Do's and Don'ts
Salon and Home Grooming
Even if you get your dog regularly groomed at a salon, it is important to try and maintain the groom of your pet between visits to keep the quality of their skin, coat and general wellbeing at its highest quality. You will still need to do simple things at home such as brushing your dog regularly to give them the care and attention they need. When grooming your dog yourself there are a few tips, hints and rules to abide by. Basic grooming at home gets your dog used to the grooming process and familiarises your pooch with any potentially unsettling aspects of grooming. Similar to most things done at home there are also some things you need to avoid if you want to groom your dog safely and make things as enjoyable and comfortable as you can for them.
Below are some helpful do's and don'ts when it comes to grooming your dog:
Below are some helpful do's and don'ts when it comes to grooming your dog:
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Brush your dog
Regardless of your dog's type of coat make sure you take the time to brush it regularly if you do not regularly brush your dog’s coat it can leave it in a poor condition which makes them feel uncomfortable and creates problems for the future that can become very difficult to brush through. Leaving your dog’s coat untouched by a brush can lead to it getting very matted then they will have to endure the pain of having their hair either brushed, or if the matting is severe they will have to have it clipped off which is not popular among most dog owners. Imagine if you’d left your own hair not brushed or washed for weeks at a time, it’s the same situation, brushing out knots and tangles can be excruciating and makes it cruel to continue. |
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Get Their Nails Cut
Many dogs do not like their nails being cut, in fact many hate the process. However getting your dog’s nails cut is so, so important. Your dog’s nails will wear down naturally, but still need trimming regularly. It is important to keep an eye on how long your dog’s nails are and cut them when they start to get too long. You can do this yourself but due to the potential risks of cutting too short or into the nailbed, many owners prefer their groomers to do this and bring them in between general grooms to trim their nails. |
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Rinse thoroughly after bathing
When bathing your dog at home if you leave any shampoo on your dog it can really irritate their skin, therefore it is very important that you rinse off all the shampoo thoroughly. Be meticulous and check all the hard to reach areas. Many typical places people forget to check after bathing include the arm pits, tail and around the ears. |
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Start Your Dog Young
Visiting a dog groomer can be daunting for any dog big or small, if you want to get your dog used to the grooming process then this can help ease them into the process so that they enjoy coming to the salon in the future. They need to feel comfortable with being bathed and get used to sounds like the hair dryer and clippers. The later you start the harder it will be to groom your dog and we do not want your dog to be under any stress or discomfort. I would always recommend starting when they are a puppy as soon as they are vaccinated by giving them a simple bath, brush, nails and tidy. |
Simple list of Don’ts:
- Leave too long between grooms
- Brush a wet coat
- Leave your dog unattended while grooming
- Allow water to get into your dog’s ear canal
- Pull hard when brushing/combing as this can put your dog off the entire process of grooming
- Forget to cut their nails as they can become ingrown and cause huge discomfort for your animal and potentially lead to infections.
- If they are a double-coated breed don’t forget to brush out the undercoat
- Blow the dryer in your dog’s face as this can scare them and cause problems from future grooming
- Get shampoo in their eyes or ears
SHAVING YOUR DOG IF IT IS DOUBLE COATED
There are two basic types of coats
Hair-bearing (Examples-Poodles, Spaniels, Shih tzu's)
and
Fur-bearing or double coated breeds (Examples-Husky, Pomeranian, Chow, Golden Retriever.
Hair-bearing dogs need to be cut regularly and CAN be shaved but Fur-bearing dogs whose fur typically grows to one length and maintains that length should ideally NOT be shaved.
Many owners believe that shaving a fur bearing dog for summer will help it cope with the warmer weather however this is a very misunderstood coping mechanism. In fact what happens is that your dog sheds his undercoat in summer, leaving the guard hairs to provide your dog with insulation, and allowing cool air to circulate near his skin. The guard hairs also prevent your dog from getting sunburned and reflect the suns rays to protect their delicate skin.
If your dog is double coated shaving your dogs coat will damage the quality of their coat and when the coat grows back it often grows thinner and thicker in differentiating areas, which never looks great and many dog owners do not realise the consequences on the physical appeal of the coat.
All groomers should warn the owner of the risks of shaving their dog and unqualified groomers may not themselves be aware of the potential risks so opting to go with a qualified groomer is always best to minimise any problems.
There are two basic types of coats
Hair-bearing (Examples-Poodles, Spaniels, Shih tzu's)
and
Fur-bearing or double coated breeds (Examples-Husky, Pomeranian, Chow, Golden Retriever.
Hair-bearing dogs need to be cut regularly and CAN be shaved but Fur-bearing dogs whose fur typically grows to one length and maintains that length should ideally NOT be shaved.
Many owners believe that shaving a fur bearing dog for summer will help it cope with the warmer weather however this is a very misunderstood coping mechanism. In fact what happens is that your dog sheds his undercoat in summer, leaving the guard hairs to provide your dog with insulation, and allowing cool air to circulate near his skin. The guard hairs also prevent your dog from getting sunburned and reflect the suns rays to protect their delicate skin.
If your dog is double coated shaving your dogs coat will damage the quality of their coat and when the coat grows back it often grows thinner and thicker in differentiating areas, which never looks great and many dog owners do not realise the consequences on the physical appeal of the coat.
All groomers should warn the owner of the risks of shaving their dog and unqualified groomers may not themselves be aware of the potential risks so opting to go with a qualified groomer is always best to minimise any problems.
