Complete Puppy Care - The Necessity Of Regular Grooming
While not always as critical a problem as housebreaking, grooming is quite often another area that is sadly neglected or badly handled. A young dog should be groomed thoroughly on a regular basis. Thorough grooming means brushing and combing out all mats and tangles, looking for external parasites, cleaning ears, and cutting the puppy's nails.
Expect The First Few Months To Be Messy
Nobody thinks an infant puppy will stand perfectly still while all this is going on. In fact, it will take some time before all of these procedures can be accomplished at one time. Start slowly, making the dog stand for a few minutes while you gently brush and comb.
Instruct him to lie quietly while you check his ears, check out his paws, and peruse the anal area. Talk to him and reassuring him that you will not hurt them and it's all for his own good. He may not understand what you are saying, but just the soft sounds of your voice as you speak will go a long way to comforting his nervousness and help keep the dog as still as possible.
Ask your veterinarian to teach you how to clip his nails, wash his ears and, if he is long-haired type, how to cut the hair away from under his tail to prevent feces from sticking to the area and causing problems. Unkempt hair, long nails, and filthy ears are worse than unsightly; they are teeming with disease and parasites which can cause great discomfort and lead to physical harm to your little dog.
Although both long and smooth-coated breeds require regular care, the truly difficult types (such as Poodles, Afghans, Collies, Old English Sheepdogs, etc) require daily upkeep to keep them looking and feeling their best.
He May Be little Now, But Grooming Is Best When Practiced Early
Never think that the puppy that will not stand being brushed at eight weeks will outgrow it. This is never the case. More likely, he will develop into the type of dog that needs sedation in order to be de-matted and/or stripped to the skin. This can be avoided by beginning with gentle, brief grooming sessions when your dog is young.
Over the long term, you will find that a few moments daily spent caring for your puppy will result in long-term savings from expensive vet bills, grooming costs, and less trouble when your dog grows into adulthood.
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