Schnauzer Grooming Tips for New Owners
Whether you have a miniature or a standard, you are going to need some basic schnauzer grooming tips under your belt when you welcome one of these dogs into your home. The amount and techniques for schnauzer grooming are going to vary greatly depending on whether you want to show your dog in competitions or if you simply want to have a nice and tidy pet.
While many large pet supply chains offer dog grooming, this can get rather expensive for most people, and so it is a good idea to have a basic knowledge as to how to maintain your pet’s coat. This article serves to provide the reader with basic schnauzer grooming. Do not implement these techniques if you wish to show your dog in competition.
Tools You’ll Need
For daily maintenance, you are going to need a decent dog brush. This will help prevent mats and tangles which can lead to infections on your dog’s skin. When it comes time to clip your dog’s fur, you are going to require a decent quality set of dog clippers with clipper guards of varying lengths. For precise snipping, a set of good scissors will aide you well. Finally, you are going to need either special nail clippers for your dog or motorized nail sanders that are now available for dogs with quicks that bleed easily or have been allowed to grow unchecked.
Daily Brushing
Ideally, every dog owner would brush their pet at least twice a week. In particular, schnauzer grooming is much easier to maintain if your dog’s coat is kept soft and tangle-free. In addition to removing unwanted loose fur, these biweekly brushings can also help you bond with your dog and actually decrease your blood pressure.
Using a suitable dog brush simply stroke the brush completely through your dog’s fur without using too much pressure. Using excessive brush pressure can irritate and scrape your dog’s skin, as well as damage the fur in some cases. If mats are present, they may actually have to be cut off to be removed.
Clipping the Fur
Starting at the face, choose a long length clipper guard and begin clipping the fur above the eyebrows, down along the line of the cheek. Scissors should be implemented to get the areas particularly close to the eyes. If your dog is skittish, you may wish to se scissors for the ears as well.
Once the face is complete, gently lift your dogs head and begin clipping under its mustache and down to the chest. Clear off the area in front of the shoulders, but be sure to leave a little patch of fur around your schnauzer’s sternum area at the breast plate.
Once the chest is complete, put a longer guard on the clippers and start at the spine and go down the side until you reach the top of the thighs, which will be clipped differently. For the thighs and buttocks area, start on top of the thighs and clip in a downward diagonal angle which should leave the fur on the buttocks looking flat. Repeat on both sides.
Have your dog stand with a wide stance in order to shave its abdomen. Use a small guard and shave the entire abdominal area and the perimeter of your dog’s genitalia, including under the tail and around the anus. If your dog is uncomfortable with this, you may have to use the scissors.
Scissors
Aside from using scissors to handle delicate areas that your dog doesn’t like being clipped, they are also good at matching up different areas that were clipped at different lengths. Carefully snip to even out the length-switches and make a smoother transition. Be sure to carefully snip the fur around the paws, and the sides of your dog’s eyebrows.
Nail Clippers
Unless your dog is constantly running on rough floors, its nails will need to be clipped periodically. Using a dog nail clipper, carefully position the clipper on the nail while holding your dog’s paw. If you are not used to these clippers, gently push down in a manner that allows you to see where the cut will be made without actually doing it yet.
Cut slightly above the quick, the white cavity you can see in the nails. If you cut into the quick, it will bleed and the pain will likely leave your dog with a bad impression of nail clippings. If you are not comfortable with this, be sure to get a professional dog clipper or visit your vet’s office.
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