A dog’s mental and physical well-being is tied to proper grooming, including trimming nails, bathing and teeth brushing.
Owning a dog is a beautiful way to keep the warmth of an animal within your living space.
However, taking care of your canine pet is more than giving them affection and a sufficient dose of daily exercise.
Because of the importance of grooming to your dog, we review here the essential practices you need to observe for keeping your dog in proper shape at all times. Whether you want to do them at home or engage the services of a professional, they are simple, but essential for your dog’s health.
Bathing
Although bathing your pet requires a little carefulness in handling the dog, especially if it doesn`t like water, you don’t need a special skill to do it. Unless your dog loves playing in the dirt, which you should correct, you only need to do this once or twice a month.
However, if you make this a regular practice, you`ll find it easier to get your pet to take a bath. Be sure to use the recommended shampoo and brush for dogs. It is important to wash the fur thoroughly for any underlying dirt. Also, note that bathing the dog too often is not good as it strips off the natural oil coating on the animal’s skin.
Nail Trimming
Clipping the nails of your dog is one perfect way to avoid it from getting injured or leaving a terrible scratch on your skin or someone else`s. Besides, long nails affect the mobility and comfort of the animal.
While the frequency of nail trimming depends on the dog, it is important to keep an eye on them and ensure they don`t grow out too long.
Naturally, dogs that spend more time outdoors have shorter nails than dogs that are mostly indoors. A good way to know if the nails have grown out is when you begin to hear them strike the floor. Also, get clippers for pet nails.
Ear Cleaning
Just as having wax develop in your ears can lead to itchiness, so it is for your canine companion. Ear cleaning ought to be done as often as once a week – not difficult, actually.
Also, be mindful that water could get stuck in the ears after a bath. So, be sure to clean out the ears after a routine bath. If ear cleaning is not done regularly, your pet is at the risk of serious infection, which you want to avoid.
Grooming
Grooming is extremely important and is part of the dog’s health, in addition to aesthetics. It facilitates sweating and thus improves the well-being of the animal. The fur has the function of preventing the dog from losing heat or absorbing excess heat, acting as a type of thermal insulator. Depending on the coat, grooming should be done more frequently to ensure the pet’s hygiene.