Care for your dog
Bathing:
When I first got Lexi, I actually gave her baths
too often. Her skin would get dry and flakes would appear (like
dandruff.) Don't bathe your dog more than once a week! I bathe
Lexi every 2 - 3 weeks now. She starts to smell after awhile.
=)
It was recommended to me to use an oatmeal based shampoo, but when I
went looking for shampoo, I didn't find any with oatmeal in it. So I
didn't buy it. And I haven't had to buy any more shampoo
since. I don't think it is real important what you use. My
roommate has given Lexi baths and has used Pantene conditioner on
her! Lexi was nice and soft after that, but I don't think I would
use expensive shampoo.
Lexi doesn't like the hair dryer so I can't use that to dry her.
Instead I just use a towel. It hangs next to mine in the
bathroom! =)
Nails:
My vet charges for nail clipping, so I decided I
could do it on my own and save a little moola. But, Lexi hates it!
When I first clipped her nails, I cut them too short and she bled. That
would make me hate getting my nails too,
if that happened to me!
She's getting better. I spray her when she tries to chew my hand
and reward her when we're done. I try to cut my nails in front of
her so she knows it doesn't hurt. (I do cut my nails in front of her
a lot, but it really is just coincidence.)
Grooming:
I'll be a hypocrite for a second and say "Brush
daily!" I wish I did. My house would be a lot cleaner if
I did.
Brushing Teeth:
You can pay your vet to do a professional job brushing you pets' teeth,
which not only costs a lot, but they usually put your pet "under" during
this. If you didn't know, you shouldn't put animals (or humans) under
unnecessarily. So I took the other path and decided to brush Lexi's
teeth on my own. I tried mint flavored toothpaste, but Lexi didn't
like that. I then tried the poultry flavor. She loves
it! Because I started brushing early, she doesn't mind getting her
teeth brushed. She actually likes it. She loves that
poultry! (I think that sounds disgusting!) I don't have a
special toothbrush, just a freebie I got from the dentist. No
special tricks on how to brush your dogs' teeth. One note: the doggie
toothpaste is ok to swallow, where as human toothpaste isn't.
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