due to insufficient tear formation is commonly called Dry Eye and this may even lead to blindness if not treated.
• Cataract: The cause of cataract is usually hereditary but diabetes, infections and distress (foreign objects piercing) in the eye could well be the cause. It is basically caused by a breakdown in the arrangement of the lens fibers or its capsule. This can be treated by surgical removal of the lens. If ignored, it will lead to blindness.
• Glaucoma: The eye ball contains a fluid that is constantly generated and drained by the eye. If drainage does not take place as it should, the quantity of fluid within the eye could increase resulting in an increase of pressure. This puts pressure on delicate tissues within the eye, squashing and dislocating them thus leaving them useless. If you notice your dog scratching her eyes with her paws or rubbing her eyes against objects, you need to check if this could be the cause. This disease could be hereditary or caused by inflammation and trauma in the eye. Depending on the type of glaucoma and the severity of the disease, the treatment could involve the application of ointment or even surgery.

It is important to check your dog’s eyes regularly and if you notice anything wrong, it is equally important to take her to the vet

Feet:
The cleaning of feet is pretty simple and involves removal of ticks, mites, etc, cutting of excess hair in and around the foot and cutting of nails. You may find objects stuck between the toes or even on the pads of the feet. The removal of ticks should be done gently (move the tick back and forth until its grip is loosened. Drop the tick in a vial of petrol). If hair is allowed to grow on your dog’s feet it can result in the dog tripping which can lead to other problems. If you can hear your dog’s nail clicking against the floor while it walks about, it suggests that you have waited too long to cut its nails. Be careful while cutting nails as each nail contains a quick that has a supply of nerve fibers and blood vessels. If you nip this by mistake, it will hurt your dog and may lead to bleeding (this can be stopped by corn starch or by a available quick stop products. Ensure that you train your dog to sit still during cutting of nails. Nails could be cut once in 2 to 3 weeks and if started when the dog is a pup, it makes your dog more open to this part of the grooming session.