Q: I am looking for some information on grooming my 1 year old Newfoundland “Samson” . I can only afford to “pamper “ him once in a while, so I was hoping that you could help me with some basic home maintenance techniques.

A: We appreciate your question, however as animal behaviorists, grooming is somewhat outside of our expertise. We do however maintain a close relationship with a local groomer who gave us these tips:

You should always visit with a professional groomer every 4 - 6 weeks for a through grooming session of their coat, teeth, eyes, ears, and nails.

Bathing your dog varies on the breed and coat of your dog. As a general rule ,once a month is usually good as it will not remove necessary oils and irritate or dry the skin.

If your dog becomes wet from natures elements,thoroughly dry your dog starting with a towel and using a blow dryer if necessary. If your dog retains dampness or moisture, this will cause matting. Matting causes the skin to break down leading to dandruff and mold of the scalp. Excess moisture will create bacterial infections. It’s important that you keep your pets coat clean and dry. If you notice that your pet has an unfamiliar smell other than “wet-dog” or if you see any type of sore spots. You should contact your Veterinarian as this is a good indication of possible infection.

In the colder months, you may notice that your pet may scratch a little more as he may have irritated skin. This is caused by dryness in the air. Dry skin can be treated with hot oil treatments only to be given by a professional.

  Ideally, you should brush your dogs coat daily if possible. If you have a medium to long hair dog, they should be brushed every other day. Always brush with the flow of the hair starting at the head working toward the tail. Be careful not to repetitive brush in same spot or brush too hard to cause bleeding. There are several different brushes ranging from pins, bristles, slickers and rakes. Each one has a different purpose and again, depends on the length and texture of the coat.

  Using a warm cotton pad, clean any discharge from the dogs eyes whenever you see it And don’t forget your dog’s ears. Ears should be cleaned at least once a week and hair plucked, (depending on breed) to keep proper air circulation flow. When cleaning the ears, you should always be careful not to insert any object into the ear canal. If you are uncertain as to the proper cleaning techniques, you should always consult a professional for proper guidance.

Nails should be kept short enough as to not hear them on the floor. Routine maintenance is usually every 4 weeks.

Lastly, you should brush your dogs teeth frequently. Only use toothpaste that is specially designed for a dog as human toothpaste contains detergents which can irritate pets' stomachs, and, in addition, if swallowed, large quantities of ingested fluoride can be harmful to pets.

This information was provided courtesy of Professional Groomer

Kerry Casler of All Creatures Pet Grooming and Boarding

9000 Turin Road

Lee Center, NY

This article was published March 1, 2009 on Page 3 of the Sunday Sentinel