The Benefits of Dog Grooming
06/06/2006
Believe it or not, most dogs like to be ‘groomed’ just as much as humans do! Grooming not only makes your dog’s coat shiny and healthy, but it also allows your dog to relax and enjoy himself. You’ll find that when your dog sees you coming with a comb or brush in your hand, he’ll get excited to see you and look forward to the attention each day. Brushing your dog every day will help the bonding process between you and your pet grow stronger each day, while at the same time giving the animal a sort of daily reward and making him feel loved.
A daily grooming is very healthy for the animal’s coat, as well as the skin beneath. Many people will answer this with “wolves aren’t groomed daily in the wild, why should we brush our domesticated pets?” Well, the reply to this is that wolves do groom and clean each other in the wild. Wolves will frequently pull out burrs and other objects that get intertwined in the rest of the pack’s fur. They also lick each other when one of them is dirty. This also explains the way a dog will lick your face, your hands, or your legs. Not only is he showing you that you’re the authority, he’s grooming you, as well as eating the remains of lunch.
When brushing your pet, begin at the head and make a twisting motion, pulling out the deep under fur. This will reduce shedding all over your house, as well as cool the dog off in the summer time. Do this all over the body, removing all of the excess under fur. Then with a bristle brush, go over the top of your pet’s coat. For breeds such as the Afghan hound, a comb works best for detangling the long shiny hairs. Dogs with long hair such as the Afghan will require a brushing every day to prevent deep tangles and matting from occurring. Brush your pet every day and he’ll have a healthy coat of fur.
