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
Dog Training Myths, and Simple Dog Training Solutions
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Gandhi.
MYTH #1 — You need to use a choke collar to leash train your dog. This is just not true and choke collars should only be used by those experienced in their use if at all. Choke collars do exactly what they say — they cut off your dog’s air supply! Needless to say, it’s a health hazard and you can do serious damage to your dog’s esophagus!
MYTH #2 — You need a prong (spike) collar to train “tough” dogs. This is not true just like myth #1 is not true. Prong collars have spikes that jab into your poor dog’s neck every time the leash is jerked. The truth is that most people do NOT need to discipline their dogs in this aggressive way! Only experienced dog-training professionals should be using prong collars, and they know the special situations that call for it. This collar should NEVER be used by the average dog owner.
MYTH #3 — You need an electronic shock collar to stop your dog’s barking. No feeling person should imagine that this modern convenience is a humane act, and in truth it is just not necessary. It’s EASY to stop a dog’s barking without using something as inhumane as SHOCKING!
Studies show shock collars work on only a small percentage of dogs and it teaches the dog to be afraid of the collar! What is worse, you are creating tremendous stress and most likely serious damage to your dog’s immune system!
MYTH #4 — You need to dominate your dog by using physical force (smacking, hitting, and choking). Your dog needs to view you and the family members as the “pack leader”. But this respect is not accomplished or earned by beating your dog!!!!! In the wild, a pack leader doesn’t suddenly overreact and beat its pack members into the ground.
A pack leader is calm, consistent, and fair. Sure you can beat a dog into obedience. You can smack it, yell at it, and shock it to force it to obey your every command, but this abuse will not gain your dog’s respect — it’ll just make your dog fearful of you and have to suffer a life of anxiety! It won’t love you… and you will NOT have earned its unwavering loyalty. Your dog will be afraid of you, cower and grovel submissively every time you make a fast move in its direction and will always be looking for a way to escape your company.
Is THIS the kind of relationship you want with your dog? Of course not…
MYTH #5 — You need to YELL at your dog, so it perceives you as tough. Yelling accomplishes little with people and even less with dogs that do not speak your language. To a dog yelling sounds like frantic barking — which the dog will interpret as something is wrong! Good trainers can easily control their dogs with a quiet whisper, body language and hand signals…. And, of course, there are other less than intelligent and inappropriate training recommendations like throwing bottles filled with rocks at your dog, putting your dog on prozac, isolating it from the family, and tons more horrible actions directed at dogs in the name of discipline and training.
Make your dog LOVE you…not SCARED of you!
You may be wondering, if negative reinforcement doesn’t work, why do so many dog trainers insist you should PUNISH your dog to train it?
This is how a lot of so-called “professional” trainers make their money!
These are trainers who intimidate and force the dogs to do what they want (the William Koehler trainers) that today we regard as old school “yank and crank” trainers being kind, cruel and abusive to be accurate. The problem with yank and crank trainers is the dogs seldom like their handlers and in fact are often afraid of them, and their training produces inconsistent results along with dogs that don’t like or respect their owners. If you don’t have a good bond with your dog, or if your dog does not respect you as a pack leader, you will never reach consistency in training.
A modern compassionate “Hands-Off Dog Training Program” focuses on teaching YOU how to train your dog using simple voice commands, handle signals, and well-timed positive reinforcement. Free Video CLICK HERE
This type of training program gets results QUICKLY because your dog actually has fun!
This type of training can Stop your dog’s WORST habit in just 6 days…Without laying a finger on your dog!
Problems such as:
1. Constantly pees on your favorite rug or couch
2. Barks out your window like crazy at people and cars
3. Growls at you for “invading” its favorite couch space
4. Jumps on you, your family, and friends
5. Plays too rough with your kids
6. Refuses to “come” when called
7. Ignores basic obedience commands like “sit”
8. Tries to dig or chew its way out of your backyard
9. Constantly begs for food at the kitchen table
… Or whatever other problems you may be having.
You can be taught how to tap into your dog’s natural canine instincts and manipulate its behavior. And the best news is it will only take you 5-10 minutes of training per day so within just 6 days of starting this program, you’ll have put an end to your dog’s most annoying and destructive habits…
… And best of all, it’ll only take you 5-10 minutes of training per day!
For the rest of the story…CLICK HERE
For more dog training secrets, CLICK HERE
We have existed as a company since 1985, but it was a love of dogs, the dogs that have been a part of our life, and the passing of one dog in particular, Rusty, that inspired the creation of www.CalloftheDog.com and www.CalloftheDogShop.com — created to provide the things your dogs and pets need. Visit us for great information and quality dog supplies! Be sure to see our About Us page as well.
