9. Grooming Your Greyhound
One of the nicest features of your new pet is that he is virtually permanently pressed! Grooming needs are minimal and take just a few minutes a day.
Greyhounds have little oil in their skin so they have little ‘doggy odor’ and rarely need a bath. Your Greyhound should only be bathed when soiled.
- If you do need to shampoo your dog, select a conditioning shampoo designed for animals from a good pet store or your veterinarian. Never use human shampoo. Even products as gentle as baby shampoo will seem harsh to your pet. An interesting alternative is Murphy’s Oil Soap for wood floors. It is all natural, rinses quickly, and has a main ingredient of vegetable oil.
- Be sure to rinse, rinse, rinse after bathing. Any soapy residue left can be an irritant to your dog’s sensitive skin
- Never use flea/tick preventative shampoo as they contain dangerous chemicals.
- Most of the year, a quick brushing with a grooming mitt in the morning will keep him looking great. During the spring and fall shedding, you may need to repeat this routine in the evening as well. A short nubbed rubber mitt (provided at adoption time) will aid in removing stubborn elements such as dead hair and dried mud.
- Once a week, you should inspect your pet’s ears and clean his/hers gently with a cotton ball, a baby wipe, or a swab dipped in baby oil. Weekly ear cleansing with dog ear washes cleans ears deeper down in the ear safely.
- Most Greyhounds will need to have their teeth professionally cleaned on a regular basis. When you take your new pet for its first check up, have the veterinarian inspect his teeth. To maintain dental hygiene, your veterinarian will be happy to show you how to brush your Greyhound’s teeth. Brush your dog’s teeth 2 to 3 times a week with a soft child’s toothbrush or finger brush using appropriate dog toothpaste, NOT human toothpaste.
- Greyhounds are used to having their nails trimmed while they stand. Just lean over and bend each foot backwards, so they you can see the underside of the nail. If you’re nervous about trimming the nails, ask your vet or local groomer to show you how much to trim. NEVER let the nails get too long as your Greyhound will not be able to walk properly, and it is also painful.
- FLEA AND TICK CONTROL is the one area that requires special effort on your part. Greyhounds are extremely sensitive to chemicals and pesticides. The use of a flea collar or medication, or even a grocery store flea spray could KILL your dog.
- Greyhounds should be treated only with products containing PYRETHRIN as the active ingredient. Program, Advantage, and Front Line Top Spot are being used on Greyhounds with great results.
- NEVER use ‘over the counter’ products that say they do the same thing as Advantage or Frontline. They can KILL your Greyhound.