As fur parents, we want the best for our dogs. After all, there’s no better feeling than watching them frolic around the house. However, through time, they may experience discomfort from their fur, particularly for long-haired breeds. Long, shaggy hairs are a menace both to our dogs but to our homes too. Plus, tracks of mud can spread all over your rooms. That’s why we should prepare for grooming our pets. Keep on reading to learn the fundamentals of proper long-haired dog grooming.
The Essentials of Every Pet Grooming Kit
Brushes and Combs
Just like with our hair, dog furs are sensitive to brushes and combs. Incompatible brushes can cause brush burn, wounds, irritations, or worse, infection. That’s why you should select the correct brush for your dog with their breed and coat type in mind. For long-haired dogs that typically have heavy or curly coats, they require the use of slicker brushes. On the other hand, dogs with long and silky coats need a soft bristle brush. For best results, buy a dog grooming brush that can both function as a wire-pin brush and a soft-bristle brush at the same time.
Shears and Clippers
Your run-of-the-mill scissors aren’t going to cut it for grooming your dog. When cutting your dog’s fur, multiple types of dog grooming shears are needed to get the high-quality trim you want. Shears with straight blades, curved blades, and blending shears are necessary to get your desired look.
In the subject of clippers, you need to have a clipper that’s both durable and high quality. Remember, you’re going to be continually using the clippers for a long duration. Therefore, buying cheap clippers with weak motors won’t last long.
Dog Nail Clippers
Clipping your dog’s nails can be an arduous task, especially if you cut too deep. If you catch your dog yelping in pain when you cut their nails, you have most likely cut their quicks, the part of their claws that houses their nerves and vessels. Get a quality nail clipper with stainless steel blades to make nail clipping a breeze.
The Bath Essentials
Always stock up on flea and tick solutions and use organic, chemical-free shampoos that suit your dog the most. Using a chemical-free shampoo for our furry friends helps stave fleas away, keeps them clean, and helps them stay fresh throughout the day.
Prevent incessant bathing that can hurt your dog’s skin by using grooming wipes instead. With grooming wipes, you can quickly wipe away pesky stains they accumulate while playing.
The Fundamentals of Dog Grooming
Give Them a Clean and Thorough Bath
The long coats of your dogs often get dirty and clumped together when they play around our yard. That’s why we need to keep them clean by giving them a thorough bath every month. However, keep in mind that persistent baths can give your dogs dry skin, leading to infections and scabbing. Furthermore, frequent baths can remove natural oils from your dog’s coat that shows off their natural sheen. We recommend using grooming wipes when your dog gets dirty after they have bathed recently.
Keep Them Calm
If your dog is used to grooming, you won’t experience any problems trimming their fur at home. But, if they’re not, get ready to experience energetic tussles and struggles to keep your dog quiet and calm. Ease them up by soothing them and giving strong encouragement. Take note that noisy clippers may cause further stress, which is why choosing the correct clippers is of utmost importance.
While grooming your dog, remember to remove outside distractions to restrain them from moving too much. Try to keep other dogs and stow toys away from their line of sight.
Start with the Fur
By now, you ought to have your tools nearby, and your dog is ready for grooming. Start with checking your dogs for fleas and ticks, especially during tick season. Afterward, trim out clumps of fur and cut out long hairs that spread to the floor. Delicately handle their coat when cutting, and don’t pull too hard as you may hurt them instead.
Know When to Stop
Trimming your dog is fun and relaxing. However, keep in mind that your dog isn’t a doll that can take the stress of daily changes in their fur. Know their breed’s natural look and use that as a basis. You may look at your dog’s coat as a canvass, but it’s far from it.
Let Your Dog Be a Dog
Dogs are born energetic and lively. No matter how many measures you take to keep your dogs clean, they’ll still love jumping on muddy terrain and track mud around the house. It’s unhealthy to prevent your dog from frolicking around the yard because you don’t want them to get filthy. With that in mind, keep your clippers and bath essentials at bay and let dogs be dogs.
