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Grooming Info
Grooming your English Bulldog benefits not only in improving looks, it is a great way to keep your bulldog in better health and to bond at the same time. Frequent grooming puts your English Bulldog into the center of your attention where they love and need to be as well as allows you to check for irregulaties that might signal more serious conditions. Bathing Bathing your English Bulldog not only keeps your bulldog clean and eliminates odor from a build up of skin oils but is also a great prevention against hot spots. The frequency of bathing is relative to environment, owner and bulldog. Bathing can be done anywhere from outside with a garden hose to inside in the shower or bathtub keeping it an enjoyable experience for both owner and bulldog are most important. It is suggested to use a high quality dog shampoo and limit the frequency of flea shampoos as they are quite harsh. Brushing English Bulldogs should be brushed about three times per week using a soft bristle or rubber brush. Luckily English Bulldogs love to be brushed. While brushing you should look for bumps, growths and sores as these may lead to more serious conditions. Brushing and removing dead hair and stimulating the skin helps avoid potential skin infections and irritations. Wrinkles English bulldogs have messy face wrinkles that require frequent cleaning. When not cleaned properly they collect dirt and bacteria that can lead to irritation, foul smell and infection. Daily gentle cleaning by wiping or rinsing is encouraged plus your English Bulldog loves the attention. Keep in mind that as your English Bulldog ages they will increasingly wrinkle and will require more care of thier wrinkles. Tear Stains English Bulldogs tend to be prone to tear stains due to thier heavy face wrinkles and are more prominent on the light colored coats. The color which is usually a reddish-brown comes from facial bacteria mixing with the tears. There are a variety of commercial products on the market to assist in stain removal. Another option is to mix 1 Tbs of Hydrogen peroxide with enough corn starch to make a paste and to apply it to the stain, let it dry and then brush off the excess. Regardless, any treatment will require daily application until gone which could take a couple of weeks and then weekly follow-up. Keeping the wrinkles and face clean play an important role in stain reduction. Nails Your English Bulldog will need it's nails trimmed about every two weeks unless it gets frequent walks on concrete that aid in wearing them down. Unfortunately your bulldog will generally dislike nail clipping so it is important to get them used to it and make it a pleasurable experience. The nails should be trimmed so that they do not touch the ground when he walks. Long nails can lead to a deformed foot. White nails are generally harder than black nails and it may be beneficial to soak the nails for 15 minutes in warm water before clipping. Clipping may be done with traditional dog nail clippers or a grinder in any place that allows you to control the bulldog so that there isn't potential to cut into the quick. Keeping up with nail trimming is extremely important as the quick will grow longer and longer if the nails are not trimmed regularly and it will take time to get it to receed by trimming only small amounts more frequently.
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