Your dog is thoroughly brushed first, to remove any mats or loose undercoat.

Mats can enlarge and become unmanageable when wet. If a mat goes undetected or coat care is neglected your dog may have to be shaved or the matt cut out so that bacteria doesn't grow between it and the skin and cause any infection. Mats feel like a tight plaster on the skin-it is uncomfortable on dogs to have these. We can always take them out between visits if you cannot get them out yourself. It is a simple process and we will not charge a fee for this.

We will not cause pain or stress to a dog ourselves by trying to demat an excessively matted coat. Therefore we will instead offer a clip off and start again option.

If we are taking a lot of hair off-sometimes we will take bulk out before the bath making the drying process much quicker.

 

Nail clipping
Nail trimming is important for the long-term health of all dogs. Overgrown nails can break easily. The longer the nail, the longer the vein inside which is called the quick, if it looks like we haven’t taken much off, this is because we don’t want to cut the vein inside causing the dog pain. Regular visits can help retract the quick making it easier to trim the nails shorter. Also pavement walking is a good way to file the nails. If left uncared for nails can grow to enormous lengths, twisting the toe and causing pain and even curling into the pads of the foot. Depending on the dog, nail trimming may need doing as often as once a week or as infrequently as once a month. If your dog has walks on fields only and doesn’t get to go on paths helping to file, we can always trim the nails between visits

 

Ear check

If your dog's ear looks swollen, red, irritated, dark or blackened or show signs of discharge or sores or has a bad smell we will let you know. We would recommend you consider visiting a vet as this could be a sign of infection or disease. A clean ear may contain some wax but shouldn't smell.

 

Eye check
Some breeds require more maintenance in this area than others, for example,   Shih tzus and even Yorkshire terriers. Eye, ‘crusts,’ cause an irritating spot in the corner of the eye. We are able to remove these and can even give you a comb to help keep this area clear and crust free yourself! We do offer free “fringe trims” between appointments. Ask us for more details.
 
The dog is then towel dried with absorbent cloths and towels before being blow dried with a high pressure drier then a finishing dryer to create shape.
The dog is then clipped and styled to your own preference.
 
The scissors I use are top quality Japanese stainless steel and give a great finish.

Lastly-I pop a splash of cologne before the dog leaves.