If you really care about the health of your dog, you should know that grooming your dog is the key to making it healthier and happier. Most often, dog owners resort to individuals who tend to be professionals in dog grooming, however, if you can invest some time and effort, you can easily groom your dog at home and save some money and time, which would be otherwise wasted on travelling to a dog grooming service or waiting for an appointment. Here are some amazing dog grooming tips that can make you a skillful groomer in no time.

Bathing

You do not really have to bath your dog unless he has a skin infection or he smells really bad. It is ideal to bath dogs once in a month, bathing a dog frequently can lead to issues like dry skin or loss of natural oils.  Prior to bathing your dog, place a piece of bath towel in the tub or the surface where you are planning to bath it. This will help the dog from slipping while being bathed. If the dog seems too nervous to take a bath, place him in the tub, give him a toy to play with so that he associates bath time with a positive memory. Use pet shampoo to lather up the dogs coat and ensure that you rinse thoroughly in the direction of the hair growth. Prevent your dog’s eyes, ears and nose getting exposed to water and shampoo.

Brushing

For flawless brushing experience, start by gathering all the necessary tools like gloves, blow dryer, slicker, brush etc. Begin combing your dog from the head and move down its body. Ensure that you comb your dog thoroughly from head to tail; if you come across any tangle try to sort it out gently using the brush. Dogs with short hairs can be combed using gloves and the long haired ones can be combed using slicker or an undercoat rake. While brushing your dog, ensure that the oil from its skin is distributed throughout the coat. Give the dog breaks and treats in between so that he associates the experience as a positive one.

Clipping nails

If a dog’s nail is left unclipped, it can cause the toes to twist while the dog walks and even lead to joint damages. You need to clip the nails of your dog at least twice a month. Your dog’s nails are too long, if you hear a clattering noise while your dog walks over hard and shiny surface. There are different types of dog nail clippers available in the market; you can choose any type which you feel is comfortable to work with. While clipping your dog’s nails, ensure that you do not clip deep to prevent nicking a vein. Clip the nails bit by bit while scanning the clipped portion for a pale oval tip formation, this formation signifies that you are near the vein and you should stop clipping. Ensure that you accustom your dog to the whole process, start it slow and let the dog sniff the clipper and even listen to the sound of clipping and the feel of the clipper touching its paws prior to clipping.

It is always ideal to take your dog to veterinarian at least once in three month even if he shows no signs of infections or illness. You can always get some professional opinion on different dog grooming tips and new tools pertinent to the strategy.