It is very important that you should not rush your puppy through the grooming process. Your puppy needs to be introduced into the grooming at a comfortable pace so that it will learn to appreciate what you are doing to it.
Before you take your puppy for dog grooming, either at home by yourself or you take it to the groomer, there are some early grooming basics that you need to teach your puppy. At home, spend some quality time as you can with your puppy touching and caressing your puppy all over his body. When you are touching it, do not forget to touch its ears, feet and toes because these areas might be sensitive to your puppy and you want it to be used to be touched at these areas when you start grooming.
As a matter of fact, very young puppies do not enjoy brushing and combing. Hence you will need to convince your puppy that it is fun and it is for its good that you are brushing and combing its hair. Using soothing and encouraging words, you calm your puppy down with long strokes of brushing. Try to incorporate this step into your daily routine to allow your pet to get used to brushing.
So, what is the appropriate age for you to introduce your puppy to grooming? You can introduce your puppy to the groomer at about 12 weeks of age. Before the actual grooming day, ensure that you contact the groomer and discuss with him on the grooming specifications that you want. You and your puppy groomer should work as partners to ensure that your puppy gets the best grooming experience.
Preparing Your Puppy For Grooming
Before you take your puppy for grooming, you need to prepare your puppy psychologically and emotionally. Since your puppy spends most of his time at home, he is probably not familiar with travelling. So you should take your puppy for several trips in your car so that he can get used to travelling and be comfortable. Also, as highlighted above, spend some quality time touching, brushing and combing your puppy. Alternatively, you may opt for home pet grooming (Likeable Pets) where the groomer grooms your pet at the comfort of your home instead of unfamiliar surroundings. This is also easier on the puppy as they are not exposed outdoor regularly.
Before you take your puppy to the grooming salon, ensure that your puppy has relieved himself. Also, remember to carry your puppy’s favourite toy so that once you reach the grooming salon, your puppy will feel comfortable and at home. That is not all, on the way to his first grooming at the salon, be happy and composed. If you are anxious, your puppy is likely to pick your anxiety and this will affect his first grooming experience. The main objective of this is to help your puppy have the best grooming experience and to make it look forward to the next grooming session.
At The Grooming Salon
Let us say this is your first puppy and you are not sure what happens at a grooming session. The first thing that the groomer will do is to brush your puppy thoroughly. The main objective of this brushing is to give the groomer a chance to touch and caress your puppy so as that your puppy will feel safe and settle down. Next, the groomer will clip your dog either with the scissors or an electric clipper.
After that, the groomer will clean the ears and the toes before bathing the puppy. Before the actual bathing begins, the groomer should drop an eye protector into your dog’s eyes so that to protect your puppy from being irritated with the bathing soap. A good groomer will use the right bathing shampoo to bath your puppy and rinse it thoroughly. After the bath, the groomer will dry your puppy with a towel to protect your dog from cold.
Remember, the most important thing is that a professional groomer should introduce your puppy to the grooming process one step after another at a comfortable pace and not rush your puppy through the process. The first grooming session might be lengthy because the puppy has to be taken through the grooming process slowly. It is important that your puppy develops trust with the groomer and become used to what happens at the grooming salon or at home.
After The Grooming Session
You should wait for your puppy groomer to call you to go and collect your dog when its ready to be picked up. Please do not show up before the grooming session is over because once your puppy hears your voice or smells your scent, he might start reacting and it will be hard for the groomer to be able to finish his grooming. Likewise, if your grooming session is at home, it is important to give the groomer and your puppy some space for them to bond with each other.
It is important that you follow the recommendations and guidance that the groomer gives you, whether it is changing your current shampoo to switching its diet. Another important thing that you should do after the first grooming session is that you should continue on a regular basis to brush and comb your dog between the grooming sessions to avoid matting. If you are too busy to schedule in daily grooming as a part of its routine, ask the groomer to cut the fur short or book an appointment for a brushing session in between.
After your puppy’s first grooming session, you might realise your dog is feeling a little apprehensive and excited. That is normal because of the clipping, and brushing is an entirely new experience like none it has had before. Your dog might be feeling a little bit strange, and so once you get home you might notice it rubbing itself against the carpet or sofa, please don’t be alarmed because that is normal. Don’t wait too long to schedule the next grooming session so that your puppy will get used to groomer’s visits and continue their bond from there.