Grooming Guide To Keep The Dog Healthy And Happy

Dogs are well loved pets because of their loyal and affectionate nature. Being wonderful creatures that they are, it would not be surprising if pet parents provide dogs with a safe and loving home. Not many dog owners though realize that aside from the regular meals, the pet has other special requirements too. Opportunities to exercise and regular grooming are essential factors in the maintenance of the dog’s overall well being.

Dogs have different grooming requirements, your dog can be one of the high maintenance or low maintenance breeds. Not all dogs would enjoy grooming routines thus an owner that fits a grooming session to the busy schedule would find the task tedious and challenging. Grooming the dog would be easier by following the basic head to tail grooming checklist.

Bathing is necessary to keep the dog clean. Bathing the dog though must not be overdone. A dog that is bathed too often would have dry skin as the natural moisturizing oils are removed thereby giving rise to various skin concerns. Nature may have given the dog a luxuriously beautiful coat but regular brushing will be necessary to maintain its tip top condition. Brushing the dog’s coat is also a good opportunity to detect parasite infestation and developing skin concerns. Short haired breed would need to be brushed at least twice a week but it is imperative to brush long haired breeds daily.

Ear cleaning is another important task that must be done weekly. Dogs with pendulous ears and dogs that spend more time in water would need more frequent ear cleaning to prevent the development of serious ear problems. A dog’s eyes are very delicate organs that need daily cleaning. The discharge on the dog’s eyes has to be removed with special eye wipes or with clean cloth.

Most dog owners would find trimming the nails and brushing the dog’s teeth more challenging grooming routines as dogs that love having the coat brushed are generally not compliant to these grooming routines. A dog owner though has to make sure that the dog’s teeth are brushed to give the pet fresh breath and to prevent periodontal diseases. The nails of the dog has to kept trimmed too. Dogs introduced to these grooming routines while still a puppy would be more yielding.

Grooming is essential in the maintenance of the dog’s health. Moreover, grooming the pet would be treasured moments that would do wonders in enhancing pet and owner relationship.

Sarah’s Dogs provides more information on dog grooming as well as a grooming checklist.