At A Glance
Pet parents know how important it is to maintain their dog’s hygiene to keep it healthy and comfortable. Even if your dog has regular trips to the dog salon, there are still some must-have tools to add to your dog grooming equipment list, such as:
Last Updated on: Sep 19, 2023
If you’re a dog owner, chances are high that you’ll have needed to deal with your dog’s grooming at certain points. Whether it’s brushing your dog’s teeth or shaving its paw pads to avoid slipping, there are essential grooming tools that will make any pet parent’s life much easier.
Even if you take your dog to the grooming salon pretty regularly, you’ll still need to invest in some grooming tools to perform basic hygiene maintenance to-do’s regularly. Depending on your dog’s breed and health condition, for example, there are some tasks – like cleaning your dog’s ears or treating tear stains.
In this blog, I’m going to cover the best dog grooming tools for home grooming, as well as some tips to keep your dog happy and healthy. I’m not saying you should do a full groom at home, although you can, if you have the patience and skill! These tools and equipment are what I’ve personally found helpful caring for my dog, and what I wish I had when I was a newer pet parent.
So whether you’re a new furparent or a more experienced one looking to try your hand at pet grooming, I’ve put together this article to help you prepare a dog grooming equipment list of your own. Let’s begin!
Regular grooming is crucial in ensuring your dog’s comfort and wellness. Contrary to what some pet parents believe, grooming shouldn’t just be relegated to your pet groomer and veterinarian.
Regular brushing and combing, for example, can help prevent excess shedding and matting. It also helps to remove loose dirt and allows you to spot any skin conditions, ticks, fleas, and other things that may bother your dog or make it sick.
Grooming can also be a great way for dog owners to bond with their pets and build trust. In anxious dogs, at-home grooming activities can also help ease the anxiety of being handled when at the groomers for a full grooming session.
Without further ado, here’s my definitive dog grooming supplies list to help you get started on your pet grooming arsenal at home:
You’ll want to give your dog regular baths, but the frequency of bathing will largely depend on your dog’s breed and activity level. Top on our list of grooming essentials are a good pet shampoo and conditioner.
You can check out your local pet store or buy these online, but use pet-safe shampoo and conditioner-not human shampoo. If you’re really in a pinch, you can use dish soap like Dawn, which a lot of animal rescuers use to remove ticks and fleas during initial bathing.
For regular baths, though, use a gentle shampoo and conditioner that will help nourish your dog’s skin and coat. Dog shampoo is also very handy for washing dirty paws and pee-soaked tummies, especially in active puppies and dogs that go outdoors a lot!
Again, never use human cologne on your dog! Instead, opt for a dog-safe fragrance spray that keeps dogs’ skin and coat nice and fresh. A lot of dog colognes have a nice, baby cologne-like fragrance, and also double as anti-tick-and-flea sprays.
Use it in between baths during your regular brushing sessions to help work the product into your dog’s coat, taking care to avoid getting any product into their eyes, ears, and nose.
This, I’ve found, is an absolute life hack for dog owners and is among the best dog grooming products I can recommend. Dry shampoo for dogs, or waterless dog shampoo, is great for those days when your dog is due for a bath but you just don’t have time to squeeze in a full bath yet.
It keeps them cool and cleans out their coat, leaving them smelling fresh and tangle-free until bath time. Make sure to brush the product into your dog’s fur after applying so that it works well.
A tip I got from my groomer is to use dry shampoo on my dog every night before bedtime (especially on hot summer days) to extend his professional bath and keep him cool until our next at-home bath.
Here’s another essential that any pet owner should have! One thing I’ve learned as a pet parent is that you can never have too many packs of these. Keep one in your car, near your dog’s bathroom area, and maybe even in your purse.
It makes clean-up time so much easier, plus it keeps your dog’s paws clean and fresh after walks. Use it to clean out muddy paws, dirty butts, tear stains, and even their whole body to remove any dirt and debris.
