In order to give your dog the best life, dog grooming must be a part of it. Whether that means finding a professional groomer or spending your free time handling dog grooming personally is up to you. However, if you’re considering looking at professional dog grooming as an outlet in your area, here are some things to consider before you subscribe to any specific dog groomers.
What Breeds Has the Groomer Worked With?
Whether you’re visiting, emailing, or calling, you should ask the dog grooming location what breeds they’ve worked with and what kind of experience they have working with a variation of dog breeds and personalities. This can be very helpful to understanding how well they will work with your dog, especially if he is skittish or anxious.
Do the Payment Options Work for You?
All dog grooming professionals will charge a little something different for their services and you’ll want to make sure their charges match up with your budget. One of the best things about Splash and Dash for dogs is the monthly membership, flat-rate fee. You can always expect to pay the same amount every month and receive a full bath and brush and grooming sessions in between as needed every month. This makes fitting dog grooming into your monthly budget that much easier.
What Does the Dog Grooming Studio Look Like?
You should always investigate the dog grooming facilities before you leave your dog there in order to look out for rust, odd smells, mold, or other obvious dangers. While you can expect some level of wet dog smell in dog grooming facilities, it should never smell and you should never see buildup of mold, soap, or hair. Reputable dog grooming studios will keep their workspace clean. Ask if you can tour the facility, preferably before the first visit with your dog if you have the opportunity.
What Type of Training Does the Staff Have?
Going back to the first question, to get into dog grooming, there are no required licenses of any kind and there are no required classes to be taken. However, there is a dog grooming school that individuals can attend. For the benefit of your peace of mind and dog safety, you should ask what type of training dog groomers have and if they have training in dog behaviors as this can help especially shy dogs or dogs with harder to handle personalities. You can also ask the dog groomer if they have a background on breed-specific grooming standards which is especially important if you intend to show your dog.
What Information Do the Groomers Need from You?
Good dog grooming facilities will always ask for information about you and your dog including personality-type, coat-type and health, and your contact information. Groomers may also ask for emergency contact information in case anything happens. You should have emergency contacts available in case they can’t reach you.
How Do You Optimize Dog Grooming Visits?
In order to make the most out of your monthly or bimonthly visits to dog grooming, you should ask for any dog grooming suggestions for how to best maintain your dog’s fur between visits. This may mean light brushing, this may mean doing nothing. Different dog breeds have different maintenance needs. Dog grooming professionals should be able to tell you what your dog will need in order to have a healthier coat.
