Keeping a dog clean means taking good care of its coat, paws, nails, ears, eyes and teeth.
What can happen if I won’t keep my dog clean?
Dirt and pollution will affect your dog’s coat and skin leading to sensitive skin and eczema. If care is not shown by whipping off its eyes, ears and nails, these can easily become infected. Your dog will be prone to illnesses and this will be detrimental to both of you. It will affect the dog’s general well being ending with costly trips to the vet clinic.
Families with small children need to show extra care in keeping their pet clean so that the dog won’t pass any germs that can make babies ill.
A dirty dog can reduce a home’s value by leaving stains and damage to surfaces, carpets, leather sofas. Getting rid of these possible damaging issues would require lots of time spent working and money to repair, repaint or replace household objects.
Here are some tips on how to keep your dog fresh and pleasantly smelling :
- Use a good dog brush or comb to brush any debris from your dog’s coat, remove unwanted loose hairs and maintain a healthy-looking fur. A dog with short fur will need to be brushed once a month or fortnightly whilst, longer-haired dogs will need a good brush weekly, sometimes daily.
- If your dog has long hair, the good idea is to remove any unwanted tangles with a pair of scissors or to thin shears for dog grooming.
- Use pet wipes and damp towels to clean dirt and mud away after exercising outdoors. These wipes are quite similar to the baby wipes and can be used anytime anywhere.
- Dogs can be washed once a month to avoid drying their skin and fur due to stripping away the natural body oils. However, dogs will get dirty quite rapidly during their daily walks and get smelly. This means that some dogs will need to be washed earlier than once a month. Use a dog shampoo (some of them are specifically designed for certain breeds) at bathtime. Vets recommend brushing the dog’s coat before a wash.
- Between washes, you could choose to use a dry dog shampoo to get rid of excess oil and bad odors.
- Trim your dog’s hair if it has long hair
- Check your dog’s ears at least once a week and remove any dirt or hair from the outer part of the ear canal.
- Trim the dog’s nails when needed with a dog nail clipper or a file. Nails should be checked regularly for any damage to prevent infection. Nail trimming frequency differs from one dog to another, depending on the surfaces it uses and how they wear down.
- Check your dog’s eyes for any redness or discharge. The hair around the eyes should be trimmed. Use a damp soft cloth to clean around the eyes. Paper towels should be avoided as they can leave small bits that can irritate the eyes.
- Caring for your dog’s teeth is essential. Dog teeth can be brushed with a toothbrush and special toothpaste for dogs. The best alternative to brushing dogs’ teeth is using dog teeth-cleaning wipes. These already contain the cleaning solution. Also, there are fantastic dog treats that can help with teeth brushing.
- Cleaning the dog’s bed, pillow, mat or crate plays a big part in the dog’s cleaning routine.
- Visit a dog grooming salon if you want expert care.
- If in doubt or if you are worried about anything you notice about your pet during cleaning, go to a vet clinic and check with a specialist.
