Reigning Cats & Dogs: 2013

An essential part of responsible pet care, pet grooming also provides important bonding time for you and your dog. Dogs accustomed to home grooming are much easier for vets and professional groomers to handle. Wild undomesticated dogs typically shed their coats twice a year with the change of seasons. But dogs living in summer air conditioning, and artificial winter heat, often shed year round making home grooming a necessity.

Helping Your Dog to Accept and Enjoy Grooming
Begin your dog grooming with a large dose of human patience and limit the early sessions to a short time span. Puppies constantly shed their coats and should be exposed to grooming and handling as soon as they enter your life. All dogs will enjoy grooming if they never learn to think of it as a forced and unpleasant event. Before you begin grooming, your dog must first be comfortable with you touching and handling their body.

During petting and play handle your dog's paws, stroke their belly, etc. Stop as soon as the dog appears irritated. Once your dog is used to being handled try your first grooming sessions. Save the parts they like least for last, usually the belly and rear areas. Keep the grooming session short and do a little more each time. Providing an occasional treat at the end may be helpful, but don't do this on a regular basis or they will come to expect it.

Dog Grooming Basics
Don't think you're doing your dogs a favor by shaving them in the summer! Dogs have sweat glands in their tongues and the pads of their feet, not all over their bodies like humans do. In the heat of summer their coats helps block harmful UV radiation. Their skin does not tan, it burns.

Regular brushing and combing stimulates your dog's skin, removes dead hairs before they can mat and distributes natural oils over the dog's coat. This allows the individual hairs to repel dirt, lie smoothly and shine brightly. Even dogs with very short coats benefit from grooming. Comb, then brush. Use a wide toothed comb to remove the dead hair, gently teasing out any knots with your fingers.

Always be gentle with your dog, you wouldn't like anyone pulling your hair! If your dog has developed a matted coat, leave it to the professionals. Removing mats by force can cause a dog to hate being groomed by you.

How Often Should You Groom Your Dog?
How often your dog needs to be groomed (combing and brushing) depends upon several factors: the type and length of coat, how much time they spend outdoors, weather conditions, the time of year, etc. In general shorthaired dogs should be groomed about twice a week, while longhaired dogs should be groomed daily. Establish a regular grooming schedule at a convenient time that allows for proper grooming without being rushed or interrupted.

A Stress Free Dog Bath is not a Contradiction
If you love your dog, give it a bath. They'll be cleaner, happier, healthier and both of you will have a better quality of life.

Begin dog bathing at an early age, be well prepared and firm but gentle. Some dogs even enjoy a good bath! Others may not like it, but can learn to tolerate baths with ease. You may want to consider a human assistant the first few times you try bathing your dog.

Always comb and brush before bathing the dog, especially if the coat is matted. Getting a tangled, matted coat wet causes the coat to mat up even more.
Have a warm room prepared for the bath; with a door you can close to avoid dog escapes.
Use a large sink or a bathtub with a non-skid surface so your dog does not slide about groping for solid footing- a stressful situation.
Have on hand ample wash cloths, absorbent towels, grooming combs and brushes.
Select a gentle pet shampoo and conditioner. Don't use human shampoo. There is a difference in the "pH" for pet and human shampoos. Human products can dry out a dog's skin and coat. Don't apply shampoo to the dog's head area. Clean the face and head with a warm damp cloth without shampoo.
Prepare pitchers of warm water or use a quiet low flow hose attachment for rinsing. Some dogs can become frightened by forceful running water. Rinse thoroughly. Missed shampoo residue can dry out the skin and coat.
Purchase a quiet blow dryer. Blow dry backwards against the lay of the hair.
A final quick combing and brushing and you have a beautiful clean companion dog.

Bathe your dog about every six weeks. It's best not to bath more than once a month to avoid drying out the skin and coat.

If you don't use a pet coat conditioner, after shampooing your dog may develop Fly Away Coat Syndrome and their coat become super charged with static electricity. A conditioner helps neutralize the charge left behind in a pet's coat after each shampooing. Conditioners make the dog's coat manageable, soft, and smooth. Most humans also use a conditioner for this very reason.

If you love your dog, give it a bath. They'll be cleaner, happier, healthier and both of you will have a better quality of life.