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Grooming dogs might seem like a glorified hairdresser position to some—just with more material. This is far from the truth. The composition of dog hair is very different than the hair found on a human’s head. Many dogs have both an overcoat AND an undercoat of hair. This makes a dog grooming service entirely necessary.
The need to fully understand the special grooming needs of dogs has made the need for Dog Grooming Training Courses more and more prominent. This is partly due to just how many different tools are used during the entire process.
There are tools for the initial grooming process to prep the hair for further care. Then there are other tools that need to be used depending on the breed of the dog. Learn what exactly goes on during a dog grooming service session. Trust me, there really is a reason why it takes so long.
Dog Grooming From A-Z
A dog groomer’s job is essentially to reset the health of a dog’s coat. This process starts from the outermost layer to the innermost layer.
Brushing
First, your dog grooming service will use something called a curry brush and rub it all over your dog. This tool is designed to loosen up any dirt or dead hairs so they can completely be removed later in the grooming process. A curry brush is also useful for dematting and for clearing knots. Some groomers will refuse to comb hair that is too matted because it can hurt your dog.
After that, your dog grooming service may select a new brush based on the breed of the dog. The bristle brush is the most versatile kind of brush since they technically can be used on any type of coat. Dogs with longer coats are better served by bristle brushes with longer bristles and bigger spacing than the more common bristle brushes. Curly coated dogs or dogs with medium to long hair do well with a wire pin brush.
Once that step is complete, the dog grooming service now moves on to a slicker brush to make the coat appear more uniform and to make sure all that pesky matted hair has been taken care of. These brushes typically have very fine pins, angled about halfway down the pin. This way, as much surface area as possible is covered in a single stroke.
Bathing
Next, the dog is bathed as thoroughly as possible in a dog bathtub. Typically, there are specialized systems that deliver the water in such a way that both pet comfort and efficacy are maximized. Dog shampoo that doesn’t take away the natural oils on the fur of the dog is also applied to freshen up the hair and to completely clean out any dirt that may have trapped itself deep inside the coat.
The second to the last step is the final drying of the dog. You can not return a dog to its owner sopping wet, but also, improper drying is bad for the long-term health of the dog’s coat. It can lead to the matting and growing of bacteria if the dog was left to its own devices. There’s typically a very special drying machine in the dog salon that takes care of this. It’s almost like a little car wash dryer, but for your dog.
More Grooming
The final step is to do all of the peripheral grooming that has been left out. This includes clipping nails, brushing teeth, and trimming or cutting certain problematic areas.
The entire dog grooming service process can take anywhere from 1-3 hours. Then, the dog is returned to the owner until the next appointment has been scheduled. It’s a very intensive process for both the groomer as well as for the dog. Care must be taken to not cause any pain or discomfort during the entire process.
Grooming dogs is a lot more than the brush, wash, dry, and that’s precisely why a dog grooming service tends to charge a premium for their services. Do you take your dog to the groomers?
11/20/18 Hey guys! My in-laws surprised us and showed up early. SO we are in full family mode. I hope you’re having a great holiday week so far 🙂
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I’ve never used a grooming service so this was interesting to me. It’s useful information for the future.
We get our dog groomed a few times a year. Thankfully, her hair doesn’t grow fast.
Our dogs go to the groomer every seven weeks. There are excellent groomers and there are not so good ones (bad!). The first time we had our dog groomed we took her to one of the big name pet stores. She was shaking when we picked her up and was nervous and scared for a few days after. We don’t know what happened to her, but it took a few days to coax her out from her hiding places. Needless to say, we haven’t taken her back there. We started asking our friends who have dogs and even stopped a couple in a parking lot who had the same breed in their car for recommendations. We now take them to an amazing lady who loves them like her own. They run to the door when they see where we are!
That is terrible that she had a bad experience, I’m so sorry. I am so glad though, that you were able to find a groomer that your pups love!