Grooming Methods and Tools / Materials Grooming Tools:

Wire brush, pin brush, bristle brush

Methods / Steps

Brushing: Using a brush to groom your dog can remove dead hair and mats from the coat, making the coat soft, tidy, and shiny. As for which brush to use, it depends on the dog's fur type.

Generally, long-haired and soft-haired dogs are more suitable for using a bristle brush, while pin brushes and wire brushes are more suitable for wire-haired dogs.

Wire brush: Removes dead hair, makes the coat smooth,

Models: large, medium, small;

Types: soft wire brush, hard wire brush. Be careful with technique during use, improper handling may cause hair loss.

Pin brush: Helps blood circulation, prevents static electricity, and keeps skin healthy. Bristle brush: Can brush away dust on the coat surface, does not easily break the hair, and keeps hair glossy; it is an essential tool for caring for soft hair.

Combing

After brushing, start combing the coat with a comb. Often, after a round of brushing, many small mats still remain, so it's necessary to comb thoroughly again.

The method is to hold the comb from below with thumb, index, and middle fingers, first use a wide-tooth comb to detangle the coat, then use a fine-tooth comb to straighten the coat. However, do not start with a fine-tooth comb to avoid breaking the hair easily. Also, avoid pulling hard when combing, as this not only breaks the coat but causes extreme pain to your dog.

To prevent static electricity, dog combs are best made of metal. Ear cleaning: Dogs’ ears (especially long-eared dogs) are prone to ear infections, so cleaning and checking ears is essential.

First, apply a small amount of ear powder inside the ear and tap a few times to let the powder enter the ear canal; then slowly remove the powder with your fingers or ear hair tweezers. Next, apply ear wash on cotton, clean inside the ear by rotating your finger, and finally ensure cleanliness when the cotton removed from inside the ear shows no dirt. After bathing, be sure to clean the ears again with ear wash. Tears and earwax are the main causes of brown discoloration of facial hair, so in addition to regular trimming, special care during bathing is required.

Bathing

It is best to bathe a Beagle puppy after it is two months old and at least two weeks after vaccination. For outdoor-raised Beagle puppies, bathe 3 to 4 times a year; for indoor-raised dogs, once every 20 days to a month is appropriate. Dog skin does not sweat like humans, so frequent bathing is unnecessary.

During bathing, place the puppy in 36℃ to 38℃ warm water, first remove the secretions near the anus. Then soak a sponge in a pet shampoo diluted dozens of times with water, wash the entire body from head to tail, and finally rinse the coat thoroughly with clean water. Careful not to let shampoo get into the dog’s eyes, nose, or mouth.

Eye Care

The eyes greatly reflect physical health. Therefore, regularly check the Beagle’s eyes. Always watch out for eye discharge daily.

If there is eye discharge, have the Beagle close its eyes and clean it off with a wet wipe or cotton swab. Eyes are a window to health; if discharge is different from the usual clear or dry brown, if the conjunctiva (white of the eyes) appears red, or the cornea (black part) has white spots or damage, these are signs of illness and require immediate treatment.

Prevention and Cleaning of Tear Stains

Tear stains form when excessive tears and eye discharge are not cleaned in time, causing reddish discoloration of hair under the eyes. Once tear stains form, they are difficult to clean, so timely removal of eye debris is necessary to prevent tear stains. If tear stains have already formed, apply specialized tear stain remover drops (diluted boric acid solution or saline can also substitute) at the corner of the eyes, then wipe the stains with cotton. Consistent cleaning will gradually lighten the stain color.

Ear Care and Ear Canal Structure

The Beagle’s ear canal is shaped like an "L," and secretions can easily accumulate in the outer ear canal and the bend. If not cleaned regularly, this can lead to illness. The ear canal environment with temperature and humidity conditions is very suitable for microbial growth, making it prone to bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens causing ear inflammation, earwax gland inflammation, ear canal proliferation, skin suppuration, and even developing into otitis media or otitis interna.

