Quick Tutorial On Grooming Your Puppy At Home

Grooming can help your dog with many health benefits. It helps to maintain your pet's physical health and appearance.You should ideally start grooming when your pet is young, so that they learn to become comfortable with the process of grooming.

Grooming also allows you to keep a check on any possible abnormalities in your dog. Grooming will keep your dog good looking and feeling healthy and happy while helping you two bond & spend some precious time together. 

When to start grooming?

The sooner you start grooming your dog the easier it will be to conduct the grooming sessions. If you have adopted an older dog, you may have to develop a routine of the grooming sessions, although your dog may take time to get used to it. Finding a specific area of your home for your grooming sessions is important. Find a spot where your dog feels comfortable. It can be in your lawn, bathroom, store room, balcony, hall or garage. Do consider the fact that a few grooming activities such as brushing can lead to hair flying all over your furniture, so its advised to do it in the open or in places you can afford a little mess. Appreciate your dog after you are done to boost them up. 

Steps included in dogs grooming:

A. Brushing dogs fur:

Brushing helps to keep your dog's coat good looking, cuts down excess shedding and helps remove dead skin or dander. Brushing can help you to have a check on your dog's health. While brushing you may detect if there are any lumps, ticks, warts, matting, cuts or anything that looks unusual.

The type of coat your dog has helps to determine how often you need to brush their hair.

Here is the information about the brush you can use according to your dogs coat:

Brush Type: Bristle Brush OR Hound Glove 

Method:  Brush the dogs hair in the direction of their growth this way the natural oils on the surface will get distributed evenly.

Frequency: Brush your dog's coat every other week.

Special Needs:  Also you can apply an oil free moisturiser and 15+ spf sunscreen whenever they are in the sun. 

Featured Products: M-Pets Bristle Brush, 7.5 x 22 cm, Trixie Dog Double Sided Brush, Pin + Bristles – 21 cm

2. Curly hair:

Brush Type: Slicker Brush OR Medium or Fine Tooth Comb.

Method: Brush small sections of hair and if there are any mats and tangles remove that too with the brush.

Frequency: 3 to 4 times a week.

Special Needs:  Professional grooming is required every 4-6 weeks.  

Featured Products: Trixie Soft Slicker Brush, Plastic, for Pets, M-Pets Double Sided Slicker Brush, 15x17 cm

3. Long and double coat:

Brush type:  Most appropriate brushes for these kinds of breeds are slicker brush, undercoat rake, medium/fine tooth comb.

Method: Brush small sections in outward directions and remove mats and tangles if any.

Frequency:  You need to brush these kinds of coats at least 2-3 times a week.

Special Needs: Professional grooming is needed 6 times a year. 

Featured Products: Andis Flexible Rake Comb – White/Lime Green, M-Pets Double Sided Slicker Brush, 15x17 cm, Andis Firm Slicker Brush, White/Lime Green

4. Long and Course type coat:

Brush Type:  For these breeds best brushes are slicker brush, pin brush and medium/fine tooth comb.

Method:  Brush the coat in layers from the skin in an outward direction and remove mats and tangles with the brush.

Frequency: 3 to 4 times a week.

Special Needs: Professional grooming required every 4-6 months. 

Featured Products: Andis Firm Slicker Brush, White/Lime Green, Trixie Soft Slicker Brush, Plastic, for Pets, M-Pets Pin Brush, 6.5 x 21.5 cm, Trixie Dog Double Sided Brush, Pin + Bristles – 21 cm

5. Long and silky coat: 

Brush Type: For this type of coat most appropriate brushes are slicker brush or medium/fine tooth brush.

Method: Brush the coat in the direction of hair growth and remove all tangles and mats with the brush.

Frequency:These types of coats require brushing at least 3-4 times a week. Special Needs:  Professional grooming required every 4-6 weeks.

Featured Products: M-Pets Double Sided Slicker Brush, 15x17 cm, Trixie Soft Slicker Brush, Plastic, for Pets

6. Short and double coat:

Brush Type: For these types of coats best brushes are slicker brush, undercoat rake, medium/fine tooth comb. 

Method: Brush the coat in the direction of hair growth, remove excess undercoat and remove the loose hair with a fine tooth comb.

Frequency: For these coats brushing needs to be done approximately twice a week, but should increase in spring and fall shedding cycles.

Special Needs: Professional grooming is required 6-8 times a year and could be more if needed. 

Featured Products: Trixie Soft Slicker Brush, Plastic, for Pets, M-Pets Double Sided Slicker Brush, 15x17 cm, Andis Flexible Rake Comb – White/Lime Green

7. Short and smooth coat: 

Brush Type: Bristle brush and hound glove are best for these types of coats.

Method: Brush in the direction of hair growth and remove all excess hair and distribute natural oils.

Frequency: For these coats brushing needs to be done only once a week. 

Special Needs:  Professional grooming is required 4 to 6 times a year.

Featured Products: Trixie Dog Brush with Natural Bristles – 18 cm, M-Pets Bristle Brush, 7.5 x 22 cm

8. Short and wiry coat: 

Brush Type: Slicker brush, or medium/fine tooth comb are best and appropriate for these kinds of coats.

Method: Brush  in layers in an outward direction.

