Pampering Your Dog: 101

It's a dog eat dog world. The dog days of summer. It's a dog's life! There's a reason we have all these sayings: it's hard being a dog! So why not pamper your pooch every once in a while? (Or why not all the time?) Your dog deserves only the very best, so take these tips on pampering your dog and be prepared to have one happy pup!

Gone are the days of having just one pet aisle at the store with solely dog food, flea shampoo and chew toys. Nowadays, pretty much anything that a human uses is now made for dogs too (including high-fashion clothing, bedding, organic foods and spa items). You can find pretty much anything online with which to pamper your dog. Some of the top favorite items for dogs include dog clothes, shampoos and conditioners, skin and coat care, and nail care.

Dog Clothes

If you haven't been into a pet store lately, you will be amazed at the wide array of dog clothing now available - and it's not just mainstream styles. Dog fashion is all the rage, with many designers now creating fashion forward designer doggy couture clothing for beloved fur babies everywhere. You can find a large selection of dog clothes in sizes, colors and styles to fit any dog's personality.

Pamper your pooch with a gorgeous cable knit dog sweater from Louisdog during the winter or treat your terrier to an adorable dog bikini for swimming during the summer. When you choose high fashion dog clothes for your fur baby you're not only ensuring that they are stepping out in the most stylish clothes, you're guaranteeing that they'll turn heads and make friends wherever they go!

Shampoos and Conditioners

There are many, many dog shampoos and conditioners now available on the market that are designed specifically for dogs and their special types of skin and fur. Even if your dog isn't the pampering sort of pup, or if he or she hates water, they still need to have a bath on occasion (no one wants a smelly dog!). Waterless shampoo, waterless conditioner and waterless dog baths are all great products for dogs that hate taking baths, don't like water, or for when it's simply too cold for your dog to get totally soaked with water.

There are also organic dog shampoos available which are completely free of chemicals, artificial foaming boosters, artificial preservatives, artificial colors or artificial fragrances. Most are bottled in BPA-free plastic containers so they are completely safe for you, your dog AND the environment.

Isle of Dogs Canine Grooming System makes an entire line of dog shampoos specific to nearly every type of doggy hair or skin care need. Their dog shampoos include formulas for puppies, coarse coats, oily coats, black coats, white coats, copper or chocolate coats, detangle formulas, veterinary grade shampoo, and heavy management dog shampoo for thick, double-coated breeds.

Skin and Coat Care

Sometimes pampering is more than just dressing up your dog. Just like your hair can get dry, your lips or nose might get chapped during the winter, or you get bug bites during the summer, your dog experiences all of these things too! Luckily, many products have been created for this sort of thing.

Natural Dog has created a Snout Soother which is great on drying, chapping or cracking dog noses, for use as windburn prevention in extreme weather conditions, or for use as natural sunscreen - it's just like chapstick or lip balm, but for dogs!

There are also many soothing insect sprays for dogs, odor neutralizing sprays, breath fresheners and even calming aromatic spa mists and spritzers. Any dog with skin or coat problems will appreciate being pampered with these skin and coat care products designed especially for their ailments.

Nail Care

Last but not least, doing your dog's nails is a fun way to pamper your pooch to the ultimate extent. On top of trimming them to the proper length on a regular basis, there is now dog nail polish available that works great on pet's nails and is designed to dry fast and last longer than regular human nail polish.

When applying polish to your fur baby's nails, make sure they are completely relaxed and will be less likely to twitch or run away in the middle of their manicure/pedicure. For the smoothest application of polish, trim any fur away from the nails and remove any dirt or natural oils with a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol. Hold one paw firmly (but gently) and stroke on the polish. You should only need one coat, but if your dog has black nails you may need to apply a base coat of white nail polish prior to applying the desired color. With quick drying polish you should be able to do all the nails in very little time, and then you will be free to coordinate any number of cute outfits to go with your fur baby's nails.

While pampering your dog may seem petty or trite, it's actually very important to take good care of both the physical and mental health of your dog. Treat him or her with care and your furry friend will be sure to reciprocate with lots of love, snuggles and kisses.

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