A Head to Toe Guide to Washing Your Dog

Bathing your dog can be a wonderful bonding experience but it’s also a very practical necessity for our sometimes smelly, four-legged family members.

While that doggy smell can be completely normal, many dogs do seem to be particularly on the nose. Getting your dog used to regular grooming and bathing from an early age and making sure you have fun doing it will ensure you have happy, healthy and odour free canine companion.

SHAMPOOS AND CONDITIONERS

Dogs have skin that is half the thickness of human skin, is very sensitive and has a different pH. You can’t always assume that human products are okay for your pet. Use a good quality and gentle pet shampoo and if your dog is prone to dry skin, greasy skin, frequent skin infections or is itchy, ask your Vet which shampoo is best.

You can also view our guide to dog shampoos for a more detailed look at what shampoos will suit your dog. Conditioners are not really necessary, unless your dog has particularly dry hair. Most pet conditioners are leave-in and can be applied as the coat is drying, or even without washing first.

WHERE TO BATH YOUR PET

Smaller dogs can be easily bathed in the laundry sink, a baby bath, the normal bath tub or even the bottom of the shower. Using a non-slip mat can make your pet more secure on the slippery surface. An inside bath allows you to ensure the water is warm, but not warmer than your skin. If it is a nice sunny day, you can wash your pet outdoors and a nice game of fetch or a walk afterwards is a great way to stop them rolling in the garden and will speed up the drying process.

TECHNIQUE

Keep a hand on your dog at all times when you are washing them. This will make it less likely they will shake all over you and attempt to leap from the bath. Have everything ready before you go and make sure you include a good massage while shampooing and towelling off to make the whole experience pleasurable for your pet. If your dog is a bit worried about bathing, particularly in certain areas, use lots of food rewards to encourage good behaviour. If your dog is prone to wiggling and getting water in the ears, place a piece of cotton wool loosely in the ears to avoid getting water down there.

Bath time is a great time to check your pet’s nails, ears, teeth and skin for any abrasions or new lumps and bumps. Systematically feel your pet all over, perhaps while you are doing a nice massage with the shampoo.

START WITH THESE BASICS

• Hose or handheld spray for the taps if using a sink or bath
• Towels
• Bathmat or something clean to stand on if outside
• Shampoos/conditioners
• Brush
• Face washer or sponge
• Hairdryer if you need a quick dry
• Cotton wool
• Ear cleaner
• Nail clippers
• Treats

THE STEP-BY-STEP WASHING PROCESS

1. Brush your pet to remove any tangles or debris from the coat.
2. Get your pet wet, avoiding the head.
3. Apply a 20c piece amount of shampoo, lathering up all over.
4. Massage your pet to distribute the shampoo.
5. Leave on for the recommended length of time.
6. Meanwhile use a face washer or sponge to wipe down the face (no need for shampoo).
7. Rinse, making sure all the residue has disappeared.
8. Stand back and allow your pet to shake.
9. Towel dry.
10. Use a hairdryer on a low heat with a brush or take your pet for a walk in the sun to dry.
11. Check your pet’s ears and remove any cotton wool. If your dog needs an ear clean, check our ear cleaning guide for detailed instructions.
12. Check your dog’s nails, if they need trimming, follow our step-by step nail trimming guide.Get Up To 50% OFF Treat of The Week + FREE Shipping W/ PetSmart Coupon. Save now!

SMELLY DOGS

Dogs that really do smell bad may actually have allergies or dermatitis. Take your pet in for a check-up with your Vet to rule out any underlying problems such as bacterial or fungal skin disease or dental disease. Your Vet will also be able to recommend the best shampoo for your dog’s skin type. develop a smelly odour in between baths, have slightly red or itchy skin may have allergies. Dogs that have fleas often also develop itchy and smelly skin, so ensure your flea control is up to date, even if you don’t see visible fleas on your pet.

You can also use Dermoscent to increase the fatty acid balance in the skin and improve smell. There are also various leave-in conditioners that can be applied in between baths to improve smell, such as Aloveen.

