Even the most easy-care dog in the world needs some attention to be paid to her appearance every once in a while – so it’s worth spending a bit of time learning the best techniques for easy, stress-free grooming.

WHY SHOULD YOU BOTHER GROOMING MY DOG?

A few years back, and I dare say, even now, the average person’s approach to canine grooming is cavalier. Dogs are seen as something that lives in the yard (usually in a dusty, hard-floored kennel), eat whatever is put in their bowls, and exists as a sometime-playmate for the household’s children.

But there are many of us who tend to care for our dogs a lot more, and view them more as members of the household than the Thing in the Yard.

And because we think of them this way, their grooming has become an important facet of our dog’s regular health-care. It ensures that any skin-care problems are minimized (because grooming distributes the natural skin-oils evenly throughout the coat), and assists you in monitoring your dog’s overall condition – if you groom on a regular basis, you can’t help but notice the presence of any unusual lumps or bumps.

This preventative action has saved many a canine life. Our dogs can’t tell us where it hurts, but taking just a little bit of time every so often to check them over ourselves can save a lot of grief in the long run.

The trick is getting your dog to tolerate (and even enjoy!) the process …

THE FIRST STEP IN THE GROOMING PROCESS

Something that many owners lack experience in is how to wash their dogs. Dry-grooming (brushing and ‘buffing’ the coat) seems to present little problem for most people; the rot tends to set in when water is introduced to the mix.

Most dogs have a strong dislike of being bathed, and in many cases will become utterly panic-stricken when the tub comes out.

This article is going to deal with the basics of how to wash your dog in a way that’ll keep both of you relaxed and happy.

PREPARING YOUR DOG FOR GROOMING

First of all, the absolute most important thing you can do is to accustom your dog to the grooming process. Now, starting this in puppyhood is the ideal way to handle the situation, but of course not all of us have this luxury; if you’ve got an adult dog, you’ll probably need to move a little slower, but you should still start getting her used to being touched and handled all over as soon as you can.

As your puppy or dog gets used to the sensation of being rubbed and handled, she’ll slowly come to enjoy it. Dogs are social creatures by instinct, and physical affection and contact is a big part of their lives – it shouldn’t take long before she begins to trust you, and allows herself to get some pleasure out of your touch.

All you have to do is start rubbing her slowly all over. Fondle her ears, touch her cheeks and neck, rub her back and belly, pick up her paws and – if she’ll let you – give each one a gentle squeeze (treating and praising her whenever she lets you do this, since paw touching is generally a pretty big deal for most dogs). If she has a tail, rub it between your fingers; get her to roll over on her back so you can rub and stroke her belly and hocks.

This might not seem like such a big deal, but it’s actually a really important part of the grooming process: the more your dog enjoys it, the less stressful the whole event will be for both of you, and so the more often you’re likely to groom her – which increases the health benefits for her.

HOW TO WASH YOUR DOG

Bathing always comes before dry-grooming, since it makes brushing and trimming a lot easier as well as a lot more effective (there’s not much point in brushing a tangled, dirty coat!)

You will need some basic tools: a tub, a non-slip mat, a plastic jug, some warm water, a small sponge, and some canine shampoo (not human shampoo: the pH is all wrong for dogs, and will give her dry and flaky skin.)

Stand her in the tub, on the non-slip mat. If she’s a large or unruly dog, you may want to wash her outside to minimize mess – either that, or you can restrain her by tying one end of a light nylon leash to her collar, and the other end to the faucet.

Pour jugs of warm water all over her until she’s good and wet. This breaks down the grease in her fur, and ensures a thorough shampooing.

Mix a little shampoo with another jug of warm water, and rub it thoroughly into your dog’s fur. Start off with her back and rub it into a good lather (but don’t be too harsh!)

Now you can move on to her head and face. Be very careful here – dogs’ eyes are sensitive too, and if you get any water in her ears, she’ll probably get an ear infection. (You can plug her ears with a small twist of cotton wool to help stop this from happening, if you like.)

Remember to clean under her tail before you wash her off – dip the sponge into the shampoo mixture to do this properly.

Now it’s time to rinse: using the jug and some clean, warm, shampoo-free water, carefully tip it all over her and use your fingers to help disperse the lather from her coat. Rinse her off thoroughly at least twice, since any residue that remains will irritate her skin.

Now you’ll need to dry her off: if she’s got short fur, you can use a towel (an old one will do just fine, although big dogs generally need two); for dogs with longer fur, give her a gentle toweling-off first, and then use a hair dryer to get rid of the last dampness. Be certain that it’s set on low heat, and hold it far away from your dog’s fur to prevent burning either the skin or the fur.

