We've compiled some of our groomers best tips and advice for in between grooming sessions to keep your pooch in tip top condition!
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Brush your dog daily using both a slicker brush and comb, remember to brush from the route up.
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Remember to brush the full coat thoroughly, especially the legs, face and tail.
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Before bathing your pooch ensure that you brush the coat thoroughly. Bathing a knotty or matted coat will only make it worse!
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Try to walk your doggo as much as possible on pavements and harder terrain, this will help keep their nails nice and short.
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If you find your pups not due a groom but their nails are getting long, just pop in for a nail trim in between grooms.
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Keep a special eye on your dogs dew-claws to avoid over them growing and curling back into the skin.
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Ensure to check your dogs ears regularly, especially if they show signs of ear rubbing, scratching, head shaking or a bad smell can be detected.
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Keep up to date with flea and worm treatments, especially in the summer months.
It's important prepare your pup for their first trip to the groomers using a simple at home routine with plenty of positive reinforcement. To help you, we've complied some of our best tips and tricks that can be used for both puppies and adult dogs.
Feet and Ears
Firstly, you want to get your dog used to their paws and ears being touched. We would recommend gently massaging both the ears and paws on a daily basis.
Brushing
Once they seem comfortable with this you can slowly introduce them to being brushed with a nice soft brush. The key is to not rush things and make the learning experience as fun as possible, lots of treats and rewarding will help with this. Once your doggo's used to being brushed, you can then introduce other grooming tools such as combs.
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Face holding
It's important your pup gets used to their face being held as this will allow the groomer to hold their face in place when brushing and trimming around their eyes. Simply start off by showing them you have a treat and asking them to sit. Then place your hand under their chin and hold their chin hair gently. After a couple of seconds of them staying still, reward them with a treat and praise. Repeat this exercise until they will allow you to hold their face still for 30 seconds or more. You can then begin holding their chin and stroking their face, between their eyes and above their head, again rewarding them with treats and praise.
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Bathing
If you're able to, we would recommend bathing your pup whenever possible in a bath or sink (depending on their size). If you're bathing a puppy, be sure to use a sensitive shampoo as their have very sensitive skin. If they're scared of water you can begin with running a very shallow bath. Over time, once they get more comfortable you can slowly introduce gently tipping water on the lower part of their body, building it up until they're fully comfortable with the experience. Remember to reward them with treats and praise throughout the process.
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Drying
We really recommend getting your pooch used to the sounds of the grooming salon, this can be done at home using a hair dryer or vacuum cleaner on the lowest setting. Begin with them just being in the room with the hair dryer/vacuum on to allow them to get used to the sound. Over time, once they're comfortable with the sound, you can start laying treats on the ground and blowing them with the hair dryer, this will turn a scary noise into a positive experience. Remember to always keep it on the lowest and coolest setting.
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The day of your appointment
Our top tip for the day of the appointment is to ensure you take your pup on a nice walk before their groom. This will allow them to burn off some energy and relieve themselves before heading to their appointment. If you think it will help, perhaps also bring their favourite toy or treats along with them.
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Remember to slowly introduce each of the above steps. It's very unlikely you'll get them used to all of the above in one day so it's important to take things slowly and at a pace your dog is comfortable with.