Mot dog owners don’t view the process of clipping their pet as an art. Instead, they’re trying to deal with the problem areas - scraggly hair on the feet that tracks in mud, for instance. In their efforts to get rid of undesirable hair, however, they may forget that they can accidentally hurt their pets.

When you decide to clip your dog’s fur, keep his breed in mind. If you clip a longer haired breed incorrectly, dust accumulates in the coat, causing skin problems. In addition, parasites like ticks and fleas can move and breed more freely if your dog’s coat isn’t card for or clipped correctly.

You also need to trip your dog’s toenails correctly to keep them from breaking accidentally and making walking painful. Longer nails will tend to twist sideways, and in serious cases even dig into the foot and cause injury. Dogs with overly long claws will often catch them on hard surfaces, splitting or breaking them.

Injuries also easily occur during clipping of nails. The quick of the nail will bleed it it’s cut. This is the source of blood supplying the nail, as well as where the nerves are located. This keeps the nail alive and growing. However, this area is situated far back inside the nail, and will only be exposed if you cut the nail too short or if it splinters. This can be sensitive or painful.

To cut your dog’s hair and nails, always use the sharpest clippers you can, and choose the right tools. Human nail clippers are wrong for dogs’ nails - use ones purchased at your local pet supply store instead. There are a number of great new nail clippers out there that are made to keep pain and damage to a minimum.

If you live somewhere with a cold climate, avoid clipping your dog in winter unless you have to. The winter can put a lot of stress on your dog, particularly if your dog’s coat is not long enough to protect her from the snowy weather and chilly climate. Remember that humans aren’t the only ones to get frostbite.

In the summer, make sure you don’t clip your dog’s hair too short. If you do, you’ll be exposing his skin to the sun - a dog’s fur helps keep him cool in hot weather. Shortening the hair is okay, but don’t cut the hair so short the skin shows.

It’s also important to avoid clipping unhealthy dogs. This can cause them stress, so clip sick pets only when absolutely necessary.

One way to help keep your dogs nails short and health is walking her on concrete on a daily basis. This allows the nails to gradually be worn down. It naturally controls the length of the nails, keeping you and your pet from needing to deal with nail clippers.

To get the best results, you’ll want to talk to a professional groomer who knows how to correctly clip your dog.

You will also want to look into the best dog training tools to ensure that your dog behaves like you want him or her to. Click Here for a top-notch dog training program that is easy to use to improve your dog’s behavior!

categories: clipping a dog,how to clip a dog,dog training,how to train your dog,dog training tools,dog agility training,best dog training,dog training program,dogs,pets

Most of us have one of two opinions about bathing a dog. Some people believe you don’t need to bathe dogs very often - maybe once a year. Others feel that their dogs should be bathed every month.

Bathing is really good for dogs, but it may cause problems if you do it too much.

This is because dogs have natural skin and fur oils, the same way that people do. If you bathe your dogs too frequently, their skin will become dry and itchy. This creates a risk of scratching and breaking skin. Remember that the natural oils really are beneficial, and that they protect your dog from many things.

If you want to make bathing fun for you and your dog, there are a few things to pay attention to.

1. Ear protection is important for your dog in the bath. If the ear canal gets soap and water in it, an infection could occur. This could be temporary, but serious damage could also occur. Infections can cause harm to the ear drum, leading to possible deafness. Some signs that your dog could be suffering from an ear infection, he may shake his head often or develop a discharge from his ears.

If you want to make sure this doesn’t happen, plug your dog’s ears with cotton. Do this gently - never force the cotton into the ear. Just place it securely at the entrance of the ear to keep water out. Dry the ears gently when the bath is over, too. This can be done using a cloth on your finger. You can also use a cotton swab, but don’t do this too deeply. You could cause damage to the ear drum.

2. Make sure you use the right shampoo. Products made for people are irritating, harsh, and full of scents your dog may be allergic to. Dog shampoo protects your pet’s skin and fur.

3. How often you bathe your dog should depend in part on what breed he is. Longer haired dogs need more washing than shorter haired breeds. If you have a hairy dog, like a spaniel, baths should be scheduled once every two months or so. Different breeds may go as long as six to eight months. If your dog spends lots of time outside, he’ll get dirty more quickly, so pay attention to this.

Start your dog off correctly when it comes to bathing and bathtime. Patience and compassion can be very important since a dog that’s frightened will be harder to bathe. Make the process fun - the majority of dogs enjoy getting wet, after all.

Set the bath up outside when you can, and encourage your pet to run through it. Distract your pet from the water with a toy or two, and once your pet calms down, you can start the bath. Some people use a leash to keep their dog from running off.

Collect everything you’ll need for the bath well in advance, including soap, towels, and a bowl for pouring water. Hoses usually are full of water that’s too cold - use water from the bath instead.

If you teach your dog that bathing is fun and enjoyable, he’ll be excited about the prospect.

