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2 Copyright by Daniel Stevens and Libros Media Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of Libros Media Ltd; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. Published by Libros Media Ltd PO Box 41031, Christchurch 8247, New Zealand This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and associations ii

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4 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Tip No.1 Handling and Preparation 1 Tip No.3 Clipping 4 Tip No.5 Nail Clipping 5 Tip No.6 Teeth and Gums 6 Tip No.7 Smooth Coats 7 Tip No.9 Short Coats 8 Tip No.10 Equipment 8 Tip No.11 Warning Signs 9 If you are viewing this document on your computer screen then use your mouse to click on the chapter or section heading below to go straight to that chapter or section! Did you know that you can have this document read to you? When you have this document opened in Acrobat Reader, select View and then Read out loud. Of course you will need a headset connected to your computer to be able to listen to the voice (the standard voice is a little robotic on Acrobat Reader, but you can get different voices with Acrobat Reader upgrades). iv

5 Introduction This book outlines the fundamental issues that are involved with successfully grooming and maintaining your dog in peak condition. These issues include preparation for grooming, how to bathe your dog, what to watch for when using clippers, looking after his nails, dental hygiene and more. All of these things are important to keep your dog looking at his best and to ensure that you pick up any potential problems or illnesses as early as possible. Further on we discuss grooming methods for different types of dog coat and the equipment that you need to maintain his coat in premium condition. Note that grooming is only part of the dog maintenance picture and that exercise and good nutrition are equally important in ensuring that your dog lives a long and healthy life. Nutrition and exercise are discussed in detail in Secrets to Dog Training. Tip No.1 Handling and Preparation It is essential that you get your dog used to handling by humans at an early age. If you are regularly playing with and handling your dog as a puppy then there is far less chance of problems occurring later on in your dog s life especially with regards to grooming. Another important factor is your dog s ability to obey the stand, sit and stay commands. Use these commands when you are grooming your dog so that your authority is reinforced. Train your dog well from an early age and grooming should become easy, in fact chances are your dog will come to enjoy it immensely. Where and how you groom your dog will depend to some extent upon his size and his temperament. Ideally you would like your dog to be standing still on a table, so that you can easily groom him without having to bend over or be overly restraining him. I would recommend that you use a non-slip mat on the table so that your dog does not damage 1

6 the table or himself by slipping off. A general grooming kit would consist of scissors or clippers, brushes and combs. Make sure that you have your grooming kit ready. For details on what type of equipment should be in your dog s grooming kit consult the following sections. Tip No.2 Bathing Bathing your dog before you start the grooming process will give the best results. There is certain equipment that you will require to make the bathing process as easy and effective as possible for both parties. You will need: A suitable bathing tub for the size of your dog. Fill the tub with warm water or, if your dog does not like the sensation of being put in water, have a bucket filled with warm water handy. A non-slip mat. A plastic jug. Either a towel or a hair dryer. Canine shampoo as recommended by your vet or pet store. You can get medicated shampoo if your dog has a particular condition, like fleas or ticks that needs attending to. You can also get especially formulated canine shampoo to provide relief from arthritis and muscular pain as well as for sensitive skin. You may also require a nylon leash and collar, which you can use to tie your dog in the vicinity of the tub. This will prevent your dog from running away if he takes a dislike to being washed and shampooed. For larger 2

7 dog s it is often a good idea to bathe them outdoors as a large wet dog can cause problems indoors if he gets unduly excited by the whole process. Put the non-slip mat in your tub. Place your dog in the tub and while holding his collar use the plastic jug to pour warm water over him. Make sure that you wet him thoroughly as this helps to break down the surface tension from the grease in the coat and makes it easier to shampoo. It can be a good idea to lightly block his ears with cotton wool to prevent soapy water getting into his ear canals. Mix 15-20ml of shampoo with in a jug of water. Massage the shampoo mixture into your dog s coat. At this stage avoid putting any of the shampoo mixture on your dog s facial region. Work up a lather and rub the shampoo mixture well into your dog s coat. Now move on to the face, being very careful about not letting shampoo get into your dog s eyes or mouth. You may wish to use a sponge to apply the shampoo mixture to his facial region. You should also use the sponge to clean under his tail as this is an area where bacteria and fungi often spread leading to skin infections. Rinse and dry your dog s head using the towel, before rinsing the rest of the body. This should take about 3 minutes for a short haired dog and 5 minutes with a longer haired one. It is important that you rinse your dog thoroughly so that there is no shampoo left in his coat. From here you can dry the rest of your dog with the towel or use a hair dryer set on low heat. Be careful not to irritate the skin by over vigorous toweling or having too higher heat on a dryer, especially if your dog s skin is already itchy. Use praise to give your dog reassurance at all stages of the bathing process. 3