KEEP YOURSELF CALM

Remember that most dogs have an inherent dislike of being bathed, which can cause anxiety and even outright panic.

Your dog takes a lot of her emotional cues from you, so make sure you act like a good role model for the occasion. Reassure your dog frequently, keeping your voice well-modulated, low, and even; keep your movements slow and deliberate; praise her lavishly for good behavior, and give her a couple of treats throughout the process to make it more enjoyable for her.

The more she enjoys the process, the easier it’ll be for you!

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Grooming your dog is just one tiny aspect of maintaining overall health and happiness. For a complete, encyclopedic survival guide to all aspects of dog health, from preventative care to choosing a vet to doggie First Aid (even the canine Heimlich maneuver!), you should take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health.

A survival guide for knowledgeable, effective, and life-saving dog care, this manual keeps your dog’s health and wellbeing firmly within your control – which is exactly where you want it to be.

To be the best and most responsible owner you can be, take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health.

This is an article from Sit Stay Fetch: the most trusted dog owners’ guide on the Internet. For more articles like this, and for tips and tricks to keep your dog happy, visit their website.

How a dog reacts to a person or a situation depends on his/her familiarity with it. Take for example, the dog that barks at all strangers, including innocent passers by. This dog is either barking to alert you, or to scare the stranger. You need to assess the real reason, and then act accordingly.

A dog is guided by the pack mentality. If it is domesticated, the pack will include you, your family, other dogs in the household (if any) and people who the dog meets frequently. Anything outside this circle is strange. Yes, that includes your aunt who is visiting after two years.

The dog’s instinct is to protect/alert its pack in case it senses danger. So does it consider every stranger to be a threat to the pack? No. The dog classifies dangerous people using a number of facts:

a) the person looks suspicious/scared – When people are scared, their skin secretes a hormone that animals with a very strong sense of smell can identify. Ever wonder why your dog is more aggressive towards that friend who is scared of it?

b) the person is moving threateningly towards one or more of the pack members – In this case, barking is a natural reaction. The dog is not only trying to alert the pack member, but also letting the stranger know that “I’m watching you, I’m dangerous, so you better stay away!”

c) the person has a remarkable difference in physical appearance than most people the dog has encountered – Those in India, have you noticed how your dog reacts when it sees the rag pickers who pass by everyday?

d) the person reminds him of someone who had earlier acted threateningly towards him or his pack members – This is particularly true of dogs that have at some point of time been traumatized by human behavior. They are not well socialized for obvious reasons, and carry deep psychological scars.

I have dealt with this barking /aggression problem in detail one of my earlier posts: Aggression in dogs: Sometimes its territorial, sometimes it’s a different thing altogether. You may want to look at it if you’re looking for a solution.

Now to the second question: Why doesn’t your dog bark at strangers?
If you’re wondering whether something is wrong with your dog, let me assure you… it is absolutely fine. Your dog is a perfect example of a well socialized happy dog, who has never had the reason to suspect that someone might harm him or his pack.

Your dog is how dogs should be… happy, fearless, trusting, and without a care in life. You are lucky you have a dog like that. Now, if you ARE looking for a dog that would bark at strangers, then it always better to buy a guard dog that has been properly trained to confront strangers. Your dog does not fit the mould, be happy with it… look at it this way: You wanted a child that would grow up to be a professional wrestler. Instead he chose to be an olympic champion in amateur wrestling.

If you have questions about your dog’s behavior or training, and want to stay updated on our articles, please consider subscribing to Paws Awhile. You can always send us an email with your queries, and we will be happy to reply.

Dogs are hunters. Make no mistake about it. The original dog that separated itself as a species from the wolf, some several thousand years back, retained most of its characteristics. A prominent one was the hunting in packs gig. The trait still exists in all breeds known to man.

Really? My dog isn’t aggressive at all! You mean he has evolved that much?

I bet you would say that. What breed of dog do you own? If you are a seasoned dog owner, you probably already know that the present day breeds have all been tailored by humans to meet certain needs.

So there are the retrievers (Golden, Labrador, etc) that were bred to retrieve catches for hunters and fishermen. The hounds (sight hounds, scent hounds, bear hounds, etc) that were bred specifically to seek out preys. There are working breeds like the collies, the GSDs, the Huskies and the Malamutes that were bred to aid people in their daily chores. The list can go on and on, but the point I am trying to make is that this selective breeding, and the close co-habitation with humans have played a big role in pushing the dogs’ aggressiveness behind the curtains.

