Promote Good Dog Health With These Helpful Dog Grooming Tips
Copyright (c) 2009 James Mahoney
A shiny coat on a dog means more than just looks and good dog grooming, although it certainly begins with that. Take a look at your dog, does he have a shiny healthy looking coat?
Grooming sessions can be a great opportunity for bonding with your dog and to examine his health too. Some dog grooming tips include seeing if your dog has a shiny lustrous coat of fur, as should be an indication that you dog is in good health. Proper dog grooming is very important in promoting good health in you dog.
Maintaining a Shiny Coat with Dog Grooming
With this dog grooming tip, good dog health begins with good dog grooming. You must groom your dog everyday if you want him to have a healthy coat of fur. It is not necessary to bathe him everyday, however. Bathing your dog just once a week should suffice, or maybe once every two days if you have a dog that has longer or thicker fur.
How to Bathe Your Dog
A useful dog grooming tip is when you are bathing your dog, wet him completely with a hose or a detachable shower head. Then applying dog shampoo work up a lather, going all the way from his chest to the top of his head, then go down his back and tail and then his legs. While applying the shampoo, take care not to get any shampoo in his eyes or ears.
Another dog grooming tip is to use a dog shampoo that has been formulated for dogs, not your own shampoo. Shampoo designed for human hair can be harsh and irritating to a dog’s skin. Dog shampoo is designed for the sensitivity of the skin and fur of dogs. Besides a general dog shampoo, you can also use medicated shampoo for skin conditions, or a flea shampoo or rinse.
You should rinse your dog thoroughly after you have shampooing and conditioning his fur. This is because if even a small amount of soap remains on the dog it can lead to severe irritation of his skin that could lead to eczema.
After Your Dog’s Bath
When you are finished bathing your dog, make sure to dry him thoroughly by using a towel to pat all the excess water out of his fur. If your dog has short hair, you can simply allow him to air-dry his fur out. But if have a dog with thick or long fur, you may need to dry his fur out with the use of a hair dryer instead. You should comb out any loose and matted and tangled hair with a fine-tooth metal comb. This will get rid of any burs, ticks or fleas. This should be done every day whether you a bathing your dog that day or not.
Beyond Grooming
One more dog grooming tip having to do with a dog’s shinny coat. While having a shinny coat of fur for you dog is highly desirable for you dog’s appearance the shinny coat is also a good indicator of good dog health too.
Good nutrition also plays a large role towards promoting good dog health. If a dog gets all the nutrients that his body needs, then definitely he will get a shiny coat.
There are some cheap dog food brands out there, but they are made up of low-quality ingredients. So to be sure that your dog is eating good food, do not skimp on quality dog food. You can also cook up your own dog food to feed your dog.
If after regular dog grooming and regular feeding of high-quality food and your dog still does not display a shiny coat, it means that there is something else that is wrong with his system. Your dog may not be as in high a level of good health than you may have guessed. In this case, it is time to go to the vet.
As you can see good dog grooming goes hand in hand with watching out for your dog’s health and nutritional needs if you want to enjoy your loyal companion for many years.
J. Mahoney is the owner of Dog Trainers Ideas.com. Just feel free to visit www.dogtrainersideas.com where you will find a resource providing you with advice on all aspects of dog training, house training and dog health.
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Simple home grooming techniques that will give you a healthier and happier dog
Regularly grooming your dog not only has the added benefit of making him look and smell good; grooming your dog on a regular basis also gives you the opportunity of deepening the bond you have with your pet and for checking his general health.
If you have a puppy, take the time now to help him become accustomed to being groomed. You can do this by simply spending time with your puppy and gently his entire body; examine his tail, paws, ears, and teeth etc. Talk to your puppy in a gentle and positive tone, and have some food treats with you, so as you can reward your puppy for his positive behaviour. If you have an adult dog who is not totally happy with the grooming experience, then go back to the basics, using the plan outlined here.
Although basic grooming procedures are generally the same for all breeds of dogs, the amount of time you will need to devote to grooming your pet and the tools you will use, will depend on the dogs coat quality and it’s length.
