How to Groom Your Dog Like a Pro

Many vets recommend grooming your dog on a regular basis. Just like humans have to groom themselves to stay healthy, we have to groom our dogs to keep them happy and healthy, too.

This is especially important if you have a dog with long or natty fur. Some dogs must be groomed, trimmed, clipped, and styled – or else eating and other activities can be difficult for them.

When it comes down to it, the pros use a number of unique tools to groom dogs. You can actually purchase many of these tools yourself and groom your own dog, thus saving yourself a lot of money. Here is how to groom your dog like a pro.

dogs1Make sure you have a comfortable and spacious environment to groom your dog. When it comes down to it, you want to have plenty of room to groom your dog.

If you groom your dog in a space that is too tight, you may not be able to efficiently get the job done. A big bathroom with an open tub is usually the best option.

Use a leash and something steady to tie the leash to as you are grooming. When you are grooming your dog, you want to tie him or her to something steady. This is especially important if you have a big, unruly dog, or a dog that does not like being groomed.

Most dogs like being groomed, but some will try to wriggle out. If you are bathing your dog in your home, you don’t want a wet dog running all over your house and shaking out water all over your walls and furniture.

Purchase specially formulated dog shampoo – anything else may cause irritation. Dogs have skin that is different than human skin. For this reason, you don’t want to use human shampoo.

Ideally, you want to visit an online shop and pick up some dog shampoo. Specialized dog shampoo will have the right formula that won’t dry out your dog’s skin. Moreover, the shampoo will give your dog a nice, luxurious coat.

Use treats to keep your dog in place and to reward him or her. There is a good chance that your dog will do anything for treats. If this is the case, treats are the perfect tool to use if you want your dog to sit and stay in place during a grooming session.

In fact, treats will help your dog associate grooming time with treats, which will continue to make the grooming process a lot easier.

Use a towel and a blow dryer to thoroughly dry your dog off. When you are done grooming your dog, you want to use a towel to pat dry and soak up a majority of the water.

After that, you want to use a blow dryer – on the medium setting – to fully dry your dog’s coat. Depending on the type of dog you have, this process may take a little longer – some dogs have a thick undercoat. In the end, drying is important, because you don’t want that wet dog smell to permeate your home.