Need A Dog Groomer? Five Ways to Save Money By Grooming Your Dog At Home

There are many things you can do yourself when it comes to grooming your own dog, and we are amazed that more people don't groom their dog at home. As third generation grooming shop owners, we see countless people come in and request services that are extremely simple to do. While this is obviously what makes us money, we are in a smaller midwestern city, so exposing our dog grooming "secrets" worldwide probably won't affect our bottom line too much.

There are many things you can do to groom your dog yourself and save money,but we will give you the top 5. Remember, not only will you be saving money, you will form a closer bond with your dog.

1. Bathing Your Dog- This is so simple a child can do it. Really. It's just like washing your own hair...scrub it up good and make sure you get all the soap rinsed out. Use a hypoallergenic soap.

2. Drying Your Dog-Use a towel sparingly, otherwise a medium or long coated dog's hair will tangle. Just pat the excess water off. If you can't put the dog outside and don't want water all over the house, use a blow dryer on your dog. A word of warning, other than their nails being done, dogs usually hate the drying process more than anything!

3. Trimming Your Dog's Nails- This is a little more complicated, and not something I can fit the information for in a short article. You will need to purchase a nail trimmer and possess a lot of patience as most dogs hate to have their nails trimmed. With a little training, you can trim your dog's nails yourself.

4. Brushing Your Dog- I could write a ten thousand word article on how important this is. Unless your dog is extremely short haired, you need to brush your dog often. You might think your dog isn't shedding because you don't find hair all over the house, and you would be wrong. Some dog breeds shed their hair into their undercoat. If you don't brush them often, this hair becomes matted. Your dog can actually have some discomfort because of this, as matted hair pulls on the dog's skin. Brush your dog often.

5. Minor Trimming Of Your Dog's Hair- While we would never recommend someone trying to hand scissor a poodle, there are some minor touch ups and trims you can easily do yourself, with a little training.

Learning to do these five things and grooming your dog yourself will save you quite a bit of money each year, and as we mentioned earlier in this article, you will find yourself forming a closer bond with your dog.

Learn more about dog grooming and grooming your dog at home by visiting Amy's Groom Your Dog At Home

Small Breed Dogs That Don't Shed

If you are looking for small breed dogs that don't shed, or only shed a little, you might find yourself searching the ends of the earth for that special dog. Unfortunately, all dogs shed, just some degs shed a lot more than others.

The first thing you need to do is erase everything you have heard, and most of what you have read if you want to find a small breed dog that does not shed. For instance, while it is true that most of the dogs that are known as "non shedding" dogs are short haired, some of the worst offenders in the shedding department are short haired dogs! It really depends on the breed.

The second thing you need to do is understand that ALL dogs shed, but some dogs shed inward instead of outward. What this means is that a dog that doesn't shed all over your house will have an "undercoat" and that is where all the hair is going to go. Instead of having to clean up hair all over the house. you are going to have to brush your dog, probably on a daily or every other day basis. If you don't, your
dog's hair will become matted and you are going to have a huge mess on your hands. In addition to the huge mess, matted hair can become painful for your dog as it pulls on the skin. Unfortunately, if you allow your dog's hair to become matted, you or your groomer will probably not be able to get it out and the dog will have to be shaved down.

Here is a short list of small dog breeds that don't shed, or "non shedding" dogs:

Chinese Crested

Shih Tzu

Poodle

Boston Terrier

Border Terrier

Silky Terrier

There are more, and there are also dogs that shed a little more, but don't cover your house in dog hair.

Just remember what we tell our grooming clients that ask us about dogs that don't shed..."If you are getting a new dog, you are either going to need a vacuum or a
dog brush.

Get more information on non shedding dogs, a complete list of small dog breeds that don't shed and a description of each by visiting List of Dogs That Don't Shed-Non Shedding Dogs

Get more information on all the dog grooming techniques you need to groom your dog at home by visiting Amy's Groom Your Dog At Home