Grooming is the perfect opportunity to check over your dog to ensure he’s healthy.
Giving your dog a once-over enables you to check for any balls of matted fur between his paw pads or toes, which can sometimes become hard with dirt and grease, causing discomfort.
Most dogs live indoors and so moult quicker and more often than their wild counterparts, causing the loose hairs to become matted. Some dogs with a combination coat (such as ‘oodles’) also matt very quickly, especially around areas of high movement (armpits and back legs) and underneath collars and harnesses and behind ears. If not brushed out well and regularly, they form into heavy wads which can drag the skin down, causing soreness and skin complaints.
There are many other reasons and benefits to grooming your dog:
- Handling and bonding – especially valuable for puppies
- Identification and control of external parasites such as ticks, fleas and in some cases, internal parasites such as worms can be identified
- Regular nail clipping ensures that the nails do not get too long and potentially curl under, affecting the dog’s correct posture and gait
- Promoting good blood circulation, aids shiny, healthy coat
- Keeping grease levels down – a build-up of grease in a dog’s coat can block pores and cause sebaceous cysts
- Removal of matts and tangles which, if left, can pull on the skin, causing soreness
- To make your dog comfortable…removal of heavy coat in the summer, helps to regulate temperature
- To prevent or control bad doggy odours….. and reduce the amount of hair around the house!
- To comply with breed standards
- To prepare for the show ring
- To gain advice and tips on maintenance between grooms