We hope you enjoy the time spent giving your pet a bath. This quality time can become very important to your pet and doing the job yourself can save you a great deal of money over the lifetime of your dog.

Brushing Your Dog’s Teeth: Preventative Dental Care

Does your dog have smelly breath? An estimated 80% of dogs have dental disease by 3 years of age. Help protect your dog with these simple dog brushing techniques and preventative care.

Unfortunately many dogs develop significant pain and infection due to unhealthy teeth, as well as being banished from the bedroom. A bit of prevention can go a long way towards keeping your pet’s teeth healthy and ultimately save you money.

WHAT IS PERIODONTAL DISEASE?

While humans tend to get caries or holes in our teeth, dogs are more at risk of periodontal disease, which is disease around the base of the tooth near the gumline. The accumulation of sticky plaque, made up of bacteria, proteins and food, hardens to form calculus on the teeth. This hard calculus causes inflamed and bleeding gums (gingivitis) and as the condition progresses, there is loss of attachment between the gum and the tooth. As the gum separates from the tooth, little pockets of infection develop around the tooth. The bacteria around damaged teeth leads to the foul smelling breath and illness associated with dental disease.

Dogs that have daily brushing of their teeth will have much fresher smelling breath and be less inclined to need costly dental treatment. Getting into the habit when your puppy is young is the best way to start, but any dog can be trained with enough patience and lots of food rewards.

WHAT DO I NEED?

Pet toothpastes are flavoured like meat pastes, so they become part of the reward for allowing brushing. You can get various flavours like chicken or even cheese. Human toothpaste is not meant to be swallowed and pets will hate that minty foaming stuff that we like, so a pet toothpaste is a very worthwhile investment.

There are various different styles of toothbrush. You can use a soft baby’s toothbrush or a finger-brush. Just make sure the brush is soft to avoid damaging the gums.

TEACHING YOUR DOG TO TOLERATE BRUSHING

To teach your dog to accept brushing, first start out with some toothpaste on your finger and touch the teeth, allowing your pet to lick the paste. If this is tolerated, get a face washer or the edge of a towel and dip it in water and rub it in the paste, then onto your dog’s teeth. Gradually increase the contact time as your dog’s tolerance increases. Use lots of treats to reward your dog every step of the way. After the washer is accepted, switch to a soft toothbrush or finger brush.

TECHNIQUE TIPS

• Aim for 5 seconds on each tooth and brush once daily.
• Pay particular attention to the base of the tooth, aiming for a 45° angle with the gum-line.
• Avoid a vigorous side-to-side action that will damage the gums, gently use a circular, flicking motion along the gum-line.
• Brush only the outside of the teeth, the tongue will take care of the inside.
• If your dog has bleeding gums after brushing, take him to the Vet for a check-up before doing more brushing.

WHAT IF MY PET HAS LOTS OF DISCOLOURATION, PLAQUE OR CALCULUS?

If your dog’s breath is smelly, there is discolouration, recession of the gums and a large amount of calculus you will need a professional dental clean. No amount of brushing will get hard calculus off the teeth.

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How to Clean Your Dog’s Ears: A Pet Parents Guide

Many dogs have ears that require regular cleaning. With this simple process cleaning your dog’s ears is easy enough to do at home provided you have the right equipment.

WHY CLEAN YOUR DOG’S EARS?

Dogs have very long ear canals, usually from 5-10cm in length. They also take a right-angled bend, so foreign material often goes in, but is difficult to get out. If dogs get water in their ears during swimming, this water can pool down in the horizontal ear canal and increase the risk of infection. Ear infections are much more likely in a warm, moist, dark environment like an ear canal. If your dog swims, cleaning the ears out after swimming is a great routine to get into.

Key features and characteristics of the canine ear.

Dogs that have skin allergies and are prone to frequent ear infections will also benefit from regular ear cleaning. Your Vet can recommend how frequently to clean the ears, but as a general rule, not more than weekly and ideally at least monthly.

WHAT YOU NEED?

• Ear cleaner
• Cotton wool
• Treats

WHAT SORT OF EAR CLEANER?

