3 Winter Grooming Tips For Your Dog

It is important to take care of your dog throughout the year. During the winter, your dog has to deal with all the cold, wet weather and how that can impact their coat and feet. During the winter time, you want to brush your dog's coat often, pay special attention to your dog's paws and nails, and limit the use of pet sweaters.

#1 Brush Your Dog's Coat

All of that moisture in the winter time can cause your dog's fur to become matted. When your dog's hair becomes matted, the mats can become hard to remove and can hurt your dog's skin as well.

The best way to take care of matted fur is to prevent your dog's fur from becoming matted in the first place. You can do this by brushing your dog's coat on a regular basis in the winter time. This will ensure that their fur stays nice and smooth and will help distribute the oils in your dog's fur as well, preventing their coat and skin from getting dry due to winter weather.

#2 Take Care of Your Dog's Paws & Nails

You need to pay special attention to your dog's paws and nails during the winter time. During the winter, ice can really irritate your dog's paws, and the salt and chemicals put down on the ground to melt ice and snow can harm your dog's paws and cause them to crack and become sore.

Make sure that you trim the hair around your dog's paws, especially on the bottom of their paws. This will help prevent ice and snow from sticking to the hairs on your dog's paws and turning into painful ice balls on the bottom of their feet.

When you bring your dog inside, clean your dog's feet off. You can rinse them off in the sink, or use a warm washcloth to get rid of the ice, snow, and salt that get stuck in your dog's paws in the winter time.

Your dog's nails are also more likely to break in the winter time, so be sure to trim your dog's nails and keep things short.

#3 Limit The Use Of Pet Sweaters

Pet sweaters are great because they can help keep your dog warm, which is great when you have to take your dog outside when you live in an extremely cold climate. However, you should only put a pet sweater on your dog when necessary.

Pet sweaters can rub against your dog's coat. This friction can cause your dog's fur to mat, which can be painful for your dog. Every time you take off your dog's pet sweater, be sure to brush your dog's coat.

Take care of your dog this winter by brushing their coat frequently, cleaning their paws and keeping their nails short. Check out a website like http://www.aocb.com for more information and assistance. 

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