Dog Grooming - Doing It Yourself

It's always a challenge; do you take your dog to the groomer and pay to leave your baby in the hands of strangers, or do you do it yourself, and save money...but perhaps don't do as good a job as a professional could?

The good news is, it's now easier than ever, with the extensive lines of products specifically for pet grooming that you can now find in almost any pet care store, to do a thorough, professional job of dog grooming yourself. The trick is finding the right tools and supplies for the size and type of dog you have.

Does breed matter in dog grooming? Yes--and no. You won't find supplies specifically for grooming your Shi Tzu, and you don't have to have brushes with "Collie" stamped on them. But the truth is, that different dogs have different bone structures, different coat thicknesses and fur lengths, and different grooming needs. You wouldn't use the same brush for an Old English Sheepdog that you would for a chihuahua, for example. Taking these things into account can go a long ways towards getting the right tools to do the job right at home.

Home dog grooming is one area where the sales associates at your local pet care store can be very helpful. They should know the right tools for the job, and they can point you to the right supplies for your particular breed. Dog grooming isn't as difficult as it might be, especially if you have a large tub or sink for washing your pet, and you're just washing and brushing your pet. For dogs like poodles, or even, to a lesser extent, Shi Tzu, who require special trimming to stay in top form, you may be better off going with a professional groomer, especially if you aren't familiar with trimming a dog's fur. It's easy to nip skin when you try to cut a dog's fur, and even though most breeds don't actually need their fur trimmed, those breeds that do, should probably be professionally groomed.