Owning a dog is always the best feeling in the world and one can truly experience it when the affection is from both sides. If you are taking good care of your dog then your dog would reciprocate to this feeling too. Taking care of the dog is as good as taking care of the baby. One needs to put a lot of effort when it comes to cleaning or the grooming part of the dog.
There are times when you would realize that your dog is feeling smelly or making tik-tik noise due to longer nails or shedding his fur. This is the time when you need to prepare your dog as well as yourself for its grooming session.
It might be possible that you are not an expert in it. You have no idea how to bathe your dog, how to cut his nails, or how to comb his fur. It’s okay. You are not alone. Many own a dog but still clueless about how to take care of the hygiene part of the dog. Here is the detailed guide along with steps that would help you to start the grooming session of your dog immediately.
Get all the right supplies
The very first thing that you would need to do is to gather all the required products and tools for the grooming session. Getting all the required things beforehand would save a lot of your time. If you do not have any then you can buy them from any pet store near you. You can even buy these products online easily on the websites such as PETstock.
You would require shampoo, brush, comb, hairdryer, toothpaste, toothbrush, towels, conditioner, styptic powder, ear solution, nail clippers, etc. You can also get the fur detangling solution depending upon the type of fur your dog has. If you are planning to cut his fur then you can consider investing in electric dog clippers.
Once you gather all the required things then you can start with brushing its fur first which is the most important step. You can keep a routine of brushing its fur at least once a week. It would help to keep its fur healthy.
Brushing the teeth
The next step after brushing the fur is to brush its teeth. You can get toothpaste and toothbrushes which are specially formulated for dogs. Make sure to brush all of its surfaces on the teeth. You can get your dog into this habit of brushing the teeth daily.
Nail trimming
The third step involves trimming of its nails. You can trim its nails with the help of a nail clipper. Here you would need to clip the nails quickly as the slow process can crack the nails. Make sure not to trim the live part of the nail which is known as quick. If you cut the quick part accidentally then you can use the styptic powder on it in case of bleeding.
Shampoo
Here comes the fourth step that involves shampooing and rinsing. According to experts, you can bathe your dog every four to six weeks. Dogs tend to make a lot of mess during bathing hence make sure to use the non-slip mats in the bathtub. Make sure to wash out every bit of the shampoo from its hair.
Cleaning of ears
Ears are the most neglected parts of dogs which accumulate dirt easily. While bathing makes sure that the water does not get into the ear. You can use the combination of cotton swabs and ear solution to clean the ears gently. Make sure to dry the ears completely after the cleaning session as it can lead to bacteria growth.
Drying and Brushing the fur
Here comes the last step where your dog’s grooming session ends. Once done with the shampooing and rinsing you can get the towel to dry its fur. If your god has longer or thicker fur then you can even consider using the hairdryer. Make sure to use the cold setting.
After this, you can brush his hair again and apply the leave-in conditioner if required. If the fur needs trimming, then you can use the clippers which are specially designed for dogs. Make sure to use the guard to protect its sensitive skin during the fur trimming session.