Pet Care Club

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Dog Grooming – What you need to do to keep your pup happy and healthy

When grooming your dog, you need to cover all of the bases. Whether you’re grooming your dog with specifically made dog products, or with baby shampoo, you need to be sure that the products you are using are not harmful to your dog. You also need to be sure that the dog is properly groomed. This means that you have groomed him not only to keep him clean, but to keep him comfortable and free of infections. When grooming, start from the top and work your way down.

Grooming His Ears

Dog’s ears and extremely sensitive, which means that there is not much you can do for them. Before you do anything to your dog’s ears, look them over thoroughly for infection and mites. If you think your dog is developing an ear infection, take him to your vet immediately. When grooming your dog’s ears you need to check for ear mites. They are more commonly found in long eared dogs, however can occur in shorter eared dogs. If you have found what you think is either ear mites or infection, do NOT proceed with cleaning your dogs ears. Simply take him to the vet to see if he needs treatment. If your dog’s ears look free of infection and mites, you can proceed with the cleaning. Set yourself up with cotton balls and a store-bought ear cleaner. Wash your hands, and get your pup comfortable. Let your dog lie down in your lap or on the table, and flip his ear up. Moisten a cotton ball with ear cleaner and wipe the earflap. Once this is completed, moisten another cotton ball and wipe out the ear canal. This part of your dog’s ear is very sensitive, so if you feel him pulling away, don’t try to go down any further. Once you’ve completed that with the first ear, roll him over and do the same to the other ear. As a reward you can massage your dog’s ears to get him more relaxed (and used to his ears being touched).

Some dogs also need their ears “plucked”. This is when hair grows out of the ear canal and needs to be removed. This does not occur with all breeds, however, the long hair breeds generally need their ears plucked. We did this easily with a pair of mini needle-nose pliers. If you do not have a pair of these pliers, you can purchase the 9-piece plier set from Algrashopping. If you do not wish to purchase these products, you can simply use your hands. When doing this for the first time, make sure your dog is relaxed, and only pluck small amounts of hair at a time. As your dog gets more accustomed to you doing this, he will not object as much and you will be able to take more amounts of hair at a time.

Grooming His Eyes

Depending on the type of dog you have, some dog’s eyes run constantly (example: shih tzus). These dogs can develop a layer of mucus around the eyes that needs to be cleaned. You can do this by simply wiping the mucus away with a damp cloth. Remember to be gentle, as a dog’s eyes are even more sensitive than a human’s. If you notice that the mucus is appearing more often, or becomes slightly discoloured, contact your veterinarian.

Grooming His Nose

A dog’s nose is the only body part that doesn’t need to be cleaned. Their nose is generally cool and moist, however can become warmer and dry (my dog’s nose is always dry when he wakes up). Their noses do not need any extra special care, however they are a good indicator of health problems. If your dog’s nose has an unusual discharge, this could be a sign of an ailment (examples: kennel cough, sinus infections, etc.). This does not necessarily mean that your dog has this illness, however if the discharge persists I would contact a veterinarian. The only major concern you should have with a dog’s nose is to keep it protect from the sun. If your dog is out in the sun too long he can get his nose sun burnt, which is painful for him and can lead to skin cancer later in life.

Grooming His Mouth

The mouth of a dog is similar to that of a human in that they can get cavities and gum diseases. Because of this, they need their teeth cleaned. This can be hard to do at first, however as your dog gets adjusted it gets easier. When brushing your dog’s teeth, I’d recommend using a toothbrush that you can put over your finger. These are much easier to move around the dog’s mouth, and are less likely to injure him if he were to make a quick movement. You also need to use a tooth paste to correctly clean his teeth. Dog toothpastes come in many different flavours, including beef and chicken. Experiment with your dog to figure out which flavour is his favourite. If he has a preference, using that toothpaste may make brushing his teeth easier.

Grooming His Fur

Every dog’s fur is slightly different from one another’s. Because of this each dog has different needs when have their fur cleaned. Depending on whether your dog’s fur is thick, thin, long, short, and curly or straight, your dog will need different things from his shampoo.

As a general rule of thumb, if your dog’s fur is thick and curly, or long, you should use something with a lot of moisture and detangler. The more moisture and detangler the shampoo has the better chance you have of brushing the dog’s hair without any major breakage or damage.

If your dog’s hair is thin, or short, you’d need something with conditioners to keep your dog’s coat soft and shiny. You could use a shampoo with a lot of conditioners, or you could use a conditioner on its own to provide your dog’s fur the treatment it needs.

Grooming His Paws

Dog’s paws get damaged very easily year round, through hot asphalt, icy ground, and salt on the roads. When cleaning the dog’s paws, you need to check their paws out carefully. If your dog has cracked paws, any dirt or debris in the cracks can cause infection and serious pain for your puppy. If your dog has any cuts on his paws, you can clean smaller cuts with antibacterial soap. If he has any larger cuts, contact your veterinarian to deal with these. Afterwards, you can treat your dog’s paws with a paw conditioner, which will help to speed up the healing process.

When grooming your dog, you have to remember that he won’t like all of it. Every dog has different tastes, and some will like one thing more than another. Some dogs love the bath water, while others (like my dog) jump out of it at every chance. Try to be patient with your dog, as proper care will help keep your dog happy and healthy, and overall increase his life span.

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