Grooming Your Chihuahua

Grooming Your Chihuahua Easily

Grooming your Chihuahua is one of the easiest for all dog breeds. This is due to the fact that they are the smallest dog breed and also have a very short hair coat. Chihuahuas are also normally very clean animals.

If you have a long haired Chihuahua you will need to groom them a little bit more frequently than short haired Chihuahuas, but normally you still only need to do this one or two times a month.

There are many reasons to regularly groom your dog. Grooming is a great way of bonding with your dog and show love. Grooming is also a good way to get up close and examine your dog for any problems.

For long haired Chihuahuas grooming consists of weekly bushing of the coat to remove any mats or tangles. If you use a gentle brush and try and follow a routine when doing the brushing your dog will be much more accepting of it. When brushing check for fleas, ticks, cuts, or other problems.

Grooming your Chihuahua also involves trimming of the nails. This is usually done once a month. This is most easily accomplished with a guillotine type nail clippers. If you do this by yourself be sure you have a bottle of Quick Stop powder as well in case you clip too far into the quick.

Also when you are doing the grooming be sure to check the eyes, ear, nose, and mouth for any signs for problems. Any signs of redness or discharge may indicate an infection and would require the attention of a veterinarian.

If you are going to give your dog a bath, only do it once a month. Some Chihuahua owners give their dog a bath every week, but doing this may dry out the skin and do damage. Be sure to use a shampoo designed for dogs and one that is tearless. Human and baby shampoos could cause drying of the skin.

Remember that Chihuahuas are very small and have trouble maintaining their body heat if they are wet. If you are going to bath them make sure you dry the thoroughly with towels and avoid using a heating lamp or blow dryer.

Grooming your Chihuahua can be a great bonding experiences or it can lead to frustration. If you develop a routine around grooming time your Chihuahuas is more likely to be accepting of it, and giving a couple of treats afterwards helps too.

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