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Dog Grooming For Dummies
Author:
Published:
April 10, 2006
Overview
Make your puppy look as perfect as you know they are
When Fido is getting a bit too fluffy and Milo is downright mangy, it might just be time for a trim to get your pup looking their best. But where do you even begin? Dog Grooming For Dummies walks you through exactly how to groom your dog so they come out looking like they could win an award at the American Kennel Club, every time!
You’ll learn about prepping your canine for the shears, bathing your dog, cutting and brushing fur, all without help from a professional dog groomer. From the most down-on-their-luck rescue dog to pampered designer doodles, you’ll discover how to use the latest equipment and supplies
to get people asking, “Did you get a new pup?” (Nope! They just look like one!)
In the book, you’ll get:
- A totally revamped section on the impact of canine nutrition on your pet’s coat
- New information on how to go about hiring a professional dog groomer and what qualifications you should look for
- Practical and hands-on advice on becoming a mobile, professional dog groomer
A fantastic and page-turning read full of step-by-step explanations, product suggestions, tips, and techniques, Dog Grooming For Dummies is the one-stop resource you need to stop chasing your tail and start washing, cutting, and styling your pooch into perfection.
Dog grooming is an important part of keeping your pet happy and healthy, so groom your dog regularly. Do the job right by having basic equipment; follow a routine to ensure that you cover all the steps each time.Grooming is more than just a bath and brushing — it includes cleaning teeth and ears and clipping nails.
About The Author
Margaret H. Bonham is an award-winning dog writer, a veteran dog trainer, and an experienced dog groomer. The author of The Complete Guide to Mutts and Having Fun with Agility, she lives with 17 dogs and one cat.
Articles From The Book
3 results
Health & Grooming
Articles
Follow these basic steps for a great dog-grooming routine that you do monthly. (You might need to do it more often, depending on the type of hair your dog has.) Many of these tasks — such as brushing your dog's teeth — should be done a minimum of once a week, but others such as bathing and clipping need to be done less frequently.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Good dog-grooming equipment is necessary for doing the job right. You don't, however, need to buy the most expensive supplies to keep your dog's coat in good condition. In fact, some of the best equipment can be made or purchased without spending too much money.
So what equipment must you have? Much depends on your dog's breed.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Some canine anatomical names may be familiar to you — dogs have elbows and ears and eyes — but other names may be downright foreign. Many anatomical terms used to describe parts of a dog are similar to the ones used for horses.
Head’s up on dog parts
Starting from the head, a dog is made up of the
Nose: Dog noses are often cold and wet, and of course, they usually get stuck where they’re not wanted.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Matted dog hair can be painful for your pet, so prevent matting by brushing your dog's coat regularly. Instead of going to the dog groomer, save some money and learn to remove matted hair yourself. Badly matted fur should always be remedied by a professional dog groomer.
Follow these tips for removing snarled, tangled, matted dog hair:
If the mat isn't too bad, spray it with detangler solution and use a comb to slowly work the mat free.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Dog grooming is an important part of keeping your pet happy and healthy, so groom your dog regularly. Do the job right by having basic equipment; follow a routine to ensure that you cover all the steps each time.Grooming is more than just a bath and brushing — it includes cleaning teeth and ears and clipping nails.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Grooming a dog's nails, teeth, and ears may seem frivolous, but they're as important to your dog's good health as heartworm preventative and pest protection. Keep your dog healthy by performing these tasks every week:
Nail trimming
Hold the foot steady.
Snip off a small bit of the end of each toenail below the quick.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Dogs don't get cavities the way humans do, but they do get plaque, tartar, and gingivitis — all of which can cause foul breath and tooth problems. Trips to the doggie dentist can end up being costly, and your dog will have to be put under anesthesia, because no dog ever "opens wide" for any dentist or vet.
Brushing your dog's teeth is important, but how often you do it depends on your dog and your motivation factor.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Before you get started with brushing or combing your dog, gather all the tools you need for the grooming session. Having everything you need in one place and within reach makes the brushing and combing session go much more smoothly.
If you live in a flea-prone area, make sure that you have a flea comb handy, especially during flea season.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Successfully grooming your dog for a show requires planning well in advance of the show so you don't run into any surprises the day of the show. The following sections help you prepare for the big day.
The night before the big event
On the night before you show your dog, you probably don't want to wait up just to hear David Letterman's Top Ten, so in its place, here are the top ten steps you need to follow the night before the big show:
1.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Before you cut your first dog hair, make sure you treat your dog safely and plan how you're going to clip her. Your dog needs to be clean and have all mats and tangles brushed out of her coat before you start clipping. Doing so makes it easier for you to clip the coat evenly.
