Dog Brushes: Brushing Up on Grooming

Dog Brushes: Brushing Up on Grooming

While all dog owners love their pets, not all of them love the grooming aspect of keeping them. While you can hire a professional to do it for you, it can run up quite a large bill over time. Especially considering how easy and quick it can be when you learn how to do it properly, and then keep up on it. As long as you don't let things get "out of hand" then grooming can be a very fast part of your regular routine. Brushing your dog with the correct dog brush on a regular basis will mean that knots don't have the chance to develop, and your dog will be all the healthier and prettier for it.

The type of dog brushes you need will depend fully on the type of dog you have, and his or her coat. While some dogs require very little grooming, and will need only a single dog brush, others will need quite a bit more, and a slew of brushes, combs, and other devices.

No matter your breed of dog, a regular brushing - especially in the summertime during shedding - is very important to his or her health and beauty. To keep coats healthy, a brushing with a good dog brush every 3 to 4 days is all that's needed.

Naturally, as with everything in life, there is a choice to be made when you select your dog brush, as there are different kinds available.

The majority of dog groomers and exhibitors have a good collection of different dog pin brushes and dog slicker brushes. These are the main sorts of dog brushes you'll need to consider. Here are the features of each, to help you make your decision:

• Pin Brushes - are the dog brushes made of straight metal pins that stick out of a cushioned backing. These are the brushes that are best for dogs who have thinner furnishings (the long hair that some types of dog have on their legs and foreface), or for the first stage of brushing-through of the furnishings.
• Slicker Brushes - are the dog brushes with shorter metal pins, sometimes bent to a loose hook-like shape at their ends. These dog brushes have more pins than the pin brushes, allowing for a more thorough brushing. This is especially important for dogs with fuller furnishings

No matter what kind of brush you get, you'll want to ensure that they have certain features. For pin brushes, you'll want toe bases to be made of supple rubber - this will be much more comfortable for your dog, and will give a more professional result. With either brush, it's wise to be certain that the pins are rust-proof, as they'll be sure to encounter moisture somewhere along the line of their uses, and rust will be bad for the dog, and ugly when it comes off in the fur. Moreover, rusty pins will catch in the fur, pulling and leaving a less smooth result.

You need a brush that is capable of removing:

• Shedding fur
  
• Burrs
  
• Mud
  
• Dander

Moreover, you'll want the brush to be able to bring the oils from your dog's skin out through his or her fur, making it soft and shiny.

All in all, brushing your dog with a good dog brush can be one of the most important parts of your relationship. Touching and stroking is a great way to bond with your pet while you keep him or her healthy and beautiful.