Winter Grooming
Picture This.
It’s September in Melbourne and the spring weather has finally begun to emerge after a long and dreary winter.
“Ah!” you think to yourself, looking over at Fido, lying on his bed, his long coat dense and looking a bit worse for wear after the long winter months “Finally, it’s warm enough for Fido to get a haircut!” you think, and call up your groomer for the earliest available appointment.
Then when you go to pick Fido us from his appointment, you are handed back a completely different dog, shaved back so short you’re not sure there’s hair there at all, and you’re disappointed, because isn’t a big part of Fido’s personality his fluffy face?
You’re not alone, and let me start by saying, your groomer DOES NOT relish having to shave your dog’s coat off, in fact, we’d much rather have some fluff to play with and be able to demonstrate our hard earned grooming skills with a cute teddy face, fluffy lamb legs or an impeccable Schnauzer skirt! But alas, the September Shave Off is all too familiar to us. Which is why we think it’s super important for your dog to keep seeing his groomer throughout the winter months.
Going to the groomer does not mean that your dog has to always have a short hair cut, or a hair cut at all, and any groomer worth their salt will know how to help you get onto a maintenance schedule that will enable your dog to keep a nice coat length through the cold weather, in good nick, and not facing a shave off in the spring time.
We strongly encourage all of our clients to be on regular year round schedules for their dogs grooming in order to maintain their coat and skins best health and cleanliness.
So here’s our top 5 reasons to keep seeing your groomer during the winter.
To Prevent Matting
As laid out in the scenario above, just about any dog (spare those short coated breeds like labradors or pugs) can end up with a matted coat. And the sad thing about matting, is the only way to truly solve it, is to shave it off. Not something a lot of our clients want to do. And not something we groomer's enjoy. By seeing your groomer every few weeks during the winter (we recommend 4-8 weeks for our clients), you will be able to keep your dogs longer coat clean and matt free. Meaning no extreme makeover come the spring time.
To maintain healthy skin & coat
Imagine if you didn’t wash your hair for a whole season! How would that start to feel? Itchy, oily, dirty, smelly? It’s the same for your dog. Made worse by the fact that they are much lower to the ground, and bound to get wet during wee breaks, or muddy during a winter walk. Couple that with the increased potential for knots and matts and you might never know what is going on with your dogs skin! Regular baths, and getting the coat properly dried and combed out, are important for your pooch’s health, and your family olfactory senses!
Regular Nail Trims
Every time your dog sees their groomer, they’ll reap the benefits of a paw-dicure! Keeping your dogs nails trimmed is vital, not only for your wood floors, but for your dogs health and posture. Nails that are too long can cause your dog to need to alter their gait, and how the hold their body posture, which can lead to long term effects to their skeletal and muscular systems, and can even change the shape of their feet!
Preventing Fleas & Other Nasties
In Australia, even when it’s cold, we have a pretty perfect climate for fleas to thrive year round, and whats more irresistible to a flea than a warm blooded, long coated dog, with less than clean hair and maybe even some matting to make a nest behind? We’d warrant a guess, there’s not much. Along with fleas, regular baths and grooming in the winter can prevent other nasties such as bacteria or infection from catching hold. Remember, your groomer probably gets more intimate with your dog than even yourself, so they are often the first ones to notice irregularities hidden under the coat, between their toes even in their ears!
Easier Home Maintenance
If your dog’s coat is groomed regularly it’s going to cut out a lot of the work you have to do for it at home. Regular haircuts means less hair that your need to keep brushed, less coat that needs be dried off after each wee break or walk in the park, less hair to traipse mud, fallen leaves and debris into the house, and an easier job for you on those occasions you do need to give your dog a bath at home (just remember to make sure there are no knots in that coat before you go inviting Fido into your shower!)
So there you have it, five excellent reasons not forgo visits to your groomer over the winter. Keep those regular appointments, even if it just end up being a bath and blow dry, any professional grooming is going to be beneficial for your dog, and in turn, for you!
If you would like to discuss any of these topics with your groomer, the staff at Wagtime Co. are always happy to help!
