Henderson Dog Grooming

Dog and cat grooming – Article 3

Dog Grooming – Cat Grooming

A Groomer’s How To – by Candy Levine Doppert

The First Haircut – Can be a puzzling experience. If you have a dog for the first time, and aren’t quite sure of the style that it is suppose to have, ‘don’t panic!’ Your dog &/or cat is just that…”yours”, so enjoy them and don’t sweat the little stuff! Just because you have a Bichon (which by grooming standards should have a full scissor cut), or a Wheaton Terrier (that according to their breed should have a ‘fall’ bang), or even a Cocker Spaniel with a full-length Cocker Clip, in the end, its “up to you…the owner”.

Your groomer is always there to make helpful suggestions on how they ‘see’ your dog’s style, but again, it is YOU that we groomers listen too. ‘Teddy Bear, Daisy, Kennel, Utility, Springer Cut, Lion Clip…so many clips, so many dogs & cats, it can be overwhelming to think about. You may have an idea of how you want your dog to look, and as for myself, I want to make the owner happy with the cut, and your pet happy with a positive grooming experience. Even if in some cases, I don’t really understand or agree with what a client may want, it is ultimately up to the owner to let the groomer know what they want. Don’t let your groomer tell you that your dog should look a certain way because of its breed, it’s “your” decision in the end. We can certainly inform you how this particular breed should look and what they require, but not all dogs do well with grooming. They may have skin conditions, or matt up to the extreme that an owner is incapable of de-matting them, their hair just may not be consistent with the way that it should be. A lot of factors can come into play. But, groomers can be very knowledgeable and can help to achieve that special look you want. Unless your dog is a ‘show dog’, then it is required to be groomed according to the breeds’ standard book. Otherwise, your pet is a very important part of your family, and you just want them to look well taken care of and be loved. Definitely a routine grooming can achieve that goal. Each breed requires different grooming needs, some more frequent than others. Your groomer is the best person to let you know how often your pet needs to come in. Some dogs that have long full coats, may need to come in as often as once a month. Whereas, as dog that has a basic shavedown or bath & tidy up, can go much longer than that. You still need to keep up on the nail trims & ear cleaning on a regular basis in between groomings.