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Congratulations for
taking good care of your pet’s coat! Not only will regular brushing and
combing help keep your pet looking, smelling and feeling great, it will also
reduce grooming costs by keeping costly dematting fees at a minimum.
For the care of your
individual pet, I would recommend you purchase the following tools:
(Note:we put a kit
together. Ours contains a small Universal slicker brush, a Teflon
greyhound comb, and a bottle of coat spray.)
Your dogs coat forms
mats and tangles when the soft undercoat (hair that insulates your pet)
sheds and becomes ensnared with the harsher outer coat, (the longer, glossy
hair that covers your pet.) Tangles happen very quickly when the dog’s coat
is exposed to moisture, dirt and friction. As normal, active pets, our dogs
get wet and dirty, and friction mats begin at points where dog’s joints are,
such as “armpits,” the area where rear legs join the body, and under the
dog’s collar or harness. Regular brushing and combing prevents mats from
forming. Once matting has begun, it is painful to the animal, pulling on
its skin. Mats can trap moisture near the skin and cause skin problems. It
is also important to know that a matted hair coat cannot properly insulate a
dog from cold weather. Once a dogs coat is matted, the kindest thing to do
is have your groomer shave the hair. If the dog is healthy, the hair will
quickly grow back. Dematting a dog’s coat is difficult, time consuming and
HURTS THE DOG. As pet care professionals, there is nothing we dislike more
than causing a dog in our care discomfort.
We would be happy to give you
complimentary, hands-on lesson on how to brush your pet at home. This is a
skill that is often best learned after you can actually see the proper
method. Meanwhile, following are some tips that we hope you will find
helpful:
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Many dogs will struggle when you first begin to brush them.
Be firm but gentle and you pet will learn to accept brushing.
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Placing dog on a sturdy, no-skid surface, elevated off the
ground often helps them to realize that brushing is not playtime, and
encourages good behavior. (For large dogs an outdoor picnic table is one
possible choice, small dog’s do well on top of a washing machine or similar
appliance that has a no skid mat on top of it.)
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Keep your first brushing sessions brief, and reward your pet
with kind words, a pat and a treat when you are finished. Stretch sessions
out a bit each time.
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The most common mistake pet owners make is to brush over just
the top layer of coat. The pet looks fine at the surface, but
tangles are forming close to the skin.
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“Line Brushing” is the method professionals use to make sure
we are brushing effectively. What this means is brushing in sections,
starting at the toes and brushing one thin layer of coat at a time, exposing
a line of skin, removing any tangles, then moving up a tiny bit to do
another layer. The entire body is covered using this method, one small
section at a time.
·
After brushing, use a good comb. You should be able to easily
pull a comb through the entire hair coat after you have brushed the dog
well. The comb will show you any areas that need further brushing.
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A good coat spray will help you smoothly brush through the
coat. The spray we sell contains medical grade silicone, which smoothes the
cuticle of the hair shaft, helps prevent tangling, and imparts shine to the
hair coat. It smells nice, too, an added bonus!
Frequently Asked Questions
- How often can my dog be bathed?
- Using high quality, gentle products, pets can be
bathed weekly or even more often without any adverse effects. Our rule of
thumb? If your dog smells bad or feels sticky or greasy, it’s time for a
bath!
- Why does my pet have to be clipped so short if it is
matted?
- The only way to clip under a matted hair coat is to
slide the clipper blade into the very small space between the mats and the
pet’s skin. Don’t worry though; the hair will grow back as long as your
dog is healthy!
- How often should I have my pet professionally
groomed?
- Most dogs such as poodles, spaniels, clipped
terriers and other pets that require professional grooming come in to our
shop every 4 to 6 weeks. If you do a good job brushing, you may be able
to stretch this to 8 weeks between groomings.
- How can I learn more about home care for my pet?
- Ask us! Pet grooming is more than our job, it’s our
passion, and we are happy to help you learn the best way to care for your
companion animal.
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