How to keep your dog clean and healthy is the most important thing you should know once you have decided to own one. The following are some tips you need to remember:

Dog grooming, a vital aspect in dog care, is not limited to bathing. Like humans, dogs need to be cleaned thoroughly.

For that matter, dogs need to be cleaned from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail. This covers, the ears, teeth, coat, nails, and of course the whole body.

Ears

For ear infection can be very painful to your dog (it sometimes lead to permanent hearing loss), ear care is one dog care procedure you should prioritize. To know if your dog is suffering from ear infection, look out for the signs of odor, redness or swelling, head shaking, and constant scratching.

To clean your dog’s ear, take a cotton ball, put a small amount of mineral oil or with warm water on it. Clean the flaps and the opening of the canal.

Check your dog’s ears twice a month. The inside flaps should be pale pink. Watch out for any black, brown or red skin inside the flaps and ears. If you spot some, take your dog to a veterinarian for examination.

Teeth

Clean your dog’s teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush at least 2 times a week. Use toothpaste especially formulated for dogs. Tooth brushing will prevent cavity build up and would prevent periodontal disease. Dog toothpaste is available widely on dog supply shops. You may also want to seek for veterinarian’s help on cleaning your dog’s teeth.

Coat

For different types of breed, frequency of brushing and trimming varies.

For dogs with long, thick, coarse or straight coat, daily brushing and frequent trimming is required.

Dogs with smooth coat require weekly brushing. They can be washed occasionally. Dogs with this type of coat are Dachshunds, Labradors, and Dobermans. They tend to be some of the easiest dogs to groom.

Dogs with wiry coat have dense, stiff hair that require daily grooming. This will prevent matt build up.

Short coat dogs – German Shepherds and Welsh Corgis – require at least twice a week of brushings. Dogs of these kinds may have straight surface, thick hair combined with downy, profuse, and water resistant hair near the skin.

Dogs like Poodles, Portuguese Water Dogs, Irish Water Spaniels, and Kerry Blue Terriers are distinct on having extremely waterproof and non-shedding coat. Bathing and clipping may be done twice a month.

Silky coat dogs like the Yorkshire Terriers, Shetland Sheepdogs, Rough Collies and Afghan hounds, require daily grooming, a lot of care, and regular trimming.

Nails

Keeping the nails clean is another important dog grooming practice you should know. You can use either scissors style nail clipper or the guillotine style clipper. Both will work best in keeping your dog’s nails neat.

Bathing

Bathing frequency depends on the breed of your dog. Unlike humans, they dogs don’t need to take a bath everyday. This is because they would lose the natural oil needed in keeping their coat shiny and clean.

The normal bathing would be twice a month. Make sure you brush the coat to avoid tangles. Use rubber mat to keep your dog from slipping. Use warm water and dog shampoo and conditioner. Rinse your dog thoroughly and dry him with towel or hair dryer.