Grooming Your Dog at Home.
To keep your dog feeling comfortable, smelling fresh and looking his best, its good to have some basic grooming skills. However, its also essential to know when it is time to see a professional dog groomer. This Holidays4Dogs article will provide some hints and tips for grooming your dog at home.
A heavily matted coat causes skins sores and extreme discomfort for any dog. A coat like this also can harbor fleas and worms.
The same dog – Coat was matted and tangled so close to the skin that it required drastic measures and expert removal with electric clippers.
Depending on your dog’s breed, their fur can quickly become matted and dirty, without regular grooming.
Matted fur can be very uncomfortable for long coated breeds because it pulls on the skin and traps dirt and bacteria within the fur. Eventually, it can cause the skin to become inflamed, or infected.
Even dogs with short fur will benefit from having loose hair removed. Regular brushing will help to distribute skin oils.
At home Grooming Tools.
Flea comb –
an essential piece of your grooming kit. A fine toothed metal flea comb, used on a regular basis, will remove any fleas that may have set up home on your dog!
Natural bristle brush –
the best thing for short haired dogs, as well as dogs with double coats such as, collies and huskies.
Slicker brush –
these are great for dogs with long, thick coats. Regular use will prevent the coat from becoming matted.
Steel pin brush –
these are ideal for getting loose undercoat out from short-haired dogs. They are also good for grooming long-haired breeds and dogs with silky coats such as, Setters and Yorkshire terriers.
Metal comb –
an essential tool for helping to detangle long fur.
Spray conditioner and liquid tangle remover –
before you begin grooming your dog, it can be helpful to use a spray on conditioner. This will reduce static.
If matts have developed in the dog’s coat, you could try using some baby oil massaged through the coat. Use your fingers. or a wide-toothed comb to gently tease out tangled fur. If the hair is very matted you can use scissors to cut upwards into the matted area, which may help to detangle it. Alternatively, you may need to remove matted lumps of hair altogether.
Bathing.
There is really no need to bathe your dog too frequently, as this can strip out essential skin oils which help to keep your dog’s coat in good condition. However, if they become particularly dirty, or smelly, it will be necessary to give them a bath.
If you have a giant breed, it may not be practical to use your own facilities indoors. In this case, it may be simpler to take your dog to a grooming parlour. There are now do-it-yourself bathing stations at many large pet superstores. If using your own bath, make sure everything is prepared and use an old towel to protect the bottom of the bath. This will also stop your dog from slipping.
Before you bathe your dog spend some time removing loose fur and tangles because these will only get worse once the coat is wet.
A shower head is ideal to use if you have one. Alternatively, use a small bowl to douse the dog with water. Make sure you don’t let water get into the dog’s ears, or soap in his eyes. You can gently put a cotton wall ball in each ear to protect them, but be careful not to push too deep.
Use shampoo specifically manufactured for dogs and work the lather deep into the skin. It is important to rinse the coat thoroughly. Squeeze excess water from the coat and towel dry.
When to see a professional groomer. 
If a dog’s coat becomes heavily matted, or soiled, it may be better for the dog to be taken to a professional groomer. Some matted coats are tangled so close to the skin, they will require expert removal with electric clippers.
There are benefits to using a professional groomer since they will attend to eyes, ears – including trimming long hair in the ears. They will also trim your dog’s nails and empty anal glands.
A professional groomer may also notice any unusual lumps and bumps. Of course, a professional groomer means you will not have the mayhem of bathing your dog at home, but it is still really important attend to regular brushing and combing in between.
