Help Your Dog Look & Feel Good: In-home Grooming

Brought to you by the AKC GoodDog! Helpline – the AKC’s 7-day-a-week training support service

To look and feel their best, even the lowest maintenance dogs need some regular grooming that you can do at home. Long-coated breeds that are taken to a professional groomer still need maintenance between appointments.

Once every several weeks is enough for a major spa day but keeping up with the smaller stuff in between appointments will save time and lessen discomfort for the dog during the big grooming sessions. It will also save money — groomers, justifiably, charge more if they must spend extra hours de-tangling, or even shaving down a dog because it was allowed to get matted.

All dogs need nails trimmed, ears cleaned, and require regular brushing. Whether you have a short-haired or long-haired dog, regular brushing will help to remove dead hair, so less of it will end up where you don’t want it.

Regular short grooming sessions are also bonding opportunities for dogs and their people, and the handling helps to prepare puppies to be good clients for professional groomers and veterinarians. Make it a positive experience by giving tasty treats during these sessions.

Reasons to do at least minimal grooming at home:

• An opportunity to check for overall health, skin issues, etc.
• Professional groomers will appreciate that your dog is used to being handled
• Longer grooming sessions will be pleasant for the dog rather than stressful
• Preventing a matted coat makes groomers’ job easier, lessens stress for the dog, and saves money that would be spent on grooming and/or veterinary costs. Mats can cause painful skin problems.

Things to do between major grooming appointments:

• Trim or file toenails — you may want to learn how to do this from a breeder or groomer
• Bush and comb to prevent matting and to remove dead hair and dirt
• Check and clean ears
• Clean face and eyes (especially for white dogs)
• Bathe if necessary — too many baths will dry out dogs’ skin
• Brush your dog’s teeth —  it’s easier than you think! 

None of these things is difficult; just a few minutes every few days can make all the difference. And who knows; you may be inspired to learn how to trim your own pet!