Many people wait until the puppy is over 6 months for their first groom. However, the sooner you
familiarize them with being groomed, the happier your puppy will be. I associate the puppy's first
grooming experience with that of a child first dentist appointment. If it scares them, they will fear
and dread it the rest of their lives. However, if introduced at a young age and a good breeder
will have been working with your puppy from the time he was born, however, if they did not, do
not worry! Love and patience are the keys to years of successful grooming. The following are
things you should do with your pet if he is 8 weeks old or 8 years old.
BELIEVE ME... IT IS NEVER, EVER TOO LATE!
 | | Play with your pet for a few minutes to help him get rid of some of his excess energy.
|
|
| | Select a location for grooming. This should be a table with a soft cloth for traction. NOTE: | | | The reason you should use a specific table (or place) your pet will remember this place and
know that it is not play time now but "grooming time". Customers are so amazed when they
see their pup on my table so well behaved! If introduced correctly and consistently, your
pet will associate this experience with pleasure and will look forward to this special time
between you and him.
|
|
| | At first, puppy grooming is also a behavior lesson. Conduct frequent short sessions with | | | patience, LOTS of verbal praise and treats.
|
|
| | Touch your new puppy's feet and rub your fingers between it's toes a couple times a day. | | | This will make nail clipping easier. I promise, your groomer and your vet and in the long
run, your precious pet, will love you for this. It is a natural instinct for dogs to pull their
feet back when being touched. NOTE: This is a critical step for your pet as ALL pets require
regular nail trimming. Many pets are perfect for grooming, only stress out during the nail
trimming process. This can be avoided by your taking the time to help train them to enjoy it.
|
|
| | Show your puppy his brush & comb. Let it sniff and play with it a few seconds. Brush it's | | | coat a few times, then reward your puppy with a small treat and verbal praise. Do the same
with the comb. NOTE: A grooming session is only complete after the use of your comb.
Each day increase the number of brush and comb strokes. After the first week, you should
be able to do the brushing AND combing in a short period of time.
|
|
| | Play with your puppies ears, by touching them on the inside & outside. Afterwards, reward | | | him with lots of praise and a small treat. This is important because so many breeds require
the hair be plucked from their ears and this is the second favorite to nail trimming.
|
|
| | Open your puppy's mouth and touch its teeth and gums. Dental care should begin as early | | | as possible. You can begin by using a finger brush or puppy toothbrush and a toothpaste
made your pet.
|
|
A NEW PUPPY AND HIS FIRST GROOMING SESSION...
| | When I have a puppy in my shop, and this is it's first grooming experience, I will only do | | | what I can to be helpful for your puppy, please be assured it will not frighten or traumatize
them. A puppies first grooming session is similar to a child's first dentist visit. If a child
goes to a dentist and has cavities filled, he will probably fear the dentist the rest of his life.
If he goes and it is a pleasant experience, he learns not to be afraid.
|
| | I take things slowly to minimize any stress and trauma. Here is how I do this:
|
| | They all LOVE my massage system, however, drying sometimes may scare them. So what I | | | do to help them, is hold them close to me and hand dry them. If that is still too scary,
(although rare), I will crate dry and slowly introduce the hand dryer throughout the
grooming session. Usually by the 2nd or 3rd grooming session, they welcome being hand
dried.
|
| | Oftentimes the clippers scare them. I allow the clippers to run while on the table so they | | | can feel the vibration. Then I use them on the pads of their bitty feet. Slowly I shave the
sanitary area.
|
| | Depending what style you want, this may or may not be possible for the first grooming | | | session.I will discuss this with you in person at the time of the appointment, however if you
have any questions to your pets appointment, please feel free to call me. I welcome
questions at any time!
|
|
|
