For most of us, our dogs are akin to our children. When we drop our pooches off at a dog grooming facility, it can be similar to dropping a child off at a day care facility. You are entrusting your precious cargo in what you believe are capable hands.
Before Fluffy has her first haircut, there are a number of initial steps you might want to consider as you enter the doors of the grooming salon, one of the most obvious being leaving contact information for yourself and your veterinarian.
Latest: Tell Us About Your Pets! Which Do You Have?
You might also want to inquire about licenses. By law, all professional dog-grooming salons are required to display their business license. Some states require the grooming licenses of each stylist to be in plain view.
You should feel free to ask about license information during that first visit so you are in the know about who is handling your canine.
Most professional grooming salons ask pet owners to furnish their dog’s health information — commonly, proof of rabies vaccinations. Some salons may require proof of other vaccinations as well, so a call to the groomer beforehand on what documentation is needed might be worth your while and save you from making an unnecessary additional trip. In some instances, a tag around your dog’s collar is not sufficient proof.
Tell Us: Buying or Adopting? How Did You Get Your Pets?
Pet experts frequently recommend that dog owners not draw out their good-byes. Dropping off the dog quickly will likely lessen the stress the pooch experiences while in the care of a groomer. Before heading out the door, however, you do want to obtain one important piece of information: the projected time of completion.
As a precursor to that first visit to the groomer, experts at
PetGuide.com recommend a truncated regimen at home that could include minor brushing and bathing. This is especially true for puppies.
To make that first — and all subsequent — trips to the dog groomer less stressful, it might also be beneficial to give your pet a massage after the mini grooming session, starting with the head and moving downward toward the tail of the body. By taking part in this gentle exercise and topping it off with a treat afterward, that first full-fledged visit to a professional dog groomer could be less stressful on your pet.
Vote Now: Should the Government Do More to Assist Animal Shelters?
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.