The two sites are dedicated to the dogs we have loved so deeply, and who have given us so much love in return. Purebreds and mixed breeds, but mostly rescues in need of a home. We educated them, but each one has had something to teach us in exchange.
Some Simple Advice For House Breaking Your Golden Retriever
When you first bring home your new little golden retriever puppy your life will be turned upside down for a while. It will be a very exciting time for everyone concerned. Obviously one of the first things that you will be doing is house breaking your golden retriever especially if he is to be an inside dog. Many people have different ideas about doing this but most of the advice is similar.
You can use crates when house breaking your golden retriever or you can just fence off an area in your home that will be acceptable if your pup has an accident. And there will be accidents. I find that the kitchen or laundry are good places as you usually have floors that can be easily cleaned up.
You can use sheets of paper, doggy pads or dog litter to help you toilet train your pup. These are great especially when you have to leave your dog alone. When you are with him you need to watch him all the time and when he does have an accident you must not punish him.
It is very important to take your pup outside to the same spot after every meal so he can relieve himself. Praise him when he does. This must also be done first thing in the morning and before bed at night. You will be amazed at how quickly house breaking your golden retriever will be. They are very intelligent animals and they will want to please you especially when you give him lots of praises for a job well done.
If your dog will be an inside dog you may like to put in a doggy door. These are a great idea as then your retriever can go in and out to relieve himself whenever he needs to without you worrying about any accidents. But of course when he is a puppy he will need persistence from you to teach him. Remember he is only a baby and babies need to be taught. Plus the fact that because they are babies they will not be able to hold on like adult dogs can therefore they will need to be prompted often.
When you first bring your pup home he has a lot to get used to. He will miss his doggy family and he will have to get used to your rules and at the same time he will be very excitable and want to play all the time, which will make him forget some of the rules. With all this going on don’t forget that he will also need to have rest time.
Make sure you give him several feeds during the day and have him vet checked. A healthy happy pup will be much easier to toilet train, which will make life much better for you.
http://www.goldenretrieversguide.info
She provides lots of handy hints and advice on the
golden retriever dog breed at her web site.
Training Your Golden Retriever Pup – Simple Practical Tips To Train Your New Dog
Teeth Training:
Teeth is probably the most common training tip for Golden Retrievers. These puppies love chewing and will gnaw at anything they can get their mouth
on. Though there are chew toys available in the market just for this, there is an easier way for you to help your golden retriever satisfy its
instinct to chew and also help reduce the pain of new teeth growing.
The easiest way to begin is to fill a sock of yours with many ice cubes. After this, knot the opening of the sock and put it in the freezer. When
your golden puppy starts looking for things to chew, give him this ice cube filled sock. Keep many such ice cube filled socks handy in the freezer.
This will ensure a constant supply of chew toys for your dog. Always be by the side of your dog when it has the sock. Else, it might consume pieces
of the sock leading to serious health concerns.
Leash Training:
Often people leash their dog during training and drag it along the directions they want it to go. This is most certainly not the right way to train
the dog. It gives a bad message to the puppy and makes it dislike being in the leash. A better approach is to first help your puppy get used to the
leash and the collar. Put it on the dog and allow it to move freely in a fenced area dragging the leash along. This makes the pup understand that
leash does not affect it in any way.
Once the dog gets used to having the collar and the leash along with it, pick up the leash and then call the dog over to you. When he does come to
you, praise the pup and pat him or offer him a treat. This shows the pup that it is doing the right thing. Patience must be always at the top of your
emotions since this training can take a long time. Continue praising him when he does the right things and give him more time to get used to the
leash.
Digging around
Digging is another natural instincts of the Golden Retriever and it loves to dig too. This can drive you nuts if you don’t give this pup an area he
can use for himself. He might dig too many holes in your backyard for your liking. Also keeping him indoors can make him claw at the couch or bed or
the floor. You shouldn’t punish a golden retriever for digging since it is their nature.
For giving yourself peace of mind and to help your puppy satisfy its urge to dig, give him some place where he can dig. A kiddie pool or a sandbox is
more than enough. Bury a treat or two under the mud. This will give your retriever clues as to dig in that spot for treats and toys and will use the
same spot every time he feels the urge. When the pup gets older, by means of constant training, you can make him get his habits and natural instincts
under control
You can train your Golden Retriever really well by following the above tips. They are really fascinating dogs, if only you show the some patience.
They have a slower learning curve in spite of their smartness. But once they have learnt the basics, they will become an inseparable part of your
family.
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.