Grooming is significant for your dogs to make them look presentable. The grooming strategies for older dogs are quite different from the canine ones. The older dogs need more care and pampering because dogs encounter more health issues in the latter half of life. So, you can diagnose the emerging health problems by giving regular grooming sessions to your older pal.
Moreover, every dog has particular grooming needs, so you must know basic requirements before grooming senior dogs. Special care is essential to acknowledge your dog's condition. It is challenging to groom older dogs, but you can follow these tactics to give your dog stress-free and comfortable sessions.
Top Tips to Groom older dogs
As your dog gets mature, he needs your extra attention and supervision. Grooming may be the best way to bond with your older munchkin. Just follow these dog grooming tips for senior dogs for a better experience.
Choose a Comfortable Surface
It'd help if you opted for a comfortable surface, either a bathmat or rug, to avoid slipping or falling. You should comfort your dog in every possible way. If your dog is going through arthritis or any other disease, he will not be able to stand for long. So, it is better to lay down your dog to keep his grooming safe.
Do Quick Sessions
It would be best to opt for quick short bathing sessions for your older dogs. Because, in older age, it's not easy for your dog to withstand long shower hours. Especially if your senior dog is battling against some health or skin issue, you should do multiple grooming sessions. For example, you may bath your dog a day and cut his fur the next day.
Use Soft Brushes for Combing
The senior dog's skin loses resilience as he grows older. So, you should use soft brushes to comb the hair. Stiff brushes with metal ends may bother your pets. Use a brush with soft plastic pins and rubber at the end to make them feel peaceful and calm.
Trim the Extra Fur or Hair
Trimming long hair on the feet is significant to avoid slipping accidents. You can also trim the facial hair to groom older dogs. If your dog suffers from eye cataracts or any other ailment, you can cut bangs to clear his panoramic view.
You can also prune extra hair around the sanitary areas to make them clean. The senior dogs are not as flexible to bend and clean their fecal material as they used to do in adolescence. So, it is better to trim the sanitary area for grooming.
Avoid Health Risks
You should pay attention to how your dog responds while grooming. If your older dog gets restless and moves away from grooming procedures, you need to check up on your dog. Your dog may be prone to many skin diseases like lumps or bumps. Similarly, you need to examine your dog's ears and clean any debris inside.
You also need to check your canny friend's mouth regularly. Brush the teeth gently if the dog has gums swelling. Therefore, you must pay heed to their medical problems and provide the necessary medications for grooming senior dogs.
The Bottom Line
In short, you should follow the above-discussed tips and tricks to make your senior dogs look agile and active even during older age. These grooming strategies make your older pal comfortable during the grooming sessions.