General Grooming Tips

We'll leave nail trimming to the adults. Ask your parent/guardian to trim your dog's nails or take them to a groomer or veterinary clinic for a nail trim.

Then you can maintain your dog's nails with a file.  You'll need a 100-grit to 180-grit nail file for acrylic [human] nails or a dog nail grinder like Pedipaws. File your dog's nails every day to every 3 days to maintain them. 

Keep your dog's teeth pretty and white for the showmanship ring (and so your dog's kisses don't stink!) This training also prepares your dog for the individual exam in showmanship.

Burdock and plant burrs can make huge knots in your dog's hair quickly! They're easy to remove. Soak the burdock in warm water. They start to soften and disintegrate. Pull the burdock apart sideways with your fingers.  Then use a slicker brush to remove the burdock bits from your dog's hair.

Remove pine sap from your dog's hair easily by putting 70% isopropyl alcohol on a rag and hold it on the sap, then wipe it away. Repeat one more time to get the rest of the stickiness off your dog's hair.  Magic!

Click the video on the left to learn how to use a slicker brush to untangle matted hair.