Dog grooming

Getting them used to it from puppyhood

Dog grooming should start from the very beginning, as soon as your new four-legged family member becomes familiar with their new surroundings and new smells. This is necessary so that later on, when they are older, they won't be afraid of scissors, the sound of clippers, hair dryers and won't try to escape during brushing. 

Looking after the nails

Trimming nails is not the most pleasant procedure for a dog, although it is painless. It's worth getting a puppy used to this type of treatment from the start. Dogs that often run on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt rarely have problems with long nails, as they wear them down themselves during walks. However, there are breeds that prefer to spend most of their time indoors or for other reasons don't go on long walks. Unfortunately, with long nails a dog experiences great discomfort. Pain can even occur, especially when the nail curls and digs into the pad. In such cases, you should use the appropriate equipment, namely special nail clippers or a guillotine clipper. Remember not to cut the nails too short, as they are more nerve-rich and well-supplied with blood. If we damage the pulp, we can expect heavy bleeding, and it is also painful for the dog. If you don't feel confident doing this procedure yourself, you can always take your pet to a veterinary clinic. 

What about ears and teeth?

Dog grooming is of course about caring for beautiful-looking teeth and perfect hearing. In the case of some breeds with long and drooping ears, their grooming is a priority.  
Just like in humans, dogs also lose their milk teeth and permanent ones grow in their place. It is important to look in and observe what is happening in their mouth. Sometimes it happens that permanent teeth appear before the milk teeth fall out. Usually the milk teeth will be pushed out, but if this doesn't happen, the retained milk teeth should be removed as soon as possible. This procedure is performed under general anaesthetic. This problem occurs most frequently in dogs of small breeds. Check also whether tartar is accumulating on the new teeth. Uncleaned tartar can cause bleeding gums, gum inflammation, which consequently leads to tooth loss. Tartar accumulation may be related to diet, as well as genetic factors. There are breeds that will enjoy white and healthy teeth into old age, while others will struggle with this problem. There are many products on the market designed to remove tartar from dogs' teeth. These include various toothbrushes, cloths, chews, and pastes of natural origin or with added chemical substances. When a dog has a lot of tartar, it is removed at a veterinary clinic. 

Every dog's ears should also be checked, especially when we return from a walk during which our dog has been running through thick bushes or tall grass. Blades of grass, grass seeds and small twigs can get stuck in your pet's ears. If left for a long time, they can lead to difficult-to-treat inflammatory conditions. If you notice that a foreign body is lodged deep in the ear, it's better not to pull it out yourself. It's best to take the dog to a vet. A dog can signal to us that something is happening in their ears. A common symptom you may observe is shaking, scratching, and flapping the head and ears. The dog behaves this way to try to get rid of the problem in the ear, such as dirt or water. You should then look into the ear and smell it. If you smell an unpleasant odour coming from inside the ear, you should contact a doctor. Ear grooming is primarily about regular cleaning with cotton wool moistened with physiological saline, without using cotton buds. 

How to care for the coat?

Dog grooming also involves systematic combing and brushing regardless of coat length. Most breeds shed their coat, and thanks to this treatment there will be significantly less of it in the house. Your dog will look nice and feel good. While combing, we can also quickly react if we notice any changes on the skin, injuries, abrasions, scratches, or fleas or ticks. In the case of long-coated breeds, systematic combing is extremely important to prevent matting, which can only be removed with scissors. Breeds with thick coats can be sprayed with special conditioners to make combing easier. 
There are many dog breeds that also need to be trimmed and stripped. These treatments are necessary not only to conform to the breed standard, but also for hygiene. It's best to visit a professional grooming salon. 

To bathe or not to bathe your dog?

Bathing your pet should be done when it is necessary. There are certainly situations when during a walk your dog runs into mud or rolls in an interesting smell or animal droppings. However, remember to use only specialist shampoos designed for dogs, because the ingredients in human shampoos often contain components that can irritate a dog's skin. There are plenty of products on the market designed for bathing dogs. You can often also notice a division of shampoos based on age, breed and coat length, and there are also medicinal and antiparasitic shampoos. A good rule to follow is the less frequent the bath, the better. Remember that after bathing your dog should be dried very thoroughly. After returning from walks on a rainy day, we wipe dogs' paws and belly. Especially when we live in a city and it's the season for salting pavements. It's worth soaking your dog's paws in clean water at home. 

Most importantly - vaccinate and worm!

Similar to how it is with children and adults, although nowadays opinions are divided, our dogs should be vaccinated and wormed if there is a need. Protective vaccination prevents the occurrence of certain very dangerous diseases that can affect our dogs. In the event that our dog falls ill, the course of the disease is significantly milder, and treatment is less burdensome on our wallet. There are now vaccines on the market that protect a dog against several diseases in one injection, so-called 3 in 1 or 4 in 1. This is beneficial, primarily for the puppy, as it only has to endure one injection rather than two or three, and the stress accompanying this situation is significantly less. This type of vaccination is also more cost-effective for our wallet. 
When taking a puppy from a breeder, it should already have had its first vaccinations and should be wormed at least twice. Pay attention to this.

Vaccination schedule 

First vaccination:

• 5 - 7 weeks of age: distemper and parvovirus
• 8 - 10 weeks of age: distemper, parvovirus, infectious hepatitis, kennel cough
• 12 - 14 weeks of age: booster of previous vaccination
• around 3 months of age the puppy should be vaccinated against rabies, as this is a compulsory vaccination

When your puppy reaches one year of age, they should be revaccinated against viral diseases. It's also worth discussing with your vet the vaccine against bordetellosis. 

Puppies are wormed at 3 and 5 weeks of age. Subsequent wormings will depend on the vaccination schedule adopted. If vaccination is scheduled at 6, 9 and 12 weeks of age, then worming should occur at 5, 8 and 11 weeks. 
Until your dog reaches six months of age they should be wormed every month, whilst in the case of older dogs every 3 or 6 months. I approach this slightly differently. Before I give a chemical treatment, I examine the faeces to see if it's necessary. It's worth doing preventative tests on your dogs, such as blood counts, urinalysis or faecal examination, so you can react early.