Summer is always a fun season with your dog! With trips to the beach, long walks in the park, and lazy days in the backyard, it’s a perfect time to bond outside. But is your dog ready for summer? When your pet is spending more time outside, running through grass and plants and swimming in a creek, you need to take extra attention to their grooming.
#1 Clean your dog’s ears (especially if your dog loves swimming!)
When your dog swims in natural bodies of water, bacteria can collect in their ears. Make sure you rinse your dog off after a swim, and properly clean their ears. A quality dog ear cleaner is a good investment to ward off infection. You’ll need more than you think! Fill the ear with the clear and massage it into the base of your dog’s ear for 20 seconds, then let your dog shake it out.
#2 Trim the hair between their foot pads
Dogs need their hair between the pads of their feet kept short. Keeping their pad hair short will keep them from bringing an outside mess into the house and, most importantly, keep them from falling and injuring themselves on slippery floors.
#3 Don’t shave double-coated breeds
If you have a double-coated breed of dog, you might get sick of their shedding and be tempted to shave their coat. But don’t do it! Their coat is specially engineered to help them regulate their body temperature, even when it gets hot. Instead, give your dog a haircut using a longer comb attachment with your clipper or thin your dog’s coat using a de-shedding tool.