Williams Lake dog groomer, L.A Doggy Shop enjoys the good company of many senior and or disabled dogs. We realize that often they have special needs and are not prone to take to grooming as they used to. Older dogs require special handling; they often have sore hips and joints, and cannot stand for long periods of time.
While your pet is at L.A Doggy Shop, located in Williams Lake, BC, keeping your dog calm and comfortable is what we do best. In our lavender scented room, our senior clients are encouraged to lay down on one of our fluffy pet beds, while soft music plays in the background, (and while I hum in the foreground). While lying down comfortably, we can easily turn or roll them with the added padding of a fluffy bed underneath. Our clients typically enjoy this method, in fact, they usually fall asleep!
For our larger dogs, we have a carpeted 4 foot ramp that leads to the tub, and all their grooming is done with them on a nice comfy bed on the floor and with me in kneepads! Sometimes we groom them inside, sometimes outside on a blanket, whichever method works best for our client. Comfort is the key to a successful groom!
Tip: REMEMBER it is important to get older pets nails clipped more often as they become less active, be sure to tell your groomer of any temperament issues or any pre-existing health issues, so that they can help your pet have an enjoyable time at the groomers.
Your dog should be groomed every 8 weeks. Even if you’re not getting your dog trimmed at all, they still need a full brush-out, bath, nails trimmed and ears cleaned. Dogs that go long periods of time between grooms are susceptible to skin problems, such as hot spots, sores, and abrasions because of matting. If the coat mats up, the least painful way is to remove it completely with a full clip down (very short).
If your dog's nails are left unattended, they will overgrow and cause your dog's toes to splay apart. This condition is irreversible and can make walking quite uncomfortable and sometimes painful for your pet. Even those "big" dogs, as they age and become less active, will start to require regular nail trims, whereas they probably didn't need them when they were young and active.
Your dog's ears should be checked for mites and infection. When necessary, they should be cleaned and plucked by your groomer who can alert you to any possible problems before they get out of control. Once a full blown ear infection starts, it is often difficult to resolve simply because it is hard to "explain" to your dog that if he stopped all that scratching and shaking, the infection would heal faster.
Your dog's health and happiness is very important to us at L.A. Doggy Shop. If, at any time, your dog is not responding well or is feeling overly stressed, the grooming procedure will stop immediately and the situation will be discussed with the owner.
L.A. Doggy Shop reserves the right to refuse service based on dog temperament, size, breed, and groom history.
L.A. Doggy Shop Puppy Program, is an all inclusive grooming program that helps to ease you and your puppy into the grooming process. It is designed to help you learn how to handle and groom your new pup. We specialize in getting your new pup used to the sights, sounds, and smells of a groomer’s salon, as well as teaching the owner the benefits of brushing and grooming regularly at home.
All dogs require grooming, but of course depending on the breed, some more than others. It's a good idea to start out as you intend to continue with a dog rather than to suddenly attempt to impose your will on it when it reaches some arbitrary age. Since grooming is something that you are going to have to do, whatever type of dog you've got, this practice should be started in puppy hood.
Puppies should begin the grooming process as early as possible anywhere from 8-12 weeks old is a good time to start, and then should be brought in monthly for 4-6 months, During that time, puppy will start to understand that grooming is a regular part of living, and that it isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, when dogs are use to grooming, they find the experience quite pleasant.