"When should my puppy have its first professional grooming?"
Grooming on your pup should start at 10 weeks of age (after second vaccination), to let the pup become acquainted with the sounds of the studio environment, noises such as dryers, blasters,and other dogs etc. Your groomer will teach your pup and you the proper way to brush and handle your puppy. These techniques started early will imprint on your pup. The first 6 months of life for a dog is like the first 5 years for a human. It is very important to start them early. We recommend a grooming session every month for the first 4 months. With both you and your groomer working hand in hand doing the same things at home as the groomer would in the studio the pup will take everything around him or her in stride and make it a pleasant experience and not a traumatic one, this in turn makes grooming your pet at home easy for your pup, you and the groomer. Once your dog is conditioned for grooming, regular grooming is required every 2 months for life.
"Why does my dog itch after grooming?"
Some dogs itch as people would after they have shaved their legs or “other” areas. Another reason is the dog came into the studio severely pelted (matted to the skin solid) and the groomer had to use a very short blade to get under that matting to be able to lift it away from the skin. Owners are responsible for the regular in home brushing of their pets to maintain their coats so a dog groomer can do a cute clip. Sometimes puppies itch because it is their first grooming, or they have never had certain procedures done on them such as ear hair removal in the canal. Your pup will shake its head. Discourage your dog from scratching or shaking its head, as he or she will cause irritation and scabbing if left unattended. Dogs or pups that have matting on ear tips, once released at the groomers the blood rushes to the end of the tips. With the dog shaking its head the tips of the ears hit together above the head causing scabbing, or hemotomas. Apply Gold Bond Medicated Powder for itching, or baby diaper rash cream which can be purchased at any Pharmacy. Do NOT apply Gold Bond powder to eye area, or scabbed ear tips. TIP- For head shaking cut a womans nylon sock to make it like a sleeve and slip it over the dogs head with the ears placed up on top of the forehead. This will stop the hitting of ear tips together causing hemotomas. Also white or light coloured dogs are more prone to scratching and ear shaking after grooming.
"I want my dog short but not shaved."
Shaving and Clipping are the same. Blades come in all different lengths, from short to long. The longest blade made now is a 3/4 which leaves the coat over an inch long. The better maintained the coat is, with no matting or knots, the longer clip style a groomer can do. Longer clipped styles require more frequent grooming every 4 weeks to maintain the style. Anything longer than that is hand scissored, and is not practical for the dog and the family to maintain their coats. Everything is dragged into a home, grass clippings, mud, snow you name it, it adheres to the hair, but if you enjoy the long styles can afford the regular frequent grooming (every 4-6 weeks for hand scissorred long styles) and are willing to put your time and effort into your pets brushing, a long coat style is a sight to behold.
"Will I get a discount if I have two or more dogs?"
Sud-Z-Paws will not offer any discount to two or more dogs. The same amount of work goes into each dog and the fee is charged accordingly to the breed, the style, condition of the dog, and the time preformed to complete the dog. To understand this better if you and your friend walked into a hairdresser and said, "Since there is two of us do we get a discount?" or if you have two cars and have to get the oil and filter changed on both, do you think you would get a discount,....No....It is the same amount of service work performed. Sud-Z-Paws will however offer a 15% discount to all clients who regularly prebook their next appointment within 8 weeks upon leaving. This offers you the convenience of scheduling your dog on a day that fits your requirements, and you will never be dissappointed on having to wait for an appointment, plus having the added bonus of 15% discount on full grooms. It is also the normal length of time, every 8 weeks for grooming on coated breeds such as Shih Tzu's, Lhasa"s, Schnauzers etc.
"What products or equipment should I have on hand at home, and what else should I know prior to having my dog groomed?"
