EVER wondered how much you can save if you cut down on your pet grooming costs every month? Well, truth is, pet owners spend a minimum of about $50 each month to groom their pooches. That adds up to a total of $600 every year. You can easily save on this by grooming your own pet. For many of us, this may seem like a daring venture to pursue. It’s much simpler than you think it is, though. Here’s a guide on basic grooming for your pup. Follow it and I guarantee it will leave you several hundred dollars happier each year!

Dog-grooming equipment
Before delving into the whole grooming process, ensure you have all the necessary equipment ready. It’s good to set aside a fixed place where you’ll be performing the trimming of fur, nail clipping, etc. A corner spot of the hall, on the floor, would be a good location. Spread a small mat and place all your equipment on it. Necessary equipment would include a dog’s nail clipper, hair brush/comb, cotton swabs, ear cleaner, eye cleaner and tweezers. There are dog owners who prefer to set up or purchase a professional workstation with a raised table, attached leash, etc. This is really not necessary if you’d like to keep things simple. You can work just as well with your dog on the floor and with him tied to his leash attached to the window or door.

Some dogs require muzzles to calm them especially when dealing with sensitive areas like their ears or eyes. When grooming, it’s always a good idea to have another person help you out. He or she can assist in holding your dog still while you work on it. This will prevent your dog from making sudden movements and giving room to unnecessary accidents and injury.

WATCH IT !HOW TO GROOM YOUR DOG

Dog Nail-clipping
Most owners are really fearful of cutting their dogs’ nails, and this fear isn’t an unreasonable one. It’s easy to cut too deep in and cause severe bleeding for your pet. It is thus vital to learn the proper way of cutting your dog’s nails.

Every dog has a vein located in each nail called the “quick”. It’s important to identify where the quick starts so you don’t cut onto it. When broken, this blood vessel can cause severe pain and bleeding. For dogs with light coloured nails, it’s easy to identify where the quick starts (a thick pinkish line). For dogs with dark coloured nails, you need to turn your dog’s paws over and look at its nails from the underside where it’s lighter coloured. There are various picture guidebooks and online articles to aid you in learning how to identify where the “quick” starts in your dog’s nails. Once you get the hang of it, nail cutting need not be such a nerve-shattering experience.

Dog Ear-cleaning
Dogs are prone to suffering from ear infections. It’s thus important to clean their ears often and not let water get into their ears during bath-time. An ear cleaner’s sole purpose is to help loosen earwax so as to make it easier to swab off the dirt. Hold your dog’s head firmly and squeeze a considerable amount of the solution into its ear. Hold down its earflap firmly for at least 30 seconds, letting the solution soak in. Allow your dog to shake its head a few times; this will help loosen the debris as well. Insert the cotton swab/bud and thoroughly wipe every corner and crook in its ear. Repeat this on its other ear.

Dog Trimming and Styling
This is probably the trickiest part of grooming, the style factor. All dog breeds have an “ideal” grooming style, though it’s not always necessary to abide to these styles.

Some owners prefer even long-haired dogs to have their fur trimmed to the core all the time. Others prefer their pets’ fur to match its breed type. Once again, there is no fixed style for grooming your pet’s fur. If you’re truly concerned with achieving a nice breed style, check out the various DIY books available in libraries and articles online on pet grooming. At the end of which if you screw up the first time, remember you can always send your pooch to the pet shop to get a
proper trimming the next time around.

After all, if you cut down on all the costs for nail clipping, bathing, ear cleaning, and only send your dog for fur trimming, it will probably cost you just 20 bucks. If you decide to go ahead and trim your dog’s fur on your own, remember the safety rules first. Never venture too close to its eyes or genitals with the scissors. Keep your dog as still as possible while trimming.

Bath time!
And finally, when all’s said and done, comes bath time. Before bathing your dog, it would be a good idea to brush out matts and tangles in your dog’s fur. Short-haired dogs have the privilege of not having to go through brush outs. Matts and tangles can cause pain and discomfort in your dog and it gets even worse when it’s wet. Place cotton balls in your dog’s ears to help reduce the amount of water that might get through.

Test the water temperature with your hands to make sure it’s lukewarm. Soak your dog in the water for at least a few minutes. Pour a reasonable amount of dog shampoo onto your palm and lather it into your dog’s fur, remembering to scrub aggressively all over, even its anal cavity. Thoroughly rinse the soap off your dog. Hold your dog’s head firmly and place drops of its eye cleaner in and around its eyes. Cleanse away any debri and wash your dog thoroughly all over once again. When all’s done, towel dry your dog.

On a final note, it’s wise to remember that dogs that are not well groomed are more likely to fall sick easily, smell bad and become more receptive to bacteria and parasites. Grooming need not be put off till the end of the month. Regular grooming will ensure you have a healthier, happier dog. Always try to make your dog look forward to grooming time by including treats for him at the end of and in between his grooming session.