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How To Deal With Dog Behavior Problems and Obedience Training
Home Pet Grooming
You Can Save Money and Bond With Your Aussie
by Doing Your Own Home Pet Grooming
Basic home pet grooming
should be done a couple of times a week. Although if
you live in an area where fleas and ticks are a problem a daily
check should be part of your routine. A good thorough brushing
and an overall check of eyes, ears and paws to make sure she has
no cuts, sores, fleas, ticks, rashes, bumps, or other undesirables
in her coat or dirt in her ears. More info
on fleas here.
If you do find fleas remove them with a fine-toothed comb and
drop them into a container of soapy water. Fleas should
be removed as soon as possible to prevent them from spreading
to other animals, furniture or even you! If your Aussie has been
bitten by fleas you can use FleaDerm to help soothe the area and reduce scratching.
Remove embedded ticks with tweezers making sure to get
the head. You may have to rock it back and forth to loosen
it then give it a firm pull. Remember that ticks can cause Lyme
Disease.
Home Pet Grooming: Brushing
Brushing can be done anytime. Choosing the right brush is the
key. I find Slicker or Pin brushes work well along with a de-matting
comb. Always be gentle with those hard ones. If matting gets too
bad you may have to cut the matted fur out so it's best to stay
on top of things before it gets to that stage.
One of the best home pet grooming tools available is the Furminator
deShedding Tool. You can read our review
of the Furminator here but basically it is a grooming tool
that helps get rid of an amazing amount of fur released by shedding.
It's not only good for your dog but it will also help keep the
levels of fur floating around your house to a minimum.
Home Pet Grooming: Cleaning Your Dog's Ears
To avoid the trauma and expense of the vet clinic you
should maintain good ear health my regularly cleaning your dogs
ears. It's best to use specially forumulated natural
products like PetAlive's Ear Dr. It keeps ear canals clear and free of blockage, maintains
health of the middle ear structures, soothes and conditions ear
passages to prevent common itching and scratching and maintains
normal balance of flora in the ear canal.
An indication of an ear infection maybe constant shaking of her
head or scratching the ears.
Ears should be checked for dirt and redness and anything that you can't remove easily or anything that is
out of the ordinary you should see a vet about.
Home Pet Grooming: Cleaning Around Your Dog's Eyes
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Derek Hung |
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"Pyro"
is a 2 month old black tri male puppy with one blue eye.
It was his very first time to go outside for pictures.
Thanks to Derek Hung of Taichung, Taiwan
for sending in this pic. |
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Your dogs eyes should look clear and bright. To maintain eye health you can use an all natural product from
PetAlive called Eye-Heal.
It helps to soothe the eyes, support eye health, keep eyes shiny
and bright, support healthy vision and maintain the health of
the conjunctiva.
If suddenly there is a problem like leakage or redness
you can clean the area with i-Clenz.
Use iClenz to gently remove tear stains from cats and dogs, to
support healthy vision and to soothe the eyes.
If problems don't clear up or seem to be a chronic condition
please go to the vet.
Home Pet Grooming: Check Your Dog's Paws and Pads
Paws should be checked for prickles, pebbles, sturdy grasses,
thorns which can get stuck between or even in the pads. Also some
chemicals used on lawns or on ice in the winter contain chemicals
which can cause irritation.
If you live in a cold snowy climate you will want to trim the
hair between the pads on his feet to prevent ice from building
up and causing pain or injury.
Also the pads themselves should be properly cleaned and
maintained. Use Clenzor to clean the pads before applying PawPaw.
PawPaw is a 100% natural topical preparation which contains a
blend of natural, soothing and conditioning ingredients in an
olive oil base to effectively condition the paws and pads and
keep them healthy and strong.
Home Pet Grooming: Clipping Your Dog's Nails
Clipping your dogs nails is something that not everyone
is comfortable doing. However, it needs to be done fairly
frequently either by you, a dog groomer or your vet. If left too
long it can become uncomfortable for your dog.
For those of you who wish to do it yourself here are some tips:
It should be done every couple of weeks. Dog nails have what
is called a 'quick' it can be seen on lighter colored nails as
a darker part. This quick is actually a nerve and blood supply.