Frequency: Brushing needs to be done twice a week.

Special Needs:  Professional grooming in every 6-8 weeks. 

Featured Products: M-Pets Double Sided Slicker Brush, 15x17 cm, Trixie Dog/Cat Slicker Brush with Brush Cleaner – 13 cm

B. Brush teeth:

Brushing your dog's teeth will help your dog overcome bad breath or some serious problems like gum disease or decayed teeth. 

1. First of all choose a calm place and ensure that your dog is comfortable.

2. Use only dog toothpaste and dog brush because the toothpaste that is used by humans may have some ingredients that may be toxic for your dog.

3. Lift your dog's upper lip and hold it till you brush the teeth, do the same with the lower lip.

4. If your dog passes all the steps, appreciate and cheer your dog by giving treats.

Featured Products: Flamingo Toothbrush Set Tooth and Massage Brush,Vet's Best Triple Headed Toothbrush for Dogs, M-Pets Mint Flavour Toothpaste, 100 gm

C. Trim nails:

Trimming your dog's nails is important for its overall health. Not trimming nails may lead to discomfort, or infection and also can cause damage to your floors and furniture. If your dog's nails grow longer it may increase the risk of infection, the nails may cause discomfort and may become a reason for irreversible deformities to paws and legs. 

1. Start trimming only when your dog is comfortable, hold their paws gently and ensure to start only when they are not pulling their paws away.

2. Cut at a 45-degree angle, and make sure that you don't cut the quick which is the core of the nail as it contains blood vessels.

3. If your dog has light coloured nails the quick will be visible in pink colour, so you need to keep a check that you don't cut that as it may result in an uncomfortable and painful  experience for your pet and may cause bleeding.

4. Cut small portions and whenever you see black or pink colour in their nails stop as it is an indicator that you are getting close to the quick. 

In case your dog has a darker shade mane or nails, it is difficult to identify the quick as it is not visible. In that case you can observe the underside of your dog's nail towards the tip. Wherever the nail seems to be full the quick will be present at that place so don't cut that area. 

How often: You should cut your dog's nails preferably according to the speed of their growth..

Featured Products: Trixie Dog/Cat Nail Clipper – 16 cm

D. Shampoo and rinse:

A bath once four to six weeks is enough for dogs, as experts recommend not to shampoo your dogs too frequently, as it can turn out to be detrimental. It can dry their skin out and can cause damage to the hair follicles and irritation. It will further deplete their natural oils and will contribute to causing flaking and dry skin.  

1. Use lukewarm water as very hot water can easily burn your dog's skin. The water should be as hot as you would use for a human baby. You should use cooler water if you have a dog of larger breed as they have a risk of overheating easily.

2. Make sure that your dog is comfortable and talk to them in a calm and reassuring voice. Use only dog shampoo and gently massage and create lather on the dog's body.

3. Rinse well and make sure that there is no soap left on the dog's body as it may result in irritation.

4. At the end either air dry your dog or blow dry. Normal dryer that you use will be too hot for the dog, therefore use a dog blow dryer as its low temperature won't cause itching or dandruff.

5. At the end reward your dog with some treats and cheer them up. 

Featured Products:

Shampoo for dry itchy hair: Petkin Mineral Bath Shampoo

Anti dandruff shampoo: Trixie Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

For white haired dogs: Forbis Classic White Shampoo, Flamingo Shampoo Care White Coat

For hair fall: Chris Christensen Fair Advantage Shampoo

For dogs with long coat: Forbis Long Coat Aloe Shampoo

E. Clean ears:

Cleaning your dog's ears is one of the most important steps in the grooming process. While cleaning, examine your dog's ears carefully, if your dog has swollen or tender ears or has a very strong odour in it, then it is something to be concerned about, and you should get your dog checked by a veterinarian.

Cleaning the ears is an easy process, you just need an ear cleaning solution, some cotton swabs and some treats.

1. Firstly, put the solution on the cotton swab and massage it gently inside and outside of the ear.

2. Secondly, dry the ear to prevent any bacterial infection. To do that take a dry cotton swab and and again gently massage it in the area you apply the solution.

3. And this way you are done with cleaning your dog's ears.In the end reward your dog with some treats and some love and you are good to go.  

It is important to know how often you should groom your dog. Though grooming has many steps and some need to be followed daily, some weekly and some once in a month. The frequency of grooming depends on the breed of the dog. 

Let's have a look at various steps of grooming and how often they need to be done. 

Grooming your dog is a very crucial part of having a pet dog for their wholesome health. Not only does it keep them looking sharp & clean, it helps prevent, cure or catch some really dangerous signs that their body could be showing for a further alarming condition. Not to forget, grooming time is OUR TIME for your doggo when they get to spend some precious few minutes with the love of their lives. Giving them just that much is barely anything compared to the love and warmth they bring to our lives! 

Hope this guide helped you out. Here are a few other blogs that may help you with your new puppy:

A Complete Guide on Feeding Puppies - When, How & What

Learn How To Potty Train Your Pet Yourself At Home

Choosing the right toy for your Dog

Pet Insurance - A Cover for your Companion

The Real Pet Care Challenge - A comprehensive guide for Holistic Care of your Pets