Serving the Orange County, Southern California area for over 28 years.

In this section I want to give some basic care advice to help in caring for your pet.

Warning, Please keep in mind that you can seriously injure a pet if you don't know what you are doing. It can be difficult to tell what is hair and what is skin if you have a matted dog. To  make matters worse a dogs pain tolerance is four times greater than ours. This means that you could be doing something like cutting that mat behind the ear only to find out that what you are cutting is actually the dogs ear. Beware of using pointy objects as well, it is very easy to jab a dog in the eye with a sharp pair of scissors. Also, please use common sense, I am not a vet so don’t use or take any of this information as medical advice for your pet.

Click here to see my how to videos on youtube 

If you have any questions about grooming your dog yourself or anything related to dog grooming send me an email and I will try to answer your questions.

Brushing

If you want to bathe your pet yourself you want to brush them first. If they have any mats when you wash them you can make the mats much harder to get out so it is important to get them out before the bath. You want to use a wire brush to get out the mats, I think the best one is called universal. The bristles are curved instead of flat and this helps to get down deep into the coat. You can find them on the web very easily, just do a search for universal dog brush. You will want the small one because the big one just doesn't get down into the coat. When you brush your dog you want to be careful not to "brush burn" your dog. This usually happens when you have a mat and brush it over and over while scraping the skin with the brush.

Clipping http://www.petcarecentral.com/smalunslic.html

The main secret to using clippers on a dog is to have some that are strong enough and has sharp blades. Most clippers bought by people are not capable of grooming a dog. The cheapest clippers for dogs are $75 to $400 and that does not include the blades. If you cut a dogs hair too short you can cause razor burn, you can also cause razor burn by letting the blades the to hot. This can permanently damage the dogs coat by changing the color of the hair at the site and also the hair will grow slower than the rest of the dogs coats.

Ears

A dogs ears are something that much attention needs to paid to. If water gets in the ear they can have difficulty getting the water out. If they have water in their ear for too long it can cause an ear infection which will require medical attention. If it is not treated it could get so bad that the infection goes up the ear canal and into the brain which can kill your dog. The best way to avoid ear infections is to use a special ear powder and cotton balls before the bath. while you are bathing the dog avoid spraying into the ears as much a possible. If your dog has an ear infection or is prone to them it is best not to wash the face at all. Instead I recommend using one of the dry shampoos on the head and face. It is also necessary on some dogs to remove the hair from the ears otherwise they are more prone to infections. This is done by applying ear powder and pulling the hair out.  

Nails

Cutting a dogs nails can be one of the most difficult things you can do. If you cut them too short they will bleed for a long time. I recommend not trying to do this unless you know what you are doing and have the right equipment. Besides nail clippers it is very important to have some styptic powder to stop the bleeding incase you cut them too short.

Bathing

Even though bathing a dog seems like a simple task, it too has some important things you should know. As I mentioned before, put powder and cotton balls in the ears. Use a quality dog shampoo, do not use shampoo made for humans because dogs have a different ph balance and you can cause them to itch. Make sure you rinse all of the shampoo off also. If you leave any shampoo on the dog it can cause a allergic reaction and they will scratch/chew themselves raw. The most common places people miss are the armpits and the belly.

Skin Problems

I get a lot of people calling about skin problems that their dogs are suffering from. There are a few very common problems which can be easily cared for. The most common one I find is a dog that is itching and their hair is falling out leaving what is sometimes red skin. If the dog has a thick coat and it gets worse when it is warm out it could be that the dog is too warm. This can be fixed by giving a summer cut. I know that some say their coat insulates them from the heat, but 90 percent of the time a good short cut makes the problem go away. I do hundred of summer cuts during the warm months and it works every time. It could also be fleas (see the section on fleas below). Another cause could be the dogs diet. Many dogs are allergic to beef and can have a reaction to certain dog foods. I recommend getting a good lamb and rice type of dog food like Iams. Also don’t give your dog processed human food, I have found that with people who do this their dogs have skin problems and don’t seem to live as long. When changing the diet it could take as long as a couple of months before a dogs coat starts to get better. Another cause could be bathing the dog wrong. If you use a cheap shampoo or shampoo for people this can cause skin problems. Also rinsing all of the shampoo of is a must or that can cause a problem. I recommend diluting the shampoo at about 10 parts water to 1 part shampoo. It will actually clean just a well and be easier to rinse out.