If ears are neglected, within just two months the ear canal can become completely blocked due to outer ear canal skin proliferation. Therefore, forming the habit of cleaning the ear canal from a young age is crucial for preventing ear diseases in Beagles. Owners should regularly check the dog’s ear odor, inflammation, and earwax accumulation.

If the puppy has an ear infection, it will often shake its head, scratch its ears, and have a pungent odor from the ear canal.

Open the Beagle’s ear, press to make the hair inside the ear canal clearly visible, then drop ear cleaning solution or ear oil into the ear canal.

Release the Beagle’s ear and gently massage the ear externally so the cleaning solution or ear oil spreads thoroughly throughout the ear canal.

After massaging, release the dog’s head; it will shake its ears itself, expelling most of the medicine, so you don’t have to forcibly remove leftover liquid inside the ear canal.

Use cotton swabs (professionals wrap cotton onto hemostatic forceps) to wipe inside the ear canal, but do not insert too deep to avoid injuring the inner ear.

Use a cotton towel to wipe the Beagle’s outer ear.

Dental Care

Owners often only pay attention to the Beagle’s beautiful appearance, neglecting many things such as oral care.

Good teeth mean good appetite and good health. Owners absolutely should strengthen the Beagle’s oral and dental care! Daily dental care is important because when you notice problems with your dog’s teeth, it might already be quite serious.

Pregnancy Care What to Feed a Pregnant Beagle

Divided into three stages:

Day 1–30 is the first stage. The newly pregnant (within about one to two weeks) female dog should avoid strenuous exercise to prevent miscarriage! Maintain the usual feeding level for the mother dog, do not add too much meat, eggs, nutrients, or food quantity, because fetal growth is slow and small, excessive nutrients will be absorbed by the mother dog, resulting in obesity! An overweight and inactive mother dog is prone to difficult labor!

Day 30–45 is the second stage. The fetuses inside the mother start to grow, and the most direct change is frequent urination in the mother. If you originally walked the dog once in the morning and once in the evening, you should add 1 to 2 extra walks daily to increase exercise appropriately and keep the mother dog strong! Slightly increase nutrition such as meat, eggs, and yogurt, but only in small amounts. If the fetus absorbs too much nutrition and grows too fast, difficult labor may also occur!

Day 45–60 is the third stage. The mother’s belly visibly swells! In the last few days, you can even feel the fetuses moving inside the belly! Ensure the mother dog gets adequate exercise. If she cannot run, take her for more walks.

At this stage, the mother dog acts like a hungry wolf, always wanting more food! Feeding quantity must be controlled.

PetsZone reminds everyone, pregnant dogs need significantly more food, but sometimes may show poor appetite, which is normal. As pregnancy progresses, the expanding abdomen compresses the stomach, so each meal size decreases. To ensure adequate intake, owners should switch from feeding twice daily to multiple small meals, and provide cheese, eggs, meat, plus veterinarian-prescribed vitamins and minerals to meet the needs of the pregnant dog and fetus.

Owners should also try to make food more appetizing, such as adding cooked meat and broth to dog food. If necessary, add a small amount of salt while cooking meat to enhance aroma.

Only by ensuring sufficient intake can mother and puppies stay healthy. Also, provide plenty of water for the mother. When a Beagle is pregnant, treat it well. What to Do About Beagle Shedding Beagles do shed hair, usually more during spring and autumn, but not very noticeably.

Normally, brushing once a week is enough, which can remove already fallen “dead hair,” promote new hair growth, and stimulate skin metabolism. Pay attention to diet; avoid salty foods, preferably feeding dog food.

Also, spring and autumn are seasons when dogs shed hair; shedding during these times is normal, with minimal shedding in other seasons, so no need to worry.

Additionally, avoid drastic temperature changes in the dog’s environment, such as turning air conditioning or heating to too hot in the house, as this can also cause shedding! If shedding is excessively severe and is accompanied by small red spots or bumps on the skin, and the dog frequently itches, it may indicate a skin disease requiring prompt veterinary treatment.