Breeds with smooth coats are quite low maintenance, and need only occasional bathing, and brushing. Short coated dogs who have a top coat and a more dense undercoat, for example German Shepherds, will require brushing at least once per day, so as the undercoat does not become matted. Curly coat breeds, for example, the Kerry Blue Terrier, will need to be brushed regularly, along with a bath and coat clipping very couple of months. Breeds that have wiry coats need regular brushing, at lead once per day to prevent matting. The longer coat breeds, such as the Such as Yorkshire Terriers, and Collies, need daily brushing and combing, along with bathing and clipping when needed, in order to keep their coats in good condition.
The tools you will need for grooming will vary depending on your dogs coat, however your dogs grooming kit should include the following:
Natural/organic dog shampoo
You can buy organic dog shampoo from a host of online vendors or large pet supply stores. Using an organic shampoo is much kinder to your dogs skin and fur, as it has the correct ph-balance, and does not contain chemicals, or atrtificial colours or preservative, that can be harmful.
Tweezers
Tick removal implement
Tick removal implements can be purchased from your local pharmacy, however, tweezers work just as well for removing ticks.
Brush, comb and or grooming glove
The brush and comb you choose should be adequate for your dogs coat. For example, for dense coats, use a comb with wider teeth, for smooth coats choose a comb that has closer teeth, alternatively a grooming glove.
Electronic clippers
Nail clippers
A small pair of blunt nosed scissors for clipping away unwanted hair from between your dogs pads, or around the eyes.
Vitamin E oil for cleaning your dogs ears.
Dog toothpaste and toothbrush
Towels for drying your pet following a bath
Organic wipes, for cleaning around your dogs eyes
Now it’s time to begin grooming your dog, so lets begin with the messy part first, bathing.
Bathing
You can do this outside or indoors, depending on the size of your dog. If using the bath, first put down a rubber non slip mat in the bath, so as your pet does not slip around. Put a large cotton ball in each of your dogs ears and place him in the bath.
Begin by covering your dogs entire body with warm water, if you are using a shower, keep the shower head close to the dogs body. Next, add small amounts of your dog shampoo to your dogs body, paying attention to his rectum and genital area, and between his paws. Once you have done this you can rinse your dog thoroughly with warm water.
Towel dry your dog to begin with, then if you wish, use a dryer, however, don’t put the dryer to close to your dogs skin, and don’t point the dryer directly into the dogs ears.
Next, let us look at the general grooming procedure you can make on a more regular basis. To begin with, check your dogs coat for dirt, and parasites such as fleas and ticks. Also check the condition of your dogs skin. When you are happy his skin appears healthy, you can move on to combing his coat.
Combing your dog
Always comb your dogs coat in the direction the hair grows, combing small section at a time. If you encounter a knot in your pets fur, use the first tooth of the comb to gently tease the knot free. Hold the base of the knot as you do this, so as not to cause your dog any pain.
Brushing your dog
The next step is to brush your dogs fur gently, but not so vigorously as you will cause ‘brush burn’. Brush your dogs fur in the opposite direction hair growth. Attend to all areas of the body, ie, body, tail, chest, legs and behind the ears. When doing this part check your dogs paws and between his pads for any lodged seeds from grass, grit and dirt etc. Clean and trim any excess fur.
Having done the hardest work, brushing and combing. The next part to concentrate upon is nail clipping. Most dog owners avoid clipping their dogs nails, many leaving it to their vet, but with a bit of practice, trimming your dogs nails will become a routine procedure.
Cutting your dogs nails
Check to begin with to see if your dogs nails need trimming. Dogs usually wear down their nails by walking on the pavement, however, they still may need a trim every several weeks or so.
To begin with, identify the quick in each nail; the quick is the blood vessel inside the nail. It can be seen quite easily in light coloured nails as a red coloured line, but impossible to see in dark nails. Care must be taken not to cut into the blood vessel, as this will obviously be painful for your dog, and will also cause some bleeding.
Cut the nail in one stroke below the blood vessel. In darker nails, make several vey small cuts. If your not sure how much nail to cut if you have a dog with black nails, less is better than more.
