Why should you groom your pet?
Grooming is an important part of pet health and hygiene! How often you take your pet to the groomer is dependent on a few different factors, including your pet’s species, breed, size, and type of fur. Grooming has many health benefits for your pet, which vary between animals and breeds.
Some grooming rituals you can do at home, while others need professional treatment. The most common advice is that if you aren’t sure what you’re doing, take your pet to the pros! If you have years of experience, however, there are grooming treatments for your pets that you can tackle in the comfort of your own home.
Cats
While cats are self-grooming animals, they still need a little extra TLC. Luckily, grooming your cat can be done at home! If you decide to groom your cat on your own, however, make sure you’re extremely careful and do your research beforehand to ensure your cat’s safety.
It’s recommended that long-haired cats are groomed once every day, while short-haired cats are groomed once every 2-3 days.
Brushing your cat comes with many health benefits, including: detangling, keeping away mats, and promoting a healthier coat.
Dogs
Dogs, unlike cats, are not quite as self-sufficient in the area of self-grooming. They do, to an extent, clean themselves, but many dogs (especially with undercoats) need a little more attention when it comes to grooming.
Short-Haired Dogs
Short-haired dogs need less frequent bathing, and generally only need the occasional bath. For short-haired dogs that shed a lot, once a month is a great place to start.
If you have a short-haired dog that sheds a lot, you can take them to the groomer to get a brushing treatment. This involves a “low-shed” service, meaning the groomer will give your dog a basic deshedding brush treatment. Fortunately, this is easy to do at home: all you need is a great deshedding brush or tool. Regularly brushing your dog is very healthy, as it stimulates growth in the hair follicles and reduces dry skin.
For those dogs that do shed a lot, you’ll be needing a brush to pick up after all the fur they’ve left around the house! Lilly Brush Co. has brushes designed specially for these specific needs; the best tools for short-haired pets are the Mini Pet Hair Detailer and the Mighty Pet Hair Detailer.
Be very careful not to bathe your dog too frequently; too much bath time will dry out your pup’s skin and leave them itching and shedding. A good set schedule for bathing is once a month, or whenever they start to stink!
Dogs with Undercoats
Undercoats are a protective measure your dog’s fur takes against its environment. Their long overcoat protects them from sun, parasites, dirt, and moisture, while the undercoat keeps them warm during the winter. During the hot summer months, the undercoat sheds because it isn’t necessary for their protection at that time of year.
Be cautious while grooming dogs with undercoats! It’s tempting to shave or de-shed their undercoat yourself, but dogs need to undergo the natural process on their own– otherwise, you’re putting your dog at risk for developing heatstroke and sunburn.
Dogs with undercoats need to be groomed about four times a year. For this, you can either take them to a professional who will know the limits of shedding undercoats, or you can carefully groom away the dead layers of fur with a brush like the FURminator.
Long-Haired Dogs
Long-haired dogs are the most prone to developing mats. While you may have the urge to cut them out yourself, you should take your dog to a professional to do so. Mats lie dangerously close to the skin, and if you’re not careful, you could end up hurting your dog. For dealing with mats, professionals are the best way to go.
The tufts of fur sticking out in various places do require frequent trimming, but that aside, long-haired dogs generally need the same general grooming as the dog types listed above: monthly bathing, occasional grooming, and careful attention.
Writing Specialist at Lilly Brush Co.