How often should my dog be groomed?
The number one question that I get asked is, “how often should I get my dog groomed?” This is a loaded question. As your groomer I will always recommend a recurring schedule of 4 to 8 weeks.
Your circumstances may not warrant a grooming visit during that time frame. How often you professionally groom your dog is truly based on a set of circumstances that are breed and lifestyle specific.
If you and your dog are beach bums and love to run with the tides; it’s likely that a short haircut or a shorter span between visits is best for them since their coat will be absorbing moisture and debris on a regular basis. If you know that your pup is a couch potato who prefers snuggly brush sessions to hiking in the woods; you could easily stretch that timeframe. It's important to remember that regular grooming is not just a fancy haircut and a “spa day”. It's a vital maintenance practice. Taking your dog to see a professional groomer on a regular basis keeps you informed of your dog’s skin condition, any abnormalities, signs of infections, and so on. As pet owners we don’t always notice new abnormalities. Professional groomers are working up close and personally with your dogs. We often notice lumps and bumps that weren’t there the month before. A skin condition can flare up in the span of a couple of months and it's crucial that it's caught early before it worsens or causes hot spots. Hot spots can go unnoticed; becoming infected. Anal glands can fill up and cause abscesses. Your groomer will help bring these things to your purview in order to stay abreast of your pets dermal and even subdermal health. Working together with a professional groomer on a regular basis will help you keep your pet looking and feeling their best.
Our goal is to create a cozy experience for everypup.
Your grooming schedule should reflect your pup's needs, your lifestyle, and your budget. The official answer is that your time frame is what works best for you. Evaluate how quickly your pet’s coat grows. Are there areas that require attention before they require a full haircut? A service that we offer is the bath and sanitary trim. Even if your pet doesn’t need a full groom they could benefit from a good scrub and touch up. Before long your dog’s facial hair comes back in. Their paw pads fluff back up and make it hard to grip the floor. You hear the little clicking of their nails. Maybe it’s time for a bath and sanitary trim to address these issues before their next full grooming session. This also allows your pet to spend more time with their groomer - further strengthening their bond.
Something else I’ve learned in the last couple of decades is that dogs who see their groomer more often create a tighter bond. Positive experiences and regular exposure help our pets become acclimated to stimuli. In our case it's the grooming environment and the staff that is handling them.
Love and patience go a long way to help our clients feel safe.
Trust building is something that has become essential to me. As a young groomer it was important to provide quality work in a timely fashion. I’ve always respected the dog/human relationship but in the past ten years or so it's become so much more about earning the dog’s trust while they're in my care. I see a lot of high anxiety clients who are not quick to trust anyone. They love their parents, their small circle, and maybe a few others outside of the home. Creating a bond that allows me to become a part of a dog’s circle is an amazing feeling. Earning a pet’s trust is a privilege that takes time and patience; but is so worth the reward. We want to create an experience your dog begins to look forward to. That includes regular visits and positive correlation.
I will now be implementing “positive pop-ins”. Bringing your furry friends by to say “hello” and grab a treat will help them begin to associate the salon with positive memories. I’ve mentioned before that dogs have great recall. If they continue to have good encounters with the grooming staff it's likely that they’ll become the pup that runs toward the door. Of course we’re responsible as their groomers to continue the positivity during the grooming process. We work hard on and off the table to create long lasting relationships with your pets using calm energy work, positive reinforcement, and providing a calm environment (when possible; sometimes zoomies do occur).
Learning your pet’s specific grooming needs, creating a positive grooming routine, and fostering a strong bond between your dog and their groomer will all factor into how often your pet visits the salon. Find what works best for your schedule, your budget, and your pet’s lifestyle. That’s the recipe for success. Remember; if you’re going to stretch salon visits it's important to implement a home grooming routine to ensure coat and skin health. I look forward to continuing to foster the amazing relationships I share with you and your pets. Don’t forget to pop in for a chat and a treat! See you in the salon!
xo Britt
Matting Mysteries Detangled
Well everyone! It’s a new year and we’ve all decided to be resolute in our vigilance to care for those coats! Brushing our pets is necessary to ensure their overall health. Matting can lead to a number of health concerns which can be avoided with a positively reinforced brushing routine. I see a number of matting cases each week. It's not uncommon and it's not always avoidable. Matting occurs when our dog’s fur rubs together causing friction. While the coat continues to rub together it’ll fuse - causing a tangle. These tangles can get out of control quickly if gone unnoticed. A major problem that we see is air drying pets at home after a bath. It’s highly recommended that if a pup is bathed at home that a good conditioner is used in addition to a conditioning spray before or after (or both in my case). Home bathing needs to be followed up with a high force dryer if you’re working with a double coated or curly coated dog. You can likely get away with a personal blow dryer on low heat for your yorkies and shih tzus. Once the coat is completely dry you’ll follow your brushing routine as normal. It's also a good idea to run a brush through any fur that needs to be dried after going outside in inclement weather.
Brushing routines can be tough to establish. It's best to begin brush introduction around five to eight weeks of age. As we begin to acclimate our puppies into their new home it's our job to continue to acclimate them to this routine. As we all know not every dog comes to us as a puppy. I’ll talk more about counterconditioning with established pups in a later post; however this process is just as useful in helping to desensitize older pups who are resistant to brushing.
