5 Health Benefits to Grooming Your Labrador

You can tell a responsible dog owner apart from the others easily – just look at how well groomed their pup is!  It isn’t difficult to keep your pup looking their best, especially when you know that regularly bathing and grooming of your beloved canine companion isn’t just a nice thing to do to show your love but it has a number of health benefits as well.

5 Healthy Dog Grooming Benefits

1. Helps keep ticks and fleas at bay.
2. Decreases the amount of shedding – removing the dead fur and letting the healthy fur shine through.
3. Decreases the dog smell in your house, in your car, on your clothes… you get the idea.
4. Helps prevent infections of the skin, ears, eyes, mouth, etc.
5. Stimulation from brushing and shampooing increases blood flow.

Dog owners must keep in mind that too much brushing, shampooing and cleaning can cause problems so a schedule should be maintained. For example, too much bathing of your Labrador Retriever will remove the necessary oils from their skin that regulates body temperature, keeps their skin healthy and acts as a water barrier. Brushing or de-shedding your dog can also cause problems as over brushing will strip the healthy hair making it dry and brittle.

Each breed is different and has different grooming needs. For Labrador Retrievers, it is recommended that you do not bath your dog more than 4 times a year and, when bathing, use a gentle shampoo such as oatmeal or puppy shampoo. Ears should be checked weekly as the over-flap can easily cause ear infections. Teeth should be cleaned regularly – however, natural raw cow bones do quite well for scraping off yucky stuff while they chew their hearts out.  Nails should be trimmed short enough that you don’t hear them click on your hardwood or tile floors.

If you get your dog professionally groomed, check with the groomer first to make sure they don’t use any products that may dry out their skin. Upon one visit recently to a self-wash dog wash, they informed us that Labrador Retrievers shouldn’t use conditioner, as it will remove the oil from their skin. Dog owners wouldn’t think such things so it is always wise to ask first before having your pup professionally groomed.

If you have any questions on how to bathe or groom your dog at home, call your veterinarian’s office. Any reputable vet will show you how to groom your dog at home for no extra charge.