Dog Grooming 101
- Lori Watkins
- Sep 20, 2017
- 2 min read
I have been working in the dog grooming industry for 30 years. I have been the owner of Claws & Paws Pet Grooming in Tuscaloosa, AL (Northport, AL) for about 20 years. I'm not sure that most people know how a dog grooming session is carried out. I can not speak for the many pet grooming shops out there. I can however speak for my grooming shop and my many years experience as a professional dog groomer. below is a summary to give you an idea of how your dog is groomed and the process involved in dog grooming.
The First Cut
The first part of the dog grooming process is something we call 'The Rough Out' (first cut). This first step gets your pet ready to have a bath. This is the part where your dog/cat gets the initial haircut/trim. Your dog groomer will do other things during this time, such as: Clip nails; clean ears; brush hair coat and de-mat the coat when and where applicable. This is when clip patterns are set for specific breeds. It usually takes between 15 and 60 minutes to complete this part of the dog grooming process (dependent upon size, breed, condition of hair coat and temperament of pet).
The Bathing/Drying process
After step one is complete, your pets hair has been trimmed and preparation for bathing has been made.... "The Bathing Process" begins. We have a wide variety of shampoos, regular, medicated, Hypo allergenic and flea are the pet shampoos used most often for bathing. For dogs with serious skin conditions, we will use shampoo prescribed by your vet. The bathing process normally takes between 5-30 min, depending on size, cleanliness of the coat, and temperament of the dog. The next step is fluff drying your pet. Starting with towel drying the dog, we then use a forced air dryer on some breeds then we use the stand dryer and brush dry. The stand dryer allows us to straighten the hair while drying it. This step can take between 5-45 min depending on the coat and the size of the dog. The bathing drying process is essential to prepare your dog for 'The Finish Groom', as described next.
The Finish Groom
This is the final step that gives you dog the professionally groomed look you want to see. We cut the pets hair again after the first three procedures have been completed. This allows us to get a smooth even haircut. This is when any pre set pattern is finished. We then proceed to the final scissor work to complete the groom. During this time we trim hair around the feet, eyes, tail, ears, head, underneath body, backs of legs and any other trimming specified by you or specific to the breed of your dog. Last but not least is bows, polish, and any other decoration requested. The step of the final groom can take anywhere from 15-60 minutes. Depending on the breed of dog and the kind of groom your dog is getting.
FINALLY A CALL TO THE OWNER TO SAY IT'S PICK UP TIME !!
