Finding the right dog grooming tools is essential in order to groom your dog well. Dogs love to play. They’re energetic animals that run, jump, and roll around in all kinds of environments. As such, they can get a little dirty and dusty, especially if they have a big luxurious coat of fur.

As a dog owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your dog is well-groomed. There are a couple of benefits to this, such as improving their overall hygiene and ensuring that your dog doesn’t smell. You can also check their skin to see if they have any fleas, or to detect any health issues. A full grooming session also means trimming their nails which leads to a healthier posture. Grooming will also drastically improve the appearance of your dog, while also making them shed less.

So in this post, we’re going to offer some suggestions on dog grooming tools that you can use at home to look after their coat.

What dog grooming tools should you use?

To start, let’s take a look at the most important dog grooming tools that you should be using.

Combing, clipping, trimming

• You’ll need a comb, brush, or a shedding rake, depending on your dog’s coat type. It can help to ask your local pet store owner or a veterinarian for suggestions if you’re unsure about your dog’s coat type.

• Dog clippers and shears. Clippers usually include guards, oil for maintenance, and also trimming scissors. You may want to invest a little more to get a quieter model. Going cordless is also an option that adds convenience.

• Dog nail trimmers. Make sure the one you buy comes with a safety guard, like these nail clippers from Ancol.

• In the event that your dog’s nails bleed when they’re cut, styptic powder is good to use.

Cleaning

• Dog shampoo. It’s worth getting shampoo that is specifically formulated for your dog. This can be rather expensive, but you can dilute it a little with water to get more uses.

• Ear cleaning kit. This usually comes with a cleaning solution and cotton balls. This can help reduce smells that come from your dog’s ears. Use the cotton buds for dogs ears or ear lotion for dogs.

• Dog toothbrush and toothpaste. These will help your dog’s teeth stay clean and free from bacteria, especially if they love gnawing on things.

• A few towels and wet wipes can help you clean off and dry your dog to prepare them for grooming. The LookLikeCool recycled plastic pet towel is a great towel to use.

Treats

• Treats can also be helpful as a reward for your dog after grooming, especially if they’re a little scared or worried about all the new tools and supplies you’ve bought!

It’s worth mentioning that you’ll also want to ensure that you have a clean working area to groom your dog. You can set up a dog grooming table if you don’t want to bend down, or you can work outside so that cleaning up is a lot easier.

Establishing a grooming routine for your dog

The first thing to keep in mind is that you need to establish a regular routine for grooming your dog. If you haven’t been grooming your dog since they were little, then the process can be a little alien to them and may even scare them.

As such, you can’t throw them into the deep end and start giving them a bath and nail trim straight away–you need to ease them into it. If your dog is still young and you’ve just adopted them, then this process is usually a lot easier. But for dogs that have been around for some time, it’s normal to be met with some resistance.

Let your dog get used to your tools

Once you’ve bought some tools, give your dog some time to get used to them. Let them see the tools, sniff them, and also give treats when your dog is around them as a reward. If you’ve bought clippers for your dog, then you can help them get used to the noise by turning them on and showing them the tool. If you’ve bought a table that you’ll be using to groom your dog, then you can place them on it to help them get a feel for it.

In short, it’s all about getting your dog accustomed to the tools. If you give them a full grooming session right away, then it can be a little scary for your dog because they don’t know what those tools are or what they do.

Get used to touching your dog

This may sound strange if you spend a lot of time playing with and cuddling your dog. However, they might not be used to you touching their feet or their ears. Give your dog some time to adjust to being touched in these unfamiliar places. Feel free to also use treats to help soothe them and reward them.

Start slowly and work your way up

A grooming session can be long and tiring for both you and your dog. It’s perfectly fine to do one thing at a time instead of trying to get through all of the grooming processes in a single day. For example, you can start slowly by trimming their nails at the start of the week. The next day, you can try brushing their teeth. Next, you can get them used to hopping into a bath to clean their coat.

Since each individual grooming task is relatively short, you can actually groom your dog over a period of a week instead of trying to fit everything into a single day. This can also make it more comfortable for your dog if they don’t like sitting in one place for too long.

Don’t go overboard

While you eventually want to build up a daily routine to maintain their coat, you don’t want to bathe them every day because it can quickly dry out their skin. A good rule of thumb is to bathe them once a month. This can generally line up with other tasks such as trimming their nails or their coat.

We hope that this article has given you some helpful advice on how to get your dog accustomed to the grooming process.