Dog owners in NYC are on top of their puppies care when it comes to all areas of providing the best puppyhood for their dog. Whether it’s choosing which brand of dog food, finding a reputable vet or figuring out keep their dog’s feet and face nice and clean. We’ve provided a ruff overview of tips on puppy skin and coat care from tail to tip.
It Starts from Puppy Hood:
If you have a dog that requires a haircut, it is better to wait until the pup is 5 months old. Early hair cutting can result in changing their coat to be less than desirable if done too early.
Ritualize at Home Grooming:
Get into the ritual of touching your dogs feet, nails, teeth and tail. Gentle feather like touching is a great place to start. No pup enjoys a ruff hand. Be soft to the touch with combing hair and find a grooming tool that will get rid of matts as pain free as possible. Brushing your dog can be a pleasurable, bonding experience when done correctly and regularly.
Warm The Shampoo:
Creating a spa like experience helps set your pup up with a great attitude about “bath time”. Water that is not the “just right” temperature can shock the puppy’s body. Simply warm up the shampoo (and conditioner) in a bucket with warm water until its acclimated to a soothing temperature.
Bath time! $45.95
Maintenance Baths At-Home:
As cute as your dog might be with a longer haircut, the maintenance for it is much longer: Be sure to bathe your dog regularly at home and always brush your dog out before the bath and after to make sure you get the matting out. Best option for less combing at home: grooms every 4-6 weeks and maintenance baths in between. Let your groomer assist with a grooming schedule that works to keep your pup clean and happy. Some grooming salons offer packages and grooming happy hours.
Products that Assist:
Between grooming, we recommend using a dematting cream that will keep your dogs fur moisturized and therefore help reduce the matting. Just a dime sized amount rubbed into the palm and your hands and placed in high rub areas (collar, behind the ears and harness areas) will help manage matting.
City Dog Grooming Hacks:
Be sure that your dog is not wearing their harness at all times. This can potentially create more matting in the high friction areas which will later have to be tended too. It also can cause discomfort for the dog and can be like wearing your gym outfit all day (and night) long. No fun!
While dogs benefit from winter wear- a dog wearing a sweater can cause more matts than is worth. Dogs have naturally protective skin and coat that nature gave them. There’s no need to go excessively overboard especially if your dog has ample fur.
Brush Your Dog’s Teeth From Early on:
Peridontal disease is no joke for dogs. Regularly brushing your dogs teeth will help with this tremendously. Many dog tooth pastes are flavored in dog friendly tastes to help assist. Gentle does it. If you require assistance as you dog nanny or groomer to help get your dog used to it. If you feel like your dogs teeth condition has gone too far do a gentle reset with your vet to get a teeth scaling. We also highly recommend TruDog breath spray which helps dissolve the plaque on the dogs teeth. Even the worse cases can turn around within a few days. Scared to put your dog under: Check out anesethesia-free dog teeth cleaning.
Grooming Can Help Your Dog Socialize:
Being around other pets who are also getting groomed pain-free can help your dog develop the confidence to feel good about being groomed. Check to see if your local dog groomer has a spa day option or add on daycare service to have your dog get to hang out at the facility for the day.
Regular Grooming Helps Starve Off Potential Ailments:
Whether you bathe your dog at home or get it done professionally, touching your dog regularly can help you notice any changes or abnormalities before it gets too serious. A trained groomer will let you know if your dog has a rash, bump or abormally brittle nails– all of which can be signs of a vitamin or mineral deficiency, pending allergy or more.
This article was written by Cynthia Okimoto at New York Dog Nanny. This advise is not to meant as a substitute for veterinary advise. Â We also participate as an Amazon Affiliate. Your purchasing through our links helps support our research and recommendations.
Have great content or product you’d like to share? Contact us and let’s hear it! We are accepting guest bloggers at this time.