Preparing for success
You have your clippers and your dog.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Regular brushing and combing helps keep your dog’s coat and skin healthy and looking good and to get the full benefits, you need to brush all the hair and not just the top coat. The most common brushing method is to brush backward against the lay of the fur and then brush it back into place. Brushing that way usually loosens and removes dead hair and stimulates your dog’s skin.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Dogs don’t get cavities the way humans do, but they can develop plaque, tartar, and gingivitis — all of which contribute to foul breath and tooth problems. Trips to the veterinarian can be costly, so it pays to do periodic brushing yourself. (Although if your dog has lots of tartar buildup, a visit to the vet is in order.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Electric clippers made for trimming dog hair are available in either rechargeable or plug-in styles. Blades sizes customize grooming to individual coats, and snap-on guide combs keep the trim even across your dog's body.
What you need for clipping dog coats depends largely on your pet and what kind of grooming you’re doing.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Cleaning your dog’s ears is a fairly uncomplicated job. Some breeds — notably sporting dogs and hounds — have a predilection for ear infections and injuries because of their hanging or drooping ears. These dropped ears make an ideal place for bacteria to grow and mites to hide.
If an odor is present around your dog’s ears, they may be infected, which means a trip to the vet.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Unless your dog runs around on hard surfaces that help keep toenails short, you have to cut or clip the nails about once a week — if you hear them clicking on a hard surface, it’s time for a trim.Most dogs detest having their feet handled, so clipping or trimming may never be your favorite shared activity, but getting your dog used to this ritual at an early stage helps you both weather the process.
Health & Grooming
Articles
If your dog suddenly takes to scooting along the carpet to wipe her butt, you may be in for a real treat — the dubious pleasure of expressing your best friend’s anal sacs. Lots of licking or chewing of his rear or tail is another sign that it’s time to get rid of fluid build-up.Anal sacs, or anal glands, carry some smelly fluid and occasionally need to be expressed, or emptied.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Tear stains show up as brown, gunky stuff that runs from your dog’s eye down the muzzle. Although they’re unsightly, they’re natural for some breeds. You have a variety of methods to choose from to clean up your dog's fur and face.
Poodle eye, as tear stains are called, is common among Poodles, but that doesn’t mean other dogs don’t have them.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Before the introduction of grooming products designed for dogs, bathing your dog frequently may have stripped out essential oils and dried out his coat. Today, specially formulated dog shampoos, conditioners, cream rinses, gels, and detanglers make doggy bath time a healthier — and happier — prospect for man and beast!
Health & Grooming
Articles
Beyond brushing your dog’s teeth, you can help keep your canine companion’s canines clean in a variety of ways. Most of the methods have something to do with feeding your dog the right kind of food and giving him appropriate kinds of chews:
Provide dental toys intended to reduce plaque and tartar.
Some toys are made so that you can squeeze doggie toothpaste into them, so they sometimes take the place of brushing.
Health & Grooming
Articles
What do you do when your dog has been sprayed by a skunk? Use the following remedy to remove the skunk smell from your dog. It requires baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and liquid dishwashing soap (the kind made for washing dishes by hand). Always keep these ingredients on hand in case your dog runs into a skunk.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Brushing or combing out mats and tangles can cause any dog a great deal of discomfort. Your first step to avoid pain to your pet is to stop pulling on mats of hair after you find them. Instead, to gently remove tangles and mats, go through this process:
Spray the mat with detangle solution and use a comb to slowly work the hairs in the mat free.
Health & Grooming
Articles
If you plan to get a new puppy (or just did), be sure to have the following essential items either before, or shortly after, you bring your puppy into its new home.
Baby gates (for keeping puppy inbounds)
Brush and comb
Chew toys
Dishwasher-safe, nonchewable bowls (one for water, one for food)
E
Health & Grooming
Articles
When you begin a grooming session, your dog probably won't understand that it's ultimately for his benefit — even if you try to explain it to him. He is, after all, a dog, and dogs don't come with the knowledge of combs, brushes, shampoo, and nail clippers.
Because you can't simply sit your dog on the couch and rationally explain grooming to him, you pretty much have to leave him in the dark about why it has to be done.
Health & Grooming
Articles
Dog fur comes in short coats, long coats — and everything in between — and ranges from curly to straight, puffy to wiry, bald to long. Some dogs come equipped with dreadlocks and a few have no hair at all (or very little)!
Dogs basically have two types of coats:
Double coat: Most dogs have a top coat is composed of stiff guard hairs, which tend to be naturally water-repellent.