GROOMING YOUR DOG

When you acquire a dog, you take on the responsibility of keeping it clean, neat, and well-groomed. Dogs should be groomed regularly and thoroughly, not just for the sake of beauty, but primarily for hygiene and comfort. Brushing and bathing the dog's coat, cleaning it's ears, checking it's teeth, and trimming it's nails are all duties that go hand in hand with conscientious ownership.

BATHING :

How often you bathe your dog depends not only on how frequently they get dirty, but on the type of skin and hair they have, and the kind of shampoo you use. The average dog is said to maintain a slightly alkaline pH as opposed to the acidic nature of human skin. Therefore, unless your dog has a specific skin problem requiring medicated shampoo recommended by a veterinarian, use a good quality shampoo designed for dogs. These products can be purchased either from your dog's veterinarian or a pet supply store. Avoid human shampoo, bar soap, and dishwashing detergents since they often tend to be drying and irritating to some dog's skin and hair.

If you use a good quality shampoo, most dogs can be bathed about once a month. Some dogs need to be bathed much more frequently; others should be bathed less frequently. Use your dog's appearance, feel, and odor as guides.

Accustom your dog to bathing early in life so it will not be a problem later. You can bathe a puppy as young as seven or eight weeks of age if you do it quickly and prevent chilling. Bathing itself does not cause illness, but the stress of being chilled can.

If you accustom your dog to bathing at a young age, you should have no difficulty during baths. Adult dogs who have never been bathed when young may have a harder adjustment or never be completely comfortable with baths.

It is usually easiest for you and most comfortable for your dog, if you use a sink or bathtub and warm water for bathing. A slippery, wet bathtub can be frightening and unsafe, so be sure to use a rubber mat in the bathtub to provide traction for your dog. If the weather is warm, bathing can be done outside using water from a garden hose. This method is usually the easiest for very large dogs.

Before the bath, it is a good idea, but not absolutely necessary, to protect your dog's ear canals and eyes from soap and water. This can be done by placing large wads of cotton firmly inside the ears and by applying a gentle opthalmalic ointment or a drop of mineral oil into each eye. Long-haired dogs should be combed out before bathing so grooming after the bath is easier.

Start the bath by thoroughly wetting your dog. Apply the shampoo and work into a sudsy lather by gently but vigorously massaging it into your dog's coat with your fingertips. Start with your dog's back, extending all the way to the rear of the dog, down the legs, and up under the chest and abdomen. Wash the head last, being careful not to get any shampoo in the dog's eyes. It is when your dog's head gets wet that he is most likely to want to shake. Two shampoo applications may be necessary if your dog is very dirty. Thorough rinsing is extremely important since any soap left on the skin can be very irritating. A dog cream rinse, used according to directions, can be used after the shampoo to make comb out of long-haired dogs easier. Towel drying is usually sufficient, but if you accustom your dog to the sound, a human hair dryer can be used to speed the process. Be sure to prevent your dog from being chilled while drying.

Use the basic rules of training to get your dog to cooperate. "No" or "Stop It" when he tries to get out of the tub. Your training collar and leash may be used if needed for control. "Shake" can be an extremely helpful command to teach your dog to do on cue when the bath is finished. Never forget to praise you dog when he is cooperating quietly.

COAT CARE:

The kind of grooming your dog's coat needs depends on it's length and type. Each type of coat has it's own special grooming needs, but, the principles of hair growth and the factors which produce a healthy coat are the same for all of them. The main aims of brushing are to remove dead hair and to clean the skin and living hair.

Short-haired dogs usually need only an occasional rubdown with a hound mitt or rubber curry comb to remove loose hair and distribute the oils. A hound mitt is a canvas glove with short bristles, wires, or rubber bumps set into it, giving you a "bristled palm." As it removes any dead undercoat, it leaves the outer coat with a polished shine. A hound mitt is not really effective on coats longer than that of a Labrador Retriever.

Dogs with longer hair need more specialized grooming. Long-haired dogs need to be combed before brushing because brushing does not keep their coat in shape. Combs are available in metal or plastic. More important, the teeth should be rounded, both at the tips and in cross section, to avoid tearing the skin and breaking the hair. Use your comb to break up any coarse mats or snags. Mats of hair often occur behind the ears and under the legs. These can be teased apart when they are small, but if allowed to become large, such mats must be cut away with scissors or clippers. Regular combing and brushing prevents mats from forming in the first place.

After combing, a bristle brush is used to complete or give the "finishing touch" to the longer-coated dog's grooming routine. If possible, purchase a natural bristle brush to help avoid hair breakage and static electricity that may be caused by synthetic bristles. The bristles should always be long enough to reach through the dog's coat to it's skin. Short, dense-bristled brushes are fine for short-haired breeds. A dog with a long coat will require a brush with longer, wider spaced bristles set in a rubber base. Beginning at the dog's head and working back towards the tail, always brush to follow the normal "lay" of the hair.

Many breeds need periodic clipping, stripping, and/or plucking to keep their coats in manageable condition and the hair out of their eyes. Do not fool yourself or cheat your dog out of the amount of grooming his coat requires. Even dogs that are kept clipped and stripped periodically by grooming professionals are not exempt from a 10 - 20 minute daily regime.

Most dogs do not object to daily brushing if it is done with sensitivity and a firm brush whose bristles do not scratch. To the dog, brushing feels very much like a vigorous petting. Not only will you reap the benefits of a beautiful looking dog, but it can also provide a time of closeness between you and your dog.

