If you have read our blogs The To-Dos and How-Tos of DIY Dog Grooming And Why Grooming Your Dog Is Important And How Often Should You Do it, you must be aware that dog grooming is a multi-layered process. The former blog serves as a DIY guide on each component of dog grooming, whilst the latter briefs one on how you should do it. Both provide a generic outlook on the topic. After all there exist roughly 400 total dog breeds in the world, and it's nearly impossible to cover them all in a single blog.
However, given that we care about you far too much to just leave you with general information on your paw-parent journey, we came up with a plan. In this blog, we will provide you a customized grooming requirement guide on one of the most popular, and in-demand dog breeds in India- Beagles.
Read on.
Ear care: You are required to groom your Beagle’s ears by using an ear-cleaning solution made for dogs. Do not use earbuds as they may cause trauma to your Beagle’s ear canal, and push the particles inwards. Do this once a fortnight. Also, you need to examine your Beagle's ears twice a week for infections, excessive wax deposits, or hair growth. Its hanging ears can house a number of germs. Besides the examinations you carry out on your own, it is recommended to have your Beagle taken for a professional ear examination at the vet's once every 6 months.
Eye care: You are required to groom your Beagle’s eyes using soft wipes. This is to be done twice a week to wipe off any discharge or dirt. Also, you need to examine your Beagle's eyes for any redness, discharge, or inflammation twice a week, again. Just like humans, beagles can inherit or develop various eye conditions like Glaucoma, Cataract, and Distichiasis. It is advised to take your Beagle to the vet's for an eye examination once every 6 months.
Nose care: You are required to take extra care of your Beagle's nose given that it loves to take a sniff sniff of everything. Use a wet wipe to clean any discharge or dirt around the nose area. Do this twice a week. Besides this, the summers can rob your Beagle's nose of moisture, and the winters can chap the skin around it. Use a quality nose butter to moisturize its nose once a week, or as needed.
Oral care: You'll need to brush your Beagle's teeth three times a week. Be sure to use a toothbrush and toothpaste specially made for dogs. Also, be sure to get each product approved by your vet. If you notice bad breath or excessive drooling, consult your vet.
Nail care: You are required to clip your Beagle's nails every 5- 6 weeks. Always use dog nail clippers designed specifically for a dog’s curved nails. The ‘quick in dog anatomy is the end of the toe’s blood vessel. Be careful to hold each paw and spread the toes so you don't cut into your Beagle’s Quik. If you do, the toe will bleed.
Paw Care: You'll be required to clean your Beagle’s paws by using water. Once dried, you can use quality paw wax to moisturize them. This can be done twice a week, or in proportion to the time, your Beagle spends outdoors.
Hair brushing: You are required to brush your Beagle at least once, to ideally thrice a week. You can do this by using a bristle brush, and a mitt glove. Doing this will stimulate blood flow under your Beagle's skin, distribute body oils on the skin, remove dead hair and dirt, and keep its fur in good shape.
Hair trimming: Your Beagle will need minimal to no hair trimming. If it does, you can easily DIY.
Bath: Your Beagle's short and dense coat makes it difficult to spot any dirt residue or debris. It might make you think your dog doesn't need a bath when it, in fact, does. Also, a healthy dog's skin has a layer of oil on it. If left unbathed for long, the skin starts hosting an accumulation of these oils. To add to the list, a Beagle's coat sheds some hair even outside the shedding seasons. This hair instead of falling off, begin to stick to the oily coat. All of this makes it important to bathe your Beagle even when it appears clean. You will anyway have to do it when after a 3-week span your Beagle begins to stink. Therefore, bathe it every 3 weeks.
This was about the grooming requirements of a Beagle.
In the blogs to come, we intend to share grooming requirement guides on various other dog breeds that are native to India, or those who can survive in the country. The idea is to impart information and encourage the adoption of native breeds, and other dog breeds that are suitable for the Indian climatic conditions, rather than going for exotic breeds and giving them a hard time surviving in the country. Some of which are Pugs, Golden Retrievers, Bully Dogs, Labradors, Chihuahuas, and Dalmatians. Stay tuned!