How To Wash Your Dog

Even if you have got the most easy care dog in the world, she’ll still need some attention to be paid to her appearance every once in a while so it is worth spending a bit of time learning the best techniques for easy, stress free grooming.

Why Should I Groom My Dog

Not so long ago, the average American’s approach to canine grooming was somewhat cavalier. Dogs were seen as something that lived in the yard (usually in a dusty, hard floored kennel), ate whatever was put in their bowls, and existed as a sometime playmate for the household’s children. Today, we tend to care for our dogs a lot more, and view them more as members of the household than the Thing in the Yard.

Moreover, since this rise in the estimation of our beloved pooches became widespread, grooming has been increasingly recognized as an important facet of your dog’s regular health care. It ensures that any skin care problems are minimized because grooming distributes the natural skin oils evenly throughout the coat and assists you in monitoring your dogs overall condition. If you groom on a regular basis, you can’t help but notice the presence of any unusual lumps or bumps.

However, this preventative action has saved many a canine life. Our dogs can’t tell us where it hurts, but taking just a little bit of time every so often to check them over ourselves can save a lot of grief in the long run. The trick is getting your dog to tolerate and even enjoy the process …

The first Step In The Grooming Process

Surely, something that many owners lack experience in is how to wash their dogs. Dry grooming brushing and buffing the coat seems to present little problem for most people. The rot tends to set in when water is introduced to the mix. Most dogs have a strong dislike of being bathed and in many cases will become utterly panic stricken when the tub comes out. This article is going to deal with the basics of how to wash your dog in a way that will keep both of you relaxed and happy.

Preparing For Grooming

First of all, the absolute most important thing you can do is to accustom your dog to the grooming process. Now, starting this in puppyhood is the ideal way to handle the situation but of course not all of us have this luxury, if you’ve got an adult dog, you’ll probably need to move a little slower, but you should still start getting her used to being touched and handled all over as soon as you can. As your puppy or dog gets used to the sensation of being rubbed and handled, she’ll slowly come to enjoy it.

Dogs are social creatures by instinct, and physical affection and contact is a big part of their lives. It should not take long before she begins to trust you and allows herself to get some pleasure out of your touch. All you have to do is start rubbing her slowly all over. Fondle her ears, touch her cheeks and neck, rub her back and belly, pick up her paws and if she will let you, give each one a gentle squeeze treating and praising her whenever she lets you do this.

since paw touching is generally a pretty big deal for most dogs. If she has a tail, rub it between your fingers. Get her to roll over on her back so you can rub and stroke her belly and hocks. This might not seem like such a big deal but it is actually a really important part of the grooming process. The more your dog enjoys it, the less stressful the whole event will be for both of you and so the more often you’re likely to groom her, which increases the health benefits for her.

Washing Your Dog

Bathing always comes before dry-grooming, since it makes brushing and trimming a lot easier as well as a lot more effective (there’s not much point in brushing a tangled, dirty coat. You will need some basic tools like a tub, a non slip mat, a plastic jug, some warm water, a small sponge, and some canine shampoo not human shampoo. The pH is all wrong for dogs, and will give her dry and flaky skin. Stand her in the tub, on the non slip mat. If she is a large or unruly dog, you may want to wash her outside to minimize mess either that or you can restrain her by tying one end of a light nylon leash to her collar and the other end to the faucet.

Pour jugs of warm water all over her until she is good and wet. This breaks down the grease in her fur, and ensures a thorough shampooing. Mix a little shampoo with another jug of warm water, and rub it thoroughly into your dogs fur. Start off with her back and rub it into a good lather but don’t be too harsh. Now you can move on to her head and face. Be very careful here. Dogs eyes are sensitive too and if you get any water in her ears, she will probably get an ear infection. You can plug her ears with a small twist of cotton wool to help stop this from happening.

Remember to clean under her tail before you wash her off. Dip the sponge into the shampoo mixture to do this properly. Now it is time to rinse. Using the jug and some clean, warm, shampoo free water, carefully tip it all over her and use your fingers to help disperse the lather from her coat. Rinse her off thoroughly at least twice, since any residue that remains will irritate her skin.

Now you will need to dry her off. If she has got short fur, you can use a towel. An old one will do just fine, although big dogs generally need two. For dogs with longer fur, give her a gentle toweling off first and then use a hair dryer to get rid of the last dampness. Be certain that it is set on low heat and hold it far away from your dogs fur to prevent burning either the skin or the fur.

Be Calm

Remember that most dogs have an inherent dislike of being bathed, which can cause anxiety and even outright panic. Your dog takes a lot of her emotional cues from you, so make sure you act like a good role model for the occasion. Reassure your dog frequently, keeping your voice well modulated, low and even keep your movements slow and deliberate. Praise her lavishly for good behavior and give her a couple of treats throughout the process to make it more enjoyable for her. The more she enjoys the process, the easier it will be for you.

