Nails Ears Eyes Coat

Nails

Clippers come in many sizes and shapes; the most important thing is to look for a tool that you can handle easily. Choose from a scissors-like clipper or a guillotine-style clipper. Another alternative is an electric nail grinder, which is expensive but less likely to cut the sensitive vein (the quick) inside the nail.

Trim a bit of nail at a time to avoid cutting into the quick. Watch your vet or groomer cut the nails the first time so you can see how it's done before attempting it yourself.

Ears

A gentle swabbing with a cotton ball dipped in mineral or baby oil, or a vet-approved ear-cleaning solution, keeps your dog's outer ear clean and dry. Dogs with floppy ears, such as a Great Dane, will need more frequent ear cleanings than their counterparts with upright ears because air doesn't circulate as freely; waxy and bacteria-laden debris tends to build up in the moist atmosphere under the flaps. Ear swabbing is doubly important if your floppy-eared-dog loves to go in water.

Eyes

Dirt easily gets trapped near and in the eyes of dogs with wrinkled faces or droopy lids, such as a bulldog, but any dog will need its eyes cleaned on occasion. Use a soft cloth dipped in warm water to gently clean the lids and around the eyes

Coat

The wire-pin brush is designed for breeds with medium to long or curly hair.

Bristle brushes are used for any coat length. Long, widely spaced bristles are for long hair; short, closely space bristles are for short hair. Softer bristles are best for silky hair, and stiffer bristles for coarse hair.

Remove mats and large amounts of dead hair with a slicker brush.

Rubber currycombs or mitts are ideal for brushing short, smooth coats.

After brushing, use a fine-tooth comb for short or silky hair, or a wide-tooth comb for coarse hair.

The rake is used to detangle and remove mats, as well as to pull off large amounts of hair during the shedding season.

The mat splitter cuts out tangles.

For a dog with a double coat, first brush against the direction of hair growth to make sure you're getting the woolly undercoat, which has a tendency to mat. Finish off by brushing the outercoat in the direction that the hair naturally falls.

The short, smooth coat of breeds such as the Great Dane, Doberman and boxer are easy to brush. A regular brushing with this rubber currycomb is about all a Great Dane needs to keep a healthy sheen. You can also perform a damp-cloth brushing, which picks up both excess hair and dirt.

A curly coat, such as that of the standard poodle, needs a lot of shaping and care. Dead hair can mat it down, so be sure to remove the old to make room for the new. A professional groomer is your best ally to help keep this type of coat clean, clipped and healthy.