Tips for a Well-Groomed Dog

by Rudden|Bobruska Team 11/08/2020



Image by Autri Taheri from Unsplash

Keeping dogs well-groomed is an important part of helping them stay healthy and happy. The amount of grooming your dogs need depends on certain factors, such as the kind of coat they have or whether or not they tend to roll around in dirt or mud. The following grooming tips can help you keep your pups looking and feeling their best.

Brush Your Dogs Regularly

Dogs can end up with tangles or matted fur when it’s not brushed often enough. Brushing also helps distribute oils through their coat, which keeps their fur looking shiny rather than dull. Plan on brushing your dogs every couple of days or more often if they’re shedding. The kind of brush to use depends on their coat:

  • Long coats: For dogs with longer fur, a slicker brush can get rid of mats, and an undercoat rake can eliminate dead hair near the skin. 
  • Short coats: For dogs with short fur, pinhead or slicker brushes remove mats, and bristle brushes remove dirt and dead hair. 
  • Rough coats: For dogs with rougher or wiry coats, slicker brushes eliminate mats, while stripping combs help prevent tangles from forming.
  • Smooth coats: For dogs with smoother coats, rubber brushes pull dirt and debris up from the skin, and bristle brushes help remove it. 

Give an Occasional Bath

Dogs don’t need baths as often as people do. In fact, bathing them too often can dry their skin and remove natural oils that keep their coat shiny. You can bathe your dogs every few months or whenever they’re muddy or dirty after playing outside. You should use a shampoo made for dogs, since shampoos for people are too rough on their skin. Before bathing, brush your dogs to remove dead hair and mats. 

Keep Nails Trimmed

Long nails make it harder and more uncomfortable for dogs to walk around. They can also get caught on rugs or furniture and tear off. Dog nails should be trimmed when they’re long enough to reach the floor while they walk around. You can use scissors style or guillotine style trimmers, depending on how thick the nails are. Scissors style trimmers tend to work better on thick nails and dewclaws, while guillotine style trimmers work better on thinner nails. 

For light nails, stop trimming before reaching the pink area, known as the quick. For dark nails, stop trimming when you see a pinkish or grayish color inside the nail. Keep a styptic pencil with you in case you do cut into the quick accidentally and bleeding occurs. This pencil, which contains silver nitrate, helps stop bleeding form occurring. 

About the Author
Author

Rudden|Bobruska Team

Gary Rudden, Lisa Rudden, and Nick Bobruska  

RUDDEN BOBRUSKA TEAM

What sets your team apart from other real estate teams?

There is no team out in the market that offers what we do. All of us are Realtors, but

we each have specialized roles, which make our team so unique!

After decades of living and selling real estate in the DMV, we have established

ourselves as one of the top real estate teams with our market expertise and

cutting-edge technology. Our savvy high-tech marketing is on every website

and social media source. We have a huge network with other top agents, which

helps to premarket homes and discover homes for buyers before they reach the

open market. Our services include professional in-house staging services, broker

expertise in negotiating and navigating contracts, and buyer representation in all

price ranges. Each client has different needs and we create a marketing plan based

on those needs.

Our most distinct feature is our in-house construction and renovation team. We

are literally a full-service, one-stop shop when selling or buying a home!

How does the in-house construction and renovation team work?

All work is managed and completed through our licensed and bonded construction

crew. No need to call outside contractors. We are like “HGTV,” but we just don’t

have a show! Whether it’s a small makeover or a major renovation, we do it all. Our

sellers love this aspect of our team because we make preparing your home for the

market so seamless. Our buyers love the advice and insight we can give for future

renovations and repairs.

Having a licensed Maryland Home Improvement contractor as part of our team

along with the knowledge, experience, commitment and services that we offer, truly

puts our team as a vanguard in the real estate industry.