If you accidently nick this it will injure your dog, cause a lot
of bleeding and may make the dog leery next time it sees those
clippers come out. If you do cut into the quick have some flour
or cornstarch ready to apply to help stop the bleeding.
Home Pet Grooming: Maintain Your Dog's Teeth
Yes our four legged friends can benefit from brushing too. However
there are a couple of things to know. First get him is own toothbrush!!
;-)
There are toothbrushes available that are designed to work for
dogs. They are built differently, smaller, softer and are shaped
differently. Some come as a finger sleeve that slips over your
index finger.
DO NOT use your toothpaste. These contain chemicals
which can upset your dog's stomach. The toothpaste made for dogs
has yummy flavors just for them like liver and beef! You can get
special toothpaste made for dogs as well as toothbrushes and fingerbrushes
at the Only
Natural Pet Store here. (Just search for "toothpaste".)
It maybe a slow process getting your dog used to having her teeth
brushed. Get her to like the toothpaste first, then introduce
the brush... have patience and a sense of humor and it
won't be long before there is another set of canines to deal with
everyday. And the earlier you start the better.
There are also treats available on the market which are meant
to help control tarter and plaque build up. These are approved
by the Veterinary Oral Health Council.
Bad breathe and a yellow or brown build-up along the
gum line can be the first signs of trouble. In addition
to brushing you can use Gumz-n-Teeth,
an all natural means to promote healthy teeth and gums, support
the immune system, maintain health in bones and teeth, support
gum health and as a general nutritional supplement.
PetAlive also provides an OralHealth
Mouth Spray for overall oral health that supports normal
levels of bacteria in the mouth, helps support healthy
strong teeth and healthy firm gums and tongue. It also
promotes fresh, pleasant pet breath.
Home Pet Grooming: Give Your Dog a Regular Bath
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Dawn Slabodkin |
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3 1/2 month old Aussie
"Jack" after having discovered the fun of
sprinklers 'n' mud!
Thanks to Dawn Slabodkin of Laguna Niguel,
CA USA for sending in this pic. |
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Generally dogs don't need a bath any more than once a month unless
of course they have been up to no good and smell like the garbage
dump. I would generally wait for a nice warm or hot day to give
the bath and do it early so she has the whole day to dry off.
Basic Home Pet Grooming Tips for Bathtime:
Have at least two towels ready, one for you and one for them.
I found that Levi did not like the slippery surface of the tub
so I always used a rubber mat in the tub to make him feel more
comfortable and as an added bonus it cut down on the scratches.
If you don't have a rubber mat handy you could also put an extra
towel in the tub.
I always found it easier on both of us if he had a good
brushing first.
I position him closer to the front of the tub so that the sprayer reaches him so the rinse water is always clean.
And just to make him feel more relaxed I will typically roll-up
my pants and sit on the edge with my feet in. This also helps
me reach to all those hard to get at areas.
Soak her down avoiding the eyes and ear areas a using a specifically
formulated dog shampoo is best as it's PH is better suited for
our furry friends because it won't dry out their skin and and
hurt their eyes.
I give him a good rub down, making sure to get all the, um, bits
and pieces. The Tub Nub Bathing Brush is a great tool that lets you work in the lather while saving
your fingers. It's part of the quality Furminator line
of products. You can find more
info about their excellent home pet grooming tools and supplies
here.
By this time I can tell Levi is getting ready to do the big shake
so I close the curtain and tell him “Okay!”. He shakes
and then we start the rinsing process. Be sure to rinse
all the soap off as any left on can irritate the skin.
I don't know about your Aussie but Levi is always very excited
after a bath and barely lets me dry him off before he is racing
around the house like a lunatic, it's really kinda funny but nevertheless
the job is done again for another month.
Final Thoughts on Home Pet Grooming
It's important to remember that home pet grooming begins
with good nutrition. Many of the problems that affect
the coat, skin, eyes, etc. are really problems that are caused
by a poor diet. Once you have the foundation of good health your
home pet grooming regimen serves to maintain that health rather
than as an attempt to compensate for health problems. In other
words a nice shiney coat begins with good nutrition not a good
shampoo.
To ensure the health of your Aussie make sure
to always provide the highest quality dog food and nutritional
supplements. We also recommend using 100%
natural remedies to maintain good health whenever possible.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure!
See Also:
Dog Nutrution: Homemade Dog
Food
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