Grooming our dogs at home is an essential skill for any dog owner. Just like for us humans, proper hygiene is important to dogs as it keeps them clean and healthy. In this post, we’ll discuss how to groom and provide ample dental, nail, ear, and eye care for our dogs at home.
Dental
Dog owners should learn how to brush their dog’s teeth at home. There are special canine toothpaste and toothbrushes meant for this, and with proper training, dogs can get used to having their teeth brushed. Generally, canine toothpaste has flavors that dogs like, making your job easier. These are available in pet stores in the Philippines. It’s important not to use human toothpaste as chemicals in this can be very harmful to dogs. Dental treats and dental diets also help with maintaining proper dental hygiene.
Nails
Cutting a dog’s nails may seem scary, but they have to be kept short so their feet remain healthy. Dog nails can break easily when long and it can interfere with the way they walk. Note that you have to be extremely careful when cutting their nails at home. There are dog nail clippers that you can buy and use that help you with this process, and these have safety measures that keep you from cutting their nails too short and hurting them.
With the right tool (generally available in some pet stores in the Philippines), trim only the ends of the dog’s nails, before the “quick” which is the blood vessel inside their nail. This is only visible on white nails, but not dark nails. You should clip only the part of the nail that hooks down. Dogs usually dislike having their nails trimmed, so it’s best if you can get them used to it when they’re still puppies. If your dog really doesn’t want to get their nails clipped, it’s better to get it handled by a groomer instead. Also, if you cut the quick on accident, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding.
Ears
When cleaning your dog's ears, use a damp cloth or a cotton swab soaked in mineral oil. You should only clean the outer part - don’t try to force anything inside their ear or you might hurt them. Also, cleaning your dog’s ears is really only necessary once a month.
Eyes
Eye boogers in dogs, or dog eye discharge, are actually fairly common. You can clean this up gently with a wet washcloth or a moist cotton ball. Don’t use any chemicals or materials that may irritate their eyes.
Good hygiene habits is key!
Proper hygiene and care for our dogs is very important for us dog owners to learn as it helps us keep them clean and healthy for those times when we can’t go to the groomer. Besides these, bathing and brushing them at appropriate times is another good skill to learn for when we’re grooming our dogs at home.