8 Tip No.3 Clipping Most modern dog grooming is done with the aid of clippers, the same type that is used to cut human hair, usually men s crew cuts. The advantage of using clippers over scissors is that the hair can be cut away to a specific length easily using the different length snap-on attachments available with clippers. For the best results; Work with the clipper head flat against your dog s coat. For most dogs move the clipper in the direction of the grain of the hair. Be careful not to dig the clippers into your dog s skin, especially near the neck and facial areas. Do not use clippers on your dog s anal muscle. This is an extremely sensitive area for your dog. If you have to remove hair from around this area use scissors. As above, use scissors to trim any uneven, sensitive or difficult to reach areas after you have clipped your dog. Tip No.4 Cleaning the Face A weekly inspection of your dog s general facial area, including the eyes and ears, should let you discover any potential problems or illnesses at an early stage. Dogs with wrinkly skin and/or skin folds, such as the Shar Pei, will require extra attention and may have to be groomed more regularly than once a week. It is important that skin folds and wrinkles are kept clean and dry as they are points that can harbor infections and diseases. Use warm water over the area to start with and then use a moist cotton wool ball to get right into the folds. 4

9 Your dog s eyes can be gently dabbed with a fresh moist cotton wool ball to rid the area around the eye of any mucus. Do not dab the cotton wool directly on to your dog s eyeball. If your dog s eyes are red or unusually tender then you should consult your vet for an appropriate course of action. Hold open one of your dog s ears with one hand. With the other hand use a fresh moist cotton wool ball to clean the inside. Make sure that you do not push the cotton wool into the ear canal. Tip No.5 Nail Clipping You can get your vet to trim his nails or you can do it yourself. Your dog s nails can grow quite long especially if your dog is kept inside the house for most of the time. If he is kept outside then his claws get a work out through digging and running and will not grow to an unmanageable length quickly. Here are a few tips that you can use to help with the nail trimming process. Buy a solid pair of clippers. Small flimsy ones may break after a few clippings. You may also want to invest in a muzzle, especially for the first few times, as you both get used to the process. Start trimming your dog s nails when he is a youngster. Get him used to you playing with his feet first so that he does not get the shock of his life when you come at him with the clippers. The first few times you may wish to trim a very small amount of nail off so that he gets used to the process involved on a more regular basis. Trim his nails every six to ten weeks. The actual time will depend on how much they have grown which will probably be proportionate to the amount of time your dog spends outside. A strictly indoor dog will probably need his nails trimmed every four to six weeks. Be careful not to cut into the live part of the nail. You will cause your dog unnecessary pain and anguish. The old and new (live) parts of the nail should be easily identifiable by their different coloring or different texture. Make sure that you trim the pointed end of the dewclaw (the dogs thumb). If in doubt, you can always ask your vet or groomer to show you how to clip your dog s nails. Trimming the dew claw 5

10 Tip No.6 Teeth and Gums Another weekly grooming task that should be done is to inspect and clean your dog s teeth and gums. You should also get your vet to check them once a year even if you think that there are no problems yourself. In America over 70% of adult dogs require some form of dental attention. Usually this form of dental attention involves removing decayed teeth or medication to halt gum disease. An early warning sign is when your dog has bad breath bad due to food becoming trapped between his teeth. Fortunately there are several products available that you can use to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. As a minimum you should have a special dog toothbrush, cotton tips, a tartar remover tool and canine toothpaste. You can purchase these items from your local pet store. Use them as early on in your puppy s life as possible so that he is well used to it by adolescence. Do not use normal toothpaste on dogs as canines can become sick on even small amounts of the fluoride that is commonly in toothpaste produced for human consumption. You can also buy dental chews, which clean your dog s teeth as he chews. Note that the modern dog often has trouble chewing real bones, as his teeth are not strong enough. Letting your dog chew on real bones can end up with a trip to the vet to fix broken teeth or bone chips in gums. 6

