Entrusting your dog in the hands of a stranger is not an easy thing. You need someone whom you can trust your dog with. When you are looking for a dog groomer to groom your dog, be sure that you have selected the right groomer for your pet. And the only way you can know the right groomer for your dog is to ask him questions. If you do this, you will be able to find the best groomer for your dog and one that your pet will be comfortable with.
A dog groomer knows what to do in making sure that your pet is well-groomed. Good grooming will ensure that your dog will stay healthy. Always keep it at the back of your mind that a well-groomed dog is a healthy dog. Therefore, it is essential that you find the right groomer to groom your dog.
However, finding a professional groomer who has the right set of skills and dedication to groom your pet correctly nowadays can be a daunting task. When seeking a groomer, it is important to examine how much grooming knowledge the groomer has. Experience is always the best teacher they say, hence its one of the things that you should consider in a groomer. An experienced dog groomer will, without a doubt do an excellent service to your dog than a newbie. To know how experienced a groomer is, you can ask around.
Below are five guiding questions that you can ask your dog groomer to be to be sure that you get the right groomer.
Are You Certified?
A groomer who has a certificate of practising dog grooming is an indication that he is trained and so he can do your dog good grooming. However, in some isolated cases, a new and uncertified groomer can give your dog the best grooming experience of his lifetime.
The certificate that he has will show how much experience he has in handling your dog than a seasoned groomer. So do not hesitate to accept the services of one who proves that he has experienced yet untrained.
Certification combined with expertise is a guarantee that your pet will get the best grooming experience every time you take it for a visit.
What Will You Do if My Dog Gets Scared?
Depending on the kind of the breed of your dog, some dog breed is known to be tricky during the grooming session. If a dog is afraid, it is likely to become aggressive. Should this happen during the grooming session, the groomer should know in advance about what he should do so that the dog calms down.
In conjunction to knowing what the groomer will do when the dog becomes scared, you should ask him whether he has experience handling your dog’s breed type. Different breeds of dogs have different personalities, and they react differently to grooming.
A groomer who has handled a variety of dog breeds will know how to manage any dog whenever it becomes aggressive during the grooming session.
Will My Dog Be In A Crate? If So, Can I See The Crate?
There are very high chances that when you take your dog for grooming it will not be the only one hence, it will be put in a crate as it awaits its turn to be groomed. There is a high chance that your dog will be put in a box for some time for the safety of everyone involved.
If your groomer says that your pet will be kept in a crate, ask him to show you the crate so that you can ascertain the size of the crate that your dog will be put in. Ensure that the crate is of adequate size and clean. The crate should not only appear clean, but the environment around it should be clean as well and no bothersome odour.
You should inquire as to the amount of time that your dog will be spending in the crate waiting to be groomed. The time that your dog will be staying in the box will depend on the number of other dogs, and it will help you know whether you will be separated from your dog for that long.
Alternatively, you can opt for in-house grooming where a professional groomer come to your house to groom your dog instead.
Can I Witness The Grooming Process?
If the groomer turns down your request to watch how your dog is being groomed, do not feel irritated. This is because your dog might get distracted during the grooming process hence the groomer will find it challenging to groom your pet appropriately.
Some grooming salons have transparent glass so that you can sit and watch as your dog is being groomed. However, if that setup is not available in the pet salon that you have visited, it does not mean that you cannot trust their services.
What Does The Grooming Session Include?
Once you get to the grooming salon, you need to read the brochure to ensure that you are getting the best services for your dog and be satisfied that the services are worth paying for. The grooming services vary from one differ from one groomer to another, and so there are no standard charges that cuts across all groomers.
The grooming package may include services like nail clipping, washing, drying and a trim and another groomer may add some additional service fee to these, and so the payment will not be the same.
However, make sure that you do not pay for services that you do not need for your dog. If there is a service that you could like eliminated from the package, negotiate with the groomer so that you pay only for the services your dog needs or swap it with another service that your dog might need but is not included in the package.
Bonus Question
You might want to inquire from your groomer about his policy if your dog wants to pee. Some groomers once they crate your dog, they will not take your dog out when it wants to pee, but they will prefer to clean the crate later. Others still will give dogs small breaks so that they can be able to pee or from time to time take them out so that they can pee outside.
Happy grooming!