The Ultimate Guide to Groom Your Dog at Home

‘A Dog is man’s best friend.’ This phrase is as old as time, so is the companionship between a dog and a human.

The fact that dogs reduce stress and are good for your health is now backed up by science. Walking the dog can be a way out if you wish to add a few minutes of a daily walk to your routine. Dog walks are a great way to keep your blood pressure or cholesterol level in check and keep your body fit. Besides physical wellness, dogs prove to be a great aid if you are recovering from any mental trauma or stress. Dogs can be of great comfort to people who live alone or need unconditional love. Everyone wants to keep a dog and have a perfect family, but many people don’t keep dogs despite their strong wishes. It is because of the dog’s expenses they will have to bear and that it may not fit their pocket. But if you are a dog person and your budget hinders you from keeping the dog, then this write-up is perfect for you! This write-up will discuss how you can groom your dog without spending hundreds of dollars.

All you need to know about grooming

How Do You Define Dog Grooming?

Dog grooming includes wholesome care, hygienic care, cleaning, and the process that enhances a dog’s appearance.

How Much Does Grooming cost?

Many people prefer professional groomers for the service. Rates of professional groomers depend on the city and locality and the quality of services they offer. The average price of grooming services ranges from $30 to $500.

How Often Does Your Dog Need To Be Groomed?

As for humans, grooming is an essential part of a dog’s well-being i.e., it basically improves its level of life. The amount of grooming depends on several factors like breed, age and health of the dog. For instance, different dogs shed with different frequencies and therefore they need to be groomed accordingly.

Why is a grooming session essential?

Of course, just like we humans, dogs too need regular general cleaning. Plus, there are many additional benefits of dog grooming, a few of them are:

Grooming fosters a better bond between the owner and the pet.
With regular grooming, you can keep a check on your dog’s health. For example, you check for cuts, swellings, hot spots or other symptoms that can indicate illness.
Grooming significantly reduces the chances of skin issues, thrush and other health problems.
Grooming dramatically reduces the chances of pest infestation.

Groom Your Dog at Home

Amidst the pandemic, taking your pup to the groomer may not be the best option. If your dog’s fur is all grown up and it looks like they are all untidy, wearing an old wig, then you should give it a thought to groom your dog.

Letting too much time pass between grooming sessions can harm your canine’s health. Moreover, you can easily switch to grooming your dog at home. Bingo! You don’t need any flashy, expensive equipment to groom your dog. All you need to do is follow the below-mentioned steps. The grooming is made easy in given steps:

First things first, you need to clean your dog’s face.

Eyes

Starting with the eyes, use a soft, damp cloth to wipe the eyes because of dirt and crust mostly deposits there. Even tears accumulate there, and too much accumulation can invite eye infections. Don’t forget to check the signs of eye reddening and swelling. Pup’s eyes need to remain moist; you can use eye drops with your vet’s recommendation if required.

Ears

Clean all the wax and dirt particles from your dog’s ear using clean damp cloth, don’t forget to clean the ear flaps too. If you were using or gave a thought to use human-style cotton swabs for your puppy’s ears, then don’t. You might not understand this but it can damage their eardrums and you’ll never get to know this ever. Careful and be gentle!

Nose

A healthy dog’s nose should be moist most of the time, but it can get dry for various reasons at various points of the day, such as after a long nap. If your dog’s nose is dry persistently, then you can use some good quality balm.

Brush your dog’s teeth

Just like you, your dog’s teeth can get spoiled due to tartar and plaque buildup, if not properly taken care of! It would help if you brush your puppy’s teeth a few times a week to keep their mouth clean; otherwise, they may end up developing bad breath.

But do not use human toothpaste on your dog’s teeth; search for canine toothpaste brands. Also, chew toys, high-quality dental chews, or bones do much to clean their teeth. You can ask your vet about the type of bones you can give your dog.

Next step, Hair

Brushing

You should keep a check on your dog’s fur. If not taken care of, it can result in matting, which can further lead to health issues due to poor air circulation. Brushing the hair can be necessary for the maintenance and hygiene of your dog’s fur. Moreover, this will free the coat from tangles, external pests; in addition to this, it adds shine to the fur.

Cutting

Trimming your dog’s coat is an essential step in grooming the dog. Take care of the following points while cutting the fur. If you wish to trim your dog’s coat, then use clippers or curved scissors for the same.

Be careful while trimming; use clippers with different lengths to avoid cutting the skin of your dog.

Always start from the neck and then go down the trunk and make sure you cut the fur with precision. Cut in the direction of hair flow; going against the flow can create hairlines on the coat.

Bathe

Most dogs need to be bathed once or twice a month, but frequent bathing becomes essential for dogs who shed a lot. After bathing, dry your dog using a blow dryer or a dry towel.

Paws and nails

Keep the nails and paws clean

Dogs do need regular pawdicures! Their grown nails can cause difficulty walking and even hurt their paw pads. Regular nail cutting and paw cleaning is an essential part of pet grooming.

Your dog can be extremely sensitive to nail clippers or the process of cutting nails; it becomes essential to make them comfortable with the whole process and you can do so by rewarding them with treats. It may not be a problem if your pup is familiar with the entire process from a very young age. Cleaning paws is also an important step; you can use some wax to moisturise your puppy’s paws.

Having a dog is a blissful experience.

If you are planning on getting a dog, you should immediately take action. Once you start grooming your dog independently, budgets will not be a constraint anymore. Dogs are loving creatures. They do not let you feel alone. It is an incredible experience to have a dog member in the house. You groom your dog and your dog groom you back! KEEP GROOMING!

Report