Caring for a dogs coat and grooming your pet can be very confusing. The range of shampoos for dogs and hair care products for pets ensures that every breed of dog with long haired coats or short fur is catered for.

A dog that has been groomed on a cold weather day should not be allowed to roam outside unless the pet is completely dry and if possible covered in some form of warm protection.

Grooming a dog

Grooming a matted dogs coat can be very difficult for long or short fur.
A matted dogs coat can retain water and moisture and does not allow for the proper air circulation needed by the dogs fur to provide it protection from the heat or cold.
A dogs coat that has become matted can also be painful and uncomfortable for your dog. As the knots in the fur become tighter they pull on the dogs skin and can cause pain, irritation, hot spots flaking and a possible infection for your pet.If an infection is visible veterinarian advice should be obtained.

Groom a dogs coat

Grooming a dogs coat that has reached this stage of neglect can be very difficult. A dog that has its fur coat completely entangled should not be bathed.
Soap and water cannot thoroughly penetrate the knots and and drying the fur will shrink and tighten the knots causing an irritation on the dogs skin.
In severe cases of a matted dogs fur a vet should be consulted for a solution to this problem.

Grooming a dogs fur

Grooming a dogs fur that has a lot of knots will require shaving of the dogs fur.

The dogs fur may require a complete shave down to remove the knotted fur. Once the pets fur is clear of entanglement a program to maintain a more regular brushing and grooming routine to avoid this condition happening again should be implemented.
When it is necessary to trim a dogs hair of completely a heater for the kennel or dogs house should be supplied to keep your pet warm in the cold weather.
A dog that has an arthritic condition may feel the affects of its arthritis when the grooming of its fur requires shaving.
Unless extremely knotted, shaving a dogs undercoat is not recommended.
A dog that has its under coat shaved will have their protection against the cold weather lowered.

Grooming pets

Grooming pets that are old dogs can be stressful and they may not be able to withstand the entire dog grooming process. Tangled and matted coats may be shaved in sections as this will shorten the grooming process and be less stressful on the old pet. The procedure of shaving a dogs under coat should be not be attempted if the dog has to live in any harsh weather immediately after shaving of the fur. Veterinary advice should be obtained if you are in any doubt. A pet that has been shaved should be protected from any cold weather. A blanket, small heater or both will help in keeping your dog warm.

Grooming a dogs hair

When grooming your dogs hair always give you dog a brushing before washing to remove any unwanted hair from the top coat and undercoat
The removal of dead and unwanted hair from the dogs coat allows the shampooing process to be more thorough. The type of brushes that is used for short and medium length dogs coats are called bristle brushes.
For dogs with a longer coat a metal brush with rounded ends on the long metallic bristles can be used.
Other forms of brushes that can be used at this stage of the dogs grooming are slicker brushes curry combs and various others that can help in the removal of dead hairs in the dogs coat.
When brushing the dogs coat at this stage of the dog grooming procedure ensure that the brushing time spent on your pet is long enough to stimulate the blood flow which can help in producing a healthy dogs coat.

Caring for a dogs coat

Caring for dogs with a thick undercoat will take longer to wash as the undercoat is more difficult to penetrate with water and soap. This is also the case when grooming your dog.
There are many special pet shampoos that are suitable for pet owners that enjoy caring for a dogs coat. Special shampoos are used depending on your dogs needs. Oatmeal and protein shampoos for sensitive or dry skin, special shampoos for white coats, every day shampoos for normal skin conditions as well as shampoos with special herbs to treat hot spots and irritations.
If you have any doubt about the shampoo do not use it until you have checked with a veterinarian.

Caring for a dogs fur

Caring for a dogs fur includes washing and a vigorous rub down with an old towel or rag.
To dry your pet dog in the process of caring for its fur first give it a brisk rub down with an old towel or cloth. Then use a forced air blower to blow off any excess water from the dogs fur.
A forced air dryer does not have a heating element that is slow to reach operating temperature.
This process shortens the amount of time a heat dryer will be needed to finish of the drying process when caring for your pets fur.

Caring for a dogs hair

Caring for a dogs hair should start from an early age for your pet.
The more accustomed your dog is to the care needed in a grooming procedure the less stress it will experience.
If you are having difficulties grooming a new pet check to see if it has any dander or skin allergy. A trip to the vet may be required if you are unsure.

Dog coat cleaning

Dog coat cleaning and the requirements vary from breed to breed of dogs.
Breeds of dogs with long coats, curly coats or fast growing coats generally require a grooming about every four to six weeks and regular cleaning.
Most short haired dogs require a coat grooming approximately every six to eight weeks.

The longer you go without grooming and cleaning your dogs coat the longer the process can take and the more stress the dog may go through.
If your dog is not accustomed to the grooming process from a young age, they will be inclined to bite or struggle throughout the whole process of dog grooming. If your pet becomes to difficult to handle some vet advice may be required.

Dog fur cleaning

Dog fur cleaning involves cleaning of the pets top fur and under fur.The majority of dogs have an undercoat of fur or covering.
The undercoat fur is beneath the surface of your dogs top coat, closer to the skin and the dogs undercoat provides the insulation against extreme temperatures that your dog may require in cold or hot weather.
Use an undercoat rake for cleaning to remove the dogs dead undercoat fur so air can properly circulate throughout the dogs fur covering and help with maintaining a healthy coat.
If a dog with an undercoat is shaved down this will degrade the dogs thermal protection from the under coat of your dog. A proper shelter for your pet should be provided when a dogs grooming takes place on cold days. A small heater in the dogs home or resting area will help in keeping the pet warm. Good pet heaters can be found here.

dog hair cleaning

The dog hair cleaning dogs health and coat grooming care sheets for dogs and vet care have been provided free for your personal use and information.
A veterinary contact that may be helpful www.vetpathology.orgfor your pet.
The vet care and dog grooming and fur cleaning have come from a variety of professional sources but they should only be used as a general guide to help you understand your pets health and coat grooming requirements.
They should not be used as a substitute for proper veterinarian advice