Dog Hygiene 101

Dog hygiene is one of the many things that an owner dreads to maintain. While some owners prefer to send their dogs to the groomer to get clean, others prefer to do this chore in house. When we think of our hygiene what do we typically think of? Bathing, Brushing hair, and cleaning our teeth. What we have to consider is that dogs require the same amount of hygienic care as we do to stay healthy. Basic dog hygiene for dogs involves nail trimming, cleaning of teeth, brushing, and bathing.

Cleaning their teeth is another overlooked yet important part of dog hygiene. To start, buy a specialized dog toothbrush with dog tooth paste from your local pet store. It looks like a regular toothbrush, however the bristles look more like a square sponge within a 'Y' shaped tip. It is easiest to start by massaging your dogs jowls before inserting the brush.

Nail trimming is pretty self explanatory but has several setup steps that are easily overlooked. You're going to want to purchase a pair of canine nail trimmers if you haven't already because no other tool will ensure a clean, accurate cut for your dog's nails. There are two types of nail trimmers, electronic sensory and standard (manual). The electronic sensory clippers will detect the quick for you so you know where to cut. The standard clippers allow you to use your best judgment. Pictured here are the standard type of nail clippers, I prefer to use this style.

Most dogs have a little anxiety with people touching their paws. Consider how you would react if someone grabbed your arm and started forcibly clipping your nails, they would react much in the same way. What you want to do is ease your dog into the idea of nail trimming. Start by trying to simply pick up your dogs paws and gently touch their nails, about five times a day spread out. Afterwards give them a small treat and praise them. Repeat this until your dog is comfortable with you touching their paws. Next, examine your dogs paws to look for the 'quick'. The quick is a live blood vessel that will bleed profusely if cut, so be sure to proceed with caution when clipping their nails. It should be located in the middle of the nail in reference from the base. (see diagram below)

If the quick is cut apply a dry paper towel to absorb the blood then apply a product called “Quick Stop” to the open wound and treat until nail has grown out. Trim nails with a steady movement to reduce stress and cut about two millimeters from the quick.

Moving onto brushing, logic would dictate that simply taking an old hair brush and haphazardly brushing all of that annoying hair out would suffice. However there is an art to the simple act of brushing that, like nail trimming and teeth cleaning people easily overlook. Think of the scales on a snake, dog hair also grows in one direction and you will want to ALWAYS brush with the grain. Otherwise you will be causing them great discomfort and some dogs may not allow you to continue. It is always appropriate to have a dog brush specifically designed for dog 'hair' or 'fur'. Visually you should be able to tell the difference because 'hair' will appear longer, lighter and sometimes wavy or curly. Poodles, Schnauzers and Yorkies typically have 'hair'. 'Fur' will seem more coarse and in most cases is shorter than 'hair' although chemically they are the same thing. Labs, Huskies, Welsh Corgies have 'fur'. For dogs with 'hair' you're going to use a bristle brush and for 'fur' you'd want to use a comb. Repetitive gentle strokes are key for a calm brushing experience.

Bathing is best enjoyed in a tub or a store bought dog pond. Be sure not to wash them behind the house with a garden hose. In doing so, the garden hose will spray the dog with rust and bacteria that will make them smell worse than before you started bathing them. Similar applies to the shampoo you chose to use. It is true that dish soap will kill fleas but that is about all it does. Dish soap does not promote a healthy coat or treat dry skin; for these issues you need ACTUAL dog shampoo. To start a proper dog bath you first have to make the dog comfortable with the idea of a bath. To start, try instructing them in and out of the bath and treat with every transition from inside the tub to outside the tub. Once the dog is comfortable with the bathing area of your choice, introduce warm water. Wet your hand with warm water and gently pet your dog until you feel they comfortable with being wet. Fill the tub or dog pond a quarter full with warm water and instruct your dog to sit in the warm water and begin soaking them with more warm water until soaked. Begin your dogs favorite part of the bath and gently pour a cup of shampoo across them while massaging the shampoo to a lather gently with your hands. Now make sure to wash ALL areas of the dog, Even the...undesirable bits. To apply to eyes scrub around the eyes and do not scrub over the eyes. After your dog is covered in the lather, pour one more layer of warm water and make sure to rinse all of the soap off. Once all shampoo is off, bring your dog into a previously decided area to dry with no dirty spots to roll in. (Because they will roll in them) Lay an old towel down for them to air dry on. After they are clean you will have a dog that has clipped nails, clean breath, no shedding, and freshly bathed. Which provides a feeling of security when your dog ever deems it necessary to lick hands or rub their head against your leg.