Why Groom A Dog

Why do you wash and brush your own hair? Same reason! To reduce mats and tangles, remove debris and dead hair, stimulate the scalp and make it look nice!

Now, why is it people don’t get the fact that their dog needs groomed? Oh the excuses I hear – he doesn’t need it, he’s only an old farm dog, he never comes inside, etc, etc.

Regular grooming is an important part in your dogs general health and any good groomer (Read How To… find a groomer) will get to know your dog when it visits on a regular basis and can point out anything untoward to you. Sure saves trips to the vet too as prevention is better than the cure!

You know yourself that with regular maintenance on your car you can avoid those costly bills that come out of left field when you least expect it, well regular maintenance for your dog is the same thing!

Grooming at home in between professional grooms will help get rid of excess undercoat, dead hair and help stimulate the skin. This will also reduce unwanted mats and also act as a bonding session for you and your dog. Imagine if you had to walk around for months at a time with mats under your armpits? Ouch – well your dog would tell you this if he could! Yet the amount of matted armpits I see on a new client (dog that is!) would make you cringe. Worse than that, boys, imagine if your little friend was matted solid and you constantly peed on yourself?! Horrible thought – so why do we let our dogs get into such deprived states?

Surely, when considering a new puppy, shouldn’t the cost of grooming the desired breed come into play? Yes, it should, but all too often it’s the main thing that’s left out. Groomers know how physically demanding their job is but are constantly price shopped as their profession simply isn’t recognised as that important.

I often hear, “we get him shaved down every summer and that’s about it”. Again, this is nothing short of neglect if you want to really look at it. Also, a ‘shave down’ is not a groom. If it’s a shave down your dog needs, that is a neglected coat and the trauma you’re putting your dog through only grooming him once a year will probably stress him so much he’ll sleep for days after he comes home. Another thing worth mentioning is that to simply shave him down in the summer is opening him up for trouble. A dogs coat acts as insulation in the winter and as air conditioning in the summer. With no coat he will be susceptible to sunburn and heat stroke. If he gets too hot, make sure the inside of his ears are clipped and his feet are cleaned out of hair, you can also clip the belly so that he can lie down somewhere cool and benefit from that without jeopardising his top protective coat. That and don’t leave him outside with no shade or cool water.

One thing people don’t think about is that indoor dogs need groomed more often and that’s down to how we live. The amount of ‘stuff’ in our homes and atmospheres is really detrimental to your dog. Think of all the household cleaners and chemicals in them. Bleach actually burns the pads for example. Dust mites, laundry detergent and central heating can all affect your dogs skin and coat. Regular grooming can help alleviate these issues and maintain a comfortable trim so your dog can deal with the climate changes alone more easily. Your groomer will alert you to skin problems, hot spots, flea bite dermatitis and allergies from household cleaners which I believe can attribute a lot to the staining around feet which is caused by licking due to something aggravating them perhaps.

Your groomer can help remove old unwanted hair, undercoat and dead skin and this can help reduce the dust bunnies all over the house! If shedding hair stays in, it can cause itchiness, dandruff and hot spots because the skin cannot breathe. Also, a properly certified groomer will know how to deal with individual coats as not all should be clipped either. Pomeranians’ coats can go into shock if clipped to short and may never grow back properly again (a condition known as folliculitis). A terriers coat will be destroyed if clipped and the preferred grooming visit should be for a mixture of hand stripping and carding. Some people think that if they clip their lab it will reduce the shedding – WRONG! Clipping a lab will actually increase the shedding!

Groomers are also educated on using the appropriate type of shampoo to suit your dogs coat type and or skin condition. At Dogs of Pride you can purchase healthier shampoos that contain no DEA’s, sulphates, propylene glycol or petroleum based ingredients.
A healthy coat should be glossy and pliable, without excessive oiliness or dandruff – your groomer will help you keep it that way.

So all in all, you should groom your dog… period!
Set your best friend up on their regular schedule and have a happier healthier pet. What could be better?