Will my dog’s eyes ever need to be cleaned?

A small amount of dried exudate (‘matter’ ) often accumulates at the inner corner of the eye and should be wiped away with a piece of moistened cotton wool; never use it dry because it will stick to the eye surface.

In some breeds e.g. Poodles and Pekingese, there is often an overflow of tears down the face. This can be bathed away with boric acid solution (two 5 ml teaspoonsful of crystals in half a tumbler of warm water), but the staining which can occur on a white coat is best controlled by administering tetracycline.

Should I ever clip my dog’s claws?

Clipping a dog’s claws is only necessary if they become overgrown, and this depends on the amount of wear they receive and to some extent on the weight of the dog. Medium-sized and large dogs that receive plenty of exercise, walking and running on hard ground or pavements, will seldom if ever need the four nails on each foot to be clipped. On the other hand, the smaller breeds, getting little exercise and spending most of their day on carpets, usually require frequent clipping (and in dog shows only the Chihuahua is allowed reasonably long nails). In Pekingese the nails seem to grow particularly rapidly. Likewise, elderly dogs which can only walk with difficulty, will usually develop overgrown claws requiring trimming. It is also not unusual to find that one or two claws on a foot are positioned at unusual angles so that they do not wear away as rapidly as the others.

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How can I clean my dog’s ears?

In breeds such as the Poodle excess hair should be routinely removed from the ear canal at the time of clipping, but in other breeds this is only required if the hair is causing a problem, such as the accumulation of wax. Take a few hairs at a time between your finger and thumb and pluck them out. Hair lower down the canal can only be removed successfully using artery forceps or epilation forceps, and this is best done by a vet. Actually cleaning out the ear canal may be needed for one of three main reasons: to remove accumulated wax; to remove dust or water from the ear; or as part of the treatment for inflammation of the ear canal (otitis extema). It is a good idea to check the inside of a dog’s ears during grooming or if the dog is regularly seen to be shaking, rubbing or scratching its ears. At times the ears may be acutely inflamed, appearing reddened and painful when handled and may be full of moisture (exudates or pus). There might even be a foreign body in the ear canal (e.g. grass seed or a piece of twig). In these cases it is better to seek veterinary advice before attempting any cleaning. Bacteria and ear mites are two causes of irritation which require treatment with special ear drops and these are best obtained from your vet.

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Is it necessary to clean a dog’s teeth?

Cleaning a dog’s teeth is useful in preventing or minimizing the accumulation of tartar. The build-up of tartar (dental calculus) on the teeth is responsible for most of the dental problems of dogs; they seldom suffer from pitting of the tooth enamel (caries), the main problem for humans. The teeth most commonly affected with tartar are the upper and lower canines, the premolars and the molars.

Tartar forms naturally from the growth of oral bacteria on the teeth from the trapping of food debris (plaque) and the precipitation of salts: principally calcium hydroxyapatite, from the saliva. In dogs who use their teeth a lot, frequent rubbing on the tooth surface minimizes tartar formation. Therefore dogs that regularly chew bones, hard biscuits and other dry food, or use ‘dog chews’, usually have little tartar. If a dog is fed soft foods, such as tinned pet foods, fish or finely chopped or minced meat, the teeth receive little wear, and dogs regularly fed this way soon accumulate tartar.

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When should I first start grooming a puppy?

A puppy should first be groomed as soon as you acquire it (usually at about eight weeks old) so that it becomes accustomed to the procedure. If a litter has been born to your own bitch the puppies can be gently brushed and combed, on a table, from five to six weeks old, even if there is very little hair to deal with. This early training is important in ensuring that dogs learn to accept grooming as an inevitable part of life and not something strange which, if they resist sufficiently, will be abandoned.

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Is any special grooming done only for show purposes?

The Lion clip for poodles (reputedly designed by Marie Antoinette to complement her attendants’ livery) is usually reserved for the show ring where it is obligatory, because it requires so much extra work both to execute and maintain. The coat is left long in front of the last ribs but the legs and tail are close-clipped except for pom-poms, which are left on all four ‘ankles’, halfway up the hind legs and on the tip of the tail. Most breeders adopt one of the other trims (Lamp clip or Dutch clip) for their Poodles when their show career is over.

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How often should my dog’s coat be clipped?

The majority of breeds don’t need to have their coats clipped. Those that require clipping most often (every six weeks) are the breeds that don’t shed their hair (i.e. Poodles, and the Bedlington and Kerry Blue Terriers). Pet Poodles are usually trimmed in either the Lamb clip, the most popular, in which the entire coat is reduced to a uniform length (long or short according to preference) or the Dutch clip, in which the coat is left long on the legs to resemble a Dutchman’s baggy trousers.

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