Essential New Puppy Care Tips from a Professional Groomer’s Perspective

Puppies are wonderful addition to any family but can be a lot of work. From Training, to exercise to grooming needs, it all can get overwhelming. As a professional pet groomer, I see firsthand how hard it can be for new puppy owners and even for some experienced owners. Grooming is not just about making the dog look pretty, it’s all about the overall health and wellbeing of the pet. This post shares practical tips from a groomer’s point of view to help you keep your puppy healthy and happy to be groomed.

Understanding Your Puppy’s Grooming Needs

There are 5 main things to keep an eye on and work on to keep them healthy and comfortable. Coat, nails, teeth, ears, eyes. Each one of these play a very important roll in making sure they can be comfortable and keep playing pain free for many years to come. These puppy care tips will help you on that journey.

Regular Brushing

Regular brushing is the best way to keep an eye on your puppy’s coat and to keep them form getting matted. Matting can cause bruising, sores and even cut off blood circulation to areas like ears and tails. Each coat type requires different schedules. Here are the best puppy care tips based on coat type.

·        Short coated dogs such as boxers, bulldogs and dachshund should be brushed 1-2 times a week with a rubber curry like a zoom groom.

·        Double coated dogs such as blue healers, Australian shepherds, and German shepherds should be brushed 2-3 times a week with a slicker brush and undercoat rake like the Refureash.

·        Long coated dogs such as maltase, Yorkshire terriers and shih tzu if kept medium to long should be brushed every other day with a slicker brush and metal comb. If they are kept shorter 2-3 times a week works as well but ears and tail may need it more often.

·        Curly coated dogs such as bichons, poodles and bedlingtons, should be brushed every other day minimum but moving parts like tail, ears, and arm pits every day with a slicker brush and metal comb.

·          Doodles and other mixed breeds should be brushed every single day as most of them have a mixed coat that mats almost instantly so it’s actually best to brush them after a lot of activity.

Proper Bathing

Bathing is very important for keeping the skin clean and healthy. It is possible to over bath a dog which can lead to removing the natural oils. This leads to dry skin and can lead to skin infections and other issues. You can bath them as much as once a week with the proper products.

·        It is always important to use products made for dogs, as other things, such as products for human use, can cause serious complications.

·        You should also use conditioner because shampooing does open up the skin and pores. Conditioner helps protect the skin until the natural oils can be replenished.

·        Try to dry your puppy completely starting with a towel and moving to a blow drier if your puppy allows it. Take it slow to get them use to it. A variable speed drier is best so you can start out very low. Heat should be applied at low temp.

Nail Care

Nail care is one of the most important things for the health and comfort of your puppy but can be the most difficult to train. Having long nails for prolonged periods of time can cause pain in the toes and feet but chronic pain can result. If left untreated for months or years it can eventually cause spinal damage.

·        Nails should be trimmed pretty regularly but it can vary from once a week to once a month.

·        Nail grinding is best to keep them from getting too long.

·        The best way to get a new puppy used to the grinder is to practice with an old electric tooth brush rubbing it on their feet and body.

If you are unsure on how to get started and where to cut or file to consult your local groomer. They will either offer the service for you or coach you on how to tell when to stop.

Ear Cleaning to Help Avoid Infections

Dogs with different ear types have slightly different needs. Floppy eared dogs and dogs with a lot of hair in their ears are prone to ear infections. Regular cleaning will help prevent this.

·        Check ears weekly for redness, odor or discharge

·        Using a cotton ball, gently wipe the outer flap and just the rim inside with an ear cleaner. Do not reach inside. Ask for recommendations form your local groomer or vet.

If you notice your dog shaking their head repeatedly and frequently or scratching one ear more than the other, get checked out by your vet.

Dental Hygiene at home

Dental care doesn’t seem like it is as important as some of the other things we talked about but dental issues can lead to more serious health concerns like heart disease.

·        For best results brushing your dogs’ teeth daily is best but usually unrealistic. Brushing their teeth a few times a week will work. Anything less frequent isn’t very beneficial.

·        Dental chews can help but dogs tend to chew on one side of the mouth more than the other so it doesn’t always give full coverage.

·        Yearly dental cleanings scheduled with your vet makes sure they stay healthy and get the thing you missed.

The best way to start training for this is to get the dog approved toothpaste and just let your puppy taste it. Then apply it to the toothbrush and let them taste and chew on it.

The Best Way to Create a Positive Grooming Experience

Many dogs develop anxiety over grooming when not properly introduced to it. Starting young and taking it slow is the best way to make them not only calm for the groomers but happy to be there.

·        Starting young by running the back side of the brush over their body while the puppy is distracted by a toy or a chew treat so they get use to the sensation. Then occasionally use the side with the bristles. Continue this until they are unbothered by it.

·        Training for nails is very similar but you want to hold and massage each paw. Touch each nail individually, then introduce an electric toothbrush to give them the sensation of the vibration on paws and nails. For long coated dog do it on the body as well to get them use to clippers.

·        The number one best thing you can do is talk to your professional groomer about their puppy handling and training and get your puppy scheduled on a regular grooming schedule every 4-6 weeks. This will have them get into a routine which dogs thrive on.

A calm, happy dog is the best for grooming.

When to Visit a Professional Groomer

Although most, if not all of these things can and should be done at home, a professional groomer will always be able to see things you may over look.

·        Dogs with long hair should have regular haircuts to help you maintain at home easier.

·        A professional groomer can also help you deal with matting. With proper maintenance matting almost never happens, but life does happen and so do mats. A professional will make sure to remove them without injuring the puppy.

·        When you puppy or pet develops skin issues a professional can help treat it in conjunction with vet treatment.

Regular professional grooming is the best way to make taking care of your puppy’s over all health and maintaining it at home the easiest possible.