For More Information

Grooming your dog is just one tiny aspect of maintaining overall health and happiness. For a complete, encyclopedic survival guide to all aspects of dog health, from preventative care to choosing a vet to doggie First Aid, even the canine Heimlich maneuver, you should take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health. It is a survival guide for knowledgeable, effective, and life saving dog care, this manual keeps your dogs health and well being firmly within your control which is exactly where you want it to be.

To be the best and most responsible owner you can be, take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health. You can visit the website by clicking on the link below.

Ultimate Guide to Dog Health

Obinna Heche. Los Angeles - California

http://biggsmall.com

Disciplining Your Dog

Constant encouragement is a requirement when you are training your dog. Food, treats, toys and praise and contact are the rewards your dog should be given. Punishment should never be physical, it is not necessary, he will respond much better to your love and affection. Dogs want to please those they love, loving them in return you will find an ease in training that will surprise you. Rewards should be along the following lines:

Food, a tasty treat will go a long way in rewarding your dog for his training successes. Hold the treat above his nose to get his attention, it is much easier to train a dog once you have his attention. Food rewards are best used when your dog is hungry.

Your touch is one of your dogs favorite rewards. They are very important in training. Praise him often during training, along with long strokes to his body, do not make the mistake of patting your dog on the head, it is a dominant gesture and should never be used as a reward. Always stroke him along the length of his body.

Toys are another great training tool, it wont take long for you to find out which are his favorites. As an incentive show him the toy and make eye contact with him by holding the toy above his head. If he misbehaves there are several means of discipline.

One means of discipline is isolation, this should only be done for a very limited time, a few minutes is sufficient, as it may cause him to feel as though he has been deserted. He loves contact and communication with you, and being isolated will make a big impression on him. Never tie him up and relegate him to the backyard for life, it may result in aggressive even vicious behavior.

My favorite discipline is what I call the rattle, I dont remember where I learned this, but it is a great training tool. Put 15 or 20 pennies in an old can and tape the top shut, a vigorous shake will make a lot of sudden and unpleasant noise.

When a dog is misbehaving, an unpleasant surprise will put his attention on you and off what he is doing wrong. Plan to have several rattles around your home.

Obinna Heche: Los Angeles- California

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Early Training for Puppies

The mother as well as his brothers and sisters have already had a great deal to do with developing your puppys personality long before you acquire him. If mom was a dog that barked to get attention, then her pups will probably do the same thing. Between three and twelve weeks are the most critical in developing a dogs personality.

Eight weeks of age is the best time to get your puppy. Giving him the most diverse experiences in the following month will assure a fruitful and satisfying training program for both of you. Make sure that your pup meets a wide variety of people during this month take him with you whenever possible, unless the vet tells you otherwise, to friends houses and just for rides.

Let him play with other dogs iyou know they are healthy, and allow him to meet children and other adults whenever possible. Provide your pup with lots of toys, this provides a lot of mental and physical stimulation, which puppies need. Figure out which are his favorite toys and plan to use them when his training starts. While playing with your puppy, pay attention, if he begins to sit, issue the sit command, when he follows the command, praise and reward him.

Playing is healthy for your puppy, but you should always be in control of these games. Immediately award him when he does something he has been commanded to do. Rewards should include stroking and petting, rather than just food, as you do not want him to grow up thinking he should only obey when offered food.

Dogs retain the activities they are raised with, if they are carried everywhere as puppies, they will believe that when they need comfort as an adult, they should be carried. Puppies require lots of mental stimulation between 3 and 12 weeks, this allows them to grow into adept adults at learning and problem solving.

One person in the family should be the mother as puppies learn by watching their mother. Try to keep the amount of fear they feel to a minimum, fear learned as a puppy can develop into phobias later in life. Raising a healthy well adjusted puppy will make his and your life better.

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Dogs Do Get Bored, Just Ask Dozer

Dogs get bored, Dozer is a well loved 3 year old Jack Russell Terrier, she gets to go with Dad to work, and almost every where else he goes, but sometimes she gets left at home. Dozer tends to chew things up, usually when she is left home alone, bored dogs may even go to the extreme of chewing on themselves!

Toys are an excellent way to deal with Dozers boredom, she has favorite toys, as do all children. It is important to put down four or 5 of her favorite toys just as you leave the house, and pick them up as soon as you return. This brings her attention to the toys, and away from other things she may chew on. These are special toys, they are all new each time you leave, and are only there when she is alone, they will keep her engaged for hours.

However, dogs have a very short attention span, which is why it is vital to put down a number of toys rather than just one. Another way to teach your dog to deal with boredom, which can also be caused because she is lonely, is to leave the television or radio on to a talk show.

Human voices are soothing to dogs, and Dozer likes to hear human voices a lot. However, if your dog has a vitamin or mineral deficiency no amount of training will stop her from chewing, this must be dealt with by the veterinarian.

Things that indicate a vitamin or mineral deficiency are:

*Eating your houseplants

*Eating dirt or garbage

*Eating her own stool or that of other animals

Your veterinarian can tell you many things about your dog, and if you are trying to train your dog something and she just wont learn, make sure there is no physical reason before giving up on her.


Obinna Heche: Los Angeles- California

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