Puppy Grooms - A New Friend In Southend!

This gawguss little furbaby is my newest client - a 4 month old Shih Tsu.
His owner has wisely decided to get him used to the grooming process early so the other day I went over to give him his first ever puppy groom.
How is grooming a puppy different to grooming a fully grown dog?
Well as you can see from the picture, I haven't done much in the way of clipping or styling.
There are two main aims when you are grooming a puppy:
1) To make sure the dog is clean, hygienic and comfortable.
2) To get the dog used to being handled and comfortable with the equipment used - hair driers and clippers are noisy things, and scissoring is soooh much safer and quicker if the dog stands still & quiet.

So first things first - a quick comb through confirmed that Mum had been on top of the regular grooming and the coat was properly tangle free.
From there he was popped into the bath and given a good shampoo and rinse.
Back on the table I gave him a quick blast with the HV drier - just long enough to get most of the water out of his coat because they are noisy scarey things for a pup, then thoroughly dried with a normal hand held drier on a cool setting. Once again Mum was on the case and she had already familiarised him with her own drier, making my job a lot easier.
Next I checked his feet. Nails were clipped - even if they are not too long I will clip a tiny bit of the ends just to get the puppy used to the sensation. Fur between the footpads was scissored short to prevent uncomfortable matts forming between the toes and then I did a little bit of scissoring to shape the feet.
Although I haven't shaped the face I have taken the hair between the eyes short so he can see and to prevent nasty eye bogies forming in the corners of the eyes. I have also cut a visor, or fringe, so he can see out and we can all see his lovely eyes!
To finish I gave my little buddy a hygiene clip which is pretty self explanatory - just trimming the fur around his private parts to help keep him clean.

And voila! A clean, comfortable bundle of joy! The whole process only took an hour (and is priced accordingly) but I am sure when you are four months old that's still too long and it was high time for a wee by the time we were done.

My new pal is booked in for regular monthly appointments until he is ready to sit still for the full service.

Puppy grooms work out at around £20 depending on the breed requirements but expect a similar service to this.

And bear in mind, a dog which is used to being groomed regularly - both by a groomer and by you in between pro grooms- will stand still and quiet meaning your groomer can get the job done much more quickly and efficiently. Quick means cheaper for you (most groomers charge by the hour for de-matting or unco-operative dogs) and efficient means a much nicer, prettier finish.

If you have a new puppy you would like to introduce to a proper grooming routine call me on 07555207128 and make an appointment.