Dog Grooming At Home: Tips for Beginners
The current Covid-19 pandemic has left people with dogs that have gone without grooming for months. Dogs have had to live with overly long hair, nails in bad need of trimming, and even matted fur. To combat such a problem in the future, you should learn dog grooming at home.
Grooming your dog at home requires patience and practice, but it’s not too difficult when you get the hang of it. You simply need the right tools to do so. To help you out, here are some tips for dog grooming at home that you can use to prevent your dog from becoming unkempt.
Bathing and brushing your dog
One question some people ask when they are grooming their dogs at home for the first time is, do you bathe a dog before grooming? The answer is yes. It is best for you to give your dog a bath before you begin trimming their fur. Never attempt to trim your dog’s fur while it is dirty or matted. Always bathe them before doing anything else.
In bathing your dog, there are a few necessary tools you need to have on hand. These include the following:
- Detachable shower head
- Dog shampoo
- Warm water
- Blow dryer
- Dog conditioner
When you bathe your dog, start by getting them thoroughly wet and then shampooing them. Make sure to scrub properly but gently. Rinse well enough to remove all of the shampoo from their body and fur before proceeding to their second shampooing.
After the second shampoo and rinsing, condition the fur with a matching conditioner. Always use products that are made specifically for dogs when doing this.
Next, dry your dog off with your hairdryer. Set it on warm and blow the moisture off your dog’s fur. If you want to spray dog cologne on your dog, this is the right time to do it.
Cutting your dog’s fur
The next thing you have to do after you’re done bathing your dog is to trim their fur. For this, you will need a dog grooming kit. This will consist of a brush, a pair of scissors, a fine-toothed comb, and a professional dog hair clipper. You can also add a dematting and shedding tool to this list.
When trimming your dog’s fur, here are a few dog hair cutting tips you should take note of:
- Even professional dog groomers nick dogs accidentally. If you don’t want to accidentally hurt your dog, exercise utmost caution when you’re trimming your dog’s fur.
- Always trim your dog’s fur by going with the grain. Going against the grain of your dog’s fur will hurt them and may result in snags, burns, or cuts.
- Have two types of clippers ready for the job. There is one that is made for clipping fur on the body and a smaller one that is used to take care of hair around the face and feet.
- To learn how to groom your dog’s face, you should check out tutorial videos. Look for one that features the same dog breed that you have.
- If your dog becomes restless during your trimming session, give them a break then continue once they are more relaxed.
- To make sure the experience isn’t traumatic for them, give them a doggy treat when you’re done or when they behave. This will reinforce the idea that standing still while they are being groomed will get them a treat after.
Trimming your dog’s nails
One tricky part of dog grooming at home is the trimming of their nails. This will require pet nail clippers or a filing tool.
The first thing you do is to hold their paw firmly in your hand. Start with the paws in front.
The next thing to do is to trim the tip of the nail. Try to avoid the quick, which is the nerve in their nail. For white nails, look for a pink line. For black nails, look for a darker spot in their nails. Try to avoid these by cutting 2 millimeters away from these indicators.
Always give your dog yummy treats after you’re done doing a paw. This will reinforce the positive experience of nail cutting to them.
How to make grooming more fun
Not all dogs love to be groomed. Some may fidget when you start to bathe them. Others may shake in fear when you start trimming their fur. To avoid any of these, you have to find ways to make dog grooming at home fun. Here are some tips you should consider:
- Keep it brief – Don’t try to prolong the process. To make sure that you don’t have to groom your dog for longer periods of time, set your dog grooming schedule to happen more frequently.
- Get your pet used to grooming at an early age – If they get used to grooming as a pup, they will find the process more fun than if they began grooming at a later age.
- Treats and toys can reinforce good behavior – One way you can ensure your dog will look forward to grooming is to give them treats after every stage.
