One big result of economic uncertainty is that you might have to cancel your dog groomer appointments, as they cost a lot of money.
So does it mean that you should stop the grooming completely?
Fact is, you don’t have to and you can do dog grooming yourself. The entire process of taking care of your pet will help you bond big time.
Let us share some tips with you to help you with DIY dog grooming…
DIY Dog Grooming
- Regular do-it-yourself dog grooming will help keep your pet’s coat healthy and free from parasites. It also eliminates the “dog smell,” which could be the result of an unkempt coat of hair.
- If your dog has long, curly hair, then it has to be groomed regularly; otherwise the hair will get entangled.
- A well-groomed dog keeps lice, ticks, fleas and other parasites at bay. They will breed and grow in the unkempt hair, but if you groom regularly these parasites will not trouble your dog.
- If your dog is a long-haired breed like a golden retriever or Irish setter, you might have to trim the hair every month; but if your dog happens to have curly or short hair, you can do the trimming once every three months.
- You will need a tub, shampoo, pet hair clippers that are well-oiled, hair brush and comb, scissors, blow dryer and towel to do a complete grooming for your dog.
- The proper clipper length for dogs is 9 or 10 to start trimming from underneath.
- Start with the armpits and back, and then move up to the tail.
- In order to trim the legs and paws, use the 7 or 8 clipper length.
- Do not use dog shampoos that are not approved and which contain harmful chemicals. Choose a high-quality pet shampoo, such as Earthbath Totally Natural or Pew-Purrfect Pet Shampoo from Worldwide Organics. These products are designed for healthy coats and skin, and they won’t strip the dog’s body of natural oils.
- Before you give your dog bath, check whether all the lice, fleas or other parasites have been eliminated from the fur.
- You can use a blow dryer to help your dog get dry completely after the wash.
DIY dog grooming. Photo: Chris JD/Flickr.com
Most dogs enjoy the entire process, and DIY dog grooming will help establish a bond of friendship between the two of you. You will also end up saving a significant amount of money over professional dog groomers.
RELATED: “5 Easy Tips for Trimming Nails.”
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1 Comment - Where Is Yours?
The advantages of taking a dog to a groomer are that it will become used to being handled by other people. Unfortunately, my dogs go for dirty walks every day in the winter and I need to clean them before they come into the house. There is no way that I could wait until they were taken to the groomers. Muddy dogs smell, and I don’t want dirty dogs and a dirty house.
I never use shampoo; however, I have cobbled up a shower in my outbuilding and I use this to get rid of the mud after a dirty walk. I then towel them dry before we go into the house.
I think that if any dog is bathed on a regular basis with shampoo, this will remove the natural oils from their coats and make them itchy. Nevertheless, I must confess that my dogs had a bath during the last heat wave in the UK, about three years ago; I did this just to cool them down.
My dogs smell as sweet as new mowed hay, and there is no evidence of a dog smell in my house. All you need is clean warm water and a brush after they are dry.
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