Start in areas you know aren’t sensitive and work your way up. This desensitization process can include the use of a small rubber brush like the Pet Teezer by my favorite personal hairbrush company, Tangle Teezer, to get them used to the idea. Begin by simply rewarding your dog’s reaction to seeing the brush. Help your pet understand that the brush isn't scary by creating a pleasant experience right off the bat so that you can work your way up to the brush that is best appropriate for their adult coat. Keep these sessions short when working on desensitization. Along with positive reinforcement and high value treats you will begin to build a healthy relationship between your dog and their time spent with you during brushing. Make it a snuggly, training treat filled extravaganza until they understand that it's just a nice way to wind down with you at the end of their day.
Best practice is to brush downward in small sections and try to alleviate pulling when working with matts. Don’t push too hard as it will cause brush burn. Pups tend to recall past negative experiences and may run from the brush if they’ve had their hair pulled or have been brushed too hard. Once you’ve worked through your section; you’ll go over the coat with a fine tooth comb to check that there are no leftover matts or tangles. The amount of brushing your dog will need is breed specific. Research your pups coat type to learn what works best for them and your lifestyle. It's also important to incorporate a detangling spray to alleviate pulling. Detangling spray takes a lot of the work out of brushing and puts a lot of benefits in. A good detangling product will envelop the coat and prevent further friction. It also adds luxurious moisture to your pet’s fur/hair. Trust me a good detangling spray will be your best friend!
Les Poochs Detangling Spray
Enriched with Vitamin B5 & Sea Kelp
We are seeing a serious surge in mixed texture coats as of late. With the ever popular doodle rising in numbers; groomers are adjusting their techniques, groom time expectations, and product investments. With the help of some wonderful products hitting the market in the last fifteen years or so; it has become much easier to work with coats that may otherwise cause a bit of stress such as the Alaskan malamute or cocker spaniel. Brands like Tangle Teezer, BioSilk, Hydra, iGroom, etc. have noticed this rise in necessity for products that help in alleviating the negatives that can come along with grooming. The Les Poochs Detangling Spray is one product that we couldn’t live without in the salon. It’s a prewash and/or leave-in spray that enriches your pup’s coat with vitamin B5 and sea kelp. Both of which are moisturizing powerhouses. This duo helps to fortify your pup’s fur; leaving it shiny, smooth, and so much more manageable. Among the list of benefits is the noticeable effect the Les Poochs Detangling spray has on itchy skin. The valuable nourishing and moisture protecting properties of this particular compound have made it a salon favorite. Based on dermatological benefits alone we cannot recommend this spray enough. That’s not to say that there aren’t other detangling sprays out there that work fabulously and offer their own sets of benefits! Below you’ll find a list of amazing sprays that we incorporate daily. A huge bonus of each of them is the readministration of moisture after bathing or during a thorough brushout. Remember as we strip the moisture via bathing or brushing we need to replenish it to ensure our pets overall dermatological health. Choosing a detangling spray will depend on several factors. Which is best for your dog’s coat type? Which products work well with your budget? Which sprays will benefit your pup the most? Well, it’s been over a decade in the making but these game changing products have been put to the test and now I have a comprehensive list of recs and their benefits that I think you’ll love! Don’t worry - a great list of brushes is coming soon. Cheers to the new year, the same amazing you, and your pups’ health in 2026 and beyond!
Remember - a thoroughly brushed and moisturized coat is a happy, healthy coat.
Les Poochs Detangling Spray $34.00
Enriched with vitamin B5 and sea kelp infusing coat and skin with natural protection and strengthening properties leading to less damage and breakage. This product is highly recommended for doodles and double coated dogs but can be used on any coat to help matting removal and coat maintenance.iGroom Magic Detangler & Conditioning Spray$21.75
Infused with Keratin, amino acids, and vegetable proteins to add body and moisture while repairing previous damage. This spray is extremely versatile and can’t be recommended enough for all coat types. Magic is right!BioSilk for Dogs Silk Therapy infused with Coconut $10.99
Sulfate free, paraben free, and made in the USA with the consciousness of animal skin needs. The pH balanced formula is perfect for your pooch’s coat. This product can be used as a leave-in conditioner and waterless bath. The infusion of coconut oils further conditions without leaving fur feeling heavy. We love this for doodles, cockers, and double coated dogs.BioSilk for Dogs Silk Therapy $12.00
Just like its friend; the Silk Therapy original spray is fortified with vitamins and amino acids to protect your pup’s skin barrier while assisting in light matting and tangle removal. This USA made product smells amazing and leaves the coat shiny and smooth. This product works great on drop coats, cotton coats, and single coated curly pups.
IGROOM Magic Detangler & Conditioning Spray
I hope you find these products as useful as I have in your daily grooming routine. These are game changing sprays that have overhauled the way we as groomers and pet parents approach coat maintenance and care. Follow us for monthly advice and salon news here!
Welcome Friends!
Welcome Everyone!
Over the last twenty years or so I have been working with animals and learning the ins and outs of their likes, dislikes, trigger areas, etc. during grooming. Throughout my time as a pet groomer I’ve often found myself researching a myriad of topics related to animal behavior. What triggers a dryer seizure? What causes a dog to pull away when touching their legs? Why is one dog running into the salon to see us and the next dog running in the opposite direction? These answers are out there; but “out there” is so vast! I want to bring you the information you need to ensure that your pups’ salon visit is a valuable experience every time.
We will be learning about desensitization and counterconditioning, table manners, positive reinforcement, enrichment, energy work, home grooming care, and so much more! The goal of this blog is to keep a healthy and beneficial relationship between your pup and the grooming experience. The most important thing for our pets is their safety and their comfort. After all - that’s why we welcome them into our homes and our hearts. Follow me and our HPG family while we navigate the world of pet grooming and share the advice we’ve learned along the way!