How Often Should Your Pet Be Professionally Groomed?

We often ask our groomer, "How often should my pet be groomed?" Then we say, "That often?"

Yes that often! Most breeds that need haircuts, Poodles, Bichons, some of the short legged terriers, they definitely need to see their groomer every 4 weeks!

Some long legged terriers can go 6 to 8 weeks. Short coats, like Labs can go at least 8 weeks between groomings. Now I could go on here for a long time. But what I am trying to say, is, listen to your groomer, they do know best!

If you have a regular ritual of brushing and combing your dog, (thoroughly) trimming their nails, and cleaning their ears, then you can certainly go a little longer in between groomings.

What You Should Be Doing At Home

One of the best things you can do with your pet at home, is brush and comb their coat. Whether it be a cat, a beagle or an Old English Sheepdog. You're pet will benefit from a daily ritual of brushing and combing. Ask your local groomer what equipment would be appropriate for your particular breed.

Take this opportunity to check their toenails and ears. Are the nails too long? Curled around or split? How about their ears? Clean and odor free? Or full of brown wax, and odorous? If you find anything unusual that causes concern, don't hesitate to call your groomer, (who if necessary will recommend you call your local veterinarian.)

I don't recommend you trimming your pets nails unless you are comfortable with this and have the proper equipment. You can usually drop by most grooming shops and get your pets nails trimmed for a minimal cost.

Most Common Grooming Shop Procedures

Upon arrival your pet is inspected thoroughly for matted coat, ears and nails are checked , your groomer can then give you an estimate on the cost of the grooming.

In the shop, your pets coat is thoroughly brushed and combed. Their nails are trimmed and sometimes filed. Ears are plucked free of hair and cleaned with a gentle cleaning solution to rid them of wax and debris.

If your pet requires a haircut, most groomers will now do a pre-trim, before the pets bath.

The bath is an essential part of the grooming procedure. Yes they need to be clean! But they also need to be rinsed thoroughly to clean any shampoo residue from their coat. Most groomers use a quality, gentle, tearless shampoo. Sometimes your pet needs a special treatment such as a medicated bath, flea treatment or hot oil treatment. 

Also some groomers, will express your pets anal glands, during the bath. Yes sounds kind of *yucky* and it really is! But its sometimes necessary to rid your pets anal sacs of the fluid that can build up there.

Ok now that your pet is squeaky clean, they need to be dried, some groomers will put your pet in a cage dryer, sounds scary, but its not! Just a gentle blower helping to dry your dogs coat while your pet rests in a cage or crate. Some groomers also will dry your pet on a grooming table, brushing their coat as the dryer blows through it.

Once your pet is completely dry, the finishing touches are done. This could be its finish haircut, or some simple trimming, depending on your breed and your requests. Some groomers also put cologne, bows, or bandanas on your pets!