Tips For Keeping Your Dog's Coat Healthy

When it comes to grooming your dog, there are a number of activities that should be included in order to keep your dog looking and feeling his or her best. The following list contains some of the top dog grooming activities which are not in any particular order because they are all very important and should be treated as such when you're providing care for your dog.

Dog Bathing

Dog bathing is a very important dog grooming activity that can help keep your dog's coat looking healthy but be careful, you don't want to over do it because bathing your dog too often can leave his or her coat damaged and unhealthy. Bathing too often could also result in irritating skin conditions, namely dry, itchy skin that can leave your dog feeling uncomfortable. It's generally a good idea to only bath your dog when it is absolutely necessary, like if he comes home from an afternoon of rolling in mud down by the creek, or if he finds something with a not so pleasant smell to roll in. These types of scenarios would call for a good scrubbing in a nice warm bath anytime. Bathing frequency ultimately depends on the type of coat that your dog has so if there is any question about how often you should do it, you'll want to consult your veterinarian.

Nail Trimming

Dog nail trimming is also a grooming activity that you should keep up on for a number of reasons. One reason that nail trimming is important is that it helps keep your dogs nails healthy by not allowing them to overgrow. Nails that grow too long are more susceptible to cracking and irritation because of constant contact with whatever surface your dog may be walking on. Nails that become brittle and unhealthy leave your dog feeling uncomfortable and can find the simple activity of walking a discomfort. When trimming the nails, be sure to only trim the areas where no flesh is present. You can identify the fleshy areas by locating the part of the nail where a pinkish color exists. Typically there will be an identifiable line between fleshy area and non-fleshy area where it is ok to trim. If you're dogs nails are black, it may be more difficult to identify this area so use extra caution when trimming. You'll want to trim away enough nail so that there is no contact between the nail and the floor or surface.

Dog Brushing

One final important dog grooming activity is brushing, which can be a very affective activity when trying to keep your dog's coat looking healthy and clean. Brushing not only makes the coat look nice, but it helps remove excess hair that has been shed, which allows the remaining healthy hair to absorb the natural oils that your dog's coat gives off. This is what allows the coat to shine. The strategy of removing the dead hair is the key to keeping your dog's coat looking healthy, and a good undercoat brush will help you do so. One product that works great for this type of activity is the FURminator. The FURminator helps remove the loose hair from the undercoat, while leaving the healthy hair of the top coat in tact. One substitute for dog shampoos is deodorizing powders which can be used in conjunction with the brushing activity.

There are other important dog grooming activities, but the activities listed above are perhaps the most important and should be given special attention on a regular basis. Keeping up with these activities will keep your dog's coat looking clean and healthy.

Purchase the FURminator and other dog supplies at FarmMedley.com

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