Like many people, “Live in the D’s” April Morton’s family got a puppy during the pandemic lockdown two years ago. Being first time doggie parents they made a lot of grooming mistakes and not brushing the fur often enough was a big one. They also realized, everyone takes their pets to professional groomers, and getting an appointment, especially in the summertime, can be challenging. Not to mention sketching out time from busy schedules to take the pup to the groomer. So April and her little toy poodle, ‘Gigi,’ paid a visit to the Boujee Buddies Pet Salon in Clinton Township to get some tips on grooming at home.
“First off, brushing is important, so they don’t get matted,” Boujee Buddies Owner and Groomer Misty Jones said. She said her business, like many other pet grooming businesses, is booming and they book up fast for appointments. She also says depending on the breed, you may want to brush daily. April says, Gigi needs this, “we’ve dealt with her being matted, and it’s not a fun thing to fix.” Misty suggests using a slicker brush for the top coat and a rubber brush for the under coat. Dogs that shed a lot would also benefit from a rubber brush.
Now on to nail trimming, something that makes many of us nervous. Misty says use an emery board or metal nail board if you’re afraid to clip. If you clip, just clip the tips, this won’t hurt your pet. Not a lot of pets want those pearly whites clean, but Misty says this, and keeping the ears clean, is important in order to prevent infection. When brushing, she said you only need to do the outsides of the teeth because they keep the inner part clean themselves. Clean ears by dropping ear cleaner inside the ear, massage it in, and use a cotton pad to wipe out. Cleaning the teeth and ears should be done as often as possible, even daily if you can. Misty says dap a little witch hazel on a cotton ball and put on the outside of the tush to keep that area fresh and the stinky smell away.
For the full interview and to get more pet grooming tips for home, click video above.