GROOMING

GROOMING YOUR BOXER

Grooming your boxer is not hard! Since Boxers are a short coated breed, and are fairly clean themselves, they rarely need baths. Dead hair is easily removed by using a curry comb, or soft brush weekly. Boxers shed an average amount, but simply petting them helps remove dead, loose hair.

       You can bathe your boxer when he/she really gets dirty, but too frequent bathing dries the skin. I know people sometimes use Selsun Blue Shampoo in the Moisturizing formula. I use Oatmeal Shampoos and other pet shampoos with little fragrance which can be purchased at PetSmart. If you bathe your puppy, make sure the shampoo is safe for puppies. Buy a 'puppy' shampoo, or even use Johnson and Johnson Human Baby Shampoo.

      Your boxer's nails can easily be trimmed. You can either use pet nail trimmers, or better, a Dermal tool with sanding drums. The Dermal will smoothly sand down the nails and not leave any sharp edges. Be careful to NOT hit the nail's quick. The quick is a vein that runs down the middle of the nail and supplies blood to it. You can see the quick by looking at the sides of your dogs nails. It is the dark line in the center of the nail.  It is advised to keep septic powder on hand in case you nick the quick while nail trimming.
Try and avoid it if possible, as it will bleed badly. Your vet, or any dog groomer can trim nails for you, but it is cheaper and easier to learn how to do this yourself.

     Clean your Boxers ears frequently. If the ears are uncropped, check them often to be sure they are clean. Dark moist areas are breeding grounds for bacteria, so always be sure your dogs ears are clean. Use baby wipes, and Qtips to clean your dog's ears. Never go too deep into the ear canal with a Qtips. Baby wipes are great to clean your dog's ears, as the moist surface loosens dirt and oils.