Puppy Grooming
Why trust SPRUCE with my puppy?
At SPRUCE we have successfully introduced hundreds of new owners and pups over the last 6 years, to the world of grooming. Please see our facebook page for the many testimonials and great reviews: https://www.facebook.com/sprucecdg
Here are Lauren (Level 2 and soon to be Level 3 City and Guilds qualified) and Maria (City and Guilds level 2 apprentice) in our with 2 of our new puppy clients who were happily in on the same day!
All SPRUCE groomers are trained in the patient handling required with puppies, and we get a lot of satisfaction in watching them develop their good behaviours with us, planning for the lifetime of grooming ahead!
Your personal Puppy grooming record
Each puppy gets their own grooming card to monitor their progress during
their first few visits to SPRUCE. This helps you at home too, as you can retain
the report after each visit, you know if anything needs some work at home,
and can track puppy's progress!
Puppy groom myths
We consistently come across some very frustrating misinformation,
often from the internet, or well-meaning (but perhaps unqualified ) breeders.
So, please let us dispell the main puppy myth in popular circulation!
Puppy's do NOT have to wait until 6 months to visit the groomers or get their coat cut.
The earlier pups can visit the groomers and get used to basic procedures, even if they don't need a cut, the better. An early trim is not detrimental if required, and WILL NOT affect the adult coat coming through at 7+ months.
So, When?
As soon as your pup's injections are complete, we need to get some positive grooming experiences in! It becomes more difficult to groom a puppy that is 6-months old for the first time than a 12-week-old puppy. The 6-month-old has already established fears and aggression. For example, it would be like taking a 5-year-old child and putting them in a reception class without any discipline and experience of a pre-school and making them sit still and behave in the expected way... but they don't know what is expected! At this point in a puppy’s life if the owner has not prepped the puppy with any type of grooming; brushing, combing, or nail trimming it makes the groomers job nearly impossible, i.e. to have the puppy trust them and for them to enjoy, (or at least tolerate) grooming.
Why is the earlier the better? The sooner your pup feels, hears, sees and sniffs the salon environment, and is handled by our groomers, (e.g. with nail and paw trims, and learning to hold their head still ) the more comfortable they will be, and the more accustomed they will become to being groomed. Grooming is an important part of a puppy's education, especially those with mixed / poodle or bischon coats that are particularly high maintenance, and hopefully the work will begin with yourselves at home.
If you are feeling challenged by home grooming, (which we understand and sympathise with ....Puppy nibbling brush!?), or you notice anywhere that you can't get a comb through (a brush can skim over the top and not reach the roots, giving a false sense of all being well...) please contact us ASAP, for advice and help.
We really want to avoid having to pull at or remove painful matting, on your puppies first visit.
A positive 2 or 3 first grooming experiences, before the coat gets more challenging at 7+ months,
is really important.
This image shows a young bitch's coat that has matted into a fleece through undercoat not being removed, (poodle / crosses shed a layer of undercoat every 4 weeks (hypoallergenic appeal!)),
but because the undercoat doesn't shed/ drop out, it has to be groomed out by you or us.
Sadly the neglected coat meant the only option left was shaving her off short.
Puppies coats go through a dramatic change, usually at about 7- 12 months of age, as the coat can multiply in density by 10 times or more. With your help at home with consistent home grooming, leg and feet handling, limited harness wearing, and regular 4-6 weekly visits from 2 or 3 months old, we will ensure that your puppy is relaxed and happy with the grooming process, ready for when that puppy/ adult transition coat gets more demanding, and prepare for the lifetime of grooming ahead.
