Here is a pet grooming step by step guide for a happier, healthier pet:
Step 1 – Ensure that you have clean water and your tools are in order.
Remember the Grooming tools we talked about on our previous post? Yeah, it’s time to use them.
Since we Trinkets pet parents (the best pet parents in the world), we are organized and hygienic, so we ensure that we have our tools in order and that we are using clean water. A simple check-list for an easy process.
Step 2 – Brush your pet’s fur, yes even if they’re dirty – here’s why.
With the grooming tools that you now have, you will need to prime your pet’s hair by brushing it before getting them into the water. This will detangle the fur and let you see which hairs are matted within your pet’s fur. This will also remove any loose or week fur that may be on your pet’s body.
This is done by use of the grooming brush – double sided for both short and long hair pets; and just in case your pet has matted fur, you can deploy the detangling comb to get your pet’s fur out of the bunch.
You can also decide to trim off any long strands, split ends and unmanageable matted fur at this stage.
“But what if my pet is super dirty?” Make like Nike and JUST DO IT. Trust me, this will help you on the next step. Besides, the comb is easier to wash when dirty compared to your unbrushed pet.
Here’s what happens if you get your pet into water before brushing their fur – Their fur will form MORE TANGLES which YOU will have to DEAL WITH during the washing step.
Onto step trois.
Step 3 – Get your pet, wet.
Remember the clean water in step number one? Get your pet into it; whether it’s your bath tub, large basin, bathroom sink with a plug in the drain; whichever means you use to hold your water. Bottom line – Make sure they are wet everywhere before you go to the next step.
Step 4 – Bubbles, Rub-bles and Scrub-bles
Get some of the Shampoo onto the bath brush from your quiver of tools and start scrubbing.
Now, I don’t mean that you use the force that you’d use to grate a carrot; No. Your pet will hate it, we don’t want that.
Gentle circular scrubs will do nicely – you know, like the ones you get in our dream salon/barber from our previous post?
As you do this, do it systematically – like a Trinkets Pet Parent would do: make sure your pet support him/herself with their forelimbs at the edge of the basin/ bathtub to make the dirt-laden soap drip down towards the tail. This will also help in case you have a pet that will decide to shake off the soapy water- they often start shaking from the head down to the tail.
Scrub from the head going down to the tail, not forgetting the belly, paws, outer skin of the penis and scrotum area (Yes, we call it as it is here at Trinkets) if male and peri-anal area. Remember – GENTLY so as not to irritate the skin.
If you’ve ever had soap in your eyes while taking a bath, then I don’t think we need to point out the importance of preventing soap from entering your pet’s eyes. They will feel EXACTLY as you would if soap entered your eyes. AVOID.
Once done, pour some water to wash off the soap with the dirt. You can repeat the process if you feel it’s necessary. You can also apply the conditioner at this stage (this one is not a leave-in conditioner)
Step 5 – Sun bathing or Blow drying; the choice is yours
Your pet is clean. We have achieved our goal. But if you’re a pet owner, you know that this result can be quickly reversed if we do not properly DRY our pets – Not a funny outcome, stop laughing… I see you laughing!
For those of us who possess the fruit of the Holy Ghost – Patience – we opt to let nature be our natural desiccant by letting our pets sun bathe. Of course, after restraining them in a place where the odds of them getting dirty again are in OUR favor. If you do this, make sure that you comb your pet’s fur at regular intervals as it dries to avoid tangling. Irregular intervals also work, but just make sure the strands are easily separable for your peace of mind when they dry.
For us impatient folk who find time and money indistinguishable – Blowdry and comb. But there’s a caveat – Make sure the temperature on your drier is bearable for your pet. We don’t want 2nd degree burns on our pride and joys, now, do we? We also don’t want to stress our pets.
Step 6 – Time to combed out and smell nice!
After our pets are well dried, style your pet’s fur to your liking. Make sure their fur is neatly combed or brushed – This applies to short fur pet parents too.
And since we are Trinkets Pet Parents – held to a high standard in the pet parenthood scene because of how we do things, we will spritz some cologne from our grooming tools on our pets for them to smell good both in our households and while out and about.
PS. Smelling good will only work if you follow step 1 through 5, NO SHORTCUTS!!! We know what you’re thinking and spritzing cologne on your “They don’t look thaaaaat dirty, just smells bad” pet WILL NOT WORK WELL FOR YOU!!!
IN CONCLUSION
Gosh, the above title sounds like an essay title, but it’ll serve the purpose:
Grooming is that easy, 6 easy steps to grooming your pets, whether dog or cat.
In our next Article, we will discuss the frequency of grooming.
Stay tuned and see you on our next post!
We are your Fur-Babies’ Haven – Trinkets Pet Store Kenya.