[Chilly dog]

Hi everyone!

I have a general question. How old was your furbaby when he/she got their first full grooming? And by that I mean, bringing them into the groomers (or doing it yourself, depending) for a full wash and cut. Also, how often do you all bring your dog for a grooming?

I'm just wondering because Chilly is 9 weeks old right now and his hair is about 1 inch long, or so. His hair is starting to get into his eyes a bit and I'm way too scared to trim it myself, for fear of having those scissors way too close to his precious little eyes!

Thanks, and I love hearing about everyone's experiences too!

Mal & Chilly

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

Your furbaby needs to have ALL of its shots before going to the groomers. That includes the bordatella shot. If you are doing it yourself you will probably want to work up to doing a full groooming. Start by brushing only a few minutes at a time a couple times a day. Each day do it a little longer.

As for how often to take them to a professional groomer it all depends on you. If you can afford it you can take them as often as you want. Some people take theirs every few weeks, others every few months, others a few times a year, and other not at all. It kind of depends on what you can afford and if you can find a groomer you like. If you feel confident you can try doing it yourself.

Edit: For trimming around the eyes try a small scissors with rounded tips. I got one at Petsmart for $12. You can try having someone else hold the puppy still while you trim the hair. You might only be able to do a small amount at a time at first.

 

[dooly]

Originally posted by Lexi's Mom@Aug 22 2005, 11:30 AM
Your furbaby needs to have ALL of its shots before going to the groomers. That includes the bordatella shot.  If you are doing it yourself you will probably want to work up to doing a full groooming.  Start by brushing only a few minutes at a time a couple times a day.  Each day do it a little longer.

As for how often to take them to a professional groomer it all depends on you.  If you can afford it you can take them as often as you want.  Some people take theirs every few weeks, others every few months, others a few times a year, and other not at all.  It kind of depends on what you can afford and if you can find a groomer you like.  If you feel confident you can try doing it yourself.

Edit: For trimming around the eyes try a small scissors with rounded tips.  I got one at Petsmart for $12.  You can try having someone else hold the puppy still while you trim the hair.  You might only be able to do a small amount at a time at first.
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Stitch was 6 months when we brought him in for his first full grooming. Before that, to keep him borderline neat looking, I trimmed around his face myself with small rounded scissors. He's really good about standing still and letting me handle his face and hair, so no squirming.
Lilo is just shy of 6 months, and is getting sooo messy looking. I think I'm going to wait until after we get her spayed in two weeks to bring her in for a full grooming.

 

[Princess'sMom]

<span style="color:blue">I started grooming Princess myself right after I brought her home. I brush her daily and give her a bath about once a week, give or take when she needs it. Using a conditioner on them helps immensely. Also, I would highly recommend investing in those rounded tip scissors. They make it soooo much easier to trim them, especially around the eyes and toes. Grooming them often can get expensive, as much as $50 or more each time. The more time you spend grooming him yourself the happier you both will be. At first Princess wouldn't sit still, now after a month home she is very patient and I think she loves the attention. I give her a lot of praise and she loves it. I do like to take my babies to a professional groomer about 2 or 3 times a year since they can trim them much better than I can. Here's a tip: I was really having a hard time getting a rubber band around her hair on the top of her head to make her a pretty ponytail, but last night I found a great solution. I used a piece of elastic threat and I tied it around instead. It worked out great and it didn't hurt my little fur baby. I would think you could even use regular thread. I know it's scary when you first groom them, but with practice I'm sure you'll enjoy it and it will bring you closer together.

Princess' Mom, Fredda </span>