Home Dog Grooming Tips

It is important to groom your pets regularly, because they are easily prone to various kinds of infections. In fact, the lack of hygiene can be the cause of a number of infections in pets, and this includes your dog. Since dog is a highly active animal, bound to get dirty quiet often, bathing him, trimming his hair, cutting nails, brushing teeth and cleaning his nose and ears will ensure better health and hygiene for him. By following the tips and instructions given in the article, you will find that grooming a dog at home is a very easy process.

How To Groom A Dog At Home

Things Required

Dog Shampoo
Absorbent Towels
Tub
Rubber Mat
Water
Cotton Balls
Hair Detangler
Comb
Razor/Clippers
Nail Trimmer
Dog Toothbrush
Pet Toothpaste
Mineral Oil
Septic Powder

Procedure

Equip yourself with pet grooming products. Choose a place for grooming your dog. This may be your backyard.
Fill the tub with water. Check the temperature of water to make sure that it is not beyond lukewarm.
Position your dog inside the tub. It may be difficult to drag a dog into the tub, because the animal views the whole experience of sitting inside a tub, filled with water, as unpleasant. So, place a rubber mat in the bath tub, so that you get better traction, while bathing him.
Before you turn on the water supply, insert cotton balls into your dog's ears. Be careful not to press the cotton balls too deep.
It is the time to bathe your dog. Dampen him with the water in the tub. Now, apply dog shampoo all over his body. Leave it for 10 minutes. Rinse the shampoo thoroughly with water.
Dry your pet by using an absorbent towel.
Now, it is the time to comb your dog's hair. Make use of a hair detangler for the purpose. Be sure to use dog's comb. If you want to trim your dog's hair, to give it a proper cut, make use of razor or clippers.
If you find any dirt or discharge from your dog's ear, cleaning the area with a cotton ball, moistened with a small amount of mineral oil.
A tough thing to do is to brush the dog's teeth. No matter how careful you are, the pet will not let you come near it, to brush his teeth. Therefore, you need to comfort your pet first and then brush his teeth, with pet toothpaste.
The next step is to trim his nails. While cutting the nails, be careful not to get closer to the 'quick' or vein of the nail, because it may cause pain. The nails may bleed profusely, if you are not careful.

Tips

Apply a little amount of shampoo on your dog. Be careful, not to spray the shampoo on his eyes and nose, because the chemical in the product may lead to an itchy sensation.
You should trim the hair of your dog, only if it has grown long. Attempting to trim short hair might prove to be irritating to the pet.
Instead of using razor, you can use a pair of scissors to trim the hair, if your dog is hairy.
Do the entire grooming process slowly, because some dogs become tensed on receiving harsh and haphazard treatment.
Keep a septic powder handy, in case you accidentally cut the nails deep into the 'quick'.

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