How to Choose a Professional Dog Groomer

Grooming is now offered in both large scale commercial pet stores and in small boutiques owned by local small business owners that live and spend in your own community. Although the larger corporate pet stores sometimes offer an illusion of a happy pet grooming experience it is important to realize it can be just an illusion. Behind the curtain your pet should still be receiving the same maintenance and care as it does in the boutiques, but big corporate has more space and walls to hide the unpleasant stuff that is involved with proper dog hygiene. If they aren't hiding it and you can't watch the entire process from start to finish than they just aren't doing it, but trust us from over 40 years of experience, not everything about the grooming experience is pleasant for your dog or the groomer because it's downright difficult and sometimes gross.

Dog grooming made it to the top of the world's dirtiest jobs on a recent TV series called "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel. There is a reason for this. If a dog is receiving proper care at your local groomer they are getting their ear hair pulled and cleaned to prevent ear infections and mites, they are getting their anal glands expelled during their bath to prevent backup, they are getting their pads shaved to prevent stuff from getting stuck in the pads of the foot, and they are getting their toe nails trimmed. A good groomer also doesn't hide add-on fees. The major care should always be included. If your pet is regularly brushed and cared for you may just require a bath, but if you receive a hair cut your puppy should get a bath to go with it. This is where it gets tricky because some groomers only do one or the other and don't explain add-on fees for separate services. Additionally, many groomers are just starting out and haven't been trained properly by a professional. Young student groomers often think like the customer that it should be all about a pampering spa experience for the dog, but the truth is if the dog doesn't receive proper care this could cost you as the customer big bucks down the road from your local veterinarian.

Often a larger corporate location does the hard stuff like cutting nails, cleaning ears and bathing where the glands are expelled in the back room. They have a big window where passers can view their puppy getting the final touches. They use the noose system (hook leash to collar) to hold the dog in place. Many groomers still use this method for dog restraint. It's our experience that this method is part of the illusion. It is better to learn proper restraints and holds for dogs that are both safe and assist in supporting the dog during all stages of the grooming and bathing procedure. A noose system can be exactly that. New groomers using a noose system can get distracted and are often misled into believing this will fully restrain the dog, but it often leaves just enough room for the dog to jump.  There have been reported cases where dogs have hung themselves from tables that were restrained this way. Luckily, to my knowledge big corporate groomers only use these tables in the front room where owners can see the happy smiles of their pets getting the finishing touches, but who really knows. That back room holds a lot of mystery.

Although Golda's Grooming is a small grooming boutique, it is our experience that it is best to be open and to communicate with the owners that their dog either enjoys the experience or doesn't. Although it is nice for the owner to think of grooming as a pampering experience (and some dogs do too) it is also best to know the truth about your pet so that you can encourage it to do better the next time and it is rewarding to know of your dog's progress when your pet does handle it's grooming experience better.  Some dogs are fear biters and demonstrate a natural fear at first of grooming tools. Some dogs hate their faces or feet touched. Others treat it from the beginning like a spa experience. A lot of this really depends on the dog's personality and natural fears. Our main point here is that if your groomer doesn't let you stay and watch the whole process upon request there may be something they are trying to hide. It's also good to ask lots of questions to make sure your dog is receiving all the required care it needs to maintain not only it's looks, but also proper health and hygiene. It can prevent costly vet bills down the road.

If you liked this article be sure to follow our blog, because we will be posting more related to the types of questions to ask your groomer and how to help make the grooming experience a positive one for everyone involved.

Remember, it is important to educate yourself about your pet if you love him/ her to make sure your little one is receiving the proper care it needs to remain healthy and clean.

And now for a bit of humor regarding dogs and the bathing experience:



For more information on dog care check out the Golda's Grooming Website. Golda's Grooming "We Care About Your Pets" 3629 Western Ave. Knoxville, TN 37931 Right off of I-40. Or Schedule an Appointment for a Pet Grooming via email here: Golda's Grooming Schedule Your Pet