Large Dog Basic Grooming Tips

Let’s be honest: bathing and grooming a Chihuahua is quite different then bathing and grooming a large dog such as a St. Bernard. If you own a large dog breed I am not saying anything you are not already aware of. Special grooming supplies are needed and many times these cannot be purchased locally. Your groomer may be able to help find the special nail clippers and other items for those who wish to perform the grooming themselves. In many cases we can come up with the require grooming items by using a bit of ingenuity. Below are a few tips to help you out with beautifying that large pooch roaming your home.

For clipping a large dog’s toe nails, you will need to pay the local hardware store a visit. Select a medium to large metal rasp and small bolt cutters. Yes, we really need these, and no, they are not for breaking into the neighbor’s home! Use the bolt cutters to clip the nail and then file the rough edges smooth with the metal rasp. Remember to clip the dew claws as well.

Brushing the teeth of a large dog also requires thinking outside of the box. Due to the size of a large breed dog there is plenty of space for keeping those pearly whites gleaming and free of tartar. Most of these dogs have very large lips that will be in your way. We handle this by lifting the lips up and clipping them to the ears or to each other over the muscle with clothespins. Don’t worry, this will not pinch or hurt the dog’s lips or ears — he probably won’t even notice.

Now that we have the lips out of our way we are going to do basically the same thing your dentist does with a small suction tube. Only we are going to use a shop vac tube slipped under the dog’s tongue! Believe me when I say this is going to be needed for all the slobbering, and while the dog may not be thrilled about this at first, they do get used to it. With a large stiff bristle toothbrush give the teeth and gums a good brushing. Use only toothpaste made for a canines teeth, and NEVER use human toothpaste. Work quickly but do a thorough job, because as soon as your 200 pound dog becomes fed up with all the messing with his mouth he is going to spit the vac hose out and rip it to pieces!

Try these simple large dog grooming tips to keep a large pooch looking good.

Do you own a large canine? Please offer your advice for grooming.