Let’s make that puppy love the Groomer, puppy grooming can be fun and stress free
Did you know that the average dog will spend 720 hours or more at the groomer in its lifetime?
That is why Little Barks wants to make every minute a happy and enjoyable one that they look forward to.
Grooming can absolutely be scary for your pup. The smells, sounds, and behaviors that we ask them to do in order to Groom them safely are strange and scary.
So, what can we do to help? Little Barks has some tips, resources, and checklists to help you, help us make your pup a Superstar.
First, remember the “village” it takes to make this all happen?
Our “Village” Includes Your Groomer, You and your pup (of course), and in some cases a Trainer. It also requires commitment from the entire “village”.
So are you ready to see your pup Run in the Groomers door and Love it? We are at Little Barks Grooming! We are passionate about doing our part to make this happen in a Safe, Fear Free Certified, AKC SAFE Salon because Miss Taylor CCE and Mrs. Kim CCE, FFCP want you to trust and love bringing your Best furry friend to our Salon.
Our Favorite Resources for New Puppy owners:
We always recommend reading and putting the information in these books into action before Bringing your new puppy home. Some of these steps may require a trainer to help. The resources below will help your dog be confident and to be well adjusted to life with their humans.
https://www.dogstardaily.com/storefront/you-get-your-puppy
http://www.dogstardaily.com/storefront/after-you-get-your-puppy
The Checklist of Behaviors that your Groomer will ask your puppy to do. Most of these behaviors are “life skills” that he/she will be happy they learned and will make life So much happier and you as parents happy too.
- CRATE TRAINING – Your puppy if started the right way and at a young age will see a crate as their den and love that they have a place to relax when the human world becomes overwhelming or they just need “settle time”. A Crate is a kindness you do for your pup they are, after all, Den animals. Your puppy will have to be in a crate at the groomers, the vet, and possibly at the kennel so why not teach them to LOVE it. I could go on, but the research from so many resources show that dogs that are crate trained to adjust to other challenges in life better and quicker. https://www.dogstardaily.com/training/errorless housetraining
- SETTLE/QUIET TIME- This behavior is beneficial to you, your groomer, your pet sitter, and your Vet. The easiest way to teach this is Praise the Good. When your dog is calm and quiet simply “Praise and Treat” A calm dog is a safe dog at the groomer, the tools we use to Groom your pup can be sharp and dangerous for a reactive, busy puppy. HTTP:// www.dogstardaily.com/videos/settle-down-training-companion-dog
- BRUSHING AND COMBING – If your puppy has hair/fur they will need brushed and combed so let’s make it rewarding and save you money at the groomers as well. Getting your puppy used to the brush and comb is a process and we at Little Barks offer “brushing and combing” teaching sessions. A matted puppy is unhealthy, painful, and costs you as the owner money. Matting fees on top of regular grooming fees are no fun. In addition, did you
know that we DO NOT enjoy de-matting your pup it is just no fun for anyone? So let’s make brushing fun and do it often.
- HOLD ME! TOUCH ME ! – YES! Touch those pups and do it a lot, please. Touch their toes, ears, tails, pick up those legs. As Groomers, we have to lift legs, move them and hold those faces and all kinds of strange things that they may not like and think are scary. So making it a normal thing makes. It is normal and not scary.
- NOT ALLOWED- We all use different words or signals to tell our kiddos or others that we need you to not continue a behavior because it is not safe. Your puppy is no different they should learn that when a “No” or “Stop” signal is given they pay attention look to the human for direction. Safety is a MUST and we want that for everyone we Love including our dogs. Little Barks Grooming above all else wants to keep the dogs in our care safe.
So Let’s teach the dogs we Love that Grooming is a Happy thing!! The rewards really are so wonderful for the entire “village”.
Is your PUP ready for the Luxury experience? And the happiness it brings, I bet they are!