Home Dog Grooming Tips

When grooming your dogs at home, be aware that they can be sensitive to handling and restraint.

Make sure that grooming is introduced very slowly to a dog and always make it a fun experience. Make dog grooming sessions very short and very rewarding initially. As your dog gets more accustomed to it, you may start to lengthen the sessions.

If your dog starts to get stressed at any time during the dog grooming session, you should stop and pick it up at another time.

Never force grooming on your dog, or he will grow to hate it, and it will be unpleasant for everyone involved.

We present four key areas of home dog grooming:

1. Dog Grooming - Nails
2. Dog Grooming - Brushing
3. Dog Grooming - Bathing
4. Dog Grooming - Dental Care

Use a nail grinder and save your eardrums.

Most dogs hate nail trimming. Nail trimming is scary, unpleasant, and can often be painful when you cut into the quick of the nail. Most dogs will whine, mouth, wiggle, and try to stop you in any way they can. As a result, nail trimming can be very stressful for the dog groomer and this, in turn, will stress out your dog even more.

To save your eardrums, your sanity, and your dog's sanity, I highly suggest using a nail grinder. I currently use the Dremel Minimite because it is cordless (do not have to worry about your dog chewing the cord) and small (this allows for better control while grinding and shaping a nail).

I really like nail grinding because you take the nail down slowly, and there is little danger of hitting the quick, unlike nail clipping.

The two times I clipped my Shiba Inu's nails, I got his quick and made him very sensitive towards handling. After much counter conditioning, he is better now, thanks to the grinder. You can also shape the nail better with a grinder, i.e. no cracks or sharp edges.

On the down side, it will take you longer to get your dog's nails groomed. Also, do not work for too long on one nail because too much heat may be generated and it can get uncomfortable for your dog.

While grooming my dog's nails, I start by making my dog lie on his side. First let your dog smell the grinder, treat, and praise. Then turn the grinder on and let your dog get used to the sound of it. Treat and praise your dog for remaining calm.

Next, I grind one nail, feed him something really good (e.g. cheese, mackerel), and repeat. Initially, just groom one nail in each session. You can slowly increase the length of the dog grooming sessions as your dog gets more comfortable with it.

Brushing about once or twice every week is sufficient to remove dirt in your dog's fur.

Brushing is also necessary to remove any loose or dead hair. Some double coated dogs, such as the Shiba Inu and Siberian Husky, blow their coat twice a year. It may be necessary to brush every day during those times.

When you start brushing your dog, first use a soft brush. Get your dog to lie on his side, and let him smell the brush. Then lightly brush his body, treat, and praise. Repeat a few times but make sure to keep initial dog grooming sessions short, and end on a positive note.

Make sure to stop the dog grooming session before your dog starts getting agitated. Once your dog is comfortable with light brush strokes, you can slowly increase the pressure.

Ultimately, you may want to switch to the Furminator dog brush. It is highly recommended by many dog owners and it works really well at getting out loose fur especially for double coated dogs.

Use bath wipes, and play the water hose game.

Unless you are planning to show your dogs, it is unnecessary to give them too many baths.

Try not to bathe your dog more than once every month. Too many frequent baths will wash away necessary oils from their coat and make it rough and brittle.

My dog really hates baths and he gets extremely stressed being in the enclosed bathtub area. Instead of giving him a traditional bath, we play the water hose game with him.

Set your water hose nozzle so that it shoots out a jet of water, then move the jet around for your dog to chase. Make sure you spray it on him from farther away so that the force of the water is not too great.

Stop from time to time and do some obedience training to make sure your dog is not overly excited. Make sure he doesn't jump on you or the hose during the game. Naturally, if your dog does not enjoy water, then this game may not be for you.

By playing the water hose game, bathing becomes a fun experience.

You can also give your dog a wipe-down with a wet rag or with bath wipes when he has a lot of surface dirt or mud. I usually give my dog a wipe-down after he has been to the dog park, or dog daycare.

Dogs often get grabbed in the neck area by other dogs, so it gets dirty with saliva and dirt after a vigorous play session.

I brush my dog's teeth 3 times per week.

I get my dog to lie down on his side before brushing his teeth. He fidgets less when he is lying on his side. Put some toothpaste on your finger and let your dog smell it and lick it. Try to find a toothpaste flavor that he likes. I am currently using the Petrodex Poultry Toothpaste.

Put your finger in his mouth and lightly touch his teeth. Treat and praise him for letting you do this, and repeat until he is comfortable with this exercise. You may need to practice this over several sessions before moving on to using a toothbrush.

Once your dog is comfortable with your finger in his mouth, put some toothpaste on a very small brush and lightly touch the brush to his teeth. Treat and praise him for letting you do this. Once he is used-to having the brush in his mouth you may try different brush sizes to see which one your dog is most comfortable with.

Most dogs prefer a smaller brush because that is less intrusive. If you are using a smaller brush, you may need to brush multiple times to get rid of all the stains.

If your dog clamps down and refuses to open his mouth, it may be difficult to properly brush his back teeth. One trick that may get your dog to open his mouth, is to get your brush ready, feed him some food, and then brush while he is chewing on the food.

An alternative to using a regular stick toothbrush is to use a finger toothbrush.

A finger toothbrush can give you better control. However, the plastic, thimble-like, finger toothbrush keeps falling off my finger.

A glove toothbrush (Petrodex Finger Toothbrush Gloves) is a better alternative. However, the bristles of finger toothbrushes are not very deep so the regular stick toothbrush does the most effective cleaning job for me.

I also give my dog a Greenie every night before he goes to bed.

When you first introduce Greenies to your dog, please supervise closely and make sure that he chews properly and does not try to swallow any big pieces. It is also a good idea to bring your dog to the vet to get his teeth professionally cleaned once every year.

Dental care is crucial if you want your dog to enjoy a long and happy life.

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