Home Pet Grooming

Our dogs give us incredible benefits to our mental and heart health. They aid us in socialization, provide us with a special bond and love us unconditionally. When you look at all the positive factors a dog brings into our lives, why would we want anything but the best for them? We wouldn't, but did you know that in a poll conducted by PetSmart nearly half of all dog owners were not aware of the benefits that home pet grooming has on the over-all health of our dogs? (My Pet Gorilla)

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Not only does it help to maintain your dog's hair, teeth, nails, and skin but it allows the luster of your dog's coat to shine. If that isn't enough, your dog will simply feel better and a happy dog is a healthy dog. Imagine forgetting to brush your teeth one day or forgetting to brush your hair; how would that make you feel? Our dogs are no different. Every aspect of grooming we perform on ourselves should also be part of a routine for our dogs.

Healthy Dog Happy Home

Bathing your dog once a week, combing him and brushing him at least every two days, and brushing his teeth daily or at the very least every other day will make your companion healthy and happy. There are both short-term and long-term benefits to home pet grooming. Let's take a look at both aspects:

Short-term: The short-term benefits include:

• The removal of dead hair from the dog's coat which will ultimately allow your dog's natural coat to shine, feel and look better.
• It will stimulate the blood flow within the follicles of the dog's hair, which gives the coat a more glossy shine and over-all healthy coat.
• It stimulates the dog's lymphatic system, which allows your dog's immune system to remain healthy and strong.
• Maintaining your dog's nails will also eliminate the possibility of any family member from getting scratched or hurt by the nails.
• Home pet grooming will help to detect parasites that may be hidden in your dog's fur. Finding these pesky critters can significantly reduce the chances of a major infestation to occur. (Vet Info)

Long-term: The long-term benefits include:

• Offers you a better understanding of your dog. When you know the sounds of your dog and his personality you will have a better view of any ailments that may be affecting him. Just as we know when a loved one is sick or something is bothering them, this can be accomplished with your dog as well. Detecting a disease early can even save your dog's life.
• Maintaining the health of your dog's teeth will eliminate the ability for plaque to mineralize on them, which if left untreated will eventually turn to tarter and can destroy the dog's gum line. (Dog Dental Care-Your Guide to Dog Dental Health)
• Keeping your dog's nails clipped will eliminate the possibility of acquiring bacteria under the nails from growing. If the nails remain long and carry bacteria within them, this can create a number of illnesses for your friend.
• Gives you both a time of reduced stress, taking care of you dog is known to reduce stress and maintain a healthy relationship between the both of you.

Home Pet Grooming with Allergies

Many dog owners are allergic to dogs; some have recently acquired them while others have dealt with them all their lives. While the benefits of owning a dog are many, those who suffer with allergies and own a dog know all too well the downfalls. As we have looked at the importance of home pet grooming on your animal it should also be noted that grooming your dog will benefit you abundantly if you are a sufferer from nasal allergies.

Dog allergies are a reaction from the saliva and dander of the dog. These are the triggers that sufferers of allergies face on a daily basis. To significantly lower your chances of an attack from your allergies be sure to provide home pet grooming, especially brushing your dog's hair, which will help seclude the reaction to his dander. If your allergies are extremely sensitive to the dog allergen, use a face mask while you are bathing and/or brushing your dog.

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Strengthening The Bond

If you think about the animals in the wild you might think about the ways they groom themselves and each other. Think about the bonding that must be shared while they primp and prune each other. This is another wonderful aspect of home pet grooming; it creates an important bond between you and your dog. Create a relaxing calm atmosphere while you are grooming, this will help to maintain and encourage the relationship to grow.

Talk calmly to your dog as you groom him; letting him know what you are doing is important to keep him calm. Inform him of every move you are making such as; "I'm trimming your nails so you won't scratch yourself or someone else." This calm in your voice will help your dog maintain a calm state, especially if your dog has hesitations about allowing you to groom him.

Final Thoughts

While we all love our dogs as our own family members we sometimes don't think about the importance of home pet grooming. Many of us take our pets to the groomer on a regular basis, yet forget about grooming our pet at home on a regular basis. It is still important to groom your dog at home with a brushing and maintain his teeth on a regular basis. Having the right dog grooming supplies helps make the job easier. This will help ensure the long-term health of your dog and make him one happy camper.

Don Johnson is a dog lover and the owner of 3 dogs. After he had his pets for a while, two of his three children developed allergies to pets. He publishes and edits a website about Allergic Rhinitis and teaches how to cope with nasal allergies without using drugs.

Works Cited:

1 Dog Dental Care-Your Guide to Dog Dental Health. (n.d.) Retrieved from Dog Dental Care: http://www.dogdentalcare.net/brushing-a-dogs-teeth.html
2 My Pet Gorilla. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mypetgorilla.com/petsmart-grooming-survey/
3 Vet Info. (n.d.). Retrieved from Benefits of Grooming your Dog:
http://www.vetinfo.com/benefits-grooming-dog.html

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