Most of the time, we humans get a haircut done to look a certain way. It is not the same for our dogs as grooming is important for their survival. It plays a vital role in maintaining their health. If you are luckily a dog parent and ignore this aspect of your pet’s routine, you and your pet will be facing difficulties in the future. In this article, we provide some tips for Groom Your Pet.
When it comes to grooming pets and it is the first time you are going to do it on your own, it can be a little overwhelming. It would be a little trouble as your dog might not be expecting you to do something of the kind. But this is the most important time when patience plays a role.
Why Groom Your Pet by Yourself?
Approaching a professional groomer regularly can be a little expensive and time-consuming. It’s better to groom your dog at home itself. In the long term, this is the most sustainable way.
It saves your hard-earned money and the most precious thing, your time. Also, in times of lockdown and difficulties, you can care for your dog very well on your own.
There can be a lot of aspects when it comes to grooming your pet. Our little dogs are not capable of grooming themselves so, all of the responsibility is on the pet parent only.
When it comes to grooming, it is not just cutting their hair and making them bathe, it is a lot more. But don’t worry, it is not too much.
Here in this article, we are going to tell you all about pet grooming and the dos and don’ts of it. Just go through with it till the end and you will be very well aware of what all you need to do and how.
How to Groom Your Pet All on Your Own?
To make it easy, we are dividing pet grooming into sections. Each section consists of a part on grooming and how to do it. So, grab your furball and don’t let them go. Somebody is getting shiny clean today.
- Brushing Their Teeth
Yes, you read it right. It is surprising that many pet parents are not aware that they are supposed to brush the teeth of their dogs.
It is as essential as in humans. Our dogs eat food, they drink water later but the food particles remain in their mouth. Over a period of time, those food particles convert to tartar.
If that tartar is not removed regularly, it mixes up with the minerals in their mouth resulting in oral infection.
Your dogs might develop plaque which is a very painful disease. They won’t be able to eat properly and will go through immense discomfort and pain.
To avoid all of these troubles, you need to brush your dog’s teeth at least 2-3 times a week. Make sure that you are using dog-specific toothpaste and never our ordinary human toothpaste.
Also See:- All You Can Learn About A Dog’s Health By Their Tongue Color Chart
Human toothpaste contains a few products that can be fatal for our dogs. Avoid that at any cost.
Brushing your dog’s teeth for the first time can be a little overwhelming. Since the dogs are not habitual of letting people touch their gums and teeth, they will resist you.
At such times, the treats come to the rescue. Use some tricks to make your dog comfortable with the whole process.
How to Brush Their Teeth?
- Start with running your fingers around their gum. Softly press their gums. This is to ensure that they get comfortable with whatever is coming next. Take some toothpaste on your finger and rub your finger around their gums for some minutes. This is important if you are brushing your teeth for the first time. You need to repeat this for 2-3 days.
- Slowly after 2-3 days, use the toothbrush along with the toothpaste. Brush their teeth in a circular motion with a toothbrush which is specifically made for dogs. Dog brushes are soft-bristled and have 3-side brushes to avoid arm-twisting. Try to reach every tooth but you don’t need to do it all in a single day. During the initial days, the task is to make the dog comfortable with the process more than just brushing their teeth.
- Buy dental wipes for the days when you don’t have much time. They can be easily found online or in pet shops. Just wipe their teeth and gums softly with a wipe. It is an easy and fast way on the days you are in haste but there is nothing better than regular brushing the teeth with a toothbrush topped with toothpaste.
- Dental gums are also an easy option but don’t depend on them frequently. Dogs chew the gums and the gums, in turn, absorb all the food residue from their mouth in turn preventing the development of tartar. Again, the routine should be brushing as that is the best course.
- Slowly, your dog will get accustomed to this routine but you will need to treat them with their favorite things to make the process smoother and more attractive.
Even when you are brushing their teeth regularly, get an annual check-up done to make sure there is no oral infection.
2. Brushing Their Fur
- Brushing the complete body at regular intervals keeps the fur and coat of your pet in good condition. It removes the dirt from their body.
- It helps in blood circulation and spreads their natural oil. Blood circulation can also help in recovering from mild skin irritation and wounds. Brushing the fur helps in detangling their hair and removes dead hair.
