General Maintenance
General maintenance is something that we should all be doing or having done. I think it’s a great way to connect with your dog and learn all about their parts. There are maintenance things that need doing on all breeds or mixes; and other things that just need to be done on fluff or long coated breeds.
Coat
All dogs have a coat or little bits of a coat like the Chinese Crested or Xoloitzuintli (Mexican hairless). Each dogs coat needs to be attended to; whether that is just a bath now and again or a full on grooming session at the spa. With all the Doodles out there now; a lot more people are having to call the groomer. Poodles have hair technically which means that their hair grows continually and needs cutting like our own. So any other breed that is mixed with a poodle may need to be groomed regularly. That said, some mixes end up with a wiry type coat that does not need constant cutting but sheds more like fur.
If you happen to have a doodle and were not told about the big grooming requirements; I’m telling you now, there will be big grooming requirements. If your dog has the soft wavy or curly type coat then it will need constant brushing to keep from matting. Many people think a quick brush on top will suffice but you need to separate their hair and brush right at the skin and out. A doodles coat is much like a Poodle Puppy coat which mats very easily and needs constant attention. The more coat you have, the more work you have. You can always shave it short and lessen the work (which is what I do).
Grooming courses so you can DIY at home.
If you have a smooth coated breed with a single coat (Greyhound, Great Dane, German Shorthaired Retriever, Doberman) or double coat (Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Siberian Husky, Beauceron); they to benefit from weekly brushing. Single coated breeds tend to shed less than a double coated breed. They will also need a bath now and then. Typically one bath a month is good for most dogs; unless they get into something smelly or mucky and need more. You can do it at home or pay to have it done at the groomers.
Nails
Nails come in black and pink; with pink being the easier to clip because you can see the quick. The quick is the soft tissue inside of your dog’s nail. It is sensitive and contains nerve endings and blood vessels; so it is important not to cut it. Most people who are afraid to cut their dog’s nails is because of the quick. The quick grows as the nail grows so if you let your dog’s nails get too long, their quick will be long as well. This is one reason I prefer to dremel. Dremels allow you to take the tiniest bit off; and you can do it a couple times a week to get them down.
Most dogs need their nails clipped or dremeled weekly or every two weeks. Each dog is an indivdual and as such they will have faster or slower growing nails. They also all have different gates (the way they move); which means some dogs will wear their nails down, others will not. My older girl has always worn her nails down fairly well; but my younger boy only wears down his back feet nails. It is just because of the way they each move. All of my dogs have had different type nail wear and tear.
I like to dremel my dogs nails. I think it is easier and there is less risk in hurting the quick of the nail. But it takes time to get your dog use to the idea of dremeling as well as clipping. But if you do it on a regular basis; taking just the tip that grows every week or two off is easy. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself you can have your veterinarian or groomer do it for you.
Ears
Ears are a great subject and most people want nothing to do with them. But ears are also a big problem for many dogs so it is a great idea to get to know about your dog’s ears. Some dogs need more maintenance on their ears while others need a little wipe now and again. Even if you have a dog with erect ears and a single coat; those ears can get good and dirty. Cleaning out the outer part of the inside is a good idea if they get really dirty. All natural ear wipes can be used for a quick cleaning. But remember never dig down in the ear.
For those of you who have or are thinking about getting a Poodle or Doodle type, you might have a lot to do. Poodles grow hair down into the inside of their ear; again some more than others. When they have too much hair inside their ears; the air cannot get in there. That means we have to go in and take some out, pluck the ears. You can do it yourself if you want to learn how. It is fairly easy but again most people want nothing to do with plucking their dog’s ears. When they get too much hair in their ears; they can get a build up of dirt and wax which can lead to ear infections. So it must be addressed by someone.
The first sign of an ear problem is a head tilt. If you notice your dog hold down one of their ears with a head tilt on the same side, have them looked at by your vet. The next stage is usually head shaking; that almost always means an ear problem and ear infections are painful so do not wait to see your Veterinarian.
An important message about plucking.
The old way of plucking ears was to pluck all the hair out so that your dogs ears are bald. Unfortunately this is quite painful and can open the ear to infection. I cannot tell you how many people tell me that their dog has an infection after being at the groomers. The whole plucking of the ears is quite controversial but my opinion on it is to take out a bit at a time. Just enough to let the air into the ear; as well as shaving the underside of the hair from the ear. A nice airway to let the air flow in there so it’s dry and no bacteria can grow.
Private parts (If you’re squeemish, you might want to skip)
Okay, let’s talk about what no one wants to talk about. It is important to get to know your dog’s private parts at least a little. The more you know about your dog the easier it is to spot problems. If you have a short coated dog then it is easy peasy. Less hair, less area for things to get stuck on. But for those with a longer coat, hairy or fluffy type dogs; there is a lot of areas that can become issues.
Keep your dogs “private” areas nice and short, trim and clean. I cannot believe the number of dogs that have a build up of poop on their butt because no one ever looks back there. It can become so clogged with hair that they actually have a difficult time going poop.
A common problems with males dogs is that they tend to pee on the back of their front legs. If you have a furry dog, this is an easy fix. Leave a little wick of hair growing on the tip of their penis and it acts to redirect the urine flow down instead of out straight.
Females can run into problems if there is too much hair covering their vulva. This is where their pee comes out so if it stays wet it can grow too much bacteria down there and cause infections. Again, a uti or bladder infection is painful so if you see your dog peeing too much or having accidents when housetrained, get to the Vet.
Overall
I know that these things are not on many folks “to do list.” But the more you know what looks normal; the easier it is to know what is not normal and could be a problem. With a little bit of regular maintenance you can avoid a great deal of bad medical issues. Infections are painful so when in doubt, get to the vet.
You can do it, I know you can.