How to Groom a Dog (Tips to Make Your Pooch Be At His Best)

We're probably inclined to groom our dogs because we want them to look their best. But dog grooming goes isn't just vital to your pooch's appearance - it's also vital to his health. As such, it's essential that he not only gets groomed, but he gets groomed properly.

Good Dog Grooming is Essential to Good Dog Health

According to veterinarians, dog grooming can often be an important step into being proactive about your dog's overall health. It's much easier to deduce health problems at their origins on a dog that is properly maintained, which may help you nip things in the bud before they become serious issues. Plus, a properly groomed dog will allow your furry companion to feel much more comfortable, which can be a key component to his overall mental health.

Grooming is More than Taking Care of a Dog’s Coat

It’s easy to immediately concentrate on a dog’s fur when the need for grooming arises. And it is crucial that your pooch’s coat is properly taken care of through brushing so that dirt and loose hair can be natural oils can be properly distributed. With that being said, grooming as a whole is a multi-step process that involves taking care of your dog from head to tail:

Checking your dog’s eyes should be part of your overall grooming process. This is carried out by making sure your pooch's eyes have a clear, shiny gleam and are free from irritation. For white-fur breeds, this could include keeping the area around the eyes dry to prevent tear staining.

Making sure your dog’s ears are okay is another essential part of grooming. You can check your buddy’s ears by examining its inner portion for inflammation, debris, or foul odor. There are liquid ear cleaners on the market that can help clear up these issues, although it’s also a good idea to visit a veterinarian if the ear problems persist.

It’s also prudent to keep an eye on your dog’s nails, particularly if they're indoor dogs or not all that active. Trimming dog nails can be a somewhat delicate process because if you cut too far, you can cut into the quick and cause them to bleed. Be sure to have some styptic powder on hand of this happens to the bleeding can stop quickly.

Dental care is also an essential part of the overall grooming process. Routine brushing, building a healthy diet and having several chew toys are all effective ways to manage and protect your dog's mouth from nasty issues like tooth loss and gum disease. Also, you'll want to pay attention to his breath, as extremely potent breath can be a sign of bigger issues afoot.

Is Anal Gland Expression Part of Grooming?

Ensuring that your dog’s anal glands are working properly may be a rather unpleasant topic to discuss, but it is a key component to proper dog grooming, as well. Essentially, if your dog’s anal glands aren’t expressing correctly, he will have issues with his bowels, which can range from painful movements to infection. The most common ways to tell if your dog is having anal gland issues is if he is constantly nipping at his backside or if he’s scooting his butt along the ground.

If these tell-tale signs occur, the easiest solution to this problem would be to take him to the vets and have a trained professional express them. You can also be taught how to express these glands at home if wish. However, be forewarned that it is a rather stinky process.

Know Your Dog, and Love Your Dog

Experts state that it's important to train your dog to deal with the grooming process during his puppy stage. Doing so will make him less resistant to sit patiently while you do some of the more intensive aspects of grooming, such as nail clipping and ear cleaning. Also, it's important that you get familiar with any kinds of special grooming needs that your dog may have.

Taking these steps will ultimately do more than provide your dog with good looks and good health. It will also allow a deeper bond to develop between you and your pet. And that bond is the very thing that makes dog ownership so fulfilling.