What can I do to make grooming my dog easier?

• Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter answers your pet-related questions every week in “Ask the Shelter.”
• It's important to keep up on dog grooming, so you may need to hire a professional if you can't do it yourself.
• Dusty litter can be harmful to cats, but there are ways to decrease the dust.

Q:  I recently adopted a dog and I’m having trouble grooming him myself. He won’t really hold still and he doesn’t like the clippers. Any suggestions?

A: This can be a tricky one. You need to remember that grooming is important, and you really do need to keep trying. We get pups who come into the shelter in such dreadful shape with mats and clogged ears, it’s awful, so proper grooming really is a must for their health.

Sometimes people find success with slowly getting a dog acclimated to the grooming process. The noise and vibration of the clippers can send a lot of pups heading for the hills, but working them up to it slowly can help.

Start by just turning the clippers on while your dog’s in the room but not touching him with them. Praise him when he doesn’t freak out.

This process could take a while, so if he gets overly panicked, over the next couple of days, slowly move the clippers closer to him, continuing with the praise. Also remember brushing and combing will help keep mats away, so continue doing that, even if your boy is scared of clippers.

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It might be a good idea to look into a professional groomer because they’ll have better equipment and even a table to do the clipping properly and easily. Sometimes dogs do better when their owners leave them at a groomer because occasionally our pups know they can get away with more stuff when mom or dad’s got the clippers than they can when a groomer is in charge.

In extreme cases, you may need to look into medication to calm your pup so he can be groomed without serious consequences and upset. Talking to a groomer or your vet about this might help because they will have more experience with the tough cases and know what to do to help.

Q:  I was changing my cat's litter the other day and noticed there really is a lot of dust kicked up. I was coughing when I was finished and wondered, is it bad for my cat?

A: Actually, dust from the litter can cause asthma and other respiratory problems for cats. Their noses are a lot smaller than ours, so getting infections can be easier for them.

A buildup of dust could cause sneezing, upper respiratory infections and nose bleeds in your kitty. Some breeds can be more affected than others, especially those with flat faces and Siamese can be prone to asthma, so be mindful of that.

As an alternative to the dusty litter, you might try some of the biodegradable products on the market made from wood chips (we find they work quite well at the shelter) or condensed newspaper. These actually come out of the bag in pellet form and when liquid is added will break down into smaller, less dusty pieces. It’ll keep the whole house a little cleaner and be better for everyone.

To get your cat used to the transition, mix some of the litter you’re using now with the new product and continue to do so, adding more and more of the new litter until your baby’s used to it. Believe me, I know what you mean about litter dust. It is concerning, but take some time to do some research and see if you can’t find something that works just as well, but isn’t quite so dusty.

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Ask the Shelter is a weekly feature aimed at pet education. If you have a question, contact Jennifer Vanderau, public relations coordinator, for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter, at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org or 263-5791.