Taking care for your dog does not stop once you have made sure that you provide it with sufficient supply of dog food and nice place to sleep, as most people would understand. Thus, taking care of your dog goes beyond the usual conception on the term “dog care”.

Dog care means providing everything your dog needs from food, shelter, healthy environment, to dog grooming supplies. You might ask, “Why are dog grooming supplies included in dog care?” Like you, your dog needs to remain clean, neat, and free from disease. It is true that food, shelter, and healthy place for your dog to roam around will keep it safe and healthy. However, these 3 are insufficient to make sure that your dog will live a healthy life. Because all these 3 are external factors, it lacks one aspect of protection. That is, protection from the self. What does protection from the self means? It means maintaining a well-groomed body starting from the ears, nails, teeth, and coat to keep disease and other forms of harm away from your dog.

Here, dog food and nice shelter is not what your dog needs. What you dog needs are dog-grooming supplies especially made for them.

Starting off with dog shampoo. Let us get this straight: you cannot use your shampoo to your dog. Why? Because your dog’s coat requires a formulation different from your hair. Human shampoo is just too harsh that could cause irritation if used to your dog. Therefore, you should buy your dog with its own shampoo. There are several brands of dog shampoos available for your pet but ultimately, they all work with the same purpose: to keep the coat of your dog clean, healthy, and shiny.

Dog shampoos are, of course, not enough. You should also get dog conditioner to further achieve the dog coat quality you need. Again, there are several types of god conditioner. Choose one that fits your dog’s type of coat.

After bathing, your dog should need to be dried. Your dog can have its own blow dryer or towel.

For tangles and mats, use brushes and combs. There are different kinds of dog brushes and combs.

If these two are not sufficient to remove tangles and mats, de-matting tool will certainly do the job.

Your dog’s ears should be checked periodically. This is especially important if your dog’s breed has dropped ears since it is more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infection. Check your dog’s ear at least once a week. There is no tool required for inspection but for cleaning, cotton damped with warm water is enough.

Dog’s nails should be cut every 2 or 3 weeks. Scissors style nail clipper or the guillotine style clipper will do the job but be careful on using it. There are different sizes available if you are going to purchase any of the two to fit your dog’s toenail size.

Trimming your dog’s coat is important not only in keeping the dog look neat, but also in maintaining the coat healthy. Use clipper, sheers or scissors.

For tick and flea problems, you should have tick and flea removal products. There are several of these Bio-Spot, Frontline, Advantage, Sentry Pro, Frontline Plus, K-9, and Advantix are some of the brands you can choose from. But remember that tick and flea removal products are different from one another. What you should buy is the type that your dog needs.

Check out some great recipes:

Classic Canine Cookies

Classic Canine Cookies 4 cups whole wheat flour 1/4 cup cornmeal 1/4 cup cooked rice 1 egg 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Juice from a small orange 1 2/3 cups water Mix all ingredients together well. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll... [Read more]

Basenji Stew

Basenji Stew 4 small parsnip — **see Note 2 whole yellow squash — cubed 2 whole Sweet potatoes — peeled and cubed 2 whole Zucchini — cubed 5 whole tomatoes — canned 1 can garbanzo beans, canned — *see Note 15 oz 1/2... [Read more]

Chow Chow Stew

Chow Chow Stew 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 pounds beef — *see Note 2 cups cabbage — chopped 3 cloves garlic — minced, up to 4 18 ounces canned sweet potatoes — drained and chopped 14 1/2 ounces canned tomato wedges — undrained 1... [Read more]

Bacon Bites

Bacon Bites 3 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 1/4 cup bacon grease — or vegetable oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder 4 slices bacon — crumbled 1/2 cup cold water Mix ingredients together thoroughly. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2... [Read more]

Dog Bones

Dog Bones 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk 1 egg 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 beef bouillon cube 1/2 cup hot water 1 Tablespoon brown sugar Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until... [Read more]

Alfalfa Hearts

Alfalfa Hearts 2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup soy flour 1 teaspoon bone meal — optional 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 tablespoon lecithin — optional 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 3 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts — chopped 1... [Read more]

Baby Food Doggie Cookies

Baby Food Doggie Cookies 3 jars baby food, meat, beef, strained — *see Note 1/4 cup cream of wheat — *see Note 1/4 cup dry milk Combine ingredients in bowl and mix well. Roll into small balls and place on well-greased cookie sheet. Flatten... [Read more]

Cheese And Garlic Dog Cookies

Cheese And Garlic Dog Cookies 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese — grated 1/4 pound margarine — corn oil 1 clove garlic — crushed 1 Pinch salt Cream the cheese with the softened margarine, garlic, salt, and flour.... [Read more]

Canine Carrot Cookies

Canine Carrot Cookies 2 cups carrots — boiled and pureed 2 eggs 2 tablespoons garlic — minced 2 cups unbleached flour — *see Note 1 cup rolled oats 1/4 cup wheat germ *or rice flour or rye flour. Combine carrots, eggs and garlic. Mix... [Read more]

Bacon Bits for Dogs

Bacon Bits for Dogs 6 slices cooked bacon — crumbled 4 eggs — well beaten 1/8 cup bacon grease 1 cup water 1/2 cup powdered milk — non-fat 2 cup graham flour 2 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup cornmeal Mix ingredients with a strong spoon; drop... [Read more]