Step by step guide to trimming your dogs nails

• Handle your dogs paws often and introduce the clippers frequently. (without cutting). Use lots of praise and delicious treats. Use a quality pair of clippers. Usually cost around £8+
• Hold your dogs paw firmly but gently. Cut the nail below the quick at a 45 degree angle, taking off small amounts at a time.
• Light coloured nails are easier as you can see the quick. Keep trimming until your close to the quick (pink vein). Black nails are harder as you cant see the quick, however, just keep trimming abit at a time until you see the white dot in the centre of the nail and then stop. If you go further the nail will bleed. If this does happen, don’t panic, but best to get some styptic powder ready to stop the bleeding, as there will be blood everywhere! Gently dab some powder on the end of a cotton bud and hold firmly against the bleeding nail for about 30 seconds. This will stop the bleeding.

Dogs nails need trimming at at least every 12 weeks.

I do offer a nail clipping only service at a cost of £10.

How often should you to brush your dog

Ideally, you’ll want to brush your dog every day to start. For a puppy especially, this will get him used to being groomed so you can avoid brushing-related behavior problems in the future.
How often you brush your dog after he’s used to it will depend on the length of his coat. You can stick with once a day, but most short-haired dogs only need to be brushed once a week. Dogs with thick coats will need to be brushed two or three times a week, more often during the beginning of spring and autumn when shedding is the worst. Dogs with long hair will likely require daily grooming to avoid tangles or mats.
If you fit dog brushing into your daily routine, you’ll keep your dog’s coat clean and healthy and build his trust in you.

General Brushing Instructions
You can brush your dog either on the floor or a grooming table. Have him lay down or use a lead and collar for more control. If he squirms too much, place your knee on the leash close to the collar to hold him in place and keep your hands free.

Start at the front and brush hair against the direction of growth
Choose one side and brush your dog from his head back to his tail. Work with small sections and brush the hair against the direction of growth. Make sure to part the hair down to the skin to prevent matting. Repeat the process on the other side.

Continue at the rear and brush hair in the direction of growth
When you’re done brushing from head to tail, work your way from the tail forward. This time brush in the direction of hair growth.

These are only general instructions for how to brush a dog. You should consult a professional groomer or your breeder for specifics on brushing your dog. This is particularly true if he has long hair or his coat is excessively matted or tangled.

Firstly if your dog has very red, itchy, inflamed and painful ears, see your Vet before you start cleaning. It is quite likely your dog has an ear infection, so ear cleaning will not do much good at this point. If your dog has an infection severe enough to damage the ear drum, some ear cleaners can damage the ear further.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR DOGS EARS

1 Give your pet a treat for sitting and show him the ear cleaner.
2 Gently hold the flap of the ear upright and fill the ear canal with ear cleaner. Direct the tube vertically downwards.
3 Keep a hold of the ear and move your hand down to where the ear meets the head.
4 Massage at the base of the ear, aiming to mix the ear cleaner around within the ear canal. You should get a great squelchy noise if you are doing this correctly.
5 After you have massaged the ear for 20 seconds, stand back and let go of the ear.
6 Your dog should now vigorously shake his head.
7 Grab a cotton pad and use it to wipe out the folds at the opening of the ear canal until it looks pretty clean.
8 Give your dog a treat and repeat with the other ear.

Remember if you see lots of redness, the ears are particularly smelly or they are painful, see your Vet. Your pet most likely has an ear infection and ear cleaning may be too painful and damaging to perform.

Ear cleaning is included in every full groom.