Common Grooming Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

One of the most important aspects of pet care is providing regular grooming for your pets. So many pet owners think that grooming is a luxury but there’s really nothing further from the truth. Grooming is essential to your pet’s overall wellness; it’s why we offer grooming services here at Cascade Kennels. Grooming protects your pet from parasites and other pests that can lurk on their fur; it provides an opportunity for their teeth to be cleaned, another health essential and it protects their coats from uncomfortable matting that may require a shave in order to be rid of them. Of course, we are huge advocates of professional grooming, but if that isn’t an option for you, we’d like to help you in that quest by highlighting some common grooming mistakes and how to avoid them.

COMMON GROOMING MISTAKES

  • Lack of training: This may seem like an unrelated issue to grooming, but it’s not. Training your dog at an early age has benefits for many things….including grooming. Train your puppy to be comfortable with human touch on his entire body and you will have an adult dog who will be less anxious when he is getting groomed.
  • Not brushing your dog before he gets wet: If you have a dog with long hair and you anticipate they will be swimming or walking in the rain, give them a good brushing before-hand. This will loosen any hair tangled in the coat and prevent discomfort later.
  • Not brushing your dog after he gets wet: This has the same effect as brushing before; it loosens the dead hair, preventing tangles.
  • Neglecting to groom during the winter months: Many pet owners mistakenly think that cutting their dog’s hair in winter will make him cold; it won’t. However, not keeping up with the needed brushing and occasional bath can lead to matted fur that may require a full shave before the winter is over.
  • Not doing maintenance between groomings: It’s easy to think that a professional grooming every few months is sufficient, but it’s important to consistently brush your pet’s coat on a regular basis. This keeps it healthy and makes the more in-depth groomings easier.
  • Not being thorough in your groomings: Remember, your dog has fur under his legs, chin and behind is ears. It’s important to give your dog a thorough brushing all over his body. These less obvious places can be a breeding ground for parasites to accumulate.
  • Poor technique: In addition to getting a bath, fur needs to be trimmed along with the nails on your dog’s paws. Having the proper tools and technique is essential to do both of these correctly. If you are unsure, consult a professional.
  • Letting them go outside right after grooming: This may seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many times we see pets in here for yet another bath and brush-out right after having had one. For some reason, dogs like to roll around after grooming. Perhaps they feel this gets the pleasant smell off of them. Do your best to keep them indoors for at least 24 hours and let them roll around in-doors before letting them go out again.

When you think about it, avoiding these mistakes really comes down to the habits of the pet parents. Are we being diligent in every area of our pet’s care?  Think about it this way: we practice personal hygiene every day so we need to develop those same daily habits when it comes to our pets.

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