Grooming your dog is an art and you must be Picasso of it.

You may be wondering with the upper statement if you haven’t seen a stubborn dog being groomed. Even the best and the experienced groomers can meet accidents while grooming a dog because it is one of the toughest pet-oriented jobs.

So, the question is, how to avoid accidents and injuries when grooming your dog. What are the precautions to take and what are the things to avoid to make this whole grooming process easy?

According to Care of My Dog, grooming your dog should be on the top priority in order to keep them healthy. Well, the best practice is to get your dog groomed by a professional groomer but if there is no expert groomer available near you, you may try doing it by yourself.

How to groom your dog?

Different breeds and different sizes have different requirements. Along with that, every single dog has different illnesses and weak points that must be considered when grooming your dog (even if you are getting it groomed by a professional).

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Things to do while grooming your dog:

Before grooming the pup, make sure you have all the necessary tools under your hand so you don’t need to roam here and there. Secondly, don’t leave your dog unattended if you need to do something urgently or your dog may try to explore the grooming tools which is very dangerous.

Patience:

Patience is the key. You should treat dogs just like your real human baby. To keep your dog calm and peaceful during the grooming process, make sure you yourself are patient and calm because the dogs can sense your stress.

Also, make the grooming session rewarding and praiseful. If you get a dog at a young age, try to do a little bit of grooming every week to make him aware that it is a routine thing and not harmful. This way your dog won’t be giving you a tough time.

Choose a safe and bright place:

Choose an anti-slip place for your dog with lots of lights so you can have full control over what you are doing. If you have a budget, get a grooming table of appropriate size that is fully equipped and helps you a lot during the grooming sessions.

Use the right equipment:

You need to use the appropriate brush, clippers, trimmer, and scissors for your Dog Grooming. The best practice is to get recommendations from your vet because every breed has a different coat and should be taken care of accordingly.

Groom regularly:

I must say it is the most important thing to do. If you don’t groom your dogs regularly, they can develop skin problems or painful mats. Also, their nails should be clipped regularly and check their ears for any possible foreign objects.

Use distractive items:

You can use items like a lick mat or others to keep your furbaby distracted while you do the job. For example, if you are bathing your dog, you can use a wall-mounted lick mat having your furbaby’s favorite treat on it. Your dog will spend hours licking it and you can peacefully bathe your dog.

So, these were some of the important practices to do in order to make your dog grooming sessions peaceful and calm.

Now, let’s move to another important part; things to avoid while grooming your dogs.

Things Not to Do While Grooming Your Dog

Don’t do too much

If you are planning to groom and bathe your dog at once, as well as, clip its nails, don’t do that. Your dog may panic because of that much grooming tasks in one go. So, the best practice is to do all such things at different times without stressing your dog.

Say NO to scented Shampoo

Many dogs have sensitive skins and noses that may lead to allergies if you use scented shampoos. In such a case, try to use unscented shampoos that you may find in your local pet store or online.

Avoid frequent bathing

Well, taking a daily bath would be refreshing for you but not for your dog. Only bathe your dogs if they are smelly or dirty, otherwise, you don’t need to bathe them. Also, frequent bathing can reduce the natural oils in their fur that can further lead to several skin issues.

Don’t use a blow dryer

A blow dryer may terrify your pup so it is always recommended to towel-dry your furbaby.

Don’t DIY if you are new

Are you a new dog owner and planning to do it yourself? Think again because it may end up in a disaster. Although grooming your dog is not much difficult still, for a new person it may be a tough job. Still, if you are sure that you’ll be able to do it, take help from one of your friends for at least a couple of groomings.

Don’t cut nails too short

The best practice is to cut just the tip of your dog’s nail especially if you are doing it for the first time. A blood vessel named Quick is also attached to your dog’s nails and cutting into it can cause excessive bleeding. Also, if your dog is jumpy, don’t cut the nails and wait for him to settle down.

Don’t give up

It may be a hectic practice for you and your dog and will take some time for both of you to be comfortable with all this. If you are a new dog owner, you can try a professional groomer for at least 2 to 3 times.

Wrapping it up

So, these were the 5 most important things to practice and 7 most important things to avoid while grooming your dog. Ignoring these guidelines may lead to a disaster and your furbaby may get some serious injuries.

Also, if you feel yourself misfit in this grooming job, don’t play with your dog’s life and get a professional groomer to this job done. You can easily find a groomer or a mobile groomer online. Don’t forget to read reviews before finalizing a groomer.

You may like reading: Prague Ratter

The post Things not to do while Grooming your Dog appeared first on The Dogs Journal.