Proper dog grooming requires the proper knowledge, preparation, and equipment. It is extremely important to groom your dog as frequently as is recommended. Proper grooming is important for dogs for most of the same reasons that it is important for people. When your dog is clean and trimmed it feels happy, satisfied, and self-confident. Besides that, proper grooming will keep your dog healthy. Dirty dogs will tend to become infested with harmful, parasitic insects like fleas and ticks. Your dog will be less healthy and happy if you fail grooming at the proper frequency.
Proper knowledge of dog grooming entails your understanding of your particular breed of dog and the grooming protocol required. There are different procedures that must be followed if the dog has short hair as opposed to long hair. There are different requirements depending on the age of your animal. And of course each breed has its own unique peculiarities. On average, most dogs need to be groomed at least bi-monthly. Some need to be groomed much more often than this. Some need to be groomed slightly less often.
In general, short haired dogs like Boston Terriers can be groomed every two weeks, but longer haired dogs like Schnauzers need to be groomed at least weekly for this reason. Of course there is a big difference between dogs that spend their time outdoors and dogs that spend their time indoors. Most dogs who are outdoor dogs will need to be bathed every five days or so. Inside dogs generally require less bathing. Also you will find that you need to groom your dog with greater frequency as he ages. Older dogs tend to shed hair faster and smell bad more often. If you are new to dog ownership and therefore dog grooming as well, don't worry.
It is fairly simple to recognize the frequency with which your dog should be bathed simply by observing its behavior. If your dog is scratching or appears to be dirty then it is time to groom your dog. In fact, if your dog is scratching from insect bites, then you have actually waited too long to groom your dog, but the sooner the better. If you notice that your dog is scratching every 10 days then you probably need to groom your dog every week.
This is how often you should groom your dog if you're asking the question, "What is the least that I should do for my dog as far as grooming?" However, you may be asking the question, "Is it possible to bathe my dog too much?" As long as you are using shampoos that are gentle and no harsh chemicals, there is no such thing as bathing or grooming your dog too often. You may bathe your dog as often as you like. Make sure, though, that you use the proper grooming products. For instance, it is really not a good idea to use human shampoo for your dog. Sure it may work to clean his hair, but the levels of pH in human shampoo is stronger than the pH level of doggie shampoo. Therefore, if you continuously use human shampoo on your dog, you can actually give him dry itchy skin.
It is best to prepare for your pooch's bath time by using a special doggie comb to detangle mats that may be in his coat. There are actually several detangling sprays available that can facilitate gentle combing of the dog's coat so that the bathing process is more successful. If you attempt to shampoo your dog's coat without having first brushed the tangles, you will find the detangling process to be an arduous task. Please remember to first use the specialized detangling spray. If you simply try to comb the knots out dry, you will inflict considerable discomfort upon your pet. Very simply, if you are in doubt then comb your dog's hair the way you would comb your own detangle, wet, shampoo, dry, comb.
Grooming your dog is a job (even though it can be fun). And like any other job, it is paramount that you have the proper tools and equipment to complete your task. Please remember that the cheapest tools and products are the cheapest for a reason. You are doing your dog and yourself no favors by skimping on the right products and equipment. If you are on a budget, then be resourceful and find ways to get top of the line products for highly discounted prices. Your dog wouldn't be cheap in caring for you, so please return the favor.
Proper knowledge of dog grooming entails your understanding of your particular breed of dog and the grooming protocol required. There are different procedures that must be followed if the dog has short hair as opposed to long hair. There are different requirements depending on the age of your animal. And of course each breed has its own unique peculiarities. On average, most dogs need to be groomed at least bi-monthly. Some need to be groomed much more often than this. Some need to be groomed slightly less often.
In general, short haired dogs like Boston Terriers can be groomed every two weeks, but longer haired dogs like Schnauzers need to be groomed at least weekly for this reason. Of course there is a big difference between dogs that spend their time outdoors and dogs that spend their time indoors. Most dogs who are outdoor dogs will need to be bathed every five days or so. Inside dogs generally require less bathing. Also you will find that you need to groom your dog with greater frequency as he ages. Older dogs tend to shed hair faster and smell bad more often. If you are new to dog ownership and therefore dog grooming as well, don't worry.
It is fairly simple to recognize the frequency with which your dog should be bathed simply by observing its behavior. If your dog is scratching or appears to be dirty then it is time to groom your dog. In fact, if your dog is scratching from insect bites, then you have actually waited too long to groom your dog, but the sooner the better. If you notice that your dog is scratching every 10 days then you probably need to groom your dog every week.
This is how often you should groom your dog if you're asking the question, "What is the least that I should do for my dog as far as grooming?" However, you may be asking the question, "Is it possible to bathe my dog too much?" As long as you are using shampoos that are gentle and no harsh chemicals, there is no such thing as bathing or grooming your dog too often. You may bathe your dog as often as you like. Make sure, though, that you use the proper grooming products. For instance, it is really not a good idea to use human shampoo for your dog. Sure it may work to clean his hair, but the levels of pH in human shampoo is stronger than the pH level of doggie shampoo. Therefore, if you continuously use human shampoo on your dog, you can actually give him dry itchy skin.
It is best to prepare for your pooch's bath time by using a special doggie comb to detangle mats that may be in his coat. There are actually several detangling sprays available that can facilitate gentle combing of the dog's coat so that the bathing process is more successful. If you attempt to shampoo your dog's coat without having first brushed the tangles, you will find the detangling process to be an arduous task. Please remember to first use the specialized detangling spray. If you simply try to comb the knots out dry, you will inflict considerable discomfort upon your pet. Very simply, if you are in doubt then comb your dog's hair the way you would comb your own detangle, wet, shampoo, dry, comb.
Grooming your dog is a job (even though it can be fun). And like any other job, it is paramount that you have the proper tools and equipment to complete your task. Please remember that the cheapest tools and products are the cheapest for a reason. You are doing your dog and yourself no favors by skimping on the right products and equipment. If you are on a budget, then be resourceful and find ways to get top of the line products for highly discounted prices. Your dog wouldn't be cheap in caring for you, so please return the favor.
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