There are various types of ear cleaners, but the most important thing is that you only use a good quality dog ear cleaner. Never put olive oil, vinegar, shampoo or any other substance in a dog’s ear. Also avoid poking around with cotton buds in the ear, you will only work any wax and debris further in and potentially damage the ear drum.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

Firstly if your dog has very red, itchy, inflamed and painful ears, see your Vet before you start cleaning. It is quite likely your dog has an ear infection, so ear cleaning will not do much good at this point. If your dog has an infection severe enough to damage the ear drum, some ear cleaners can damage the ear further.

Ear cleaning can be a messy job, so find somewhere in the house that is easy to clean and avoid wearing your best Prada for an ear clean.

1. Give your pet a treat for sitting and show him the ear cleaner.
2. Gently hold the flap of the ear upright and fill the ear canal withear cleaner. Direct the tube vertically downwards.
3. Keep a hold of the ear and move your hand down to where the ear meets the head.
4. Massage at the base of the ear, aiming to mix the ear cleaner around within the ear canal. You should get a great squelchy noise if you are doing this correctly.
5. After you have massaged the ear for 20 seconds, stand back and let go of the ear.
6. Your dog should now vigorously shake his head.
7. Grab some cotton wool and use it to wipe out the folds at the opening of the ear canal until it looks pretty clean.
8. Give your dog a treat and repeat with the other ear.

The key with ear cleaning is to use a large amount of ear cleaner. As the ear canals are quite long, the wiping step is not to get all the ear discharge out. The idea is that when you massage, you will be breaking up the discharge lining the inside of the ear canal, so that it forms a solution with the ear cleaner. Your pet can then shake the liquid out.

Remember if you see lots of redness, the ears are particularly smelly or they are painful, see your Vet. Your pet most likely has an ear infection and ear cleaning may be too painful and damaging to perform.

An infected ear looks a little like this:

Typical visual signs and symptoms of ear infections in dogs.

Below is a great video on how to clean your dog’s ears:

Most dogs will come to like ear cleaning, so long as their ears are comfortable. This is the one place that dogs can’t scratch themselves, so most will absolutely love it. With lots of treats and encouragement, ear cleaning can become a part of your regular hygiene routine.

Save Money by Grooming Your Dog at Home

Many dog owners prefer to leave haircuts to professional groomers. It’s a job that really takes some know-how and experience to do properly – particularly for dogs with long, continuously growing hair.

But there’s no reason that you can’t become an expert at cutting your dog’s hair, though there may be the occasional comic result along the way! The great thing is that hair grows back, it might take 1cm per month, but eventually that slightly uneven first attempt will start to look much better!

EQUIPMENT

Clippers can be extremely cheap and you can certainly use any style of clippers, rather than having to buy specialised pet clippers. Some are able to be sharpened, which will extend the life of the clippers. When humans use clippers they usually use plastic guards to clip at a longer length. These tend to snag in longer hair coats so are less useful in pets. For around the paws and ears, a sharp pair of scissors is useful, as some areas will be fiddly to use with the clippers. Also make sure you have plenty of treats on hand and a good brush.

GETTING READY TO CLIP

When you start out, having someone to hold your pet is ideal. Groomers will save their backs by always using an elevated table and may even have an apparatus to hold the dog in place or to clip the collar to. Clipping up on the kitchen table can be a great way to keep your dog from moving, but make sure you put a non-slip mat on the table first.

HOW OFTEN?

If your dog has a continuously growing coat, clipping every 6-8 weeks is ideal. If you are able to brush your dog regularly and prevent mats from forming, grooming is not as necessary, but if your dog matts easily you may need to clip the coat short more often. In some ways a longer coat can provide an insulating layer to protect against heat and cold. For dogs that feel the heat however, clipping the belly so your dog can cool down by lying on the ground can help, while still providing protection from the sun.

CARE OF YOUR CLIPPERS

To keep your clippers clean and running smoothly it is worthwhile investing in some clipper spray to keep the blades clean and lubricated. The spray can also be used if the blades are getting hot while clipping your dog. Keep the blades sharp; they are more likely to cut if they are blunt. You will need to have them professionally sharpened in the same place that would sharpen knives. After you use your clippers, brush them free from hair with a toothbrush and apply some blade oil or the clipper spray.