Fleas

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if your dog has fleas. The best way to tell is to look on the back above the tail. This is where they like hang out the most. You can also check the belly and under the armpits. If you see small dots that look like dirt and have a strange odor this is a clue your dog has fleas. These are drops of blood that are left after the flea feeds. For every one flea you find on a dog there are an estimated 10 more in the house and yard. Also if you think that because you are not being bitten that means your dog doesn’t have fleas, you are wrong. Many people don’t realize that unless you are allergic to fleas you wont itch from the bite. The best way to deal with fleas by my experience is to use products like frontline or advantage. Both of these are put on the dog between the shoulder blades. Since they are a fairly new product fleas have not had a chance to build up immunity to them yet which makes them very effective. Frontline last for 3 months is waterproof and kills ticks. I recommend frontline if you have a tick problem or have a pool that your dog swims in. Advantage last up to 2 months is not waterproof and does not kill ticks. I usually recommend the advantage to customers because it is cheaper and will get the job done just fine. I also recommend not using either product for preventative purposes. I have found that people who give their dogs either of these year round are getting flea problems because the fleas have become immune to them. I suggest only using them in the summer and only if you find fleas on you dog. I should also mention that there are a few knock off products that are administered the same way as frontline and advantage. These are just cheap imitations and will not do any good.

Deskunking

Has your dog (or cat or other pet) been skunked (sprayed by a skunk)? Here's a skunk remedy I found while searching the web--after my dog got sprayed by a skunk, along with my experiences.

Tomato juice or vinegar is not recommended because it only masks the odor--it doesn't remove the smell.

Usually dogs take a hit in the neck area. Typically they are sprayed while provoking the skunk and turn their head, while being sprayed, in order to avoid it.

 First Aid

First check to see if your dog was injured by the skunk. If your dog is bleeding or appears to have been bitten, consult a vet immediately. Skunks may carry rabies. If vaccinated, your dog is safe from the rabies virus (but you are not!).

 What you need

Next go to a drug store and get the following, if needed:

• 1 quart (or liter) of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, H₂O₂.
  Use fresh (unopened) hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Hydrogen peroxide eventually turns into water (H₂O).
• 1/4 cup (50 ml.) of Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml.) of Liquid Soap
• 1 pair of plastic or latex gloves

 To Use

• Bathe the dog outside with the ingredients or, if it's too dark or cold, in the bathroom with the door closed and window opened.
• Combine the ingredients in an open container (do not store in a sealed bottle--it will explode).
• Using gloves, wash your dog with lukewarm water and the mixture while the mixture is bubbling. Work the mixture well into the fur.
• Be sure to concentrate on the area that was sprayed.
• Keep mixture away from your dog's face and eyes (it's a harsh solution). (If your dog has been sprayed in the face, try Tricotine Liquid Douche Concentrate or any over-the-counter douche.)
• Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes or so before rinsing off.
• Rinse the dog with lukewarm tap water. Don't wash the mixture into your dog's eyes (use a washcloth to cover the eyes if you're rinsing the head).
• After bathing, check your dog's eyes. If they are red and watering, your dog may have taken a direct hit in the face. Skunk spray won't blind the dog, but it's very painful. Contact a vet.

 How it works

Forget what you have heard about tomato juice--it doesn't work. Skunk spray is mainly composed of low molecular weight thiol compounds. ("Thiols" are compounds with the "-SH radical" attached to a carbon atom.) In industrial applications, alkaline hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is used for scrubbing similar compounds from waste gas streams.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, when combined, become a "chemical engine" for churning out oxygen. That's why it has to be used immediately after mixing. The soap breaks up the oils in the skunk spray, allowing the other ingredients to do their work.