17/03/2024
🙏🐶🐕🦮🐕🦺
Let’s do a little refresher
-WAYS TO AVOID MATTING
1. Brush Your Dog’s Hair
You’d be surprised at how many people don’t brush their dog.
To keep matting away a dog needs to be brushed at least every 2nd to 3rd day.
What would your hair look like if you never brushed it or washed it or touched it for at least 3 to 6 months?
To keep your fur baby comfortable and knot free, brush their hair regularly.
TIPS ON BRUSHING YOUR FURRY FRIEND.
If your dog is a smaller breed – place them on a table or bench! Obviously, make sure they can’t jump down and hurt themselves.
Place a towel or non-slip mat on the table/bench so they can’t slip around. The idea here is to let your fur baby know that when they are up high on the table/bench, this means we’re going to get brushed.
It might take a few attempts before your fur baby understands this. So in order for them to understand, when they are up there give them a reward.
Reward them either by giving them their favourite treats or telling them they are a good boy or girl. Positive reinforcement for when they are good. Nothing until they are good.
They will soon get the message that when I sit here nicely, I’ll get a reward.
Then start the brushing process, still giving treats when they are good. Eventually they won’t need the treats and will learn that when I’m up here I get brushed.
If your dog is a larger breed – place them on a lead (not the lead you use to walk them with) and either secure them to a safe spot or have someone hold the lead.
Then as above, if they are good reward them with treats.
Again let them know that when they have this lead on, this means we’re good and we get brushed.
The idea here is for your fur baby to learn that being brushed is a positive experience.
The most important advice I can give is make sure you get your metal comb or slicker brush down to the hair shaft/ skin. A lot of owners make the common mistake of just brushing the top of the coat ; meanwhile down under that level is getting matted.
When they bring the dog to the groomer, they get a big surprise that their efforts were a big waste of time, & the dog is matted and get upset with the groomer for clipping the coat very short.
So think are you getting down to the skin. By using a metal comb first you brake up the knots and find that you have gotten down to skin then brush with the slicker brush.
If you need a good metal comb, I do have them available for sale.
Photo is of a dog that’s owners were brushing regularly- but not properly.