subject: Tools from the Pet Boutique for Maintaining Your Dog's Appearance and Hygiene [print this page] Tools from the Pet Boutique for Maintaining Your Dog's Appearance and Hygiene
Dog owners take care to groom their pets and to keep them clean, tidy and hygienic. When one considers the active kind of lives that our canine friends invariably lead it imust be taken as read that we would want to keep them washed, their fur combed and their coats in a condition that is at the same time attractive and healthy.
It doesn't take a huge journey into the realms of the imagination to consider the alternative. Most dogs will happily jump into a river or a pond to retrieve a stick thrown playfully by its owner. Many will roll around in the mud, almost all will "interact" with other dogs given half an opportunity. Unlike cats, dogs do not forever lick and preen themselves. They need a bit of a helping hand.
But for dog owners today the requisite accessories tend to go some way beyond a wire brush and tin bath. Instead we are keen to provide our pets with a taste of the creature comforts that we like to indulge ourselves with.
Today's dog looks and smells great when venturing forth from home with its owner for walkies and play. It will have been bathed, groomed, preened and sprayed, often even clothed for the occasion. A parka or a hoodie ensures that it will not fall victim to the elements any more that it really needs to.
Dog grooming of course, as opposed to basic cleanliness, isn't only about maintaining appearance when out on exercises. Some dogs are entered into contests or shows, and in such cases the imperative for perfection is greater still. Here we think not only of the more usual pet products such as brushes and combs, but also coloured hair gel, colognes and deodorising sprays, as well of course as shampoos and conditioners. The ranges that are available for dogs in all of these markets today does defy belief.
One other important addition to any self-respecting canine's beauty portfolio are detangling sprays. With the mud and mess that most dogs will encounter when out at play some provisions with which to detangle their fur become a necessity if the inexact practice of attacking the pet's matted coat with a horrid stiff brush, thereby removing clumps of fur during the process, is to be at all avoided.
Just as we ourselves sometimes arrive home from work dishevelled and in a state of disarray, but with an expectation of a warm bath and some kind of return to our best, so our dogs deserve nothing less.
