Advice is to try and groom your dog once a day. This helps to prevent diseases, skin conditions and matting. Along with being able to easily check for lumps and bumps that may lead to something more serious if not caught early.
Not only does it help prevent fleas and ticks, proper brushing improves the blood circulation on the coat and removes dead skin so it remains healthy.
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Like with any equipment, it’s important to introduce it so your dog forms a positive association. A good protocol is ‘Touch ‘n’ Treat‘. This means one swipe of the brush = one treat. It won’t be long until your pooch LOVES being groomed.
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If they are happy to be touched and handled, this will also help in other areas. It’s the number one issue I hear from Vets and Groomers. Spending time creating positive associations with touch in sensitive areas will really help (they will thank you for it!).
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Teaching a husbandry behaviour, such as a ‘Chin Rest‘ is really useful (and quick and easy). Check out our video on how to do this HERE.
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If the site of the grooming brush is too exciting, you can always distract with a LickiMat with some paste or wet food. For many dogs, grooming is a great bonding and relaxing experience with their owners. Who doesn’t love a good massage?
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Using What & When
Brush Daily
First you need your brush you are going to use daily. I love this one, as it suits all dogs and is 2 in 1. Hard bristle for detangling, removing debris and massaging your dog. On the other side, soft bristles to use afterwards which smooths and shines the topcoat.
DeShed Once A Week
If you have a breed of dog who sheds, the FURminator is a brilliant deShedding tool I use once a week with Bear. This really helps to reduce the amount of Bear Hair in the house. You wouldn’t believe how much fur comes out using this. Make sure you get the right size for your dog (S/M/L) and coat type (short/long).
Bath Once A Month
Bathing your dog once a month will help keep a healthy coat and smelling fresh. It’s important to use a dog formulated shampoo, as they contain more moisturisers so as not to dry their coat out. I love this Groom Professional one as a regular shampoo (it smells nice).
For young puppies I’d recommend the Animology Puppy Love Shampoo and for ‘rollers’ like Bear, the Animology Fox Poo Shampoo. Use the Kong Zoom Groom to get deep into their coat when bathing.
Spritz
There are times when you just need to give them a quick spray to keep them smelling fresh. Bear gets half a bottle sprayed at him whenever guests come round or if he’s lucky enough to score himself a date.
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Out & About
Wash
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Mud Daddy? It’s so popular for a reason, they are so good! Really easy to keep in the car, always on hand to give your dog a quick rinse after the inevitable bound through the mud.
Dry
The Ruff & Tumble Dry Coat is the best drying coat I’ve used. Brilliant to dry them off after a swim in the lake or more likely, a rainy day.
Back Home
The Scruffs Noodle Drying Mat is great to have by the front door or hallway, or even in the car boot. They can settle there with a Pizzle Stick whilst they dry off, saving muddy footprints all round the house.
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10% Off Professional Groom
You can’t beat a professional groom. Bear LOVES his auntie Caroline @ Paws To Pamper. She offers a wide range of grooming services and if you mention HPDT you’ll get 10% OFF!
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You can view all of our hand picked products to help under the Training Aids section of our Online Shop. Let us know what you think of the products and if there’s any recommendation, we’re always keen hear from our lovely dog training community x