EARS:

Get into the habit of checking your dog's ears routinely. Ears are a common haven for ticks, mites, and infections. Periodic examination and cleansing should be done once a month. For dogs with hanging ears, or dogs who have had any recent ear problems, more frequent care is needed.

Hold the ear flap and carefully examine the inner folds as well as the ear canal. You should see a clean surface similar to the skin on the hairless part of the dogs belly. Smell the ear. A healthy ear has a warm, waxy smell. Small amounts of wax and dirt are easily removed using a damp towel or soft cloth. Wrap the cloth over your index finger and wipe out any accumulation from the ear flap as far down the ear canal you can see. You cannot damage the ear drum in this way. Any folds or crevices you cannot reach into with your finger can be cleaned using a cotton swab moistened with water, mineral oil, or isopropyl alcohol. Never poke the tip of the cotton swab out of sight. Use your finger as a stop and hold it like a pencil just above the "bulb". You will do no harm if you keep it in view. Any redness, inflammation, strong unpleasant odor and/or discharge usually indicates an infection requiring veterinary care.

Some breeds such as poodles and terriers have hairy ear canals. Some veterinarians feel that ear canals that have hair in them should have the hair removed or "plucked" periodically to prevent ear infections or inflammations. Check with your veterinarian for his advice and suggested care.

TEETH:

Luckily, the teeth of dogs are much stronger than those of humans are not especially prone to tooth decay. Dogs seldom get cavities. Buildup of tartar is very common and can cause problems when an owner neglects to look after his dog's teeth. This is especially true of small dogs.

When present, tartar is most obvious on the canine teeth and molars. It appears as a hard yellow - brown or grayish - white deposit which cannot be removed by brushing or scraping it with a fingernail. When neglected, it causes gum disease which can eventually lead to loss of teeth. Once tartar is present, it can only be removed by your veterinarian.

Tartar formation can be prevented in several simple ways. Feed your dog dry food, as dogs who eat a kibble or biscuit diet tend to have less tartar due to the abrasive action of this type of food. Feeding a hard food diet will not absolutely prevent tartar. Conditions existing in some dogs' mouths, particularly small breeds, make them prone to forming lots of plaque and tartar no matter what diet is fed.

Give your dog things to chew on. Hard rubber toys, rawhide chews, large bones, and hard biscuits are all safe and suitable for your dog's chewing satisfaction. These items remove plaque by abrasion.

Clean your dog's teeth yourself once or twice a week. Humans rely on cleaning their teeth to prevent decay. If you begin early, you can accustom your dog to having it's teeth cleaned too. You can use a toothbrush, but a gauze pad or rough cloth works just as well. Do not use human toothpaste. They hate the taste and it is unhealthy for dogs to swallow! You can use water, water and salt, water and sodium bicarbonate, or special formulated dog toothpaste. Moisten your brush or cloth with one of the products mentioned above, then vigorously scrub your dog's teeth and gums exactly as you would your own. It's not absolutely necessary to do the inner tooth surfaces because the motion of the tongue usually keeps these areas relatively plaque free.

In the case of your dog's teeth, an ounce of weekly, routine prevention is well orth the pound of cost and discomfort it takes to repair dental neglect.

NAILS:

A dog's nails have to be cut if they are not worked down sufficiently by walking or exercising on rough surfaces. A dog's nails should be no longer than the length it takes for them to just touch the ground, allowing the foot to remain compact and trim. Longer nails do not provide good traction and cause a dog to stand abnormally, sometimes causing pain. In extreme cases, nails can grow in a complete circle penetrating the pad. This is especially true of dewclaws (the fifth nail on the inside of the leg, about 1 inch above the paw) if they have not been removed because they do not touch the ground, and therefore do not wear down at all.

With care, you can trim your dog's nails yourself. Nail clippers can be purchased at any pet supply store. They come in two types, guillotine or pliers. Choose which style you would feel most comfortable using. Nails are "alive," meaning they contain blood vessels and nerves. Only the tip is dead. Light colored nails are the easiest to trim since the blood vessel can be seen as a pink area coming to a point. Cut the nail just beyond the point where you see the dermis end. If you cut into the blood vessel, it is painful and bleeding will occur. Have a styptic pencil or other caustic handy to stop bleeding if this should happen. Try very hard not to make this mistake. The bleeding will stop, but the pain will make your dog reluctant to have a nail trim next time. Black nails are harder to trim. The best rule to follow is to cut the nail just beyond the point where it starts to curve downward. Opt to err on the side of caution, and learn from your first mistake if you make one bleed.

As with other forms of grooming, it is best to accustom your dog to having his nails trimmed at a young age, in a positive way. If your dog is extremely anxious or resistant to having his feet or nails touched, perhaps because of a previous unpleasant experience, you will need to approach things a little more slowly. Break down the procedure into small steps. First get your dog used to simply having his feet handled. Next, handle his feet and lightly squeeze each nail with your finger. Always praise and reward any acceptance or positive behavior from the dog. Proceed to clipping one nail per session, next session two nails, then three nails, increasing by one nail each session until your dog is comfortable and compliant while you clip all nails in one session. Sometimes practice, along with praise, praise, and more praise, makes perfect!

Grooming is not just for show dogs. Regular grooming makes any dog nicer to live with, to look at, and at the same time is responsible for making your dog feel more comfortable. Take time to make your special companion look and feel his best. Your dog will love you for it.

Copyright 1996 - St. Hubert's Giralda