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Dog Grooming
 All dogs, whatever their breed, size, age and coat, need regular grooming to keep your dog or puppy looking and feeling great and we’ve listed some tips and advice to help you.
Tips for Grooming
- Grooming your dog regularly is a great opportunity to check the overall condition of your pooch – his skin, eyes, ears and feet
- Grooming takes time and is a pleasant way to bond with your dog
- Regular grooming will eliminate mats and tangles, remove dead hair, dirt and burs. It also prevents excessive shedding and skin disorders
- Natural oils are distributed during grooming too, producing healthy skin tone
- Be careful when grooming – don’t put too much pressure on especially if using a wire brush as this can damage the skin
- Nails should be clipped regularly too – they are short enough when your dog can stand squarely on pads with nails bearing no weight
Basic Grooming Equipment & Tools
Brushes
- The bristle brush is an all-purpose brush that may be used on short, medium, double-coated and long-coated breeds. The bristles can be made of nylon, natural material or a combination of the two. The softest type of brush is a natural bristle brush
- Pin brushes are usually used to groom long-haired breeds such as Afghans, Shih Tzu and Yorkshire Terrier. A variety of sizes are available for easy brushing of small, medium and large breeds. The pin palm brush, oval rubber pad with pins that have rounded tips to prevent coat damage, is a special brush used to groom the face and legs of hard-coated terriers
- A common type of brush is the slicker brush. The bent-wire teeth of the slicker brush are set close together to help remove mats and dead hair. Most come in three sizes: small, for Toy breeds; medium, for average-sized breeds; and large, for heavy coated or large breeds. Slicker brushes will take out large amounts of coat, which is good if you want to reduce the around-the-house accumulation from shedding
- All-rubber brushes have flexible, short, soft bristles with rounded ends. They are fine for polishing the coat of smooth coated breeds or for removing dead hair without scratching the skin
- Combs come in a wide variety of sizes and styles, with different tooth lengths and spacing. In general, fine-tooth combs are best used on soft, silky or sparse hair. Medium-tooth combs are used for average coat textures and coarse-tooth combs are good for dense or heavy coats. The length of the teeth should depend on how far the comb needs to penetrate to reach the skin. Some combs have handles; others do not. The best combs are made of stainless steel or chrome-plated solid brass and have spring-tempered teeth with rounded tips to prevent skin irritation
- Nails if neglected can become painful and also uneven so they snag fabrics, rugs and even human skin
Clippers
- Clippers are essential for trimmed dog breeds. Electric clippers are probably the most expensive item of your grooming kit and an expert will also be needed to regularly sharpen them
- For PetO stocked products, visit www.wahlanimal.com and Oster clippers are available to order
Dog Shampoo
- Dog shampoos have come a long way and there is a shampoo for every need of every kind of coat; black coat shampoo, white coat shampoo, oily skin, sensitive skin, flea shampoos, emu oil shampoo and medicated shampoos
- Make sure that you do not overwash your pet as this removes essential oils from the skin that help to keep your dog’s coat healthy. Once a month washing combined with regular grooming will help keep your dog’s skin healthy and coat glossy
- Ask our friendly staff what shampoo is the best for your dog
- In addition there are many colognes available which may help to reduce that doggy odour try the squirt coconut cologne will keep you and your pet happy and smelling fresh
- For PetO stocked shampoos and conditioners visit: www.mavlab.com.au/fidos_shampoos.html www.drneils.com.au/index.php?artId=225 – check out this funky range including pina colada scented shampoo!
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