"Spring Cleaning" Your Pooch

Essential Dog Grooming and Health Tips, From Pet Groomer Ali McLennan, Of Animal Planet's "From Underdog To Wonderdog"

(CBS)  After a long winter, dogs are eager to get outside and back into a regular exercise routine.

To make the transition as easy as possible, there are things responsible pet owners should do.

Pet groomer Ali McLennan, of the Animal Planet series "From Underdog to Wonderdog," visited The Early Show Saturday Edition to show us how to get our dogs ready for spring!

Ali bathed an adorable shelter dog she brought along and, as she did, gave pet care pointers every caring dog owner should know, on bathing, paw protection, nail cutting, and flea and tick prevention.

The dog with Ali is named Lafayette, and is up for adoption.

Lafayette is described as a perfect little bundle of fur! He came to the Animal Haven Shelter in New York from the city shelter, where he was brought in as a stray. But it's clear this boy wasn't always a stray. He loves to sit in your lap, and is thrilled just to be in your arms! He also looks much larger in photos than he is (due to his excessive fur). In reality: Lafayette is only about 8-10 pounds. He'd love to go to an active home with lots of exercise and enrichment. He is good with kids and other dogs (and, most likely, cats, too!). For info on adopting Lafayette, click here.

Ali says how your dog looks says a lot about your home! So, while you're doing your spring cleaning, don't forget about the one who actually makes your house a home!! After a long winter on the couch, getting your pooch ready to see his old pals in the park may seem overwhelming, so here are a few tips from Ali:

Bathing

Problems that occur in winter and how to combat them for spring:

Shedding: Bathing a dog who is shedding badly should start with a good brush out, removing the wispy undercoat and mats before the dog ever gets in the tub.

Matting: If your dog is matted hold the mat in your had to protect the skin, separate the mat with a slicker brush (sometimes a little corn starch on the mat helps break it up). Follow with a pin brush, then a steel comb all over.

Dry Skin, Dull Coat: Never use a Human shampoo on a dog, it's much too harsh. The result will be more shedding. Try a shampoo with omega 3 & 6 fatty acid to combat dry skin, shedding and matting all at once. Try using a curry brush in the tub to get all the products past the undercoat.

Tears stains: Common reasons are allergies, spring cleaning and new surrounds may exacerbate this condition. Try giving your dog distilled water with a couple of drops of vinegar. Keep that area extra clean by wiping once a day with a warm wet paper towel.

Paw Care

Problems that occur in winter and how to combat them for spring:

Dry cracked pads: Salt and cold weather can damage your dogs paw pads. This can be painful and lead to all sorts of infections. Before his first park run of the year, try soothing them with a paw balm with tea tree oil, to kill any bacteria or fungus while his pads heal.

Booties for after grooming: After your dog is all clean, those muddy April showers can be a drag, I always give my clients little rubber booties so they don't mess up their feet, or the carpet!

Nail Trimming

Overgrown nails can lead to all sorts of orthopedic problems in your dog. Keep your dogs nails as close to the quick as possible, shaving away slowly and, if your dog has black nails, look for the little black dot that you'll see right before you reach the quick. Afterwards, always do a little filing, so you and he won't get scratched by a sharp corner.

[mllux0419]

We have 2 maltese which have always had problems with the tear stain. Please advise as to the ratio of water to vinegar to help this problem. Actually the puppy has problems however the older dog always cleans it. Too bad for us the puppy hasn't learned to do the same.

[avanlin]

CALL ANIMAL POISON CONTROL IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE GIVEN YOUR DOG GARLIC AS A RESULT OF THIS TV SEGMENT

[avanlin]

About the garlic-I just mass posted this to my facebook. I won't stop until you retract this information about "how to kill your pet"

[bejay317]

Bathing a dog. I rarely make comments however, I am VERY dismayed that you allowed a puppy to be put into a bath water tub without a proper introduction to water. The poor puppy had no idea what was happening to it. The first intro is extremely important so that the pup will enjoy a bath or getting wet. Then to spary it with what looked like a garden sprayer with what could be cold water, even though you talked about the fact that it should be luke warm. She did not talk about how important it is to not get water in ears or eyes or to make sure that you rinse a dog twice as long as you have soap on it. Also keeping a dog from not getting cold while bathing is also a must and proper drying with towels is as important as the bath. A hair dryer should not be used by amateurs to dry a dog. There should have been two people helping to bathe--one to bathe and TALK to the DOG while bathing , the other to explain the procedure. Nail clipping--there are now much safer and easier ways to clip a dog's nails--products that use a safety rotary tool. The dog can be tramitized if nail clipping is not done correctly. I usually look forward to the pet care series, but this one has made me sad and angry. I believe you should redo this series NEXT Saturday to reinform watchers.

[avanlin]

I also have 6 years of experience working for an animal emergency clinic and have seen many pets die from STUPID MEDIA INFORMATION such as this. I AM OUTRAGED RIGHT NOW AND I'm sure this will not be the last post you will receive today

[avanlin]

You wlll kill your pets with CLOVES OF GARLIC. You must retract this statement immediately or suffer lawsuits for misinformation!!!! Garlic will shut down kidney function and is FATAL TO DOGS.
I am so upset at this careless and unresearched information you just gave out!!! OMG--you are DEAD WRONG!!!

[Patsy5star]

This dog bathing and grooming part of today's show was great and informative. But I believe Ali gave out of date info with regards to giving garlic to dogs for flea control. Even going as far as to agree with the host about giving "cloves" of garlic. I am a multiple dog owner and follow all dog issues including poison alerts to things like raisins and grapes given to dogs. Everything I have read from reliable sources indicates onions and garlic can cause hemolytic anemia and liver damage to dogs.
PLEASE check this out and verify with poison control, ASPCA or other resources. If I am correct, please retract that advice.