The Ultimate Guide to Home Dog Grooming

A fundamental aspect to caring for your pet, home grooming sessions helps to keep your doggo healthy and clean.

If you’re worried about having to constantly bring your furkid for professional grooming sessions, fret not as basic tasks such as bathing and brushing the fur of your pet can be performed in the comfort of your home. Looking to kickstart your first home grooming session or wish to better groom your dog? Here’s a guide to home groom your pet!

Brushing Tips

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There is no specific number when it comes to brushing sessions. The number of sessions differs for every dog, depending mostly on its coat and shedding cycle.

However, it’s recommended to brush its coat every couple of days or at least once a week. At the same time, do note that shedding seasons will require an increased number of brushing sessions. Brushing not only detangles your canine’s fur, but it also removes dead hair, dry skin, distributes natural oils for a clean and healthy coat as well as stimulate its skin.

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When it comes to brushing, it’s crucial to use the appropriate brushing tool. Certain brushes have specific purposes while others are used generally. For example, a comb or pin-head brush is ideal for a general brushing while a shedding blade or universal slicker brush is used for removal of dead coat and hair mats.

When brushing your canines, brush down and out in the direction of its coat as gently as possible. If you’re rough, it will hurt your pup, damage its hairs and create a sense of fear for subsequent brushing sessions.

Additionally, if you encounter any mats—densely tangled clumps of fur—utilise a brush made specifically for detangling. You may also combine it with detangling products such as a mat spray or coat conditioner that can be found in Singapore pet shops or request for recommendations from your groomer or the vets in Singapore.

Bath Time

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As with brushing sessions, there isn’t a strict bathing schedule for you to follow. Instead, it depends on how often you are able to bath your dog, its skin condition, coat type and how it smells. More often than not, dogs are showered mainly to remove its unpleasant scent.

However, not all dogs require regular baths, unless advised by your vet. In fact, breeds with water-repellent coats such as Golden Retrievers and those with thick double coats such as Samoyed, require minimal showers so as to preserve their natural oils. With such breeds, proper and regular brushing is often sufficient. If you prefer your canine to have a more thorough cleaning, make an appointment with pet grooming services in Singapore.

When it comes to bathing your canine, it’s important that you spend time training it and getting it used to bath times.

It’s also recommended not to wet or shampoo your canine’s head unless advised by the vet, as it puts them at the risk of contracting secondary ear infections. To protect your pet’s ears, consider placing cotton balls in them to prevent moisture from entering – but be sure to remove them once bath time is over!

Once the wet steps are over, it’s important that your furkid is completely dried. Opt for a thicker towel to rub it down and let it air-dry. Don’t use a hair-dryer, unless it’s one made for dogs, as the hot air can do more damage than good to your canine.

An additional tip – brush your dog thoroughly before a bath to remove any and dirt and tangles that may worsen when wet or clog the drain. Most importantly, give it a treat at the end for it to associate bath time as a positive activity.