Just like a shiny head of hair means good health for us humans, a shiny coat of fur on a dog means your dog is in good health. In fact, a nice, lustrous coat of fur is one of the strongest barometers that your pet is enjoying good dog health. Proper dog grooming is important in promoting good dog health.
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It all starts with good dog grooming. If you want your dog to have a healthy coat of fur, you should do basic grooming for him every day. Note that you don’t need to bathe him daily. Just once a week will do. Bathing a dog can be a tedious dog grooming process that will get you ending up wet along with your dog, but it can be quite fun once you get the hang of it. If your dog belongs to a small breed type, you can safely give him his bath in your kitchen sink. However, if your dog is the big type, you would have to use your tub or set up a place out of doors where you can bathe him properly.
Doggie Bath
When you bathe your dog, use a hose or a detachable shower head and wet him thoroughly. Afterwards, apply dog shampoo and work up a lather, starting from his chest to the top of his head, down his back and tail and then to his legs. Be careful not to get any of that shampoo in his eyes or ears.
Also, use a dog shampoo for your dog rather than your own shampoo. Shampoo for human hair only works on human hair; it is actually harsh and irritating to doggie skin. Dog shampoo, on the other hand, is specifically formulated for dog grooming, designed to suit the sensitivity of the skin and fur of dogs. For an added sheen and softness to your dog’s fur, a dog conditioner also works wonders.
Rinse your dog thoroughly after shampooing and conditioning his fur. Make sure that there are no leftover soap suds on your dog’s skin, or else the soap may cause some irritations. He might also end up licking at the leftover soap on his skin, and that is always a cause of concern that merits a vet’s attention if it does happen.
Great idea for your own dog bath area. *
After Bath Care
Once you are done bathing your dog, dry him thoroughly by patting all the excess water out of his fur using a towel. If your dog has short hair, you can leave him to air-dry his fur out completely. But if your dog is the type that has thick or long fur, you may need to dry his fur out with the use of a hair dryer. He may not find the hair dryer comfortable, but it is better than letting your dog stink up again because his fur was not dried out completely.
Dog grooming does not end with bathing, however. To give your pooch the full dog grooming home-style treatment, you need to make a ritual out of combing or brushing his fur once it is completely dry. Brushing your dog’s fur will remove the snags and tangles in it if your dog has long hair. Not only that, it will get rid of whatever burs, ticks and fleas are making their home in your dog’s fur. Do this every day, even on days when you are not giving your dog a bath.
If you can afford it and if you do not think you are capable of doing this dog grooming by yourself, go ahead and give your dog some delicious pampering at a dog grooming salon.
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