5 Must-Dos for Grooming Your Puppy at Home

The best way to set your puppy up for an easy and stress-free experience at the grooming studio is to ensure they are used to the sensation of being groomed from an early age. They won’t be able to visit the grooming studio, of course, until they’ve had their two vaccinations shots; however, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be brushed and bathed in the comfort of their own home. Read our blog below on our top tips on getting your pup ready for the grooming studio!

1. Daily Brushing

If your puppy doesn’t like you brushing them, it won’t like the groomers brushing them. If your puppy bites your brush, they may also bite their brushes. This is why it’s so important to be training them to be brushed, and rewarded for good behaviour during brushing. This can help guarantee that our professional groomers will be able to do what they do best when your pup eventually comes in to see us.

2. Bathing

If you are able to bathe your puppy at home then we would recommend doing so (making sure you are using a puppy shampoo that is available here as their skin is very sensitive). This will mean it won’t be a nrve-wracking experience to them when our groomers wash them.

Gently place your pup in the tub. Start accustoming them to the feeling of water by scooping up water with your hands and dribbling it on their back. Continue to do this, petting your dog as you are wetting them to reassure that they’re perfectly safe. Continue to either scoop water to gently wet your pup from their head to their tail—avoiding your dog’s eyes and ears. This should help them with the sensation of water when they come into the grooming studio.

3. Nails & Ears

To help your pup get used to having their nails and ears touched, we recommend you regularly massage in and around their paw pads, nails and ears. If they’re quite fussy, it might be a good idea to bring their favourite treat into the mix.

Start by very lightly touching your pup’s ear/nails while feeding a treat. If your puppy moves/balks away, split this further and work on approaching. Start by approaching with your hand towards the ear/nail and feeding a treat with your other hand, repeating the process until they’re no longer angsty about having this area of their body touched. Look for happy anticipation!

4. Drying

After their bath, towel dry first, let them sniff the hair dryer and then reward. Turn on hair dryer on low heat, pointing away from puppy and then slowly start pointing it towards them.

Take plenty of breaks throughout and give them plenty of praise for being so brave and of course provide plenty of yummy treats.

If they are becoming too stressed, stop drying and give them rewards for being brave. Continue drying with towel and try again on a different day.

Getting them used to the sound of the hair dryer or vacuum cleaner is also very helpful as this will desensitise them to all the loud noises in the grooming studio. You can pop treats on the floor and blow them with your hair drier which can turn a scary noise into a fun treat dispenser.

5. Dental

To get them used to having their mouth/teeth inspected, gently lift the side of their mouth, check their teeth and give them a reward.

Try and brush their teeth by using a puppy friendly toothbrush and toothpaste. Don’t stick your finger inside their mouth.

Still have some questions about your puppy’s grooming care? We can help!

Appointments are available seven days a week nationwide so pop into our store if you have any questions about their at-home groomign routine or give us a call to book your pup in once they’re fully vaccinated. If you have any more questions about our care plan, treatments or just looking for the best product recommendations, our team would be more than happy to help in any way they can!