That depends on your dog and your lifestyle. For your average little purse dog that probably never touches the floor and just hangs out in your lap, regular grooming may not be as necessary as my big, dumb Labrador, who insists on rolling in the dirt and anything else he can find daily. He gets bathed pretty regularly. So your dog's activities certainly play a role in that. Dogs that like to swim a lot or certain dogs with certain medical conditions need more frequent baths.

In terms of other sorts of things besides bathing, regular nail trims are important. For some dogs, that is a sticking point in terms of anxiety and stress, and so you certainly need to work around your dog and potentially chat with us about alternatives to actual nail trimming.

The bare minimum of regular hygiene for your dog that needs to be done regularly is tooth brushing. So, just like we brush our teeth twice a day every day, brushing our dog's teeth daily is ideal and is considered not only a hygiene issue but an overall health issue.

It’s important to have your puppy bath as soon as possible, so they can get used to and learn to love the bathing experience.  We recommend they come in two weeks after their last set of vaccinations. We will not clip your puppy on their first visit to the spa as the evolution from a puppy to an adult coat is dependant on breed and a grooming regime will be suggested to suit your puppy.

As mentioned, keeping their teeth clean can keep them healthier long-term, and it can also keep them comfortable long-term. If you can imagine not brushing your teeth for months on end and the potential of tooth decay resulting from that, that's pretty uncomfortable and can lead to many health problems.

Dogs that are swimming regularly or getting into something regularly are at a higher risk for skin infections if they're not drying well or potentially exposing themselves to gross or potentially contaminated substances.

Regular nail trims are essential for comfort while walking, especially in our older pets for traction. Some of these hygiene tips are common sense. What sort of things do you do to yourself regularly to make yourself feel better and keep yourself healthy?

The first thing is to find something specific for dogs. You don't want to use human shampoo or anything like that on a dog. The pHs of our skin is different than dogs are, and so by using a human-specific shampoo, we could cause excess drying and discomfort on the dog's skin. So, number one, use a dog-specific shampoo.

Pooch Ooze Shampoo and Hot Spot Solution are 100% recommended

Some of the signs of poor hygiene in dogs can be really obvious: matted fur, really dry, itchy skin, a dull hair coat, a really greasy hair coat. With dental hygiene, you'll notice foul breath, discoloration of teeth, and possibly drooling. But it really comes down to your senses. Look at your dog. Do they look well-groomed and healthy? Do they smell well-groomed and healthy? How are they feeling? How are they acting? If you have a dog that's not moving around as much or is having trouble moving around, then we'd want to get them checked out to make sure there's not an infection. We can also give you some tips on grooming or bathing your dog on a regular basis.