Like us, our furry friends need some kind of grooming as part of their health routine. Some need attention daily, while some may need only one brushing session a week. Everyone knows the struggle of keeping your loveable pets clean. And if you want to keep up with their grooming needs, the proper pet grooming tools are needed to get the perfect coat for your canine friends.
Whether just an owner or an aspiring dog groomer, check out the basics of the tools to add to your pet grooming arsenal.
Brushes and Combs
There are many brushes for dogs available in the market to no surprise—our pets have different types of coats. Avoid picking the wrong kind of brush to avoid burning or irritating your pet’s skin. Picking a right one is important to ensure that your dog’s hair can benefit from regular grooming.
Picking the following brushes could set you up initially.
- Slicker brush – Thin wire bristles with flat or slightly curved head. It can be used with all types of coats to remove loose fur and help detangle. (Best used with a dog detangler). Care should be taken with short hair so as not to scratch the skin.
- Pin brush – Similar to slicker brushes but the pins are tipped with rubber or plastic. Great for medium to long haired dogs.
- Bristle brush – Especially for doggos with short coats, bristle brushes are used for finishing up to remove debris and smooth and shine coats. Longer bristles are used for the more longer hair dogs and stiffer bristles for wiry ones.
- Double-sided brush – For all types of coats. Has a pin brush at one side of the brush while the pin brush is on the other.
- Rakes – For thick, heavier coat, undercoat rake is designed for dogs who shed in clumps. Helps prevent matting.
Nail Trimmers
Most dogs need regular trim to help keep their nails healthy and prevent breakage. Leaving the nails to grow can develop into a painful condition for your dog to the point of veterinarian treatment.
Pick a good type of nail trimmer as they come in different styles for different dog sizes. Guillotine clippers are good for small to medium sized dogs while the heavily constructed scissor clippers are best for large ones. Plier-style nail clippers can be used for most dogs.
Shampoo
It’s a good day if our dogs play around and search and dig for treasures. But that can also end up with a mess in our paws if they come home with dirty, muddy coats. Educating oneself with what shampoo to use will make our feisty furry canine friends be ready to take on the world (dog park!) again. (Or at least not until tomorrow.)
There are arrays of things to consider for a shampoo like skin or dog breed. But one thing’s for certain, never use human shampoo to bathe your dog as our skin is less sensitive to acidity than theirs.
Consider the following types of shampoo to use for bathing your dog:
- Tear-free – Tearless shampoos for dogs help in providing a comfortable bathing experience for your pet by protecting their eyes.
- Hypoallergenic – For dogs with sensitive skin. Hypoallergenic shampoos moistures your dog’s sensitive skin without causing further skin irritations.
- Natural – Going for shampoos with organic ingredients like aloe vera, herbal proteins, oatmeal, and citrus extracts will help you and your dog by not being exposed to harmful chemicals sometimes used for dog shampoos.
- Puppy Shampoo – Very mild and usually tearless meant for puppies.
Simbae prides itself in creating dog shampoos that are safe, effective and as sustainable as possible. We’ve made shampoos for all types of fur and breeds. Check out our range of organic dog grooming products!
Clippers
Especially short haired, most dogs need not have their furs clipped. Clipping sometimes though can benefit dogs with medium to long furs and may be even preferred more frequently for dogs that just have constant growing hair.
As much as possible, choose clippers that have strong motors and sharp blades to keep your clipping sessions as comfortable as possible (clippers may sometimes latch and pull the fur which may cause some pain for your dog). Some things to consider for picking clippers are the size of your hands, performance (temperature, particularly), and even how loud the clipper is.
Thanks for pointing out that most dogs would need regular nail trimming to keep their nails healthy and prevent breakage. I will make sure that I look for a dog grooming service near me so that I can have a regular trimming and another grooming service once I have my own dog next year. I just dream of having a companion such as a dog when I live on my own ever since I was a teen, so I want to make sure that I will be a responsible owner by then.