Dog Grooming Made Easy: 11 Practical Tips

Too long nails, constant matting in the fur, or heavy tartar build-up? If you neglect your dog’s grooming, it can quickly lead to serious issues. However, with the right approach and proper tools, dog grooming becomes an easy task. Our tips will show you how to make it simple.

Common Problems in Dog Grooming

Dog groomers and veterinarians can attest to the challenges: tangled fur, decayed teeth, and nails that are far too long are common issues for many dogs. These problems usually arise from three main reasons:

Lack of time
Grooming mistakes and misconceptions
The dog hates grooming

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

Lack of Time for Dog Grooming

Modern life is fast-paced, stressful, and full of challenges. Brushing your dog, giving them a bath, cleaning their teeth, or cleaning their ears often fall to the bottom of the priority list, especially when neither you nor your dog enjoys the process.

However, the longer you neglect your dog’s nails, fur, and overall care, the more work it creates. Instead of spending just a few minutes a day, you’ll end up needing a major effort and several hours (or even the help of a groomer and vet) to remove mats and tartar, or trim the nails to a reasonable length.

Grooming Mistakes and Misconceptions

There are still common myths that need debunking: „You shouldn’t bathe your dog,“ „Brushing their teeth is overrated,“ and „Nails file themselves.“ Unfortunately, these myths persist even in the year 2024.

Common grooming mistakes often lead to bigger problems. Educating yourself thoroughly and letting go of these misconceptions is essential.

My Dog Hates Grooming

Your dog tries to run away when you brush them, fights during bath time, needs three people to hold them still for nail trimming… and let’s not even talk about brushing their teeth.

When grooming is stressful and unpleasant for both you and your dog, it’s natural to put it off. And with each delay, it becomes more difficult and unpleasant.

However, there are overlooked ways to make grooming easier and more tolerable.

Start Early with Dog Grooming

“Practice makes perfect,” especially when it comes to brushing and nail trimming. Start as early as possible with your puppy or new dog to establish a grooming routine.

You don’t need to brush for half an hour every day at the beginning. Just a few minutes each day, gradually getting your dog used to brushing, ear cleaning, and tooth brushing will be enough.

Make the experience playful—get your dog used to having their ears cleaned or their teeth brushed, and normalize touching their paws and trimming a nail here and there to get them comfortable with the sound and sensation.

Groom Even and Especially When It’s Not Necessary

One of the most common (and unfortunately, dumbest) mistakes is waiting until there’s matting or tartar before starting grooming.

„But there was no reason to groom before that!“

Yes and no. Yes, there was a reason: to maintain a healthy, problem-free state.

Regularly trimming a millimeter or two off your dog’s nails ensures they never grow too long. Brushing their teeth daily significantly reduces the risk of tartar. Even if your dog is prone to tartar, regular brushing helps maintain oral health.

Brushing, combing, bathing, and blow-drying prevent mats and tangles from forming in their fur.

Preventive grooming offers several benefits:

Faster
Easier
More pleasant
Gentler
Cheaper

Just 5-10 minutes a day removes the time constraint, as it can easily fit into even the busiest days.

Reward Every Progress

Your dog let you trim one nail without pulling away? Great! Give them a calm praise. Brushed a minute without them biting the brush? That calls for a treat and petting.

Staying still during grooming is a learning process. Treat it as such, and reward progress.

Take Small Steps

My dog Mary had a huge issue with nail trimming. She didn’t just dislike it – she panicked. She would shake, resist furiously, and pant frantically until her tongue turned dark red and swelled uncomfortably.

Trimming her nails was a nightmare – for her, for me, and for any helper. With a lot of patience, I finally managed to trim one nail with relative ease. But then I made a big mistake.

Instead of trimming one nail, praising her, and celebrating the small victory, I was eager to finish them all at once. Result: my poor dog got stressed again, fought, and I created the same horrible situation all over again.

One day, I decided to take it slow: trim just one nail, and that’s it for the day. And guess what? By only trimming one nail, she didn’t have time to spiral into panic. No helper was needed anymore. Over time, she became so relaxed that I managed to trim two nails, then an entire paw, and eventually all her nails at once.

Taking small steps might seem slower at first. But in practice, it’s less stressful and gets you to success faster and more safely.

Groom Daily

Daily brushing and tooth brushing help make grooming a solid routine for both you and your dog.

The effort is much lower.
You’re done in minutes.
You’ll notice changes, parasites, and problems immediately.
You won’t risk forgetting grooming once it’s a habit.
Grooming becomes a relaxing ritual.

Within just three days, daily grooming feels normal. After about 66 days, it becomes an automatic habit that you don’t need to think about.

Get Individual and Professional Advice

Some dog owners wonder why their dog hates brushing. This hatred is not surprising if the wrong brush is used – one that scratches their skin or pulls at their fur painfully with every stroke.

It can be frustrating for you, too, when your efforts don’t seem to make progress.

Better: Get professional advice tailored to your dog. Breeders, groomers, and exhibitors are great resources. They can not only recommend the right equipment but also show you the best grooming techniques.

Invest in the Right Grooming Equipment

The grooming tools you need depend on the type of coat your dog has. For nail clippers, it depends on the strength of the nails. For dental care, it’s all about finding what works best for both you and your dog.

Recommendations from other dog owners or professional groomers can be very helpful in choosing the right equipment.

Make Grooming Comfortable and Easy for Both of You

Whenever you think, “I don’t have time for this,” the real issue isn’t a lack of time—it’s a lack of motivation to get up and gather the grooming tools instead of relaxing on the couch.

A better approach: make it easy. If you’re watching TV in the evening, keep a brush nearby and integrate grooming into the cuddling time. The less effort you need to put into it and the easier it is to get started, the quicker it’ll become a routine.

Brush your own teeth in the evening? Brush your dog’s teeth just before. By fitting grooming naturally into your daily routine, you won’t need to force yourself.

Does your dog have fur that can be clipped? Keeping it trimmed reduces the grooming effort. If your dog’s coat tends to mat, specialized dog shampoo and conditioner can help.

The right tools and approach can solve grooming problems and make the process far more pleasant for both you and your dog.

Dog Grooming Made Easy: Just Start!

Taking small steps, spending just a few minutes each day, and making grooming an enjoyable experience for both you and your dog is the best foundation.

You just need to start. Even if your dog currently hates the brush, you can rebuild the grooming routine. With patience, small steps, and consistency, brushing and grooming will soon become a healthy ritual for both of you.

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