Routine grooming of your Golden Retriever is a key to a long and enjoyable life together. Once you and your dog get into a routine, the benefits increase because grooming becomes a productive part of life— not an interruption. It takes some time and desire, but the effort will help cultivate a happy and loving Golden. Some general grooming necessities include regular brushing, nail trimming, and bathing.
Benefits of Regular Brushing
Regular brushing can develop into a great bonding activity for you and your Golden. Most Golden Retrievers like to be brushed, so take your time, be patient, and get him used to the brushing action. Eventually he will enjoy how it feels and appreciate the attention. A puppy might be a little impatient, so keep calm, take your time, and keep it positive.
Pay attention to any irregularities such as lumps, tender areas, or signs of fleas or ticks. Keep track of any changes that occur. Catching symptoms early can minimize later issues.
Make sure to use a proper brush. You want the dog to feel comfortable with the “feel” of the brush and the brush to effectively remove hair. There are different styles of brushes available, but the basic slicker brush is best to remove most of the loose undercoat and dead hair. An effective brush will cut down on shedding and keep your home more dog hair free.
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Poodle Grooming Tips
Because of the quickly growing a coat of the Poodle, a trim and bath are usually necessary every six to eight weeks. If you have decided that you are going to be the one to take care of the coat, rather than a professional groomer, certain supplies must be on hand.
For basic brushing, the pin-bristled brush does the best job.
Make sure that the bristles are straight, not curved, and set fairly widely apart on a rubber base. Brushes with curved, widely spaced bristles can damage the Poodle coat. A slicker brush that is long in shape and has fine, closely set wires with a slight bend at the tips is recommended for ridding the coat of mats and tangles.
A coarse-toothed steel comb and a fine-toothed comb complete the list of tools needed to keep the coat unsnarled.
Clipping the coat requires the use of an electric clipper, preferably one with interchangeable blades. A small animal clipper is highly recommended by professional groomers as it is lightweight and easily handled.
The blades vary in size according to the area of the Poodle body that is to be clipped, with the number of the blade designating how much hair it removes. The higher the number, the more hair it clips off.
It must be noted that these blades can get quite hot during clipping and burn the dog’s skin, so it is recommended that you also purchase a spray lubricant designed to cool and lube the blades. Of course, you could also use hand clippers, but they are much more difficult than the electric to operate, and the entire clipping procedure will take quite a bit longer. Several sharp scissors will also be needed to apply the finishing touches to the look of the coat.
When you begin grooming your poodle, his hindquarter region is a good place to start. By beginning here, the dog cannot see what is occurring behind him, and he should not become nervous or annoyed. Remember, it is a very good rule to accustom your dog to the entire grooming procedure prior to attempting any major clipping.
He should be well trained enough so that he will obey your “stay” commands while he is on the grooming table. Make it clear from the start that grooming is to be taken seriously. The procedure should neither be a game nor a wrestling match for either of you.
Begin your grooming routine by first looking for any mats or tangles. Carefully work your fingers through the coat, then repeat the procedure using the fine-toothed comb.
If you should find a mat, use your slicker brush or a matting comb. The coat should be brushed up and then down to loosen the matted hairs. Applying a tangle remover to the coat may also help to ease the problem.
In any case, mats must be removed prior to the bath to avoid further tightening.
Once you have finished brushing the hindquarters, begin brushing out the hind legs with quick, short, up and down strokes. Repeat the procedure with the front legs.
After the legs are completely tangle-free, begin brushing the body, starting at the back end and working up to the neck region.
Brush underneath the body, making sure you give this area a proper amount of attention as it is a prime area for matting.
The head and ears should be done with great care, as these delicate areas provide much of the Poodle beauty if groomed properly.
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Grooming Your Golden Retriever
Grooming your Golden Retriever is a never ending process. The entire process should be down once or twice a week, and will take you around a ½ an hour of time. Brushing your dog while he is shedding will help to control shedding quite a bit. While outside, if your Golden Retriever manages to get burs or other defects in his hair, you should instantly take a few moments of your time and get the burs or other matter out of his coat.
When you groom your pet, you should always start with a good brushing. Brush his entire body, then once you have finished brushing you can switch to a comb to get out any loose hair that remains in the coat. While you are getting out the hair, you can also inspect your pet for ticks, fleas, and other types of skin ailments. If you wish, you can also check his ears and trim his nails as well.
Bathing your Golden is essential to grooming, and can be somewhat complicated. Before you attempt to give him a bath, you should always brush him first, to get rid of tangles. During shampooing, you should always use shampoos that are specifically for dogs, since human shampoo can dry a dog’s skin out. You don’t need to bathe your dog often, once every other week is good enough. If you properly maintain your Golden’s coat, you’ll find it’s much easier to clean.
To prevent matting, which is very common with Golden Retrievers, you should always make sure that you brush your pet on a daily basis. Metal combs and brushes work extremely well, and will help you to get a great deal of the hair out. Although some people choose to use scissors and cut the mats, you can easily injure your Golden Retriever if he happens to move or jerk. Scissors aren’t recommended, as brushing and proper bathing will help to prevent matting of the hair better than anything else.
When you cut your dogs nails, you should trim them a great deal, all the while avoiding going down into the quick. You should never let the nails of your Golden Retriever get too long, as long nails can easily take the shape of the dog’s foot, resulting in a splay. Therefore, you should always check your Golden Retriever’s nails and trim them every few weeks. If you trim them just right, you’ll have at least 2 weeks before they need to be trimmed again. If you do happen to trim the nails past the quick, bleeding will occur. To stop the bleeding, always keep some styptic powder on hand to make sure that you are prepared if you do make a mistake.
With other types of grooming, you should also make sure that you clean your Golden’s ears as well. They can get ear infections quite easily, if you don’t clean their ears on a regular basis. To get the best results and protect your pet from ear infections, you should clean his ears once a week using a quality cleansing solution. This way, you can rest assured that your Golden Retriever has healthy ears.
Grooming is an essential aspect to the health of every Golden Retriever. All it takes is a little bit of time from your day to groom your pet and keep him healthy. If you don’t have the time to groom your Golden, you can always take him to a professional. Whether you do it yourself or take your Golden Retriever to a pro – grooming is something that simply must be done.