Cleaning your dogs ears
It’s now time to move on to your dogs ears. Wax, dirt and fungus can build up in a dogs, especially in the case of floppy eared breeds. During the grooming process check your dogs ears for signs of wax and dirt etc. Smell inside your dogs ears, a foul odour, could mean your pet has an infection, especially id he has been scratching his ears, or shaking his head a lot. To clean your dogs ears, use a natural cleanser, such as an essential oil blend. You can use the following blend to clean your dogs ears, and keep them free from wax build up and infection.Put a little of the blend on a cotton ball and clean each ear.
Ear cleaning essential oil blend
2 drops Roman Chamomile
2 drops tee tree
4 drops lavender
Mix with 20 mls of Sweet Almond or Jojoba oil. Pour into a dark bottle and keep out of sunlight or in the refrigerator. This will last several moths. Use the blend to clean your dogs ears each time you groom him.
Cleaning your dogs eyes
Finally, let us look at cleaning your dogs eyes. It is important to clean your pets eyes regularly, in most breeds this can be done during the normal grooming session, however, with breeds who’s tear ducts can become blocked easily, cleaning around the eyes will need to be done more regularly.
Check your pets eyes for signs of discharge, especially in the corner of the eye. Use your blunt nose scissors to gently clip away unwanted hair, especially at the corner of each eye. When this is done, gently clean around each eye with a wet cloth or an organic baby wipe. These type of wipes are especially good for cleaning your dogs sensitive areas, such as around the eyes, as they contain no alcohol, or other ingredient that is harmful to the dog.
Job done. The more often you groom your dog, the quicker it will seem to become. Having said this, your dogs physical and emotional well being depends on being kept clean and healthy, so make grooming an extra special and fun time for you and your dog.
Ivan Ojounru has been training dogs in the UK since the late 1908′s. He now lives in France where he continues to train dogs and write about dog related behaviour care and trainig topics. He is passionate about giving dog owners the skills, knowledge and confidence to enable them to train their own dogs successfully. For further information visit http://www.dogtrainingcareadvice.blogspot.com
The Golden Retriever’s Grooming Needs
Despite their beautiful, medium-long coats, Golden Retrievers actually do not require extensive grooming. Their coats do not matt easily and they do not need to be bathed as frequently as other breeds of dog – unless, of course, they roll in the garbage! They are known to be heavy shedders so frequent brushing is a must.
The Golden Retriever’s coat varies from white-blond to reddish-blond and is usually shiny and soft. Regular brushing will help keep the coat’s sheen at its best and will also help stimulate the flow of blood to the skin. Brushing can be done as little as once weekly and as often as daily; your dog will enjoy the experience. If you pay attention to your dog’s coat, you will get a feel for specifically how often he or she needs to be brushed.
Dry bathing regularly will help keep your Golden Retriever’s coat healthy and clean. Normal baths should be saved for dealing with messes such as mud, or given every three or four months. Water bathing can strip essential oils from your dog’s coat and lead to dry or irritated skin. Show Goldens are usually blow-dried with a brush so that their coat is silky and straight, but this is not necessary for casual grooming or for the household pet.
Other than brushing and dry bathing, there is very little that needs to be done to keep your Golden Retriever’s coat in tip top shape. However, you will need to perform the occasional trim. The hair on your dog’s ears will usually grow very quickly. For his or her comfort and for aesthetic reasons, it is a good idea to trim this hair every so often. Thinning shears or a texturizer (available at
most pet or beauty supply stores) are ideal for this task, as they only trim a reasonable amount of hair, allowing your dog’s floppy ears to stay furry, but not overgrown.
The soft, fluffy fur behind this breed’s legs can also use a trim from time to time. This hair is of a different texture and is prone to catching debris and brambles, which can be uncomfortable and lead to matting or skin irritation. Show dogs will need to be trimmed more precisely, but the home groomer can take the same thinning shears to this hair quite easily themselves.
The Golden Retriever’s tail fur grows extremely quickly, as well, and can get quite long. This hair is similar in texture to the hair on the back of the legs and is also likely to pick up dirt, leaves, and other debris. Keeping this hair brushed and trimmed can help you avoid other problems down the road as well as keep your house a bit cleaner.
