Dog hair care at home

"How to groom your dog"

Dog hair care is an important part of your dog's health and is sometimes over looked by the owner. But with quick regular brushing and combing to help remove shedding hair and dirt this will easily prevent any matting that may occur between groomer visits. As you can see Tiffany is ready for another visit to the groomer.

It seems dogs that are regularly groomed tend to have a healthier and shinier coat because it stimulates the blood supply to the skin. Some breeds require very little effort such as a short hair Chihuahua or a Chinese Crested. Than there are the breeds like a Komondor or a Poodle in a show coat that need constant attention.

Canine Grooming

I take my girls to the groomer about every other month. She knows what she is doing and takes good care of them. Tiffany and Hanna have different hair so they need different care.

Tiffany's fur is thick (double coat) while Hannas is a single coat. Both will grow long but a Yorkies hair (Hanna) will grow the same as a humans. If not cut it would eventually drag the ground and break off. Yes Tiffany has fur and Hanna has hair.

Tiffany is half Shih Tzu and half Chihuahua. Her dog hair care is very similar to a Shih Tzu as far as thickness but it doesn’t grow as fast. She needs to be groomed more for preventing mats than the length of her coat. When she is shampooed it takes twice as long for water to penetrate her thick fur.

How to groom you dog

In between visits to the groomer I must groom the dogs myself occasionally. We keep Hanna's hair short so we mainly have to just give her a bath every now and again. With Tiffany we also have to brush her hair to prevent matting.

Tools we keep on hand are a brush, comb, scissors and cotton for ear protection during bathing, shampoo and conditioner. Lets not forget towels and treats. My girls don’t like a bath but they don’t put up a fuss either.

Canine Clippers

As you can see Hanna needs some dog hair care in this photo. I made this towel for her but she wasn't excited about it or maybe she was having a bad hair day, sure looks it.

Many people don’t like to use clippers when grooming their dogs, I am one of them. I have tried but just can’t get the hang of working with the clippers. So I leave that to the groomer. Also the groomer will express their glands, this needs to be done regularly for the dogs health and comfort.

The groomer will also clips their nails. I have clipped their nails when they were small but as they got older their nails turned black and I couldn't see the quick so easily. If you cut the quick it is very painful and will bleed so you must be careful. This I turned over to the groomer also.

So in between visits I will shampoo, brush and comb them. Occasionally I will clip the hair on their head or trim their bangs as a touch up. But for a thorough job they do see the professional. Grooming is a major factor to be considered when adopting a new pet.