Why Groom Your Dog?

Have you ever put off grooming your dog until either they smell, or become seriously matted and need to be severely cut back? When was the last time you clipped your dog’s nails or brushed your dog’s teeth?

Life can get very busy and sometimes you just don’t seem to have the time or expertise.

As a professional dog groomer, I would like to take a few minutes for you to consider some of the reasons, for you, for your dog, and even for the groomer, to regularly schedule grooming of your beloved pet.

Dog Hair Growth

Like with human beings, a dog’s hair grows at different rates at different times in their lives.  How quickly and how often depends upon the time of year, their nutrition, and their activities, especially play.  So, determining a regular routine of how often you should get your dog’s hair cut is unique to your dog.  Most of my clients bring their dog’s in at least once every three to 6 weeks to maintain overall looks and health of the dog.

We tailor a specific haircut based upon your dog’s breed standard and/or your individual tastes.  In hotter areas like South Florida most give their pet a shorter summer cut to keep them cooler during the warmer months.

Dog Bathing

Likewise, regular bathing is important, especially as we in Palm Beach County move into the hotter summer months when the weather is more humid and stickier.  Also, in the summer when the grass grows faster and longer their yard play can result in grass and plant residuals trapped in their fur.

Another topic that most dog owners don’t want to deal with is the importance of “anal gland expression.” If your pet is having problems with their anal glands you might notice that they scoot their bottom along the floor, show discomfort when passing stool or lick or bite at the anal region. This is something that we check and can handle for you at the beginning of the bath.

Many of my clients find that the schedule of bathing, eye and ear cleaning, and brush out every two to three weeks works well.  Of course, for longer hair dog’s, weekly may be best.  A lot of friends have told me that the recommended frequency of grooming was a factor they considered when choosing a breed.

I believe the personality traits of your individual dog may also need to be taken into consideration.  Some dogs just love to roll around in the dirt, while others would never think of doing that.  A good roll in the dirt may change your schedule when it is wet and muddy outside.

Other dogs find puddle jumping after an afternoon rain a great adventure.

When and once you figure out who your dog is and what they most enjoy you can get a sense of what is their best grooming schedule, in each season.

Dog Nail Growth

A major and significant factor to consider is nail growth.  Like their human counterpart’s nail growth varies.  A dog’s nails being too long can make petting and playing with them challenging, and can even ruin sliding glass or screen doors.  So, you may wish to find a regularity that does not enable their nails to scratch you or the furniture.  If you see a dog scratching on the carpet that can be a sign that it has gone too long.

You must take into account that as the nail grows so does the quick of the dog’s nail. It is very important to get regular nail trimming and filing to keep the quick short.  And only a professional should trim dogs nails because of the risk of cutting the quick.

We find that monthly nail clipping and filing is not unusual.

Dog Teeth Brushed

Another part of regular dog grooming is having your pet’s teeth brushed.  Dogs, like their human relatives need their teeth brushed regularly for health.  If not, their teeth can decay, fall out, and make it harder for them to chew their food. I recommend at least once a week.

Dog Ear Care

An additional very important health concern for your dog is its ears. It’s necessary, especially in Florida, with the heat and humidity to get your dog’s ears cleaned at least once a month to ensure the proper health of the ear.

Hair, yeast and bacteria can grow in dog’s ears.  Plucking of the ear hair and the removal of any ear build up and yeast helps to keep the ear cool, dry, and able to breath. If you smell a foul odor from your dog’s ear it’s way overdue.

In Conclusion

Take a minute, and based on the ideas above, think about what the best schedule would be and how often you can take time out of your schedule to handle the grooming of your pet.

We at Pet Pourrie of Boca Raton remain flexible to work with you and guide you in establishing what works best both for you and your dog.

If you live in East Boca Raton or nearby, we would love to help you with creating a schedule to get your dog a haircut (or trim), bath (with brush out), nail clipping, and teeth brushed. Call us today for an appointment at 561-368-1933 .

Last Updated 7-11-2019

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