Common Dog Grooming Mistakes to Avoid
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Are you a regular patron of a dog groomer? Or do you groom your dog yourself? The tricky thing about grooming on your own is ensuring you don't hurt your dog. It's much easier to do than you would think. Here are some of the most common at-home dog grooming mistakes and how to avoid them.
Shaving Your Dog is Not Cool for the Summer
Shaving your dog to keep them cool during the summer may make sense. However, shaving down a dog is one of owners' most common mistakes. Your dog’s thick coat already helps to regulate the pup's body temperature. It doesn't matter what season you are in; that coat is working overtime.
Shaving a dog does the opposite of what you want it to do. A hairless dog is much more likely to suffer from sunburn and sunstroke. You may also cause damage to your canine's coat. Drop the electric razor altogether to avoid common dog grooming injuries.
You Don’t Need to Wash Your Dog’s Inner Ears
Did you know that dogs don't require their inner ears to be washed? Humans may find that weird since we always clean the inside of our ears. However, we should not get any liquids in or around our dogs' ear canals. Why? The water that gets inside of your dog's ears can grow bacteria, which leads to ear infections.
Be Slow When Cutting Nails
Here’s the thing about nail clippers. You may be nervous about it, but they need to be sharp. They also need to be replaced regularly. Dull clippers can crush your dog’s nails and lead to injury.
It is also important to learn how to spot the quick of the nail. What is the quick? It is the center of the nail, where the nerves are and where all the blood is located. If your dog has lighter-colored nails, you may be able to see the quick as the pink circle around each nail. The quick may only be visible for darker nails as a black circle when you cut into the nail.
Clip slowly and with caution. Don't cut into the quick, as bleeding will occur.
These are just a few injuries that can happen while grooming your dog. Nail clipping is thought of as being one that worries most owners. If you don't have a steady hand, investing in a good groomer may be best.
✍🏼 Emma Luna