Top 9 Home Grooming Mistakes

Does your pet need grooming and a groomer?

Grooming is necessary for all pets, because it is not only about beauty, but also about health. A well-groomed pet is a healthy pet. High-quality care allows you to protect your cat or dog from a huge number of health problems and prolong its life. But who is to be entrusted with this responsible task? Turn to the master or take care of yourself?

The best solution is to combine home and professional care. You can independently, at home, carry out basic procedures: such as combing or cleaning your eyes. But trimming and haircuts are best left to professionals. A professional groomer will not only bring your pet “in order”, but will also advise you on the condition of your pet’s skin and coat, recommend care products and procedures specifically for your pet.

A good groomer is an important support for a responsible pet parent.

Professional care is especially important for dogs and cats participating in exhibitions. Mistakes by the owner in caring for a pet can cost him low grades or disqualification. But that’s not all. Incorrect pet care can cause serious dermatological diseases, allergies, and even injury. Let’s talk about this in more detail.

Pitfalls of home grooming

We list the main home grooming mistakes that every novice owner faces. Memorize them so you don’t repeat them.

• Non-compliance with the standard

A creative dragon haircut sounds fun and showy, but is it allowed by your pet’s breed standard?

By giving the wool an “irregular” shape, you risk spoiling the best breed qualities that are so valued in cynology. Due to the wrong haircut, the dog may be disqualified from the exhibition and not allowed to participate in competitions.

• A haircut

Not all dogs need grooming. There are so-called “cutting” breeds: Shih Tzu, lapdogs, Yorkshire terriers, poodles… Haircuts are contraindicated for other dogs (for example, wirehaired ones): they will worsen the quality of the coat.

There are dogs whose hair seems to hang over their eyes, completely covering them. The first impulse of a caring owner is to cut off this wool so that it does not interfere with vision. But take your time: these dogs have very sensitive eyes. In addition, in working burrowing dogs, the coat protects the eyes from crumbling earth and dust.

Before you cut your pet on your own, you need to understand all these nuances. Does your dog really need a haircut? Cut hair all over the body or just in some areas? How exactly and with what tool to cut? If you’re aiming to be your dog’s groomer, it’s best to check with a groomer first. He will tell you how to act correctly.

• Lack of quality tools

Quality grooming is impossible without quality tools. You might have noticed it yourself. For example, if you cut a dog’s claw with your own nail scissors, and not with a special nail cutter, it can begin to delaminate and crumble.

There are a huge number of grooming tools that will be difficult for a beginner to understand. Each of them is designed for dogs of certain breeds and has its own characteristics. Without proper experience, you have every chance to spend money on the wrong tool and carry out a poor-quality procedure.

Before making a purchase, it is best to consult with a groomer who specializes in your breed.

• Poor quality or inappropriate cosmetics

The basic set of grooming products for a dog is a lotion for cleaning the ears and eyes, a shampoo and conditioner for washing, a moisturizing agent for combing. But if the dog’s coat is snow-white and stains remain on it, if it is electrified or curly, if the dog has tangles, dandruff, dull color or other features, it will need specialized professional cosmetics.

You will be surprised how easy it is to maintain a flawless appearance of a dog with the right products. And vice versa. Even the most beautiful and naturally tidy dog ​​will quickly lose its appearance due to improper care, and in the worst case, it will acquire serious dermatological problems.

• Improper eye and ear care

There are many important nuances that a beginner in the world of dog breeding may not be aware of. For example, you need to wipe your dog’s eyes with different napkins: each eye needs its own clean napkin. This may seem like an unimportant rule, but if you use one tissue for both eyes and one eye is inflamed, you will spread the infection to the other eye with a flick of the wrist.

• Shampoo or conditioner in the eyes

When you wash your dog yourself at home, it’s hard to keep track of everything. It happens that while bathing, shampoo or conditioner gets into the dog’s eyes. How will the pet react to this? Carelessness, insufficient fixation

The path to the perfect home grooming is long and thorny. You will have to learn to take into account a huge number of nuances. For example, do not forget to place an anti-slip mat on the bottom of the bath. Ask another family member to hold the dog while you brush her teeth. Choose the right size nail clipper so as not to injure your dog. And stock up on hemostatic powder if, while cutting a claw, you touch a blood vessel. It is better to think over all care procedures in advance and carefully prepare for them.

• Ignoring cuts and sores

Professional craftsmen have a trained eye. They can tell a lot about a dog’s health from the appearance of their coat and skin. If a slight irritation on the dog’s stomach may seem like “just a rash that will go away on its own”, then the groomer will quickly recognize the allergic reaction to the new shampoo and change the product before the pet’s condition worsens.

• Coercion

Sometimes, in an attempt to achieve obedience, the owners are too intrusive. For example, they are trying to cut all the claws right now, although the dog is trying with all its might to escape. This is a bad strategy. If the dog is under stress, if she is scared and she is trying to finish the procedure – go to meet her halfway, finish the procedure a little later.

Your task is not to achieve obedience, not to force the dog to endure an unpleasant action, but to make it a pleasant experience for her, another opportunity to communicate with the owner. There is no coercion here, but affection, understanding, calmness and goodies will help you a lot.

• Bad contact

For grooming to be successful, you and your pet must completely trust each other. If there is no contact with the dog, even a simple ear cleaning can turn into a real test for both of you. In such cases, it is better to entrust the matter to the master. You will be amazed at how easily a good specialist finds an approach to the dog and how silky the most notorious destroyers become.

Stock up on the contact of a trusted master and a couple of links to grooming forums. If you have questions, feel free to contact experienced people. This is how beginners grow into the best dog breeders in the world!