My good friend Russ offered to bring his dog to me for practice and several times before the appointed day he asked me, “So, what exactly is it that you do?” I realized that paying for grooming services may seem odd to some folks. For the average person grooming your dog involves wrangling them to the tub for a scrub down or hosing them off in the yard followed by them shaking a spray of water everywhere, madly dashing through the house rolling on the rug or rubbing sidelong against any fabric covered surface. I used to greatly enjoy seeing my cocker spaniel twist and roll on her back kicking her four legs in all directions after a bath. When I was a kid, the word bath needed to be spelled in front of the dogs or they would be quivering under the farthest reaches of the bed. When we didn’t spell it out, that was because we were using the word as a threat to stop bad behavior, “Do you want a bath?!”
Well, professional dog grooming services can actually make this an enjoyable experience for your pet and for you as their owner. What is involved? I call it, the 6 B’s, and it is a well-established process that groomers follow.
BEGINNING BASICS. This involves trimming excess hair from the corners of the eyes, cleaning and plucking hair out of the ear canal, trimming the private personal area groomers refer to as the sanitary clip, and trimming excess hair from paw pads which helps keep the pads healthy. Trimming nails can be done now, too, as well as a preliminary brush and comb to check for matted hair.
BATH. Groomers use high quality shampoos and check for fleas and ticks. We take care to use lukewarm water since your dog’s body temperature is higher than yours. Having shampoo massaged through its coat can feel very good to your dog. When you stick with a groomer you trust, your dog can come to enjoy the bath. Frequency depends on breed.
BLOW DRY. Groomers use two types of dryers. First, we dry with a high velocity dryer which blows the water away from the skin and dries the hair quickly. During this step groomers check on the health of your pet’s skin. Your groomer will tell you if they see any cysts or bumps or anything of concern. The second drying tool is a stand dryer that uses more heat and less force for drying the head and face. Both dryers help to straighten and fluff the hair. The blowing out can help with de-shedding. How nice not to have all this hair and mess in your home!
BRUSHING. Every inch of your dog will be brushed so that there are no matts and you will even be able to run a comb through your dog’s hair later as that is how groomer’s check to make sure there are no matts. A variety of different brushes are used depending on your dog’s breed. Specialized brushes for getting out matts can cost $100 or more. The brushing also greatly helps with de-shedding.
BARBERING. This can be done with electric clippers or with scissors or a combination of both. There are different blades for the clippers that cut the hair at different lengths. There are also a variety of types of scissors used…straight shears, curved, and thinners are three types that help achieve a polished look. There are different styles for dog hair, just like for people, so it is helpful if owners bring a photo of what they like and give plenty of feedback before and after in order to arrive at the desired look. Some breeds get more barbering than others.
BOWS and/or BANDANA This is the final finishing touch that allows your dog to really show off their fresh look and feel proud. Why not schedule today and see how this process can benefit you and your dog?!
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