Your dog’s first visit to the groomer will be monumental. It’s their first real professional bath with all the trimmings so, of course, you might be anxious not knowing what to expect. To help ease your anxiety, we’ve compiled a helpful list of dos and don’ts when it comes to your pup’s groomer visit! These tips will help improve both you and your dog’s experience and will make for many happy grooming trips from here on out.
1. Do Prep Your Dog at Home
The best thing to do to get your dog used to the grooming process is prepping them at home first. You’ll want to familiarize your dog early on what goes into bath time so that they’re used to it when they go to a groomer for the first time. Their first bath at home can help them when away, so you’ll want to go through many of the same procedures a groomer will do at home. Things, like bathing them in water, cleaning their ears, and even blow drying their hair, can help later on. This way, your pooch won’t freak out once a groomer tries to do the same.
2. Do Brush Regularly at Home
Besides getting Fido accumulated at home to grooming methods, you’ll want to also brush their hair as often as possible so that they don’t go in with knotty hair. Brushing it daily will prevent knots, which means an easier grooming experience that won’t frighten the dog. Think of your dog’s hair like your own hair and brush it every day.
3. Do Continue to be Calm
You’ll want to be extra calm and collected when you drop off your pooch at the groomers for the first time. Remember, dogs can easily sense your anxiety, so if you’re anxious about their first grooming experience, so will they. You don’t want to make them frightened or scared. This will only translate to a squirming dog that will make the grooming experience horrible overall.
4. Don’t Check in on Your Dog
Once you drop your dog off at the groomer, don’t drop in to see how they’re doing or if they are finished. This will get your dog excited and make grooming very difficult. It’s better to wait for the groomer to officially call you before you head over to pick them up. Use this time to go run other errands or just relax and treat yourself to something!
5. Be as Specific as You Can
To get the results you want, you’ll want to be very specific when explaining to the groomer what you’d like in terms of the haircut your dog should have. Or, be specific about things you want and don’t want. The best practice is to show photos of exactly what you would like to get done. For haircut inspiration, you can do a quick search on the web!
6. Do Listen to the Groomer
Groomers are professionals for a reason, so if they recommend something, you might want to listen to them. They know what types of haircuts look good and which don’t. Consider their suggestions because it might look better than what you originally had in mind.
7. Do Be on Time
Your groomer’s day might be filled with appointments and your dog’s time was allotted just for them. Be on time to make sure everything goes smoothly!
Dog grooming is fun and a convenient way to get your dog fresh and clean! Once you start getting them groomed professionally continuously by Groom and Play, they’ll love it! Located in Santa Clarita, we’re a professional pet grooming shop that takes pride in our work and we’re here to help your dog look their best!