All in all, grooming a Golden Retriever is remarkably easy for a dog with such a long, thick coat! Just a couple of brushings a week should keep your Retriever’s coat in proper condition; healthy, shiny and thick. I think that most Retriever owners will find their Retriever will love brushing and view it as their pampering time.
This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com. For more information on the Golden Retriever, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Golden_Retriever/.
Grooming Golden Retriever – 6 Even Ways For best Grooming!
Brushing your Golden Retriever regularly will help prevent shedding (especially important if you have allergies) and matting of his fur. Matting is not only unattractive, but it’s uncomfortable for your dog as well. Brushing also helps you remove burs and other foreign matter that could threaten his health. Regular grooming will help maintain a shiny, healthy coat and enhance your Golden Retriever’s quality of life.
Grooming your Golden Retriever is a time-consuming process. Grooming should be done at least once, preferably twice, ever week. You can expect to spend about one-half an hour in the grooming process. The first step in the grooming process is a good brushing. Brush the entire body, from head to tail. When you’ve finished brushing, you can use a comb to remove any remaining loose hair and help distribute oils evenly throughout your Golden Retriever’s coat. While you’re accomplishing hair removal, you can also inspect your pet’s roots and skin for ticks and fleas or skin irritations. This will also be a good time to inspect his ears to be sure they’re clean and healthy and trim his nails.
You should give your Golden Retriever regular baths, too. Though it’s a little complicated, the path will keep his coat and skin in good condition and reduce your exposure to allergens. After brushing to get rid of tangles and loose hair, bathe your Golden Retriever with a shampoo designed specifically for dogs. Human shampoos are too harsh for a dog’s sensitive skin. You’ll find that two baths a month will be sufficient to maintain your Golden’s coat. If you do it consistently, your Golden Retriever’s coat will be easier to brush and clean.
Because Golden’s have longer fur, it is important to prevent matting. Daily brushing will accomplish this best, especially if you use metal combs or brushes. Taking the easy way by cutting the matts out is not advisable, as it could injure your pet, and it will certainly detract from his naturally beautiful coat. Avoid using scissors for grooming. Brushes and baths are the best way to prevent matting and maintain your Golden’s health.
Trimming your Golden Retriever’s nails regularly is also important. Too-long nails are bad for your dog’s health. They can split and bleed profusely. They can change the shape of the foot and cause other joint problems if they force your Golden Retriever to walk so as to protect the too-long nails.
If you have never done it before, it might be wise to take your Golden to the vet to learn how to do it properly. Most dogs don’t like having their nails clipped, and you may pick up some good hints on how to do it without a struggle. When you do clip your Golden’s nails, you should be aggressive, trimming them about 1/16 inch or 2 millimeters, from the quick. You can expect to see some bleeding now and then, so keep some styptic power nearby. You’ll probably need to undertake this task every few weeks.
Now, about your Golden Retriever’s ears. Their ears are easily infected if you don’t clean them regularly. Ear infections are very painful for dogs, and you’ll want to assure your Golden is free of this health risk. Symptoms that may indicate ear infections include head shaking and scratching the ears, painful reactions when the ears are touched, discharges or foul odors coming from the ears, and blisters, swelling, or redness on or around the skin. If you notice any of these symptoms, you should take your Golden to the vet before the problems get worse or become irreversible.
You should clean his ears once a week using a commercial ear-cleaning solution to prevent infection. Many people don’t realize that hair can grow inside and into dogs’ ears. Use a hemostat to carefully remove any hair inside the ear canal. Then use cotton or a cloth with the cleaning solution to gently clean no further than one-half an inch into the ear. Do NOT use Q-tips or alcohol to clean your Golden’s ears. And do not use water or a syringe to clean his ears. Leave this delicate and sometimes dangerous task to the vet. If you use tools like a hemostat, be sure they are sterile.
Good, regular grooming is essential to the health and well-being of your Golden Retriever. It takes some time from your daily routine, but it also helps you bond with your pet. If you don’t have the time, you should take your Golden Retriever to a dog-grooming professional. Now matter how you do it, you must assure that your Golden receives regular grooming and baths.
Abhishek is an avid dog lover and he has got some great Dog Health Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 80 Pages Ebook, “How To Take Care Of Your Dog’s Health” from his website http://www.Dog-Tale.com/192/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.