Smoothing Your Pet’s Fur
A common misconception about smoothing your pet’s fur is that it’s done purely for aesthetic purposes. Brushing is also called “grooming” and pet groomers usually take care of giving your pet a new trim or brushing their fur/hair in a new fashion. But, as we discussed in our emails, grooming is not solely about brushing your pet’s fur.
Brushing your pet’s coat regularly can improve their energy levels, enhance their appearance, boost their confidence, activate the secretion of natural oils, and remove any debris or parasites. Your pet’s emotional, physical, and physiological health will as a result improve when brushed regularly.
Three reasons your pet hates getting their fur brushed:
- They haven’t been introduced to brushing at an early age which makes it difficult for them to adjust at an older age.
- They don’t get brushed regularly; if there is no consistent pattern in brushing, your pet won’t accept it as a part of their routine.
- They’ve had a negative experience with brushing; simply, your pet has associated brushing with pain or negative emotion.
When to brush your pet’s fur/hair:
There’s no one answer to this question,it depends on several factors that we’ll discuss in this section.
Hair length:
If you know your pet breed, this should be easy for you to figure out. Your pet will either be:
Long-haired: you would need to brush their fur on a daily basis in this case.
Medium-haired: these breeds would also need to be brushed on a daily basis or at least 5 times a week.
Short-haired: if your pet is short-haired, you’re lucky! These breeds need brushing just once or twice a week.
Personality
Many times, you struggle with your pet not wanting to be approached let alone touched, held and stabilized for a period of time. This task can be challenging for certain pet owners and they might want to keep brushing to a minimum. This is okay as long as it doesn’t affect the pet’s overall health.
Your capacity
This is especially true for novel pet lovers who have no previous experience whatsoever. You might need to take your pet to the vet every time they need grooming. Now, this process would cost you time and money. You can try to accommodate the number of times you brush your pet a week according to your capacity.
Health
Certain medical conditions don’t allow for frequent brushing or might require extra brushing. It really depends on the situation and the vet’s recommendations.
Now that you have an idea about why, how, and when you should get grooming, you realize its importance for both your health and your pet’s health. Grooming frequency will depend on your pet’s breed, personality, health, and your own capacity for it. Remember to stay away from the whiskers and don’t apply too much pressure!