Keeping A Puppy Well Groomed

Grooming your puppy is about a great deal more than just keeping your puppy looking his best. Taking care of his fur, skin and nails is also great for his health. For that reason, you need to begin frequently grooming your puppy as soon as he comes into your home. At first, he might be resistant to being physically fussed over. But if you do it gently, with plenty of praise and warmth when he holds still and of course a special doggie treat when he lets you finish, soon it'll turn out to be a routine that he actually looks forward to. And the outcomes will please you so much that you'll look forward to it, too.

Get a good quality brush and comb from your local pet supply store and establish a schedule of brushing your puppy's coat once or twice a week. Breeds with longer and curlier hair will need much more brushing, while breeds with notably short| hair can get by on much less. Brushing and combing cleans dirt and loose hair and dead skin from your puppy's fur.

This may prevent the "matting" of the fur into hopelessly knotted clumps of hair that need special conditioners to unravel and in the worse cases should be sheared off. Brushing also stimulates the blood vessels beneath the skin, making the skin healthier and also the coat above it more lustrous.

Regular baths are also a part of great puppy grooming. Just how regular, of course, varies significantly from puppy to puppy. Lengthy haired breeds again require much more such attention than shorter haired breeds. Life style issues play a big component in that choice as well. Puppies with a vigorous outdoor life will get dirtier than the much more indoor-oriented "lap dogs," and therefore will require more baths. And finally, there's the easy question of what puppy owners consider clean (and how much of a "doggy" odor they are able to live with). A minimum of one bath each and every month or so is reasonable for most puppies.

Keep your puppy's nails trimmed. When done properly, it's no more painful for the puppy than clipping your own finger and toe nails is for you. Ask your veterinarian to show you the proper technique. Like all habits you wish to ingrain for a lifetime, begin trimming your puppy's nails when he is extremely young so he gets used to what could be an awkward and tedious procedure for the both of you until it becomes yet one more component of a normal grooming routine.

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