Here are a few tips for doing the job properly. Select a quiet place free from distractions and remember the hair will end up everywhere, so find somewhere easy to clean!
• If your dog is dirty bathe your dog first, using a shampoo made for pets.
• Once the fur is dry, brush out any snags or mats.
• Use clippers in the direction of hair growth in long smooth strokes.
• Use scissors for touch-up and for trimming around extremities: legs, ears and face.
• To clip the paws, brush against the direction of hair growth to push the hair between the toes upwards and cut with the scissors. You can use the clippers to do the underside of the feet.

• Around the eyes, ensure there is no hair growing over your pet’s eyes that could interfere with vision. If your pet is wiggly, using blunt-tipped, curved scissors helps.
• After brushing give your pet a good brush, or if you haven’t already bathed your pet, give him a bath.

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR NERVOUS DOGS

If your pet is a little nervous about the clippers, get some treats and get him accustomed to the noise of the clippers first. Keep any sessions short and give lots of praise, attention and treats for staying still, even for a short time. Having an additional helper on hand to give your pet treats while grooming is also useful for nervous pets. For pets that tend towards anxiety it may be even more important to groom your pet at home, as you will be able to spend more time acclimatising your pet to the process, while a busy grooming parlour will need to move more quickly. That being said, some groomers offer grooming rehabilitation for nervous pets if you ask. When selecting a groomer rely on word-of-mouth and find a groomer who is very good with anxious pets. The level of care your pet receives is much more important than the quality of the cut afterwards.

MATTED DOGS

For dogs that have matts, sometimes using the clippers can be very painful. It may be necessary to de-mat first using a specialised comb (more information here). If the matts are not too close to the skin, using the clippers on the shortest setting would be the best approach to take the matts off close to the skin. You will need to start somewhere where there are no matts to get to the base of the coat. If the process will be too extensive and painful, consider discussing with your Vet giving your pet a sedative and having the procedure done in hospital instead. Once the matts are gone it will be much easier to maintain the coat with brushing and clipping before they start to develop again.

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Grooming can be a bonding experience with your pet and we hope you enjoy this new skill. And once you master the basics, let your creativity flow and try out some of the more adventurous clips.

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Pet Care with Coconut Oil

We are aware of the several benefits of coconut oil. Not only is it a healthy product that is good for our body, it can also cater to several of our daily skin and hair care requirements. Once you try this product, it will be an invaluable component in your daily personal care regime and a staple in your pantry. The use of this miracle product does not end here.

Did you know that coconut oil can be used on your pets too? This natural product offers benefits to animals too. So, why not introduce your furry friends to it, and pamper them with the awesome goodness of this pure oil?

Here are some ways in which coconut oil can help you with grooming your pets. Coconut oil can be applied to the skin and coat of dogs and cats. It will soothe wounds and cure skin infections. The antifungal and antimicrobial properties will aid in clearing up any skin rashes, as well as disinfect wounds and sores. Cracked paws will heal faster when coconut oil is applied.

It is an inexpensive conditioner, and with regular use animal skin and hair will look glossier, and be healthier than before. Topical application of coconut oil will deodorize and make your canine friend smell much better.

Is your dog’s waistline expanding? Feed him coconut oil to get rid of the extra fat. Coconut oil is known to slim dogs who are overweight. When taken internally, it can boost the immune system of animals. The oil also supports normal thyroid functioning. You can get their ear infections, viral infections and yeast infections under control by making coconut oil a regular constituent of their diet.

Your pet will most probably love the taste and smell of coconut oil, and will be pleased to feast on it. However, do not start with a huge quantity. Begin slowly, with half a teaspoon per 20 pounds of weight. If there are no significant changes to how they feel or in the appearance of their stools, continue building up the quantity till you reach two full teaspoons per day.

