Hey Woofa’s,

We all love a puppy right?

What is asked of me a lot in my Dog Grooming Career is – When should I get my puppy groomed?

There seems to be a lot of misconception around when this should be.

Some breeders recommend not for 12 months!!!!!

There’s no way you should wait that long before giving your puppy a bath.

My personal recommendation is not taking them to a Grooming Salon or a Mobile Salon until the Vet has given you the all clear to take your puppy to a public place.

This is usually after they’ve had their vaccinations.

However, what you can do for your puppy is get them used to being groomed at home.

HOW DO I GET MY PUPPY USED TO BEING GROOMED AT HOME?

1. Brush Your Puppy – one way to get your puppy used to being groomed (especially if they’re a ball of fluff) is get them used to being brushed.

A lot of people say to me ‘My Dog Won’t Let Me Brush him/her?’

It’s because they’ve approached the whole brushing thing completely wrong.  They get down on the floor and the puppy sees it as a game and no brushing actually gets done.

I always suggest placing the puppy up high on a table with a towel on it so puppy doesn’t slip.  If you can, secure them in and just let them start off by sniffing the brush.

When they pay positive attention to the brush (not trying to bite the brush) praise them and give them a little treat.  This lets your puppy know that the brush is a good thing.

Then as they get used to the brush, pick it up and brush them with it.

Brush them ALL OVER, everywhere there is hair, brush it.

If you have a fluffy puppy, they’re going to need to be brushed their whole life so it’s important for them to get used to it.

Also it’s important for them to see it as a positive experience.

2. Give Your Puppy A Bath – as some stage your puppy is going to get a bit smelly before their allowed time for going to the Groomer.

It’s okay to give them a bath at home.

Depending on the size of your puppy will depend on where you bathe them – the bath tub, the laundry sink, the shower……………it’s up to you and where they fit.

There are dog safe shampoos and conditioners out there, so do your research and get the best for your puppy.

Please refrain from using YOUR shampoo and conditioner on your puppy.

Also depending on the weather when washing your puppy, try to use warm water and not just cold water.

Wherever you decide to wash your puppy, make sure there’s a non-slip mat down, you can get them for kids and you can use them for puppies.

Ease your puppy into the introduction to water.  This may take two people, one holding the puppy and the other washing, both praising when puppy is good.

If your puppy is a little bit scared tell them they’re brave and they’ve got this.

While your puppy is scared if you’re telling them they’re a good boy/girl this tells puppy it’s good to be scared!!

3. Drying Your Puppy After A Bath – some people bathe their puppy and then let it shake off and run around to get dry.  This is fine if your puppy is a short-haired puppy.

If however your puppy is a ball of fluff, they’re probably going to need a bit more drying then running around.

There are micro fibre towels you can use that will get a lot of the water from the coat, however I feel introducing your puppy to your hair dryer is a place to start.

Have someone hold puppy or secure them somewhere that’s not easy to escape from.   Start by turning the hair dryer on and praising puppy if they’re paying positive attention to it.

Give them a treat if they’ll take one, to show them the dryer is a positive thing.

Then if all is good, start by holding the dryer a little away from puppy and dry them with it as much as possible.

Your puppy is going to have to get used to this kind of handling at the Groomer.

Once your puppy is dry then the long haired coat will need to be brushed.

If you don’t brush the coat this is when knots will occur.

4. Get Your Puppy Used To Being Handled – run your hands gently all over your dog’s body.  Going over their ears, down their neck along their back and belly down to the tip of their tail, then continuing down their legs to their paws.

Most people love playing with their puppy (nothing wrong with this) but they pretend they’re going to get their puppies paws.  So the puppy thinks ‘oh no you’re not touching my paws’ and pulls them away thinking this is the game.

So when the Groomer or Vet needs to look at their paws they pull them away.

When sitting quietly with your puppy gently hold their paws in your hand.  If they’re comfortable with this stroke your finger along their toes, letting them know it’s okay to have their paws touched.

You could do the same around their face, lightly stroking along their nose and muzzle, Groomers and Vets need to handle these areas also.

5. Don’t Try Cutting Your Puppies Nails – so many puppies come in not wanting their paws touched and definitely not wanting their nails trimmed because someone has tried and cut them too short and made them bleed.

So puppy thinks it’s a bad thing that gets done.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t cut your dog’s nails, don’t even try.

If your puppies nails need doing before they’re allowed to be professionally groomed – ask the Vet to do it when having their vaccinations.

Have someone who knows what they’re doing cut their nails.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

At some stage your new puppy will need to have a bath.

BEFORE your puppy’s vaccinations have all been had, you’ll have to give puppy a bath at home.

Take your time, have patience with your puppy because it’s all new to them as well.

Take into account the tips mentioned above and you should do well.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – HOW YOUR PUPPY’S FIRST GROOMING WENT?