Three Very Basic Grooming Tasks For Your Jack Russell

Grooming your Jack Russell dog isn't just about giving your Jack Russell terrier a good bath. Grooming is an vital part of your terrier's care and this is a task that you should take singlemindedly. However you should not look at grooming as a task but rather an opportunity to make your Jack Russell look and feel good but also a time for bonding - a time that both you and your Jack Russell to enjoy.

Grooming your Jack Russell not only makes him looks and feel better but should also become a part of your dog's physiological and psychological health program. In the very principal forms, grooming your terrier involves bathing, brushing your terrier's coat and clipping his nails. Of course, looking carefully your terrier's ears, cavities, eyes and paws should also be a part of the grooming program. In this article, I would like to highlight the 3 important and basic tasks for grooming your Jack Russell.

Important grooming task 1 - bathing your terrier
If you are bathing your Jack Russell in a bath tub, place a rubber mat in there for secure footing. Otherwise place a towel in your sink for the same purpose. If you are not the careful type, place cotton balls in each ear to prevent water from entering his ears.

You will start with rinsing your terrier with warm water. Make sure that you do not use a hard spray on your dog if you are using a spray. Adjust the spray velocity before using it and keep your spray close to your dog. Remember not to spray on to the face of your terrier. Once the coat of your dog is wet, apply small amounts of dog shampoo. Start from the head and end at the tail. Make sure you thoroughly apply the shampoo to all areas including the rectum, behind the ears, in between the toes and under the chin. Once you are done with the shampooing, rinse it all off and then dry your terrier with a towel or hair dryer.

Important grooming tasks 2 - Clipping your terrier's nails
To trim your terrier's nail, you will have to sit your dog in front of you. Starting with his front paws, gently put the paw in your hand and use a dog clipper to clip his nails. Ensure that you do not use human clipper as dog's nails are usually tougher and harder than human nails. Do note that some dogs may take some time to being accustomed for their nails to be cut. As such if you start the clipping when your dog is a puppy, it may be easier for them as they are already adapted to it.

Important grooming task 3 - Brushing your Jack Russells' coat
Ideally it is recommended that you brush your terrier's coat daily. This should be easy enough as you Jack Russell has shorter hairs compared to other breeds. Brushing your Jack Russell's hair regularly helps to keep it in good condition. By brushing the hair, you are also spreading the natural oils and this can help to prevent them from getting entangled and matted. Brushing also helps to keep your terrier clean as brushing removes any dirt that are stuck to the hair. The other side benefit to brushing is that if there are ticks attached to your terrier, you may notice the ticks at they jump about due to the brushing.

Of course these are not the only three grooming tasks that do you do for your Jack Russell or any dog for that matter but they are the bare necessity in order for you dog to be reasonably clean and healthy.

Grooming your dog isn't about doing only those three steps. Find out more about dog grooming from Darlene Browne. She is an avid lover of dogs and in particular Jack Russell terriers. You can get more information on dog grooming and other dog training and related advice on her site that she shares with her other dog loving friends. This site is full of information and even provides you a FREE eBook worth $27 on how to be the Alpha Dog to your Jack Russell and regular newsletters on Jack Russell terriers and dog related information at no charge. It is a site NOT TO BE MISSED if you are a Jack Russell terrier and dog lover.