Consumption of coconut oil improves the digestive process and you can use it when preparing doggy treats. Over time, you will observe his skin clear up and his infections getting much better.  Finally, coconut oil can offer significant relief to painful arthritis in older animals, and can ease joint pains and inflammation. It has also been studied to reduce cancer risks in animals.

So, what are you waiting for? Introduce your animal friend to this miracle ingredient and let them enjoy the advantages, just as you do!

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Bringing Your New Dog Home

Preparation and patience are key to building a happy relationship

iStockphoto

The key to helping your new dog make a successful adjustment to your home is being prepared and being patient. It can take anywhere from two days to two months for you and your pet to adjust to each other. The following tips can help ensure a smooth transition.

First, gather your dog's supplies

Prepare the things your dog will need in advance. You'll need a collar and leash, food and water bowls, food, and, of course, some toys. And don't forget to order an identification tag right away.

Establish house rules in advance

Work out your dog-care regimen in advance among the human members of your household. Who will walk the dog first thing in the morning? Who will feed him at night? Will Fido be allowed on the couch, or won't he? Where will he rest at night? Are there any rooms in the house that are off-limits?

Plan your dog's arrival

Try to arrange the arrival of your new dog for a weekend or when you can be home for a few days. Get to know each other and spend some quality time together. Don't forget the jealousy factor—make sure you don't neglect other pets and people in your household!

Be prepared for housetraining

Assume your new dog is not housetrained, and work from there. Read over the housetraining information given to you at the time of adoption and check out our housetraining tips forpuppies or adult dogs. Be consistent, and maintain a routine. A little extra effort on your part to come home straight from work each day will pay off in easier, faster housetraining.

Make sure all your pets are healthy

Animal shelters take in animals with widely varying backgrounds, some of whom have not been previously vaccinated. Inevitably, despite the best efforts of shelter workers, viruses can be spread and may occasionally go home with adopted animals. If you already have dogs or cats at home, make sure they are up-to-date on their shots and in good general health before introducing your new pet dog.

Take your new dog to the veterinarian within a week after adoption. There, he will receive a health check and any needed vaccinations. If your dog has not been spayed or neutered, make that appointment! There are already far too many homeless puppies and dogs; don't let your new pet add to the problem. Most likely, the shelter will require that you have your pet spayed or neutered anyway. If you need more information about why it is so important to spay or neuter your dog, read our online information on spaying and neutering.

Give your dog a crate

A crate may look to you like the canine equivalent of a jail cell, but to your dog, who instinctively likes to den, it's a room of his own. It makes housetraining and obedience-training easier and saves your dog from the headache of being yelled at unnecessarily for problem behavior. Of course, you won't want to crate your dog all day or all night, or he will consider it a jail cell. Just a few, regular hours a day should be sufficient.

The crate should not contain wire where his collar or paws can get caught, and should be roomy enough to allow your dog to stand up, turn around, and sit comfortably in normal posture. More on crate training »

If a crate isn't an option, consider some sort of confinement to a dog-proofed part of your home. A portion of the kitchen or family room can serve the purpose very well. (A baby gate works perfectly.)

Use training and discipline to create a happy home

Dogs need order. Let your pet know from the start who is the boss. When you catch him doing something he shouldn't, don't lose your cool. Stay calm, and let him know immediately, in a loud and disapproving voice, that he has misbehaved. Reward him with praise when he does well, too! Sign up for a local dog obedience class, and you'll learn what a joy it is to have a well-trained dog. Also be sure to read our tip sheet on training your dog with positive reinforcement.

Let the games begin

Dogs need an active life. That means you should plan plenty of exercise and game time for your pet. Enjoy jogging or Frisbee? You can bet your dog will, too. If running around the park is too energetic for your taste, try throwing a ball or a stick, or just going for a long walk together. When you take a drive in the country or visit family and friends, bring your dog and a leash along.

Be patient and enjoy the results

Finally, be reasonable in your expectations. Life with you is a different experience for your new companion, so give him time to adjust. You'll soon find out that you've made a friend for life. No one will ever greet you with as much enthusiasm or provide you with as much unqualified love and loyalty as your dog will. Be patient, and you will be amply rewarded.

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