Last modified: Sunday, November 4, 2007 11:11 PM EST DOG PAWSE: Regular brushing is a must for dogs BY TRACIE LALIBERTE-BAILEY/FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE While shopping at a local pet superstore this week, I overheard an owner pleading with the groomer not to shave her dog. "I want her to have a puppy cut," I heard the owner whine. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the woman clutching a matted, pint-sized pooch that looked like a bleached version of Bob Marley. As she leaned over fingering at the dredlocks, the groomer responded, "I'm sorry, but she's so matted that I really don't think that I'll have any choice but to clip her short." The owner barked, "You CAN'T shave her! The last time I had her groomed, last year, the groomer traumatized her by cutting her bald and she looked like a rat. I WANT her to have a puppy cut." This scene made me wonder why dogs don't bite their owners for not taking better care of them. The fact is, no matter how much this woman wanted to accuse the last sympathetic groomer of traumatizing her dog, I'd be willing to bet that the owner herself was 100 percent at fault for not brushing her dog in between groomings. "You don't blame the vet when your dog has to have teeth pulled, do you?" I wanted to howl from across the aisle. Then why blame the groomer for shearing the pelt off of your dog? My own experience tells me that shaving a dog is much worse for groomers. They have to be concerned about cutting or burning the skin of a stressed-out animal that isn't groomed often enough to understand the importance of being still when someone is operating a razor near their face. So what if your dog doesn't like to be brushed? You wouldn't either if every time someone came near you with a grooming tool in hand it became a hair-pulling session of agony. The trick is to brush your dog often enough that grooming becomes a pleasurable activity. Personally, I brush my furry companions twice weekly while watching my favorite TV sitcoms: one-half hour per brushing per dog. All you need is a good soft-bristled slicker brush, a comb and an old towel to get started. Have your dog lie down on the towel, and begin to brush gently in layers starting at the skin and moving outward toward the ends of the hair. Be sure to spend a few extra moments behind the ears, under the elbows and at the hindquarters. Follow the brushing with a quick comb-through to be sure that you haven't missed any hidden knotting or retained hair that has been shed. You may have to start off slowly and praise lavishly at first until your dog learns that a healthy brushing session feels like a massage. At my house, my two coifed canines jockey for position whenever they see the tools on the coffee table. As for the woman in the superstore, I overheard the groomer graciously suggest that she promptly either buy her dog a sweater or buy herself a brush. Wags, Tracie TRACIE LALIBERTE-BAILEY of Attleboro can be reached at tracie@dogpawse.com.