faq's
How long does the average groom take?
- Each groom takes about 2 and a half hours, it is mainly drying time as your dog has to be completely dry before we can finish the groom. Of course the groom will take longer if your dog has a particularly long/thick coat or if he/she is a hand strip.
Can I stay with my dog?
- Its actually better if you leave the salon as dogs are like children and will play up more trying to get to their owner. If your dog is new to the grooming process or is old or nervous we will not hesitate to call you if we think your dog needs to return home.
How often should my dog have its nails cut?
- This really depends on your dog. If your dog is walked more on grass and fields than on roads he/she will need them cut more often as there is no surface to wear the nails down. If you are unsure you can just pop into the salon at any point and we can let you know if they need cutting.
How often should my dog be bathed?
- Again this depends on your dog and how much he/she likes to swim in the river or roll in something unpleasant, but our shampoos are very mild so they will not cause any irritation to your dogs skin no matter how often you have your dog bathed.
What's the difference between clipping and stripping?
- Clipping is done by using electric clippers and stripping is done by "plucking" the hair out with fingers. Stripping can only be done on dogs with a wire texture coat. Unfortunately sometimes even if your dog is a breed known for having a wire coat he/she will still need clipping because if the hair is too soft it is just like pulling out fluff and this will hurt your pet. Stripping is also a much longer process and takes around 4 hours but does leave the wire texture to your dogs' coat.
Why has my dogs coat gone fluffy? ?
- If you have had your dog clipped at a young age (before the puppy coat has gone) or castrated/spayed this affects his/her coat and may cause the coat to become very fluffy, there are two ways to groom this type of hair. Either to clip it or scissor/thin by hand. On hand strip dogs, clipping your dog can have this affect on his/her coat and your dog may not be able to be stripped again.
What age can my dog start to be groomed?
- Your dog can come into the grooming salon any time after he/she has had all of their jabs. It's a good idea to get them in young as it gets them used to the sounds and the environment inside the salon. Your dog will not be able to be clipped or stripped until he/she has lost all their puppy coat, normally around 9 months to a year. If this is carried out before the puppy coat is gone it will ruin your dogs coat for later in life and may cause his/her coat to feel like cotton wool.
How often does my dog need grooming?
- This depends on what your dog has clone, if your dog is in a short trim like an "all off" spaniel they can go longer than when in a trim with feathers like a typical spaniel trim. It does also depend on how often you brush your dog at home. We normally say 4 to 6 weeks for a really long trim (Beardie) between 6 and 8 weeks for a dog in a trim (spaniel or westie), 8 to 12 weeks for a really short trim (any breed in an all off trim). Dogs which are only bathed and tidied can go anything from 6 weeks to 4 months depending on how thick your dogs coat is. But please remember this is just a guideline.
Can I still bring my bitch in if she is in season?
- We cannot groom your bitch if she is in season. It makes it very difficult to groom the male dogs if a bitch in season is in the salon!