When you have a dog living in your home, with your family, he naturally comes to regard you as his pack. Your house is the pack’s territory, and the person who holds the authority over the dog, is the alpha-dog. Your dog will gradually pick up behavioral traits from observing and following the activities that his pack engages in. In a dog’s world, that is what a good dog does—blend in.

It is possible that the aggressive traits in your dog may never see the light of day at all, and you can take a part of the credit for that. A lot depends on how you treat your dog (treating well does not mean you pamper your pet), how he is disciplined and what traits he picks up from his pack.

So what makes a dog aggressive?

I will begin with an example. A couple of weeks back, Meg at CastoCreations posted a video of her dog, Trooper. Trooper was showing signs of aggression towards Meg’s other dogs over a bowl of food. In this case, the tussle was more about authority than about who would eat first.

From what I know about Meg, her dogs are very well cared for. So Trooper obviously wasn’t starving. My educated guess would be that Trooper was declaring his authority over the other dogs in the pack.

Yes, dogs have ranks too. The most dominant among them is the alpha dog. At Meg’s place, it is Meg (could be her hubby too, but I think it is Meg). There are other ranks that follow. Although Trooper is smart enough to not challenge the superior pack members for a rank, he finds it absolutely okay to challenge the other dogs for a mid-level position in the pack.

There are other things that may lead to aggressive tendencies among dogs as well. If you own a guard dog, he naturally will not allow strangers into what it considers the pack’s territory. You will almost always find that the dog is the first to encounter all visitors to your house. How he handles these encounters is totally dependent on his training.

Aggression can also come from boredom. A dog is an active animal. If you do not give him enough to chew upon , he will take his frustration out by destroying furniture, or by shouting at passers-by and other dogs. By the same token, if you leave your dog alone for long stretches of time, be prepared for behavioral issues that may include aggression.

Lastly, there is this thing called instinct. If your dog is a hunting breed, feels that he has the authority to undermine you, if he has other subordinate dogs to give him company, and if he has anything that acts like a prey in their presence, there is a 80% chance that they will chase, and hunt.

How can I keep my dog well behaved?

Here are a few things you can do. Most of them work for most dogs. I am sure many of you have your own techniques as well, and our readers would love to know them.

• Keep your dog company. They are social animals and your company makes them feel fulfilled.
• Engage your dog in constructive activities. This may include long walks, runs, agility training, etc.
• Train your dog to behave under stressful circumstances. If you are not sure how to do that, appoint a professional and reputed (I cannot stress this point enough) trainer.
• Socialize your dogs, with different kinds of dogs and people.
• Make it clear that you are the boss. You don’t need to scare or beat the dog to do it. A firm tone, followed by a reprimand or two would do it for most dogs. Remember, what they want the most is your approval.
• Discourage your dogs from chasing cycles, cats, and people who are running. Tug gently at his leash and say a firm “no” to make it clear that you do not approve. Do not shout, as the dog will think you are encouraging him. Also remember, there is no point is scolding a dog after an act has been carried out. The dog will not be able to remember that he has chewed your shoe if you scold him two hours after the shoes became pulp.
• Train your dog to obey specific commands. A “stay”, a “sit”, or a “heel” can save lives on occasions.
• Treat your dog like family. You will get the same love back.

1. It’s winter. Leave them an old piece of clothing—a pyjama or a dopatta. They will forever wag their tails at your sight because you gave them something to lie down on.

2. If possible, cook an extra 1/4 cup of rice when you are cooking for your family. If each one of us take the trouble to feed at least one dog each night, there will be a lot more happy dogs on the street.

3. Come winter or summer, leave a bowl of clean water at your doorstep. Dogs need water too, and good, clean drinking water is hard to come by these days, thanks to us, humans.

4. Are there puppies in your neighborhood? Download and print the “Puppy Zone” poster from our blog and post it around the neighborhood. To save cost, you can take just one print out and then photocopy/color xerox it.

5. Educate the people who you know will listen to you. Common misconceptions and stereotypes are a big reason why dogs are persecuted on the city streets. Increasing awareness about dogs is a good way to start sensitizing people.

6. Adopt an Indian dog.

7. Look out for like-minded dog lovers and form a branch of Paws Awhile in your area. Work to achieve the Paws Awhile mission and we will extend all possible support to you. To know more about this, write to us.

8. Report atrocities against dogs by becoming a citizen journalist at the Paws Awhile blog. We have members from all over India and the world who will listen to you and speak out for your dogs.

9. Let the world know your views. Apply to become a guest blogger at Paws Awhile. You will get a global audience for your views.

10. Subscribe to our feed and spread the word about our team. We need a lot of support to amply support the dogs.