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How To Groom Your Dog At Home?
When you become a new pet parent, you want to do what’s best for your furry little friend, and that includes regular pet grooming. While some people may decide to hire a professional dog groomer, others learn how to do a complete grooming and cleaning session themselves. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, follow all the easy steps below to ensure you’re grooming your dog the right way at home.
Brush their coat
The first thing you need to learn when grooming your dog is to brush their coat. Dogs with long hair will need to be brushed more often than short-haired breeds as their hair is likely to become a mess much quicker. Not only does brushing help prevent tangles and matting hair, but it also reduces how much hair they shed all-around your home.
Always be careful if your dog’s hair has knots and don’t be rough, as brushing too hard can hurt their sensitive skin. Invest in a quality dog grooming brush, and sometimes it’s a good idea to use some detangling spray or puppy conditioner first, particularly if your pooch has an extra-long coat. Frequent brushing also helps spread their natural oil to make their coat look shinier and their skin healthier, which means they’ll need to be bathed less often.
Bathe them regularly
Before you give your pup a bath, it’s important to brush its hair first, as it’s much easier than doing it when it’s all damp and tangled. Some dogs love bath times, and others don’t enjoy them at all. It doesn’t really matter either way though, because bathing all dogs is usually a really messy job.
Use a damp washcloth with dog shampoo and warm water in a tub, and make sure you rinse him thoroughly afterward before letting him run around the yard and shake it off like Taylor Swift. Unless your puppy gets himself dirty really easily or he has a skin condition, you shouldn’t need to bathe him more than once every month or two. But it’s still super important to maintain a regular bath time for your pup.
Cut their hair
When your dog needs its first haircut, it’s a good idea to get someone to hold them while you’re learning. Otherwise, clip their leash onto something to help keep them still whenever you are trimming your dog’s hair, especially if you have an easily excitable little puppy.
When you’re cutting your dog’s hair at home, cut away the excess fur around his face, tummy, feet, and tail areas. It’s also extremely important to be very careful if you’re using scissors around his ears. Make sure you’re definitely only cutting the excess fur by holding each ear with your free hand while cutting. You can always use electric clippers to reduce the chance of accidentally cutting his skin. And finally, if you have a lovely fluffy dog with a big coat like a Pomeranian, once you get confident you could even start giving them trendy hairstyles!
Clip their nails
Whenever you can see or hear tapping on the floor while they’re walking around, you know it’s time to give their nails a trim. Nail clipping isn’t always the easiest of jobs, especially if your puppy gets nervous while you’re doing it. And when clipping your dog’s nails, you must always make sure you’re only ever clipping the tips. Because a dog’s nails have nerve endings and blood vessels inside them.
Some people decide to complete an online course to learn the correct grooming methods and get a certification, and others even end up choosing dog grooming as their career and taking things a step further. Take your time when you’re clipping so you can work gradually and stop before the pink part of his nail. For dogs with black nails, you’ll need to stop when a black dot is visible inside each nail. Give your dog a small treat or a break after each nail before continuing.
Final thoughts
If you’re new to grooming pets, it doesn’t need to be a stressful time for you or your dog. Just remember to keep it simple, safe, and fun by always giving your dog plenty of love with some extra treats. Try to relax yourself and your pet will be more likely to relax with you. And by following these tips, you’ll soon be grooming your little bundle of fur like a professional in no time flat.
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