Dog Grooming Basics

If you are a dog owner one of the main responsibilities you have, that cannot be overlooked or neglected, is to groom your dog on a regular basis. What is regular, you may ask. Regular grooming can be on different schedules depending what time of year it is, what kind of climate you live in, and if your dog is a "House dog" or a "Stay Outside Dog". Some dog breeds are considered "High Maintenance" and require grooming procedures more often than others. In the case of a "Show Dog", of course they require very meticulous grooming on a daily basis. Dog grooming can often be an inconvenience and if you take your dog to a professional groomer, it can be very expensive as well.

Aside from the dog breeds that are considered to be high maintenance, and aside from show dogs, most of your basic dog grooming procedures can be done at home by you. The only tricky part would be cutting or trimming the hair. Don't attempt this yourself unless you have experience, or have a proper guide book or video that explains the procedure.

If you own a dog that spends most of his life outdoors, you'll need to give it a good bath at least once a month. Make sure that you get a good quality shampoo that will get rid of fleas and ticks and other little critters that hide in the coat. If you're going to do it yourself, then at least spend the extra money for a good quality shampoo product that can be bought at specialty pet stores, and avoid the cheap stuff you'll find in the pet department at discount stores.

If you are dealing with a house dog, then you'll want to bathe it more often. There is a couple of reasons for that. The first one is shedding, and all of the hair that accumulates in your home and in the air inside your home. The second reason is that every time your house dog goes outside to relieve itself, it is picking up fleas and ticks, that it brings into your home and on the carpets. This can actually be worse than it appears.

After bathing either your outside dog or your house dog, dry the dog off completely - and DO NOT use a heated blow dryer! This will really dry out the dogs skin. It's OK to blow dry with no heat though. Then its time for a good brushing. Make sure to use the proper brush for the type of hair that your dog has. Don't brush too hard, as not to scratch your pets skin. Keep brushing until very little or no hair appears on the brush.

After your dog is all cleaned and dried, and has had a splash of cologne, take a look at its nails. Nail trimming can be tricky, but if you learn where to make the cut, which is right at the curve, you'll eliminate any bleeding or discomfort to your dog. One the newer gadgets for giving your dog a pedicure, employs a small electric grinding wheel, that files the nail down quickly and without much resistance from the dog. I highly recommend investing in one. They are cheap, and work like a charm.

Do it yourself dog grooming really isn't that hard. The tricky parts are the haircut and the nail trim, but these jobs can be mastered after a little practice. I would recommend buying a good dog grooming guide book if you're just getting started. After a few times doing it yourself the job gets easier and goes quicker.

And who knows, you might learn dog grooming and enjoy doing it so much, you can be the one to charge the exorbitant prices!