Grooming Benefits
A dog’s skin is its largest organ so we need to look after it, I choose to use cruelty free PETA certified, plant-based products in the salon, these products are high quality, safe and gentle on your dogs’ skin, they do not contain any toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin barrier or cause them to itch and scratch. They contain only ingredients that have been tested on humans and are free from SLS and junk ingredients while being hypo allergenic. They contain high concentration of natural ingredients to cleanse and condition your dog’s coat leaving it shiny and smelling great without subjecting it to harsh synthetic ingredients.
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In the salon I will select the products suited to your dog’s skin and coat type, I use these along with a specially designed dog hydro bath which sprays the shampoo through a pressurised shower head, the water penetrates the coat getting right to the skin, removing dirt, debris, dead skin cells and other materials that can be hidden in the coat while giving your dog a gentle but invigorating massage, this helps with blood circulation, relieves tired muscles and has been found to be beneficial for arthritis sufferers and older dogs. This bath is beneficial to all dogs especially dogs with skin, joint and muscle issues or dogs that shed excessively or have long thick hair but also for a therapeutic spa session.
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WHY GROOMING IS IMPORTANT
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We usually think that grooming is primarily to make our dogs look cute, which is important but there are many other reasons that regular grooming is so important for the welfare of your pet, sometimes these reasons can be overlooked.
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Grooming is an integral part of your dog’s health and well-being and even a short-coated dog can suffer from a lack of grooming as this stimulates the surface of the skin and promotes blood circulation. The amount of grooming your pooch will need will depend on their coat type, but adequate grooming is important for all dogs. Grooming can also keep your home smelling nice and can minimise any allergies that you may have as it reduces casting and dander.
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Grooming eliminates discomfort in many ways. First, brushing is something that can feel very good to dogs. Some, however just don’t like to sit at peace and it can feel like a task when trying to brush your fidgety pet, but with the right brush and technique, this brings your pup’s natural oils to their skin. Further, it helps prevent matting on longer coats. If your dog’s coat does matt easily, preventing those matts is crucial to maintain length and get the hair-cut you desire. Please remember that matting causes the dog discomfort, imagine twirling your hair around your finger until you cannot anymore and keep trying, this is what matting may feel like to your dog, they are very good at hiding pain so they may not look like they’re uncomfortable. Matting pulls on the skin and coat and is not only painful to remove but often is the cause of sores and infections as you cannot see these under the matts and when the matts are removed this can cause skin irritation. If you find it difficult maintaining your dogs coat at home or feel you don’t have time to brush every other day to have the coat matt free, you will need a regular grooming schedule with maintenance grooms in between full grooms or the dog would most likely need to clipped very short.
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Another benefit of regular grooming is that we will become more familiar with the marks on your dog’s skin as we are constantly touching all areas of your pet’s body. We are able to quickly feel any underlying lumps and bumps and spot any changes on your dog’s skin such as infestation of fleas and ticks. Early detection is important for all diseases, so using regular grooming to help go over your dog’s body will improve your chances of finding anything abnormal early on. We cannot diagnose as we are not medically trained, but we will advise to seek veterinary attention should we find something abnormal.
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Nail trimming is probably one of the most overlooked parts of general dog care. Long nails are can be uncomfortable for your dog as well. Nails that are too long force your dog to change their gait. Long nails make your dog start walking on sides of their feet. This is not only painful, but it causes bone deformations and arthritis if left untreated. Some dogs even have nails that grow all the way into their footpads, which is extremely painful. It is so important to keep them at a correct, natural length to prevent long-term damage.
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Dogs need their ears cleaned regularly, especially those that have hairy, heavy ears. The hair grows inside the ear canal and it needs to be removed as this impedes airflow and can trap discharge, this is when ear problems can arise, your pup’s ear clean and hair removal will prevent ear infections, ear mites and a build-up of wax that causes a bad odour.
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Last but not least regular grooming creates positive behaviours and a when your dog is feeling, looking and smelling good this will make your dog feel great and this can greatly affect their mental state and thus their behaviour as well.