A Guide To Grooming

What is grooming?

Webster’s Dictionary defines grooming as “to give neat attraction to.” We’ve expanded upon this definition to describe the full grooming cycle which includes: shampooing, conditioning, drying, ear cleaning, nail trimming, brushing and hair cutting.

Grooming is the full process of attaining and maintaining a healthy and attractive coat on your pet.

Why is Grooming Important?

Regular grooming helps keep your pet looking and feeling good. Every time you brush and comb, loose hair and debris are removed from the coat, leaving it clean and healthy.

Brushing and combing helps stimulate the blood supply to the skin. It strengthens the epidermal cells and enriches the oils and color, giving your pet a healthier and shinier coat.

A good regime of grooming helps to reduce the risk of matting. Apart from being unattractive, a matted coat hurts your pets and limits the skin’s exposure to air, making your pet more prone to infections.

Once a mat gets wet, it will become tighter and harder to remove. Call your professional pet groomer for an appointment if matting becomes persistent.

When should I start?

Introduce your pet to grooming as early as possible. Even as early as 8 weeks old. Puppies quickly become acclimated to a grooming routine. However, it’s never too late to start a grooming program, even if your pet is in its golden years.

Like children, your pet may be hesitant to accept grooming at first. Don’t get discouraged, keep your grooming sessions short and sweet! Offer encouragement and praise when they’re being cooperative. Always reward your pet after each session is finished. Pretty soon you and your pet will look forward to these grooming sessions.

Who can I turn to for grooming help?

If you are experiencing difficulty setting up a proper grooming regime, speak to your professional pet groomer for helpful hints on creating and maintaining a positive and inviting grooming experience for your pets needs.

The team at Vada’s Club K9 is committed to continuing education both for themselves as well as for their clients. We care about building a strong grooming community in Manitoba and encourage everyone to learn more about it.

What can happen if I post-pone or neglect my grooming responsibilities? 

Grooming is an important part of your pet’s health. It should not be postponed or neglected! Regular maintenance at home reduces matts, negative odors, foreign debris and foreign bodies (fleas, bacteria, etc) from infecting your pet, it strengthens the epidermal cells, and encourages the release of natural oils on the hair. Postponing a grooming appointment or neglecting the at-home grooming regime affects the health of your pet and possibly your pocket book.

If you take your pet to the groomer and you are not doing regular grooming at home, then your pet is most likely not trained to behave properly during the grooming and the coat(in most cases) would be in poor condition.

Most groomers list a basic price of each breed and size of dog based on the assumption that the dog is in perfect or near perfect condition and is well to semi-well behaved. Grooming is a profession and as such, time is money. The more time and effort required to groom a dog the more money required to pay for their services.

By taking the time at home to train your pet, you reduce the amount of stress and health risks your pet endures and you save money. What better reason is there to start a regular schedule of grooming at home than that?

Eye Care 

Most pets will produce some eye discharge or “goobers” everyday. It is usually light to dark brown in colour. It is imperative that this area is kept clean and dry, otherwise you may get a buildup of eye goobers that are foul smelling, unsightly and most importantly, a breeding ground for bacteria. 

You can practice cleaning underneath your pet’s eyes by holding the hair underneath his chin with one hand, and gently using a damp facecloth with the other. Some pet’s eyes will produce more discharge than others. Trimming underneath the inside corner of the eyes will help cut down on the buildup and will be easier for you to clean at home. 

We recommend bringing your pet in for either a Face, Feet and Bum Trim or a Bath & Tidy in between full groomings. Diet can sometimes play a role in tear staining issues, so switching to a super premium quality food may help.
If you notice that your pet’s eye discharge is yellow or green in colour, then they should be looked at by the vet asap as it could possibly mean an infection.

Grooming Etiquette

• Brush and comb your pets hair regularly (3 times a week)
• Book your grooming appointments in advance. Don’t call and expect to get in that day
• To reduce severe matting, brush and comb out completely before AND after bathing at home
• Respect your groomer’s opinion regarding the grooming care of your pet
• To reduce the stress and chance of your pet defecating in the pet salon, walk your pet before their grooming appointment
• If by chance your pet defecates before going into the salon, please ask for a ‘poop bag’ from the groomers
• Always have your pet on leash and under control
• Teach your pet that biting is unacceptable during grooming
• Arrive on time and be sure to give enough time for grooming your pet well, without rushing
• Mention and remind your groomer of any health conditions that your pet has had recently or in the past
• Do not exceed more that 3 months between grooming appointments. Getting your pet shaved once a year is inhumane and cruel, and costs more money
• Always provide feedback on the grooming and tip when satisfied just like you would at your hairdresser