The 10 Essential Basics of Pet Grooming
Regular pet grooming is a wonderful and natural experience which not only cares for their coat, but also serves as a powerful bonding experience between you and your pet.
Grooming is so much more than a show-worthy coat.
Our canines, felines, equines, rabbits (and other pets) depend upon us fortheir best possible life. A vital part of caring for their overall health includes regular grooming to maintain their overall comfort with healthy skin, a shiny and soft coat and new hair growth between bathing.
The Essentials of Grooming: Brushing
“One of the first indications that all is not well inside is a change of hair coat and skin. Also check for lumps, bumps, and overall body condition.” (Bernadine Cruz, DVM)
Brushing your pet’s coat several times a week or more offers many physical and mental benefits.
- Proper and consistent brushing helps cut down on
hairballs for cats (as well as rabbits and yes, even some dogs!). - Did you know that a kitty’s skin is much thinner and more sensitive to tangles and mats? In fact, out of control mats can hinder your cat from properly resting or even lying down in some positions without discomfort and pain. (A rabbit’s skin is also quite sensitive and fragile.)
- Brushing removes loose hair, dust, mud, dirt and dander.
- Brushing helps reduce shedding.
- Brushing helps distribute essential natural skin oils throughout the pet’s coat.
- Brushing your horse before riding will remove any grit that could cause saddle or girth sores.
- Brushing offers the opportunity to catch potential health issues early which may help save on costly vet visits for:
- Skin issues including infections, irritations and/or inflammations
- Lumps and bumps
- Injuries
- Matted and/or tangled hair
- Burrs
- Ticks, Mites, Fleas and “flea dirt” (aka flea poop)
- Skin issues including infections, irritations and/or inflammations
- Removing old hair keeps your dog cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter with a new insulating undercoat.
- Brushing helps reduce human allergies to dander.
- Brushing relaxes both you and your pet with this wonderful bonding routine. It also helps reduce stress (yours and theirs).
Brushing Different Types of Coats
Double-Coats:
- Breeds: Akita, Alaskan and Siberian Husky, Malamute, American Eskimo, Chow, Collies, Keeshonden, Beagles, Korean Jindo,
Pomeranian, Corgi, Puli, Leonberger, Golden Retriever and Shiba Inu - Beneath the top layer of long hair is a soft downy undercoat which acts as insulation in both cold and hot months.
- The down undercoat can mat and tangle if not regularly maintained. An unmanaged undercoat can also cause your dog to overheat.
Silky-Coats:
- Breeds: Afghan Hounds, Yorkies, Setters, Cockers, Pekingese and Maltese
- Tangles and mats in these breeds are common without constant brushing.
Curly & Wiry Coats:
- Breeds: Schnauzer, Dachshund, Poodle, Bichon and Terrier
- These coats require regular brushing to stop mats from developing.
- Coats need to be hand-stripped twice a year or regularly clipped.
Shorthaired Coats:
- Breeds: American Foxhound, Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Terrier, Basset Hound, Basenji, Coonhound, Bloodhound, Lab and Pug
- Coats require weekly grooming to keep the skin and coat in its optimum condition.
Regular brushing is an essential part of your pet’s overall hygiene, health, comfort and happiness.
Also, finding and using the right tool, like the EquiGroomer products, will help make the experience easier, gentler and stress-free for both you and your pet!
EquiGroomer, A Grooming Tool for Horses, Dogs, Cats, Other Pets and Livestock!
More than a shedding blade, it gently grabs dead, loose & shedding hair by the ends.
Which means NO pulling, discomfort or damage to your pet’s topcoat or skin!
Try These Grooming Tools:
EquiGroomer (In 5-inch and 9-inch sizes)
WaterWisk Pet Squeegee/Sweat Scraper (In 5-inch and 7-inch sizes)
For individual or bulk orders, call 860-573-0604 or click here to send us an email.
Additional Reading:
Pet Care: Why Grooming is Important
Why Grooming Your Dog Is Great for His Health
7 Reasons Why You Should Brush Your Dog’s Coat on a Regular Basis
How to Groom a Rabbit (Complete Brushing Guide)
Image Credits:
All images are the courtesy of EquiGroomer.
Hi there. I am sincerely super impressed with the EquiGroomer after watching YouTube videos of an inspiring pet groomer ‘Girl with the dogs’. Not a professional pet groomer myself, just a pet owner that loves seeing animals lovingly cared for. But my question is this – Is it best to use the EquiGroomer on dry coat, a semi dry coat, towel dried / squeegee’d coat? Thank you kindly for your consideration.
Warm regards from New Zealand and Australia 🐾🐾🤗
Kate, thank you for a very good question. It is actually best to use the EquiGroomer on a clean, dry coat. The teeth on the groomer’s blade has tiny barbs that grab onto dead, dry, scaly hair and pulls them out. A wet, dirty or oily coat flattens those scales so the teeth won’t be able to grab onto anything. That’s also why the blade will never remove hair that is healthy, smooth and shiny. It’s completely safe and keeps an animal’s coat, whether it be a horse, cat or dog, in beautiful condition.
My girlfriend wants to adopt a kitten, so she’s looking for caring tips to help her learn more about a cat’s lifestyle. It’s great that you talked about brushing your pet’s coat regularly, so I’ll be sure to tell my sister about visiting a vet to ask about what kind of brush her new kitten needs. Thank you for the advice on keeping your pet in good shape and detecting skin issues on time.