It’s also important to look into the best dog training tools to make sure your pooch behaves like you want him or her to. Click Here for a top-notch dog training program that you can start using today to improve your relationship with your pet!

categories: bathing a dog,how to bathe a dog,dog training,how to train your dog,dog training tools,dog agility training,best dog training,dog training program,dogs,pets

Very few people see clipping their dogs as an art form. Instead, they just tackle certain areas, such as scraggly fur on the feet, to keep their dogs from tacking in mud. In an effort to get rid of undesirable hair, however, many owners forget that clipping their dogs can actually cause damage.

When you choose to clip your dog’s coat, it’s important to keep breed in mind. Longer hair breeds can suffer if you clip them wrongly. Dust accumulates in the coat, and skin diseases may result. In addition, parasites may more freely breed in coats that haven’t been cared for correctly.

You also need to trip your dog’s toenails correctly to keep them from breaking accidentally and making walking painful. Longer nails will tend to twist sideways, and in serious cases even dig into the foot and cause injury. Dogs with overly long claws will often catch them on hard surfaces, splitting or breaking them.

Injuries are common during the process of clipping a dog’s nails - the inside of the nail may bleed when cut. Since the quick of the mail is the source of blood and the location of nerves, it’s what keeps the nail healthy and growing. This area is located well back in the nail, but if the nail’s been cut too short or splinters, the quick may be exposed. This sensitive area will then be quite painful.

When cutting your dog’s nails and hair, make sure you always use very sharp clippers. For nails, make sure you get the right tools for the job - nail clippers for people just don’t work for dogs. There are lots of new types of nail clippers out there that are made to cut down on pain and damage.

If you live in an area that’s cold in winter, don’t clip your dog during the cold months unless you have to. The winter can be very stressful for your dog if his coat isn’t long enough to protect him. Remember that dogs can get frostbite the same way we can.

Never cut your pet’s hair too short in the summer, either. Otherwise, you could expose her skin to the harmful rays of the sun. Dogs’ fur keeps them cooler in the summer as well as warm in the winter. A slight cut will be fine, but make sure you leave enough fur to protect your dog.

It’s also important to avoid clipping unhealthy dogs. This can cause them stress, so clip sick pets only when absolutely necessary.

One way to help keep your dogs nails short and health is walking her on concrete on a daily basis. This allows the nails to gradually be worn down. It naturally controls the length of the nails, keeping you and your pet from needing to deal with nail clippers.

To get the best results, you’ll want to talk to a professional groomer who knows how to correctly clip your dog.

Most of us think about bathing dogs in one of two ways. Either we believe that dogs nearly never need bathing, or we fall in with the people who feel a dog should be bathed once a month or even more often. The truth is somewhere between the two.

Bathing is really good for dogs, but it may cause problems if you do it too much.

This is because dogs have natural skin and fur oils, the same way that people do. If you bathe your dogs too frequently, their skin will become dry and itchy. This creates a risk of scratching and breaking skin. Remember that the natural oils really are beneficial, and that they protect your dog from many things.

With care, you can make bathing entertaining for you and your pet. Just watch for a few things.

1. It’s important to provide protection for your dog’s ears. Soap and water, if they get into the ear canal, can cause significant infections. This is often temporary, but infections can cause real damage, up to and including deafness. If you think your dog may have an ear infection, look for frequent head shaking and discharge from the ears to be sure.

To make sure that this doesn’t occur, all you need to do is use cotton balls to stop your dog’s ears. Never force these into the ear canal - just place them securely at the entrance of the ear, keeping water out. Once the bath is over, dry the ears to keep moisture out - a finger wrapped in a cloth works well. If you decide to use a cotton swab, make sure you don’t put it too deeply into the ear canal, since it could damage the ear drum.

2. Use a shampoo intended for dogs. These are made to protect your pet’s fur and skin. Soaps meant for people can be irritating and harsh. There’s also a chance your dog will be allergic to the perfumes in human products.

3. The frequency with which you bathe your dog will depend on the breed you have. Dogs with long hair need to be washed more often than breeds that have short hair. That means that if you have a hairy breed, such as a spaniel, you may need to bathe as often as once every two months. Other breeds could go as long as eight months, but outdoor dogs will probably need more frequent bathing.

Starting your dog off right with routine bathing is important. Be compassionate and patient, since scaring your dog makes it a lot harder to bathe him. Make bathtime fun if you can, since lots of dogs enjoy swimming or being sprinkled with water.

Set the bath up outside when you can, and encourage your pet to run through it. Distract your pet from the water with a toy or two, and once your pet calms down, you can start the bath. Some people use a leash to keep their dog from running off.

Collect everything you’ll need for the bath well in advance, including soap, towels, and a bowl for pouring water. Hoses usually are full of water that’s too cold - use water from the bath instead.

If you teach your dog that bathing is fun and enjoyable, he’ll be excited about the prospect.