Our groomers want to give your dog the best trim and experience possible and need the time to be able to work with all temperaments and coat conditions. Remember we’re working with an entire body, with joints and moving parts, not a nice round head like when you get your haircut. Dogs also don’t quite take direction like we do when we get our haircut – we cannot tell a dog, just lean to the left or keep your head down. It’s often hard for elderly dogs to stand still for a long period of time, and breaks are given in between stages to give the dog a chance to rest.
The trim is quite often dictated by the type of coat your dog has. So we may not be able to make your dog look a certain way if their hair isn’t the right thickness, coarseness, or naturally lays a certain way. Dematting/brushing out a tangled or matted coat is not painless and will likely need to be clipped down to make the whole experience gentler for the dog. It is best for the dog to start fresh with a clipped down coat that you can begin to keep combed out as it grows in, rather than pulling and tugging with a dematting comb.
Regular grooming at home in between visits is important for most breeds for many reasons: finding changes in skin conditions (ie. injuries, growths, flea bites), getting rid of tangles before they pose an issue (i.e. pain, injury, hotspots), and it helps your pet become more comfortable with the grooming process while you bond. The more work you do at home, the more comfortable your pet is going to be at a professional groomer. It’s best to make the entire experience a positive one, if possible.
Written by: Erin Pallay
