In Between Professional Grooming Maintenance For Dogs

We all love when our dogs come back from the groomer with glossy tamed hair, trimmed nails, fresh breath, and smell like flowers. They almost look like new dogs, but with time, their hair starts to get tangled, nails start to scratch the floor, breath is no longer fresh, and the smell of roses is long gone. We all love a well-groomed dog, and it’s also essential for their well-being, but it can be hard to take them to our favourite groomer every week. Here is some basic grooming tips you can do at home to keep your pooch groomed and cuddly in between professional visits.

Timing

The first thing you should know is how often you should take your dog to the groomer. If you know your dog’s needs, it’s easier to plan what you’ll need to do between visits. What will determine how often you should pay a visit to your groomer is the breed, hair length, skin conditions, and any additional needs. Talk to your groomer to find out the frequency of appointments that best suits your pup.

Nail Care

Nail trimming is one of the things that dog owners are most afraid to do on their own because they think they will hurt the dog. A long nail can be painful to a dog when they step on a hard surfaces, since the long nail puts pressure on the nail bed. Most groomers recommend that the nails should be trimmed at least once a month.

Anal Glands

Dogs among other mammals have glands that produce scentsnear the anus. The secretion from these glands has a unique scent that helps dogs identify themselves. That’s why when dogs meet they awkwardly sniff each other’s butts. Sometimes, these glands can get blocked, causing the dog pain and discomfort. If you notice that your dog is scooting their butt on the ground, licking or biting the area, showing discomfort when sitting or have a swollen red area, this could be a sign that the glands are blocked. If you don’t feel comfortable squeezing the glands to remove the fluids, a groomer can help with thisissue.

Whiskers Care

Although some pet owners may think the whiskers need trimming, they are an important part of the dog’s sensory functioning. As the whiskers are not connected to pain receptors, dog’s can get disoriented when they have them cut down. The best thing to do is to leave it.

Oral Care

Oral care is an extremely important part of grooming and something all pet owners should maintain in between visits to the groomer and vet. Oral care is not only an aesthetic way to cover bad breath, but it’s also a hygiene procedure to help promote oral health. Getting their teeth brushed is something your dog should expect to have every day.

Ear Care

Between grooming appointments, basic ear maintenance is required to ensure your dog’s ear is taken care of. You can carefully remove the excess of wax from inside the ear and ear flap.

Hair Care

This is the most basic care every pet owner can do. Even short-haired dogs need frequent hair brushing to reduce shedding and dander. Regular brushing removes the excess of hair from your dog's coat and helps to distribute their natural oils. For obvious reasons, dogs with long hair need to be brushed more frequently as they shed more, and the hair is easier to get tangled. Basic brushing will keep your dog and groomer happy at every visit.

Performing some basic maintenance is important to keep your dog and groomer happy on your next visit, but there are things only a trained and experienced groomer will be able to execute.

“I had a Shih Tzu by the name of Teddy. We would bathe and brush him at home in between grooms but left the real grooming to our groomer. We dropped him off at the groomer like we normally do and let them do what they need to do. We got a call shortly after we dropped him off that we should come and get him and take him to the vet as they noticed that something didn’t look right with his eye. We look at our dog every day and didn’t even realize it ourselves. I went back and picked him up and took him to the vet, Turns out he had a tumor in his eye that needed to be surgically removed.

Teddy may have lost his eye, but the groomer saved his life.”

- Jamie Paquin, Customer Service Representative