Brushing and combing your dog’s coat regularly is a must to avoid matts and tangles, and keep their coats cleaner. Double-coated dogs like Labrador Retrievers, Border Collies, and Golden Retrievers especially need frequent brushing to maintain their coats. However, even wire-haired breeds like Terriers and Dachshunds also need regular brushing.
There are different brushes suited to different coat types, but generally, you’ll want to invest in the following:
If you’re handy with scissors, you may find that trimming is a great way to maintain your dog’s hair between grooming sessions. If you have a dog breed whose hair grows out quickly, like a Maltese or Poodle, then you may occasionally want to trim areas of your dog’s face even though it’s not yet necessarily time for a haircut at the dog salon.
These grooming scissors usually come in sets, and consist of standard shears with blunt ends to cut hair on paw pads and privates; thinning shears to help reduce overall weight and fluffiness of the coat; and shears with rounded ends for the face area.
Clippers are among the best professional dog grooming tools you can keep in your arsenal, especially if you’re not comfortable using scissors. Electric clippers come with various blade size attachments to cut at different lengths, and are generally safer than scissors, especially if you’re a newer dog owner.
It takes a while to get used to, but once you’ve gotten the hang of it, grooming your dog with clippers gets easier. I use it to trim my dog’s paw pads and tummy/private areas to keep him comfortable and clean.
Next on our list of dog grooming tools are nail clippers, which are very useful in trimming your dog’s nails. Long, overgrown nails can not only scratch you and your dog, but also damage furniture and floors. Neglected paws can also cause your dog discomfort, especially when they curve inward back into the paws.
When using nail clippers, take care to not snip off too much as this may cause bleeding. Cut nails in a well-lit area, and be careful to trim above the opaque part of the nail where there is flesh underneath. Dog groomers also use nail-file type clippers, which can be safer than scissor-type trimmers.
Next on our list of pet groomer supplies you can have at home is a dog grooming table, which isn’t mandatory but is nice to have. A professional grooming table comes with added features like height adjustment and a fixture to attach a leash to, USB ports, and power outlets.
However, you can also use a regular table as a grooming table, as long as its sturdily built and is the ideal height and size for your dog.
Dog-friendly toothpaste and a dog toothbrush are essentials for everyday brushing, and can help prevent the development of periodontal disease in dogs.
There are also dog teeth wipes and dog dental chews that can help make dental care more fun, especially if your dog hates toothbrush time!
Wax, dirt, and debris can get trapped inside your dog’s ear and eventually lead to ear infection. There are dog-safe ear washes, wipes, and cleaning buds you can use to clean your dog’s outer ear to prevent impaction of ear wax and infections.
A lot of pet owners just use their tubs for a mess-free bath time, but if you don’t have a tub at home, you may want to buy a portable dog bath tub. These come in different sizes for different breeds, and are even fitted with 360-degree access and back-savers for an easier bath time.
Lastly, a good, sturdy hair dryer is one of the best grooming tools for dogs, especially if you have a hairy dog! Hair dryers dry your dog’s hair thoroughly, keeping hotspots and mats at bay.
Dog hair dryers are different from human hair dryers because they’re usually more powerful but make less noise, and come with flexible hoses and hands-free options to make drying time quicker and easier.
Your basic arsenal for dog grooming would include pet grooming products such as:
If you’re looking to open a dog grooming salon, you should invest in several sturdy pet grooming tables with adjustable heights, a professional dog hair dryer or two, pet clippers and brushes, and pet care products such as:
The seven steps of grooming a dog are as follows:
Meet Paul, a devoted dog dad to the delightful French Bulldog, Cofi. With a flair for humor and a deep understanding of Frenchie quirks, Paul brings a lighthearted touch to his writings. His relatable stories and practical insights are a blend of laughter and valuable advice and resonate with fellow dog owners.
Through his words, Paul aims to celebrate the joys and challenges of being a dedicated pet parent, reminding you that life is simply better with a four-legged, snorting sidekick by your side.
