Getting a pet, like a Labrador Retriever, is more than just about having an animal best friend around. It is also about responsibility. There are many things about your pet that you need to provide in order to ensure its health and happiness while it is in your care.

Aside from providing food, water, and shelter, you are also responsible for your pet’s grooming. If you have the money to spend, you can just bring your pet in a salon and let professional service take care of the rest. However, if you are cutting down on cost, you can simply take care of Labrador grooming yourself.

Here are some Labrador tips:

Tip #1: Never ever shave your Lab’s coat. Some people make the mistake of shaving Labradors for grooming reasons. But those are all wrong. A Lab’s coat defines the dog’s character. If you shave it off, you are doing no justice to your dog. The only acceptable reasons for shaving Labradors are health reasons.

Tip #2: You can trim off your dog’s twizzle to make it look neat. The twizzle is a little curly cue that is located at the tip of the Lab’s tail. It looks good when trimmed but you can just leave it alone, too, for added character.

Tip #3: Use an appropriate clipper for your dog’s toenails. If you don’t want this dirty job, you can leave it to a professional groomer’s care. But you will have to spend at least $10 per week for it. If you want to keep your dollars, you should equip yourself with enough patience to accomplish this task successfully.

Tip #4: As with the twizzle, dog owners have a choice whether to trim down their Lab’s whiskers and eyebrows or just leave them alone as is.

Tip #5: Make Labrador grooming a routine and it will not seem as hard as you would believe it to be. Once you get the hang of it and as your relationship with your dog deepens, grooming will just be another task that you will gladly do to ensure that your animal best friend is always looking good, neat, and clean.

Tip #6: You can also give your Labrador a massage as part of the grooming process. it is nice to give him a relaxing treat every once in a while.

Tip #7: Inspect your Lab carefully during your grooming session. Keep track of lumps, bumps, or anything that is beyond normal.