DIY Dog Grooming Tips 2018
DIY Dog Grooming Tips
Regular grooming of your dog is not only necessary for a better appearance but, also for better health. This process is an important part of responsible dog care and can prevent the formation of bacteria on delicate parts of your dog’s skin. Individuals usually take a trip to a groomer to help out with the grooming of their dog, however; if you’re tired of shelling out money to a groomer frequently, this article on DIY Dog Grooming Tips can be of help.
Here are a few tips to help you groom your dog effectively;
Grooming usually goes in three phases – Bathing, Brushing and Trimming.
Bathing Tips
- How often should your dog take a bath?
Depending on the weather condition, and physical activities your dog should take a bath every 1-3 weeks.
- Use appropriate Shampoo
A dogs skin is quite different from human’s, so you should opt for a dog shampoo that is mild enough to avoid skin irritation.
- Brush before bathing.
This is relatively effective depending on the type of dog you own. If your dog’s hair mats quickly, then brushing before bathing can reduce this and make this activity more effective during DIY Dog Grooming at home.
- Use lukewarm water.
Never make use of hot or cold water. The lukewarm water of About 3-4 inches into the tub is just perfect.
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You can also make use of bath toys to help your dog ease into it and a bath mat to prevent slipping after bathing.
- Avoid spraying the eyes, nose, and ears directly.
Make use of a plastic cup or hose spray that would help control the direction of the water.
- Rinse Properly.
Extra attention should be directed to rinsing. While some dogs have a lighter fur, others are blessed with thicker fur. This is the most common grooming mistake and could lead to hair falling out as a result of irritation.
Make use of a blow dryer on low heat, to prevent burning off your dog’s fur.
Brushing Tips
Brushing could come before or after a bath depending on what you prefer. There are several brands of dog grooming tables available on the market, to assist in keeping your dog still during this process.
- Check for ticks.
While brushing ticks become visible and can be removed, or black flecks. If there are a lot, then a trip to your favorite veterinarian should suffice.
- Determine how often you need to brush.
This is solely dependent on the coat of your dog. A short coat can be brushed weekly, however, a longer coat requires daily attention.
- Use the appropriate brush.
The brush used is largely dependent on the quality and length of your dog’s coat. For example;
For Smooth Short Coats – rubber brush, bristle brush, and a chamois cloth for polishing.
For Dense Short Coats/Long Coats – a sticker brush to detangle and a bristle brush.
Trimming Tips
Trimming is done using a good clipper and scissors. Clippers are relatively affordable, can be sharpened and used over time. Scissors are used for trimming around the ears, and paws to prevent injuries.
Trimming should be done every 6-8 weeks because your dog has a continuously growing coat.
- Use dog grooming tables.
If you can get your dog to stay still, then this option isn’t necessary. Dog grooming tables have the necessary apparatus to keep your dog in place.
- Brush out snags or mats.
Brush out the mats that could’ve formed when the fur is dry.
- Use Clippers and scissors
In long smooth strokes, use the clippers in the direction of hair growth. For trimming around the face, ears and paws use scissors, when using Clippers and scissors you need to be very careful when DIY Dog Grooming at home since you might hurt your dog.
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If your pet is wiggly, using a blunt tipped or curved scissors is advisable.Always make sure to check the ears for debris or a foul odor, and subsequently consult a veterinarian if there is any.
DIY Dog Grooming your dog at home is not only healthy and affordable, but it also helps in creating a bond which ultimately keeps your dog healthy and happy. I hope and believe the DIY Dog Grooming Tips will be of help.
Excellent write-up! Do you have any experience using deshedding tools? Ive heard theyre great but I havent purchased one for myself yet. Thanks!
Hi Matthew
Deshedding tools are very important when DIY Dog Grooming and Bristle brushes are one of them that I have great info on though we have others out there like FURminator.
Thank you
Take care Mercy!
Excellent information for dog owners. You would be amazed at how many people have dogs and don’t have a clue as to what to do for them. I never knew how often you should bathe a dog for one. The one thing that I would never try is to clip their nails. Too risky for me. Thanks for the information.
HI Ronnie
You are very right not so many people know that they can DIY Dog Grooming at their homes comfortably and easily, and its always advisable to do it regularly.You should try clipping lol… I know it might appear risky but it’s worth trying….!
Thank you
Take care Mercy.
Great article with a lot of good information and suggestions about dog grooming products, by using these products we can groom our dogs without spend a lot of money. Every dog owner should read this useful article, great work…:)
Hi Sarah
Very true I try to research the information that is of great help to the owner and you can tell with these great tips the owner don’t need to spend a lot of money. While he or she can do DIY dog grooming at their homes.
Thank you
Take care Mercy
I just recently got a new dog and she always seems to get herself dirty. I will definitely have to put some of these grooming tips to use. Do you have a particular dog shampoo that you would recommend? Thanks
Hi Logan
Am happy to hear you got a new dog am sure you are doing potty training now kindly read our Potty training made easyarticle for that! Back to the shampoo I would recommend any shampoo that got aloe vera in it eg oatmeal aloe vera is great during DIY dog grooming at home
Thank you
Take care Mercy
My dog hated getting bathed and groomed. I like the idea of brushing before washing as trying to brush a wet dog that already can’t stand the whole thing is even more difficult! Good tip. One thing that helped us with clipping nails was doing it right after the bath. Having the nails soaked in water was much easier on him!
Very good information. I’m glad it’s available for so that people who can’t afford to pay for dog grooming can properly can take of their pets.
Hi Rita
Yes, DIY dog grooming tips are the way to go thank you for stopping by.
Take care Mercy
It can be quite the challenge to take care of my dog. She is a long hair, so there is a lot of fur to manage. Too often, I am quite busy and, consequently, I forget to brush her hair, making it painful if I am not careful with her.
I do have a question though. Do you know of any shampoos that make it easier to brush a dog’s hair? The one I am using is just not working out. I look forward to hearing your answer.
Thank you so much for sharing and I hope you make it a great day!
Hi Alex
Thank you for stopping by we really appreciate your contributions and questions on DIY dog grooming,yes we have variety of Shampoo for dog infact they are called Hair Detanglers and we also have Detangler brushes which does the same feel free to try then come back and share with us your experience on DIY dog rooming,
Thank you
Take care Mercy
Our sheltie dog Bonnie had a thick coat of hair, it really took some drying. I remember Mum blow-drying her to quicken the process. She loved the warm heat blowing against her however I wish the same could have been said about here bath.
She hated getting bathed, her tail was down under here legs, ears back and looked such a poor soul, bless her. Our aim was to get her outside before she shook herself but she always beat us to it, soaked us every time.
Like you mention we used to use a sticker brush to de-tangle her knots followed by a wide bristled brush.
She looked wonderful, until the next day – ha!
Simon.
Hi Simon
This a very wonderful comment its has added some info on my website on DIY dog grooming tips 2018, I like it when you said she hated getting bathed lol… it’s very common with them but always remembering to award them especially after accepting will make work easier in the future.
Thank you
Take care Mercy