You don’t have to take your pet to a professional groomer to get him looking his best. Tim Falk investigates how to groom your dog or cat at home.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re canine crazy or a feline fanatic — grooming your pet is critically important. Not only will regular grooming help your pet look, smell and feel great, but it can also prevent a wide range of health problems.
Let’s take a look at what you can do to look after all of your dog or cat’s basic grooming needs at home.
Dogs
The list of benefits that your dog can get out of regular grooming is a long one. “Grooming your dog has many benefits on top of looking and smelling good,” says Amy Smith, a dog trainer who runs Amy’s Puppy Pre School on Sydney’s northern beaches.
“When regular grooming is occurring at home, owners are helping to remove dead hair, dandruff, and keep an eye on skin condition to check for skin abnormalities and/or hot spots. Regular grooming doesn’t just mean washing the dog; grooming also includes brushing, trimming, ear cleaning and nail clipping. Grooming regularly is also the best way to be vigilant about finding ticks — you are more likely to feel a tick than you are to see it, especially in longer-coated or curly-coated dogs.” To top it all off, grooming gives you and your pooch the perfect chance to spend some quality time together.
Cats
All of the benefits that grooming offers for dogs, from preventing matts and tangles to protecting against parasites, also apply to our feline friends. “Even though cats do groom themselves a lot more than dogs, they can still benefit from regular grooming,” Dr Shane says.
If your cat is particularly independent or strong-willed, getting it used to being groomed might take a little while. Dr Shane recommends starting to groom your pet when she is a kitten so that she will get used to it over time and become happy being handled. “Take it slowly. This may mean doing small sections each day,” Dr Shane says.
Regardless of whether you own a cat or a dog, if you can’t keep up with your pet’s grooming needs, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Professional groomers are experts when it comes to handling pets of all shapes and sizes and taking care of all of those essential grooming tasks. Whether your pet just needs a quick trim or a complete makeover and pampering session, a professional groomer has the tools and the knowledge needed to get the job done.
The original article was published in PETS magazine issue 60. For more pawsome advice, subscribe to our magazine here.
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