10 Most Professional Dog Grooming Tips For You

Every dog in the world needs grooming to some extent or the other. It could be something as simple as trimming nails or as complex as creating a pompadour with bowls for your poodle.

The thing is that not everyone can access or cannot afford that trip every month to the dog salon close to their place. So some professional tips for grooming your dog could prove to be handy for one and all.

These tips would be within your budget, help your furball look like a million bucks, and make your life a lot easier.

1. Following a definite routine

You need to develop a routine that works for you and the fur baby. It means that you need to use the same shampoo, use the same steps every time you bathe them, and bathe them at the same spot time and again.

Hence, it makes the process a lot more convenient for you and the dog since your dog will come to know what to expect every single time you take them for grooming.

In addition, it means that they are a lot less anxious than they would have been otherwise. You have to make sure that during this process, you clean every part of their body.

2. Getting the right shampoo 

Just as is the case for human beings, you get plenty of different kinds of shampoos for dogs as well. Choose the right shampoo based on your needs. For example, you should use a flea shampoo if you are looking to control fleas.

If they have dry skin, you can shampoo made using materials like oatmeal. If they have issues like dandruff, hot spots, or skin irritations, it is better to use a medicated shampoo containing raw materials such as hydrocortisone and coal tar. If you have puppies, you should use special shampoos that would not cause them to tear up.

3. Getting the de-matting and de-shading right

Use a comb or a brush and work through their coat. Even when rinsing, make sure that the extra loose hair is gotten rid of. It helps untangle any mat that may have developed on their bodies. You would find that this is more convenient to do when bathing them compared to when you are drying them.

4. Getting the right grooming equipment  

Are you planning to groom your dog all by yourself? In that case, you must not try to hold back on buying the right grooming equipment such as brushes, trimmers, and scissors to complete the process as it is.

These products will last longer, and they would also work better than the cheaper products that are pretty similar to them.

Make sure that every time you use them, you clean the equipment. Do everything to expand the lifespan of the tools, such as sharpening and lubricating them.

5. Organizing the equipment 

Have every piece of equipment such as shampoo, scissors, combs, trimmers, and brushes at the right place as that would help keep the entire process moving without any hindrance at all.

One of the worst things that can happen to you in such situations is you looking for the scissors while your little angel gets anxious and tries to escape.

6. Getting a helping hand 

Most of the dogs do not stand still so that you may trim and dry them the right way. Hence, you may need some help from someone at your home. For example, you could start using a Groomers Helper device to hold your dog in one place.

With such a device, there is less possibility that they would struggle, spin, or bite during the process. In actuality, this would help you complete your work in a much shorter time.

Such a device would put your furball at ease as well. Of course, if you cannot afford such equipment, you could ask someone else to help you out – it could be anyone that your dog is at ease with.

7. Drying them before grooming them

Make sure that you have dried your dog thoroughly before you start grooming them. If their coat is dried partially, then it could curl even more.

Thus, it would make it hard for you to get an even trim. On the other hand, it would help you complete a pass with your clippers rather than two of them.

8. The basics of using clippers in these cases 

If you want to trim your dog’s coat, you require a pair of clippers that can come in handy. Here, you would need more than a blade. The blades for dogs come numbered in a different way than the clipper blades used by human beings.

In the clipper blades for humans, 1 is the shortest number. If you want to keep their coat lengthier, use any one of #5/8, #4, or #3 to get the desired results.

9. Grooming them with ease

When you are trimming their hair, you must always follow the way their hair is laid. First, make sure that the tip of the blade is down against the skin.

Then, hold it back at an angle. Next, make sure that you have pulled the skin taut. Do this as you are moving the trimmer along the coat.

10. Trimming their paws 

While trimming around the edge of the paws or between pads, move your dog towards the edge of the work surface. It would be one of the best things that you could do.

Conclusion 

Apart from the ones listed in the article, you would also require the right tool for trimming their nails. You should also have proper knowledge of how to do such work.

You can be sure that when you follow some of these tips, you will be able to take good care of the dog all by yourself in terms of grooming them. Hence, you would not have to avail services of a professional.