Shardas Article on To Groom or not To Groom.

[Sarah]

ello and welcome everyone!

This is Sharda with a pet grooming newsletter update.

Today, we will be talking about how you should approach pet grooming when dealing with your puppy.

For puppies, you always have to remember that the first time can determine if he will either love or hate that certain activity.

So, today let’s talk about puppy pet grooming as well as debunking some puppy myths. Let’s start!


PET GROOMING – GETTING STARTED WITH PUPPY GROOMING

Everyone loves puppies. Puppies are cute and wriggly and lovable. However, of all three of those qualities that everyone adores, only one will make you complain when you are starting the dog grooming process! That’s right – wriggly!

This quality is definitely not conducive to a harmonious introduction to grooming and is one reason why many owners put off grooming their dogs for the first few months of their lives. Unfortunately, that is a big mistake. No matter how much your puppy wriggles, it is essential to introduce the grooming process as EARLY, FUN and COMFORTABLE as you can because it can save you a lot of hassle in the long term.

Puppies are far more open to new situations and experiences than wary, stuck in their ways older dogs are. As such, if you want to make your life easier then it is worth ignoring the myths.



PET GROOMING – DOG WASHING MYTHS?

“What myths?” you may ask. Well, there really is only one major myth – that you should not groom puppies until they are more than six months old. It is rumored that the puppy will catch a cold or get hurt because the brushing will be too rough. This is not true in any way. Puppies are more resilient than many people may think.

If they come from a breeder then the likelihood is that they have been roughhoused by their siblings and their mother. They will also be dirty and yet they will have survived. Furthermore, your puppy will be dirty when he or she comes to you so it is essential to bathe him or her and brush any remaining dirt out of the fur in addition to dead skin cells and shed hairs.

Pet grooming is actually essential for those reasons and the fact that it can actually improve the health of the coat. It stimulates the sebaceous glands, which of course produce the oil that conditions a dog’s coat.

In truth, as soon as the puppy is ready to come away from the mother, he or she is ready to be groomed and this especially applies to medium and long coated dogs because they actively need to be conditioned ready for grooming on a regular basis in the coming years. Puppyhood is a perfect time to introduce pet grooming, dog training and form habits.

As such, you should schedule regular grooming sessions from week one. However, these regular sessions should be supplemented if your puppy gets wet. The coat may get tangled and matted as it dries and this can cause problems when it comes to grooming during the next session.

As fast as your puppy can learn that grooming is fun, he or she can also learn that it hurts and decide to make it as difficult for you as possible next time around. Although there are no special ages in terms of when a puppy can be bathed or brushed, there is an accepted age at which a puppy can get his or her hair clipped for the very first time.

The accepted age is 16 to 18 weeks old. This is the age given by many professional dog groomers but in fact it really all depends on whether or not your puppy has had his or her rabies and DHPP shots.

As soon as those shots have been administered, your dog can have a haircut if he or she needs it. So, there you go!

I hope that you learned a lot about pet grooming and your puppy.

Remember to make pet grooming as fun and as comfortable as possible.

All the best and take care

Warmly

[Sarah]

I believe grooming is important. It's a time for bonding, and examining the body of your pet. [all animals] Grooming also provides an opportunity to check to see if your dog is stressed. You can do this by checking to see if the nerves are very tight near the end of his spine. IF so, then it's a good time to massage your dog, and figure out why the dog or [other pets] are so uptight.

I even groom my cat...and she looks forward to that time.

just my 6 cents

[jude09]

Yes, definitely! Thanks for this Sarah.

I had a trouble with giving my dog a bath because his first bath was everything but fun and I started
grooming him a bit too late.

So for those who are waiting for the right time to groom your dog, please it's better to start early.