Puppy Grooming Basics

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Puppy Grooming

"Puppy grooming is one of the sure ways to help keep your pet
happy and healthy."

Puppy grooming is another great way to strengthen the bond between you and your pup.

Your puppy needs to be handled in different ways, and grooming will surely be the best way to get her used to being touched in areas that are sensitive.

You should, as in training, start grooming at an early age. As she matures she will get accustomed to all the aspects of grooming, making it easier for the both of you as time goes by.
puppy grooming

Your puppy should have a bath at least once a week to once a month, or like "Honey Girl", whenever she gets dirty. Ask your vet for the type of shampoo that you should use.

Some shampoos are for flea and tick problems, or prevention, and may not be used on puppies. Then, there are some

that cannot be used daily, any recommendation from your vet will do good. If you want to get it from a store, or a pet shop, ask your vet first to be safe.

During the process of any type of puppy grooming, it is a good idea to talk to your puppy. Tell her what you are doing. For example, say,"time to bathe, here comes the water, now for the shampoo, gooood girl, such a gooood girl".

Start your puppy grooming by brushing her coat first, removing any debris. Be gentle, and focus on her sensitive parts such as under her arms and belly.

Now, on to the bath, depending on the size of your puppy, you can use your bathtub or your sink. I personally wouldn't recommend filling the tub with water, even if it is shallow.

Rather, you should get a soft, to a medium flow of lukewarm water running from the faucet; use a cup, or a hand held shower head. This way, your puppy doesn't have to stand in dirty or soapy water. Let it drain.

Start by saturating her entire coat with water, starting at her head, making sure not to get any water in her ears. Work the water under her arms her belly and the rest of her body to the tip of her tail.

Once she is totally wet, put a small amount of shampoo on the back of her neck, and work a lather up to her head and ears, watch out for her eyes, better yet, just avoid her face.

Work your way down, under her neck, her chest, under her arms, and her two front legs.

Lift up each leg, bend towards her backside, so she can be kept balanced, and wash her paws.

Apply more shampoo by putting some on your palms, and wash her belly, her sides, and up on top of her back. Finish by working your way down her hind legs and up again to the tip of her tail. If you add just a little water, you should be able to get a good lather going.

Let the shampoo sit for at least 5 minutes, always keeping your hands on her. You can comfort her by simply moving the lather around her whole body again and of course , by talking to her.

Now, just rinse her the same way, starting at the back of her neck. Make sure you give her a good rinse to get rid of all that shampoo. Again, be careful not to get any water in her ears.

Grab her towel that you smartly put near you, put it around her and gently pick her up and start drying.

Dampen a soft cotton cloth and wipe her face and eyes.Then wipe the inside of her ears. She is just loving puppy grooming right now, and I bet you are too. Give her a treat/reward and praise.

You can give her another good brushing after she is dry. After her bath, she may need to pee, take her out, or to her paper and see if she goes, remembering her treat/reward and praise. If she does go, most likely you will need to take her out to do her thing after each bath time. puppy grooming

Rub her teeth with canine toothpaste and a piece of gauge. Check her nails, if they need to be trimmed, just trim the tips. Good to go, all fresh, feeling so soft and smelling so good, just like "Bumpy and Ana".

That wasn't so bad, mark puppy grooming day on your calender, so you will not forget the next time you and your puppy can bond this way again.

Your puppy's coat and teeth should be brushed daily. Check her nails at least once a month. Maybe you would like to take her to a professional dog groomer to trim her hair, but, you should know the basics, and do it yourself to save money. This is a great way to form that ever important bond.

Puppy grooming is one of the sure ways to help keep your pethappy and healthy.

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