Basic Grooming

• For most dogs, regular brushing keeps their coat and skin in good condition and eliminates the need for very frequent bathing.
• Pets that are brushed frequently are easier to brush, they enjoy it and are tangle and mat free.
• Become aware of your dogs sensitive areas while grooming.
• Look for coat problems such as mats, tangles, dandruff etc.  and examine the coat for hair loss, skin inflammation, unusual tenderness or lumps under the skin.
• Examine your dogs skin closely for signs of fleas, ticks or skin irritations.
• Combine grooming with a massage to detect to detect any unusual bumps or lumps.
• When your dog is shedding, you should comb through the coat first with your bare hands working against the lay of the hair.  This will bring the dead hairs of the undercoat to the surface where they can be brushed out easily.
• Select a brush that is intended for your dogs hair type.
• Pin brushes and slicker brushes help remove dry dead skin from your dogs coat along with the excess hair.
• Brush in the same direction as the hair growth.
• Attempting to brush out tangles or mats when a dog is wet can be more difficult not to mention more painful for the dog.
• If burs become tangled in your dogs hair, crush them with a pair of pliers before brushing them out.  You can also saturate them with mineral oil or petroleum jelly before working them out.
• Vaccuming hair from your dog prevents some of it from attaching to your carpets and furniture.  Some dogs like the vacuum and some don't.  It is best to begin using it when they are puppies.
• If you are unable to bathe your dog, massage some baking soda into the dogs coat and brush it out to remove odor.
• De-Shedding tools work wonderfully to remove the dead undercoat.

• Bathingbathing should be done on average, once a month up to once a week as long as you are using a shampoo made specifically for dogs.
• Use only shampoo made for dogs.  A dogs skin is more sensitive than a humans and a harsh shampoo can make it dry and cause flaking, itching, skin irritations or a dull coat from stripping the natural oil from the coat.
• A thorough brushing before bathing dogs with medium to long hair is important to remove excessive dirt, tangles or mats.
• Place cotton in the dogs ears to prevent water from entering.
• During bathing use a "hound mitt", this is a glove with little nubs on it.  Use on your dogs hair when bathing in a circular motion while it is wet. This will help loosen any dead hair.
• Always rinse thoroughly.  Left over soap residue will cause skin irritations.
• Conditioners and detanglers work well on medium to long haired dogs.
• Always completely blow dry long haired dogs after bathing.  Wet hair will tangle more easily.
• If mats and tangles are left wet against the skin they can form skin problems.
• Attempting to brush out tangles or mats when a dog is wet can be more difficult not to mention more painful for the dog.
• If you are unable to bathe your dog, massage some baking soda into the dogs coat and brush it out to remove odor.

• Professional Groominguld be professionally groomed every 4-6 weeks depending on breed and hair type.
• Dogs should be introduced to professional groomers as early in life as possible.
• Full service grooming should include:  - Pre-bath brushing, - Pre-bath clipping, - External ear cleaning, - Nail trim, - Bath with doggy shampoo, - Fluff dry, - Breed standard or requested hair cut.
• Grooming extras could include bow and fragrance or use of the de-shedding tool such as the Furminator which does require a specific type of shampoo.