11 Tip No.7 Smooth Coats For grooming smooth haired dog s you will need a rubber brush, a bristle brush and a chamois. Generally you should always brush against the grain of your dog s hair. Use the rubber brush first to remove any large foreign matter and dead hairs. Now use the bristle brush to remove the finer particles of dirt and hair. Finally use the chamois to polish your dog s coat and bring out the luster to give him a glossy sheen. This type of grooming should take place once every 3 to 4 days to keep your dog looking in pristine condition. Tip No.8 Long Coats Long haired dogs, such as Shetland Sheepdogs and Collies, require grooming at least twice per week, with standard grooming equipment being a slicker brush, bristle brush and a steel wide tooth comb. If you do not groom these types of dog regularly then their coat will matt, making it much harder to rectify when you do decide to groom them. Dogs that have long silky coats, such as Yorkshire Terriers, do not have the downy undercoat that other long haired breeds have. Be extra careful not to scratch or cut them when grooming. Use a slicker brush on a daily basis to ensure that your dog s coat does not become twisted and matted. After the slicker brush, use a pin brush to more thoroughly go through your dog s coat. Avoid pulling too much on your dog s hair if possible. Also be vigilant about untangling hair under your dog s legs as this area can easily be missed and is more sensitive. Use the wide tooth comb to take any left-over tangles out. You may wish to use a finer tooth comb after this for finishing off the coat. It is a good idea to trim any lengthy hair from around your dog s hocks and feet as these areas are more susceptible to getting foreign objects, like mud and dirt, imbedded in them. 7

12 Tip No.9 Short Coats Short coated dogs require less specialist grooming than other breeds. However as all dogs molt they should still be brushed on a daily basis. Once again you will need a slicker brush, bristle brush and a steel comb. With short hair breeds a fine tooth comb rather than a wide tooth comb should be used. As with long haired dogs, use the slicker brush to remove any tangles as well as to prevent his coat matting. Then use the bristle brush to remove any remaining dirt and other foreign matter. You can then use the comb to run through any straggly parts that are left, like the tail and underbelly. Tip No.10 Equipment To obtain the best results it is important that you use the correct equipment when grooming your dog. Listed below are some of the common items that professional groomers use in their business. These items should all be available from your local pet store. A slicker brush is designed to prevent matting and remove tangles. Bristle brushes are a coarser brush used to take finer foreign matter off of your dog s coat. Pin brushes are used for long haired dogs as they work well with the extra hair length to remove tangles and twists. In my experience the best combs to use are the stainless steel ones. They won t rust and last for a long time. They come in a variety of sizes and lengths, your pet store should be able to tell you which are best for your dog. A Slicker Brush 8

13 Stainless steel scissors are also recommended. It is a good idea to get safety tip scissors if you are trimming in sensitive places or your dog tends to fidget when you are grooming him. You can buy specialist dog clippers from your local pet store. However, you can also use normal clippers, like those that are used in barber shops, but you may have to get specially sized snap-on attachments depending on the length of your dog s hair. A rubber brush is a soft brush that is good for using against a dogs hide hence they are particularly good on short haired breeds. Stripping knives are used on dogs with wiry coats. These dogs need to have their coat hand stripped every three months. Use this type of knife in the direction of your dog s coats grain. Ask your vet or pet store owner for a demonstration of the correct technique. A Bristle Brush A Rubber Brush Tip No.11 Warning Signs Through regular grooming, you should be able to notice any warning signs that there may be something wrong with your dog. Signs that not all may be right with your dog include the following. Swelling of the stomach, which can indicate a variety of complaints. Report any unusual lumps to your vet immediately as they could be the sign of a serious illness such as cancer. If you see flaking, scabs or rashes on the skin then it could be a sign of an allergy, fungal infection or even a skin disorder. It is quite possible that your dog will start to scratch and itch more than he normally does as well. Labored breathing may indicate respiratory problems. 9

14 If your dog squints, has bloodshot eyes, has cloudy eyes or a discharge coming from the eyes then your vet should check him over. Glaucoma and conjunctivitis are relatively common in older dogs. Unusual bowel movements, such as blood in the stools. If he has yellow teeth or bad breath, it is probably time to get his teeth cleaned. The End 10