FAQ on Grooming

Cleanliness is next to godliness and it applies to our canine friends as well. To keep your dog clean, healthy and looking his gleaming best, follow a grooming routine that suits his coat type. Most of the time, people do not know how to groom their pets. Gauri and Urmila of TailWaggers Pet Salon, Mumbai answers some of the frequently asked questions on grooming. Q?:?How can I groom my dog at home? Gauri and Urmila?:?A few simple steps should be followed as a regular grooming routine. Brush your dog often, at least once or twice a week. Clean his eyes with moist cotton wool daily. Check his ears after every bath and clean the inner flap gently with dry cotton, without probing too deep into the ear canal. Also check for any foul-smelling discharge from the ear and get it treated by your vet immediately.  Brush his teeth once a week with a dog toothpaste and tooth brush available at all leading pet shops. Last but not the least, run your fingers through his coat every day to keep those pesky ticks and fleas in check.
Q?:?My three-year-old Labrador sheds a lot of hair. What can I do to reduce or stop his shedding? Gauri and Urmila?:?Dogs shed hair for a lot of reasons. Two of the most common reasons are seasonal shedding and flea allergy. Seasonal shedding is a normal healthy function of a dog’s body, but excess hair can drive you nuts. To keep mess to a minimum, daily brushing is vital. Most of your dog’s loose hair should end up in your brush and not in your environment. For your Labrador, use a bristle brush or a hound glove (available at all leading pet stores) and first brush against the direction of your dog’s hair growth. This will help to remove any excess hair from underneath. Then, using the same tool, brush in the direction of the hair growth to pick up loose hair on the surface. Also, check for fleas and use a good flea control shampoo recommended by your veterinarian. If the shedding persists then you need to look into his diet and rule out other causes of shedding under your veterinarian’s guidance. Q?:?Can I use human shampoos and toothpastes on my dog? Gauri and Urmila?:?Please do not use human cosmetic shampoos on your dog because the pH-level of shampoos specially made for dogs is different than that of human shampoos and using human products could harm your dog’s skin.
In the case of toothpaste, we humans rinse our mouth and spit out the paste  and dogs do not. They swallow the paste. That means their toothpaste must be edible. Therefore, always use a specially formulated dog toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth. Moreover, lot of canine toothpastes are available in flavours that your dog will enjoy and will easily allow you to brush his teeth! Different brands of dog shampoo and toothpastes are available at all leading pet shops.
(Gauri and Urmila, at TailWaggers Pet Salon have been providing the latest and best grooming facilities for the past 5 years. A new branch has been opened at Oshiwara, Mumbai, which is run by David – a certified French pet groomer with 12 years experience. The services provided at The TailWaggers Pet Salon include haircutting, show grooming, oil massage, shampoo and conditioning, tick and flea control treatments, ear cleaning, teeth brushing and nail-clipping, aromatherapy rinses, detangling treatment, etc. They can be contacted on 9820127572 or David on 9819042983.)