A regular and thorough grooming is something every dog needs.
It has various benefits such as contributing to a healthy and shining coat and is great bonding time with your dog.
Another benefit of effective grooming is that it can help to both identify and prevent dog hair loss problems which may manifest if not checked and lead to more serious health issues.
Grooming is something which should ideally be started when the dog is a young puppy to get them used to it as some dogs take better to it than others.
Get the dog used to being handled all over its body and brushed accordingly.
It is for their benefit after all though it may take a bit of time for that penny to drop.
Without regular and thorough attention the dog's coat will deteriorate, become unhygienic, dirty and matted, start to adversely affect the health of the animal and lead to further problems such as (potentially) fleas and mite infestations which can in turn manifest in to other problems such as hair loss and even worse.
Get in to the routine of checking over your dog every day.
Be alert for such things as irritations, areas the dog may be scratching or itching, general matting of the hair, dirt, fleas and ticks.
Any areas which your dog is scratching repeatedly or is inflamed and angry could be a sign of something unpleasant which is affecting the dog in such a way that they are scratching the affected area in an attempt to gain relief though making it worse by scratching off hair and exposing the skin underneath.
Unchecked and untreated the irritation and hair loss could become worse.
Regular inspections and grooming will help you to spot the signs early and jump on treatment quickly whether that be a visit to the vet for a professional diagnosis and treatment option consultation or (depending on the severity) something you may be able to treat with remedies available at the local pet store.
If in any doubt, always seek professional advice.
If you discover and ticks or fleas whilst grooming your dog then remove them immediately.
If not they will quickly multiply and are a major cause of hair loss in dogs and other problems besides - not least your own home becoming infested too potentially.
Ticks may be very carefully removed with tweezers.
For fleas you may use a special fine toothed comb designed specifically for that purpose.
Make sure you use a good quality general grooming brush too.
This will help to remove naturally shedding, dead hair - which if left will become matted and could lead to infection and skin inflammation which in turn is a further potential cause of hair loss - and also encourage the growth and maintenance of a healthy, shining coat I suggest that you put together a grooming kit to use.
This may include such items as brushes, flea combs, dog shampoo and similar.
The time spent grooming your dog can pay off in many ways as you bond together, your dog is healthy, looks great with their bright, shiny coat and when grooming you may identify early and treat any problems which may be on the horizon such as hair loss due to say fleas or other irritation.