How To Groom A Dog With A Long Coat
If you recently brought home a new four-legged addition to your family and it's a dog that happens to have a long coat, then it's important for you to learn how to properly care for the dog. You may be able to take care of a lot of its grooming needs on your own, but you may also find that you do need to take it to a professional groomer regularly as well. This guide will walk you through the things you should be doing regularly to keep up with your dog's long coat, as well as its other grooming needs –
You need to brush your dog weekly
It's important that you make sure your dog is getting a complete brushing every week. If you find that your dog is having issues with tangling even though you are brushing them once a week, then you may want to increase their weekly brushings to twice a week. Make sure you are using the right type of brush on your dog. If they have a very thick coat, then you will need a brush that has longer prongs that get down into the coat. If they are currently shedding, then you want to use a brush that is designed to help with shedding.
You may need to trim the fur on the bottom of your dog's paws
You may be just fine leaving the fur on the bottom of their paws for the groomer. However, if you notice your dog's gait is being affected because the fur is growing faster than you are able to get them in to see the groomer, then you can trim it yourself. You want to make sure the dog cooperates though. Otherwise, you can end up cutting them. You may want to have another person help you by petting the dog as they lay on their side, carefully cut the fur one paw at a tie, so the pads of their paws are exposed again.
You may need to trim their nails
When you take the dog to the groomers to have their fur clipped, they will also cut their nails for you. However, if you missed a grooming session, or you notice their nails are looking long then you want to cut them yourself. Use dog nail clippers and make sure you cut below the quick. This is the area where blood is. You can tell where this area is because it gets darker. If they have black nails and you can't see the quick, then be safe and just take a little off the nail. If they accidentally bleed then you want to put something like corn starch on the end of their nail to help it stop bleeding. There is also a professional product you can use called styptic powder.
You should take the dog to the groomer on a schedule
Depending on your dog's coat, it should be taken to the groomer according to their recommendations for a bath, good brushing, a coat trimming, a nail trimming, an ear cleaning and even anal gland cleaning (if necessary). Staying on top of the dog's trimmings will really help you take care of their coat at home in between appointments.
To learn more, contact a company like RABBIT1251, LLC.
