Regularly grooming your dog at home is important to keep them healthy and smelling fresh.

There are four routine grooming habits that you can do at home to help maintain your pet’s health. Learn how to groom your dog at home by:

Make this an enjoyable experience for your dog by only grooming your dog when they are in a calm and relaxed mood, and maintaining a positive tone throughout. You should introduce a regular grooming and brushing routine to your dog when they’re a young puppy so they’re accustomed to you touching and looking at various parts of their body. Grooming your dog at home also provides familiar movements in preparation for your dog to get used to being professionally groomed in a Petbarn Grooming salon.

 

Step 1: How to brush a dog at home

Step one in grooming is brushing your dog. Brushing is important to remove loose fur, dirt and debris from your dog’s coat. This also allows your dog’s skin to breathe and stay healthy, and reduces the amount of fur that is shed on your furniture. It also helps to spread natural oils throughout your dog’s coat to increase its shine, and gives you time to bond with your pet. How often you should brush your dog’s hair varies by breed, but it’s a great idea to brush your dog at the same time every day. You can also use this time to check your dog’s skin and coat for ticks, lumps, cuts and other skin issues.

Brush your dog’s coat in the direction that it grows, and be gentle and patient with any tangles. Sensitive areas that you should focus on are their face, ears, neck ruffs, and any feathering on their legs. Brushing matted dog hair out is also important. If you notice any matted hair in your dog’s coat, try to remove them with a coat conditioner. If you’re unable to detangle the mat, we highly recommend that you do not attempt to cut it off with scissors as you may accidentally cut your dog’s skin. Instead, have a professional groomer at a Petbarn Grooming salon remove the matting from your dog’s fur.

Depending on your dog’s coat type, there are a variety of dog brushes, combs, rakes and grooming gloves that will best suit their needs. Ask the friendly team members at your local Petbarn which combination of grooming products will keep your dog’s coat in the optimum condition. The range includes products suitable for brushing dogs with short hair as well as long hair.

Step 2: How to wash and bathe a dog

The next step is to wash and bathe your dog, although you will not have to do this every time you groom them. How often you should wash your dog will depend on factors such as their coat, environment, and activity. Ask your Greencross Vets for a recommendation on how often your canine companion needs to be washed at home. As a rough guide most dogs will not need to be washed more than once a month, though exceptions can definitely be made for when your playful pet jumps into a puddle of mud! Don’t wash your dog more than necessary or you may risk stripping the natural oils from their coat and cause it to dry out, especially if you’re using a harsh soap-based shampoo.

Before washing your dog at home, brush through their coat to remove any tangles, and gently place cotton balls in their ears to prevent water from getting in. Where to wash your dog varies depending on your situation, but a bathroom with a tub or sink can work. Fill a tub with lukewarm water and make sure that you provide your dog with a non-slip mat to stand on. If you have a large dog that cannot fit into a tub or sink, Petbarn’s DIY Dog Wash units are conveniently located inside our stores for a safe and mess-free way to bathe your dog.

Always use dog shampoo and conditioner and not human products, to wash your dog. Gently lather your dog with the appropriate dog shampoo, taking care to keep the shampoo out of their eyes and ears. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the shampoo from your dog’s coat as it can irritate their skin if left in. Leave in or wash out conditioner depending on what product you’re using. Finally, use a towel to help your dog dry off, and let them air dry the rest. They will want to shake, so be careful where you wash your dogs. Indoors may not be totally appropriate! Feel free to use a hair dryer on a cool setting and low fan speed to ensure their coat is dry and fluffy.

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Step 3: How to clean dogs’ ears

It is possible for you to clean your dog’s ears at home but it’s best that you have a professional groomer or vet show you how to do it first. Ear cleaning is not without potential complications so an understanding on how to do it and the care needed to do it is beneficial. Did you know Petbarn Grooming salons offer a dog ear cleaning service that you can take advantage of?

Only specially designed dog ear cleaners should be used in your dog’s ears. Drip this solution into your pet’s ear and gently massage to help break down the wax and debris. After about 20 seconds, you can carefully and gently use a clean tissue (not cotton tip) to clean your the debris. Then, repeat this process on the other ear.

Your Greencross Vet can recommend how often you’ll need to clean your dog’s ears depending on elements including their breed. Dogs with long ears with a lot of hair may require special attention when cleaning their ears.

Your dog’s ears should never smell, and any odour could be a sign of an ear infection. Other signs that your dog’s ears are infected and will need to be assessed by a Greencross Vet are if there’s discharge, if the ears are red and inflamed, or if your dog is shaking their head and scratching at their ears.

Step 4: How to trim a dog’s nails

You can learn to cut your dog’s nails at home using our handy guide. How often you have to cut your dog’s nails is influenced by their activity levels. Highly active dogs who have naturally worn their nails down through running on hard surfaces may not need their nails cut, while indoor dogs who only go for a short walk each day will need their nails regularly trimmed.

A dog’s toenails consist of the nail itself which surrounds the quick, the pink part inside which supplies blood to the nail. Be very careful that you do not cut into the quick as it will bleed quite a lot and hurt your dog. For dogs with black nails where you cannot see the quick, it can be more difficult to avoid cutting it but the best method for trimming your dog’s nails is to simply trim the hooked part of the nail that is curving down. For dogs with dewclaws, you must trim these as well as they cannot naturally wear down.

Make sure to always use dog nail clippers to trim your pet’s nails as these are specially designed to suit the strength and shape of dog toenails, and they often include safety features and cutting guides. If you don’t feel confident cutting your dog’s nails yourself, take them into a Petbarn Grooming salon where our professional groomers can perform this service for you.

Taking the time to groom your dog at home in between visits to a Petbarn Grooming salon will keep them healthy, tidy and clean. To understand which dog grooming products best suit your unique pet, visit your local Petbarn where our friendly team members can give you personalised advice for grooming large dogs, small dogs, long-haired dogs, short-haired dogs and more.

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