The Dog Grooming MUST List Every Owner Should Follow

Dog grooming can be a ton of fun with various styles like lion manes, bows, mohawks, and more! But it’s also a necessity for each and every dog – not just our exceptionally stylish ones. A clean, brushed coat to your dog is the equivalent to clean, fresh clothes to us. They smell good, they feel good, and frankly, there’s a limit to how many times you can wear the same pair of jeans without a wash for the sake of everyone’s health.

So what should you do and how often to keep your pup healthy, happy, and clean-jeans fresh? Just follow our easy guide.

COAT BRUSHING

Depending on your dog’s coat (short, medium, long), brushings can range from daily to weekly to prevent mats. Have you ever had a ponytail holding onto your hair too tightly? That’s pretty much how a mat feels to your dog. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, and regular brushing is a great way to prevent mats from forming.

Make sure to select a brush based on your dog’s hair length to ensure the bristles reach the skin (gently) to help remove dirt, then wipe down your dog with a towel afterwards to clear away all the dirt and hair brushing loosened. Or make a reservation for a professional dog grooming appointment to ensure brushing is easier to maintain between visits.

BATHING

The amount of baths your dog needs is entirely unique to your dog. Is your pup more of an indoor pet that doesn’t really get into trouble? Or has your dog proudly earned the nickname “Poop Roller” among family and friends (like mine has)? The real answer to the question is another question: How often do you want to bathe your dog?

General consensus the majority of dogs should be bathed once a month to remove excess dirt, oil, and (let’s be frank) stank. Frequent bathing and brushing also helps reduce allergens in the home, which makes family and friends more comfortable as well.

Some dogs need baths more often (like Poop Roller), and some need them less frequent based on factors such as skin sensitivity. Start with once a month or as needed within a month, and you can gauge it from there.

Professional grooming can add some style to your dog’s regular bath with accessories and different fur cuts, but it’s also a great way to keep your dog socialized and give your dog a professional-grade clean. We recommend a professional grooming appointment for most dogs at least once each season to help make healthy maintenance easier for you and your dog between visits. Both our Detroit and Ferndale location offer bathing services; Just let the front desk know you would like to add one to your dog’s next visit!

NAILS, TEETH, EARS… OH MY!

Yup. Dog grooming doesn’t stop with the fur. For your dog’s health it’s incredibly important to stay on top of their nails, teeth, and ears to prevent discomfort, infection, or worse.

The frequency in which you should trim your dog’s nails varies by dog and their individual activity level, but a general rule is at least once every four weeks. We’ll help you keep an eye on them too during our daily checks at daycare, and let you know when you’re dog is needing a trim.

Teeth technically should be brushed every day. No joke. We know, we know… some days you’re lucky if YOUR teeth get brushed, but dogs need regular dental care too. There’s tons of products that help maintain teeth cleaning through the week like chew toys or dental bones, but regular teeth brushing is still important to prevent plaque buildup possible disease. Teeth brushing is a service we offer as a dog daycare or dog boarding extra. You can sign up to have your dog’s teeth brushed once a week at Canine to Five and then no matter how busy your week got, you’ll know your pup’s pearly whites are being taken care of.

You can also lend us your ears! (Terrible segue, but you get where this is going.) Dogs’ ears should be cleaned on at least a weekly and case-by-case basis. Meaning, if you and your dog just went on a hike and your four-legged friend had some fun rolling around in dirt or leaves, it’s a good idea to clean their ears once your home. But if your dog had a chill week hanging around the house not getting into anything dirty, you should still clean their ears at least once. We offer ear cleaning as an add-on as well. Simply add it to your reservation form or let the front desk know during drop off.

Learn more about all the health and hygiene options we offer in our Freshen Pup Service list.