Selecting A Professional Dog Groomer
Your pet is a valued member of your family, so it is crucial that you take the time and consideration necessary to find the right person in your area. This is a process that takes a great deal of careful handling to groom a dog properly, not to mention any precautions that should be taken around scissors and clippers.
If this is a chore you want to tackle yourself, check our blog regularly for instructions and the best grooming tool recommendations.
Always Ask Around
Every time a dog and their owner leaves a groomer, it is almost like a walking advertisement. See if you can speak to neighbors who have pets, your local kennel manager and your veterinarian to see if anyone has recommendations on a great groomer in your area. You can also stop and talk to anyone who is walking with a dog that has a beautiful coat to find out where they go for grooming dogs and who they may recommend.
Call Around
If there are some groomers in the area that you are interested in, it is smart to call
around to ask questions. Find out where they went to grooming school and who they may have apprenticed with. You can also ask questions like how long they have been grooming dogs, what kind of experience they have with a certain breed and whether or not they are a member of any of the professional grooming organizations. This can be a great way to get to know a little bit about the groomer and also open up a dialogue so that you can see whether or not they seem to be personable and easy to work with.
Remain Patient
Groomers are usually on a pretty tight schedule, so he or she may not be able to call you back right away or they may not be able to answer all of your questions in the initial phone call. Give him/her some time to call you back and see if they have time for a longer phone call. In some cases, the groomer may even invite you to their place of business so that you can talk with them, see the facility and see some of the pets that they are working on to understand how they interact with the animals.
No matter what, you should always trust your intuition, as it can tell you a great deal about what you may be able to expect from the groomer that you select.