Basic Dog Grooming Equipment

The most important aspect of good dog grooming is having good dog grooming equipment. When you purchase dog grooming equipment spend a little more to get stainless steel whenever possible. If taken care of they won't rust and will save you money in the long run with their longevity.

You will need to purchase a few core pieces of dog grooming equipment:

Slicker Brush: used for getting rid of matting and tough tangles.

Bristle Brush: used for removing fine particles from your dog's coat.

Safety tip Scissor: the safety tips are essential for clipping near sensitive areas.

Clippers: you don't need dog specific clippers, using barber shop clippers will work fine and will save some money.

A small tub: You'll use this when you wash your dog. The dog doesn't need to fit in the tub, but have either his front or back legs in the tub when you're washing. The main purpose of the tub is to hold the warm water you're using to wash with. Using the cold water out of the garden hose isn't a pleasant experience for a dog.

One of my newfound favorite pieces of dog grooming equipment is a tool called the, Furminator de-shedding Tool. This tool is a brush that I have found to be essential for effective dog grooming.

I stumbled across this tool when I was in my local Pet Smart store. They had a video showing the Furminator in action. The video was unbelievable, showing tons of hair being pulled off a golden retriever.

I decided to purchase the tool and return it if it didn't perform as advertised. Frankly I was a bit skeptical. However, after one session with this piece of dog grooming equipment, I was sold.

My Labrador has tons of shedding hair in the warmer months that I'm barely able to keep up with. The standard brushes just can't get to the shedding under layers. The Furminator is designed to get to the under layer and gently pull the shedding hair off the dog. It works amazingly well. By the end of a ten-minute brushing, I was surrounded by mounds of black Labrador hair.

My dog loves it and so do I. It actually allows my dog to spend a lot more time indoors with us, even during the high shedding months. Using this tool twice a month does an amazing job of keeping the shedding to a minimum. It also stimulates my dog's skin providing oils that keep her coat healthy and shiny.