- When you brush the coat of your dog, all the excessive hair on their body which are ready to shed will come out during the brushing itself. It will help you as you would observe a little less shedding while they will be roaming around the house.
- Brushing is so important for good fur health. If you brush the coat of your dog at regular intervals, you would notice some positive changes in the quality of their fur.
- Though it varies from breed to breed still the fur would be softer. Regular brushing helps in removing the knots from the hair. If you do not remove those knots gently and softly, your dog will experience pain later and the only option you would have will be to cut the hair from the knotted parts.
- Brushing is also a good opportunity for you to observe anything unusual on your dog’s skin. Check for fleas and ticks on their body. Check if there are any parasites that might be disease spreaders.
3. Bathing Your Pet
The bathing frequency of your dog depends upon a lot of factors. It differs from dog to dog depending upon the type of their coat and their underlying health conditions. The best way is to approach your vet to ask for the best possible bathing routine according to the breed of your dog. Still, it is advisable to make your dog bathe at least once a month.
Also See:- Bathing Dog With The Right Shampoo- The Perfect Secret To Shiny, Silky, And Smooth Hair
It also depends upon the physical activity level of your dog. If your dog plays a lot outside, it might attract a lot of dirt and gunk on its body. For such dogs even twice a month would be okay. Basically, make your dog bathe whenever you feel it is not huggable.
How to Bathe Your Dog?
- Fill a sink or tub with lukewarm water. Fill it in accordance with the height of your dog. Check the temperature and make sure the water is not too hot or too cold.
- Put your dog into the tub or sink and wet them completely with plain lukewarm water using a mug. Make sure you do not put water directly into their eyes, nose, or ears.
- Use the dog-specific shampoo or soap and lather their coat with it. Rub gently using your hands.
- Rinse their body with water and use a soft cloth to clean their eyes, nose, and ears.
- If your dog belongs to a breed having long hair, use hair conditioner on them and then rinse it completely.
- Once done, pat their body with a big soaking towel. Don’t rub the towels in circular motions as it might create knots in their hair. Dry them completely and voila, it’s done!
4. Trimming Their Nails
When to trim the nails of your dog is an important question. When you hear a tapping or screeching sound of their nails on the floor when they are walking around the house is the perfect time to trim their nails.
Though it might look like a task at first, worry not. It is very essential as it impacts a dog’s overall health.
How to Trim the Nails of Your Dog?
- Buy a nail trimmer that is specifically made for trimming the nails of dogs or cats. They come in different shapes and sizes, choose the one which comforts you.
- Make them sit on your lap comfortably, if your dog is huge in size, bring them close to your body and firmly hold their paw. You can give them some treats in return to make them stand stable. If the dog is not stable during the task, you might encounter any accident of cutting their skin or nail too deep.
- It is very important for the dog to be stable. You can make the task easy by taking help from another human who can hold the dog while you are trimming their nails.
- Cut the nail using the nail trimmer at a slight angle. Be careful not to cut too deep as it might give them immense pain and bleeding. Observe carefully. The only part that needs cutting is the one that is ahead of the finger skin. Be extremely careful and leave the nail a little longer rather than shorter.
- If you cut the nail a little too deep, the skin or cuticles accidentally, put a clean cloth or a paper towel on the wound. Put some cornstarch on the wounding nail. Cornstarch is helpful in making the bleeding stop. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, approach a vet.
Also See:- Clipping Your Puppy’s Nails Without Stressing Them Out
Though it is not that difficult to trim the nails of your dog, still, if you experience any difficulties, approach a professional for the first few sessions. Later on, when you feel comfortable, you can do it on your own.
Conclusion
The grooming aspects of a dog which are mentioned above are the most important ones. If you take care of their grooming routine, your dog will not experience much of health problems in the future. However, always make sure to have regular health checkups of your dog to avoid any future health complexities.
They might sometimes feel a little time-consuming, but time is not that important when it comes to your dog’s health. Adopting a dog and choosing to become a dog parent is no joke. You take that decision after giving much thought to it. Give some time to your little pet to keep them healthy and happy. That’s your responsibility as a responsible dog parent.
