In Prudie's latest column, a mother who has made plenty of sacrifices for her family asked a simple question: Does her dog deserve more pampering than her? Of course, the answer is no! But as a seasoned professional groomer, I feel that Prudie's answer (to learn how to do it yourself) is just unsafe.

What most people don't understand about grooming is that it's not just for appearances. Its vital to the health of your dog. We shampoo and brush our hair everyday. I doubt that most "Fluffies" get the same luxury. For most animals grooming is the only bath they get. Not to mention, most groomers include way more than the bath. Cleaning ears, emptying anal glands, correctly clipping nails, and brushing teeth are all preventative measures-that most groomers include-taken to preserve the health of your dog and prevent even more costly vet bills later. All these can be done incorrectly at great harm to your dog. If you don't rinse them well, they get itchy. If you use the wrong shampoo they can get rashes. If you get water in their ears they can get infections. If you express their anal glands wrong they can become impacted. If your clip their nails too short you catch the "quick" (vein in the nail) and can possibly make them scared of having their feet touched for the rest of their life. And that's just the bath portion! The haircut brings WAY more variables into play. (live animals+sharp object+inexperience=disaster!) You don't even want to know how many horror stories I've heard from people who think my job is easy.

My point: PLEASE do not groom your animals at home. There is so much that can go wrong it's not even funny. That's why there are professionals! If the wife is upset about the price, she can shop around for a different groomer that charges less or opt for a shorter haircut and go a little longer in between groomings. And if she still cannot afford it at that point, my honest answer is that she should have thoroughly researched all that a dog entails and known that she would have needed to budget for regular grooming. Please, if you can't afford a dog, don't get one. They deserve more than that.

Sounds to me like you're trying to justify that six weeks you spent at "Dog-groom U" by implying that the average person can't care for their dog and must have you do it, instead.

Dogs survived for thousands of years without the "services" of glorified beauticians putting ribbons behind their ears, didn't they? I've never known a real dog that needed the services you're touting. The critters that regularly keep you employed aren't real dogs, they're gay rats that learned to bark as a survival tactic, and not one of those perfumed rats would make a snack for a real dog.

I don't begrudge you duping little old ladies into believing that their ikky little squeaker "needs" the services you provide; just don't have the audacity to try to hype your trade as vital or even necessary to a dog's survival.

That's a load.

Bravo, Leggy!

You completely missed the point of the letter, which was that the letter-writer was upset that her husband was spending money that they couldn't afford on services for a dog; services that she'd denied herself in order to keep the family on budget.

"Suzy looks like crap, her self-esteem is in the gutter, but "Foo Foo" looks fabulous!"

The post had nothing to do with the perceived necessity of grooming, which makes your post read like some kind of non-linear advertisement for your services.

I got my "Ass-hat" on, and I ain't run across a prisoner worth takin' yet.

Ain't no mercy in this World, Momma...

|-)

Leg_iron:

they're gay rats that learned to bark as a survival tactic,

I love the description! My very real, very large boxer looks at those little critters with ears forward and head cocked to me as if to say "It's a toy, right Mom? Can I catch it and play with it? Please! It looks like it would squeak really loud!" I swear she thinks Chihuahuas are some type of squirrel, not dogs.

As for the "thousands of years without grooming" - well, humans created and "refined" some of these breeds into the high maintenance creatures they are. Labradoodles, and poodles, and some of these other tough to groom dogs didn't really exist thousands of years ago. We made 'em - now we have to either spends a whole day every so many weeks grooming them, or pay someone else to do it. I personally won't own a high maintenance breed - I like my quick-drying, wash at home, short haired boxer. A bottle of baby shampoo and a spray nozzle for the shower is all I need for her.

Where the heck have you been? Things have been getting altogether too PC around here without you. I think it's time for Uncle Ugly to make a comment or three....

As for the doggie kerfuffle. I've had to bathe everything from a Saint Bernard to a Border Collie. It was a nightmare - all that hair, but they lived! They even liked it! Shock and horror!

I figure that if the dog can fit in the sink, you should be able to bathe it yourself...and the vet says that no dog should ever have soap on its skin more than once every six weeks or so.

Cockbiscuits

 

not fashion accessories

Hey there-

Been wandering some pretty unfamiliar territory these last couple-a months. Travelled a few Hills and Dales I've never experienced before... wadda trip!
(Dunno if I'm back from it, yet...)

I was raised with more dogs in my little world than people; been told my first words were "Grrrr... Woof!"
I've always liked dogs. Even the small ones, if their owners allow them to actually be dogs, and not some sad little baby-surrogate that ends up emotionally crippling the animal to the point of psychosis.

Don't folks take their dogs swimmin' anymore? Throw stick in water... dog comes back clean! Repeat 87 times...

Later!

is a burly young German Shepard that takes a shower with his "Dad" every morning. Big-ol' walk in shower with no door per se. The pup gets terse if he doesn't get his towlin'-off game played every morning.

Don't think he gets soaped up, just well rinsed.
But, my! He's a clean little weasle...

|-)

I will grant the groomer that some breeds of dogs, like poodles, have coats that need a lot of attention and the average owner doesn't have the time or will or learn how to clip it and groom it properly. But lacking time and will doesn't mean incapable!

And the daily shampoo and bath bit? Are you really saying as a professional groomer that you advocate bathing a dog more often than monthly? Forget the cost, for a minute, and think of the dog's health. Frequent bathing, even with good shampoos, strips moisture and essential oils from the dog's skin and coat. My boxer would gladly follow me into the shower, but I've been told by breeders and vets that bathing more often than monthly is bad for the dog. They are not people - they have different hygenic needs. Any vet can suggest a safe shampoo as can knowledgable breeder or groomer.

The nail concern is completely overstated too. I've seen vets clip the quik and have heard of groomers doing it to. If an owner is worried that their hand is not steady enough, or the nail is too dark to see the vein clearly, they can certainly have the vet do it for a very minimal charge. I clip my dog's nails myself because we got her very used to having her feet handled from puppyhood and her nails are mostly white, so the quik is very easy to see. If there's too little to clip, but too much to leave, we use the Dremel, which has no risk of hitting the quik. (Requires a steady and a cooperative dog, however.)

Dog grooming is like many other maintenance jobs (mowing the lawn, waxing the car, painting the house) - it requires one of two options - time and basic know how OR money to pay someone else to do it. If an owner is motivated to learn how to care for their specific breed's coat, and has the time to do it, there's no reason why they can't do a perfectly adequate job. Dog groomers are very convienent and like professional painters, may leave the subject looking better than the typical do-it-yourselfer. But making it sound like grooming at home is endangering your pet's health and is some grave danger is just ridiculous!

I can only imagine what happened when he shook himself off after the bath! I have to ask - how long does it take to completely rinse a Saint Bernard?

Our vet said to bath dog about every 6 six weeks. I do brush him about three times a week, even though he is a short hair, here in AZ he tends to shed a lot due to the heat, plus doggie loves to be brushed. If I leave his brush out, he will place it on his bed. We have to trim his nails about every two weeks, wish my nails grew that fast.

We were told every 4 -6 weeks was fine. During the summer, she plays so hard outside she gets very sweaty and smelly and loses the sweet, clean smell she usually has. I also like to wash her right before I put on her BioSpot (like Frontline) and not in the middle of the cycle, so it ends up being 4 weeks during flea and tick season. Ticks are problem here. I don't know what it is about her nails - I think all the time playing on gravel yard at the obedience school and the gravel/stone section of our yard combined with the walks on the street/sidewalk must wear them down. I haven't clipped her real nails in over a year and the front ones only need to be done ever 3 or 4 months!