How to Groom Your Dog at Home in India: A Step-by-Step Guide

Dog grooming at home is easier than most people think. Brushing, bathing, drying, nails, ears and teeth are all things you can do yourself with five or six basic tools and the right order of steps.

There is a second benefit that no salon can give you. A dog that is used to your hands is much easier to check for a tick, a cut or a lump. That comfort matters most on the day something is actually wrong.

Keep everything within reach before you begin. Walking away mid-bath to fetch a towel is how dogs escape. You need a slicker brush and a comb that suits your dog's coat, dog shampoo, nail clippers or a grinder, ear cleaning solution, cotton pads, a dog toothbrush and toothpaste and two large towels. A non-slip mat for the bathing spot is important because wet tiles scare dogs, and a scared dog becomes difficult with everything that follows.

This is the step beginners skip most often, and it causes the most damage.

Brush the dry coat first and work out every tangle. Water pulls loose mats into hard felt against the skin, and once that happens, it usually takes scissors or a groomer to remove them safely.

Work in sections and brush right down to the skin instead of skimming the top. Use an undercoat rake for double-coated breeds, and check for lumps, ticks and scabs as you go.

Use lukewarm water and dog shampoo only. Human shampoo has the wrong pH for dog skin and leaves it dry and itchy.

Wet the body first, then wash the head last, ensuring that water does not enter the ears or eyes. Lather from the neck down to the tail, then the paws and belly. Rinse for much longer than feels necessary, because leftover shampoo is one of the main reasons

dogs itch after a bath. Wipe the face with a damp cloth instead of pouring water over it.

Towel dry properly, then finish the job. A damp coat in Indian humidity invites fungal infection, especially in the folds, armpits and between the toes.

If your dog accepts a dryer, use the lowest heat setting and keep it moving. For thick coats, brush while you dry so the undercoat does not clump.

Wrap damp gauze around your finger, or use a cotton pad with a vet-recommended ear cleaner, and wipe the visible part of the ear and the inside of the flap.

Never push a cotton swab into the canal. You will pack the wax deeper and can hurt the eardrum. Redness, swelling, dark discharge or a sour smell means infection, and that needs a vet rather than more cleaning. Floppy-eared dogs need checking more often, especially through the monsoon.

If you can hear clicking on the floor, the nails are too long.

Every nail has a quick inside it, a blood vessel that bleeds a lot and hurts if you cut it. On pale nails you can see it as a pink line. On dark nails, the quick is not visible, so shave off thin slices and stop as soon as a dark circle appears in the middle of the cut surface.

Keep styptic powder or plain cornflour nearby in case you nick one. If your dog hates nail trims, do two nails a day instead of all of them at once.

Brush two or three times a week with dog toothpaste. Human toothpaste has fluoride and often xylitol, and both are toxic to dogs.

Start by letting your dog lick the paste off your finger, then off the brush, and only then start brushing. Focus on the outer surfaces of the back teeth, where tartar builds up first. Bad breath is not normal in a dog, and it is usually the first sign of dental disease.

Brushing is a daily or alternate-day job for most coats. A bath every three to four weeks suits the average Indian house dog, more often if yours spends a lot of time outdoors. Nails roughly every three weeks, ears weekly, and teeth two or three times a week.

Hand it over when the coat is badly matted, when your breed needs a specific clip, or when your dog gets truly distressed or snappy during grooming.

There is no reward for attempting to handle that alone, and a single negative grooming session at home can have lasting effects on your dog's well-being.

No. Even mild human shampoo is the wrong pH and dries out dog skin over time.

Most dogs should be bathed every three to four weeks. Bathing weekly strips the coat of natural oils.

Press styptic powder or cornflour onto the nail for a few seconds. It will stop. Call a vet only if bleeding continues past ten minutes.