Grooming a dog builds a bond between the owner and the dog, it is something that should be an enjoyable experience for both parties.
Regular grooming, every day if possible, has three benefits.
Firstly it helps build that bond between the owner and the dog. Starting with puppy grooming you reinforce a social relationship between owner and dog, mothers always groom their puppy.
Pet grooming can allow the owner to check for early signs of health problems and hopefully prevent them developing.
The obvious benefit is the fact it keeps the coat looking in first class condition.
Grooming every day can remove the need to bathe the dog, except in the most extreme circumstances. You may choose to
visit the dog groomer and allow your dog to be bathed and pampered with the use of specialist tools such as dog grooming scissors, dog clippers, a special dog bath with dog shampoo available. Be careful though you do not want to over do bathing, too many baths can lead to dry skin or even the opposite, greasy skin, where the dog has produced too much sebum (natural oils) to compensate for all that is washed away.
For dogs, like hard coated terriers and poodles, a special technique called stripping is used to remove the dead hair that is retained within the coat. With double coated dogs such as Golden Retrievers, they normally shed their undercoat twice a year and their top coat once. Your regular grooming can help reduce the aftermath that would be left on your carpet. Single coated dogs such as Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Lhasa Apso and Dalmatians need to be groomed with care as they may be very sensitive to wire brushes.
(
Best Friends has experienced groomers and we offer the
Shedicure for dogs who drop hair all over your home.)
All grooming should be done with the dog in a relaxed position, either standing or in a "Down".
When grooming you should check as you work down your dog.
Eyes - you are looking for discharge, redness, tears or anything that looks wrong and maybe even foreign bodies that may be in the eye. Hold your dogs head and tell the dog to "Look" at you.
Ear - discharge, strange smell, scratches or redness are signs you need to be on the look out for. Gently inspect the inside and the outside of the ear. never push anything down into the ear if you are trying to clean.
Nose - again any discharge or scratches should be dealt. A visual check should pick up any problems.
Mouth and teeth - bad breath, plaque, missing or broken teeth or lumps. Brushing teeth regularly is a very good idea. Any serious problems here need the attention of your vet.
Skin and Coat - check for dryness or greasiness, flakes of skin, parasites, lumps, bald patches, matted hair, dirt or rashes. Massage your dog all over will let you find any of these problems. Stiff brush or rake will remove most dead hair followed by the use of a soft brush to give a soft and shiny coat.
Nails - look for tears or missing nails and infections. Exercise should normally keep the nails short but if they do grow too long it is better to let an expert groomer or vet deal with the cutting. Never use scissor a specialist pair of mail clippers are needed.
Feet - check the pads and between the pads and toes for any seeds or such like or any infection. A visual inspection should be sufficient to check this.
Anus - heck for swelling or discharge. Anal glands might become blocked and need emptying or an infection can occur. A messy job you could do but I usually leave it to the vet.
So groom regularly and use the time wisely, it will help you keep your dog in tip top shape.
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Dickinson