All dog owners should have the proper brush(s) and comb for their type of breed. A good quality nail clipper and , "Kwik stop" to stop bleeding of a clipped nail. ( it happens don't worry that's why they make Kwik stop) Sometimes when groomers cut the nails, we are suppose to go just in front of the "quick" or vein. When the owner shows up the dog prances and spins on the flooring and carpet just enough to file that nail a little more, opening up the vein, which bleeds. Now don't panick, the bleeding looks like a lot of blood but if your dog is healthy and has no blood clotting disorder, it will clot all on its own, or apply that Kwik stop to the nail that you just bought for your dog supplies. While your at the pharmacy buy Gold bond medicated powder and/or Zincofax diaper rash cream. These two products help dogs to stop scatching, sometimes just because of clipping. They will get used to it in time. Some dogs react more than others. Apply gold bond to the coat, NOT on any open sores or head or eyes. Use diaper rash cream for butt, belly and under jaw. White dogs are more prone to scratching. Let your groomer know if this happens to your dog so we can keep a record of it and apply the products right after grooming is complete.
"Do's and Don'ts"
Before going to Groomers, do NOT feed your dog. Take your dog for a walk prior to leaving home for him or her to relieve itself. Please DO NOT let your dog urinate on the walkways or poles leading into the studio, and if your dog poops please SCOOP and dispose of it properly at home. Make sure you have a dog crate or a blanket to cover your car seat, paper towels and garbage bag, in case of accidents. Do not bring toys, or treats 75% of dogs get stressed over grooming and they will not eat it or play with it,...not many dogs like baths and dryers that sound like vaccuums'. It is very normal for your dog to shake when coming into a dog salon, they are smart and know what is coming, and love to put on a "show" for their owners, but once inside they know the drill, and are quite content with us once the owner leaves. You are best to just "hand off" your dog to the groomer and NOT make a big deal about leaving your dog. Your dog will pick up on your anxiety and it will be harder on him or her. Don't worry about your pooch, they will be fine!
Please Do NOT show up while your dog is being groomed. Showing up while your dog is being finished on the table stresses out your dog and gets him all excited wanting to go home with you This makes it very unsafe for us to try and finish our work on a "dancing dog" with sharp scissors and blades putting your dog at a higher risk of being cut.
"Why does my Groomer not quote me a price over the phone, its always $(this much) and up?"
Most owners are not aware of what blades will get through certain types of coats, what condition the dog is in, and what type of temperament the dog has. All these factors play a part in pricing, along with what type of style can be done on the dog versus what the owners want. Some owners will say "Oh he has a few knots" but the dog shows up at the studio and he’s is matted solid on his legs but the owner wants a longer style. This is impossible and very painful on the dog to even attempt to brush out. In order to do a long style the dog has to be completely brushed and combed out. The safest and most painless way is to clip down the dog short and start all over again but maintain the dog with proper brushing in between grooms. So without seeing the dog, and its condition of coat we can only estimate the cost and "up". Extra fees could be applied to the extra time taken to clip down a dog because of matting or behavior, or for a longer hand scissored style, if the dog is in excellent coat condition.
"Why doesn't my groomer answer the phone, I seem to always get the answering machine?"
Most times we can not answer the phone because we are busy with the dogs. The dog is already on the table and we can not move away from the table because it is unsafe for your dog to be left unattended. They could strangle on the safety restraint or attempt to jump from the table and hurt themselves. Please leave a message and we will call back between dogs or at the end of the day.
"I worry that you will be using hot dryers on my dog, and have heard about dog related deaths associated to heat drying,... Will you be using heat dryers on my dog?"
The latest dryers are all cool air based using only the room temperature air on the dog. In the summer the studio is air conditioned, cooler than what you would have in your home. Also 95% of the dogs are hand dried with no heat, and if it is just their heads to be dried, as most dogs do not like heads being blown dried, they will be cage dried with a cool air unit only. These latest cage dryers are designed to run all day with no heat and no danger to your dog. There is NO excuse for a dog to die because of dryers these days!
"Is it too cold to have my dog groomed?"
Many pet owners neglect to have their pets groomed in the winter. Why? Mostly what I hear is, "its too cold". It may be cold, but our pets still need professional grooming. Of course they can be left longer, even not trimmed at all during the cold months. But they always need a complete brushout and bathing that a professional can provide. Nail trimming and ear cleaning is a must all year round too. When clients let their pets go through the winter without professional grooming, their dog ends up coming in with their fur all matted, and then they need to be clipped very short. If you would like to keep your pets style, don't skip those winter visits to the professionals. Keep your pet in style and feeling great all through they year!