A:  The Dog S'paw is a appointment only, low volume grooming shop.  Most other shops have you drop off your dog in the morning to be left there for 4 to 6 hours.  At the Dog S'paw, your dog has his own appointment time.  He is bathed, hand fluff dried and then haircut. (if required)  Your dog is ready for home....most grooms can be completed in 1 - 2 hours. 

A:  No. It not only doesn't do any good, it can cause a great deal of harm. If the dog isn't getting regular dental care at home, there's a good chance there are some pockets of bacteria at the gum line. Brushing can release a bacterial shower into the dog's blood stream, where it can go to the heart or kidneys, and cause a life threatening infection. You can also dislodge teeth that are loose, due to infection and tartar. And it can indeed cause a false sense of security. People tend to assume that having the dog's teeth brushed by the groomer is a substitute for dental scaling at the vets. It's not. Brushing is no substitute for scaling, which should be done by a vet, or a vet tech, under the supervision of a vet.

A:    A mat is a tangle of hair or fur that can be found anywhere on a pet that has not been brushed and combed regularly.  When a mat is left on the pet for a long period of time, it begins to grow (collect more tangled hair) and pull at the skin, eventually ripping itself away from the skin.  The skin underneath the mat cannot breathe and will retain moisture and bacteria.   Raw spots (hotspots) can form under mats; abscessed open wounds, mold, and maggots can also reside underneath a mat.  The matting process is speeded up when the pet gets wet from a bath or being out in the elements and is allowed to air dry without being brushed.  A pet should be fully brushed and combed prior to and after any bath or  circumstance where the pet could get wet at all.  A longhaired pet should also be hand dried while being brushed and combed after getting wet, to reduce the possibility of matting.

Q:  How often should I brush my pet?

A:    It depends on the type of hair involved.  Regular brushing helps to de-shed as well as bring out the natural oils in a pet to keep the skin and coat shiny and healthy.  It promotes the re-growth of new hair.  A short-haired dog may only need brushing once a week, but a dog with medium to long hair that needs regular trimming will need brushing AND combing every one to two days to keep mats from forming.  Brushing using a slicker brush or pin brush will usually only get the hair that lies on top of the coat.  It may not get the hair that lies closer to the skin.  A comb will also get the hair close to the skin.  Very often, people who do brush their dogs don't also comb them, so mats will form close to the skin and the owners will not realize it.  Combing a dog will very easily let you know if you have missed any mats.  Once a mat has formed, it can be difficult to remove it and they can grow very quickly and will eventually need to be professionally shaved off.

Please speak to your groomer about proper brushing, combing techniques, and tools.

Q:  But my pet doesn't like it when I brush him/her, what can I do?

A:    Very often, owners will stop brushing if their pet shows any sign of discomfort or dislike to the brushing.  The pet will quickly connect their wiggling or screaming or biting to their parents not brushing.  It becomes a regular, bad habit of the pet, so the owner will stop brushing the dog altogether.  That makes it very difficult for your groomer to work with the dog if it has already made a habit of not wanting to be brushed.  The best thing to do when your pet doesn't want to be brushed is to KEEP BRUSHING.  If you are not hurting the dog, it will eventually realize that fighting you will not get it anywhere.  Regular brushing is a requirement to keep the coat clean and MAT FREE.  If you do not want to take responsibility for regularly grooming your pet at home, then the only option will be to have the pet shaved every time it is sent to the groomer.  As long as you are willing to groom your pet at home, your groomer will be willing to work with you in keeping your pet in whatever style you prefer.  That may mean up to weekly grooming appointments.

Q:  How often should I have my pet professionally groomed?

A:    It really depends on the type of hair/fur your pet has.  A short-haired dog may only need a full grooming a few times per year to keep you happy, but a pet with medium or long hair that needs to be regularly trimmed will need grooming every 3-6 weeks.  To keep shedding down on ANY pet, regular grooming is recommended.  Professional grooming can easily reduce the shedding by removing a lot of the undercoat for you.  A 4-6 week cycle is recommended for maintenance de-shedding.

Q:  If I want to bathe my pet myself in between professional grooming appointments, how often should it be?

A:    That is left up to owner discretion, but over-bathing a pet can cause severe drying of the hair and skin unless a pet re-moisturizer or conditioner is used.  Typically, a pet may only need one bathe in between professional grooming sessions.  Be sure to brush and comb the pet before the bath to remove any mats and after the bath while you are actively drying your pet.  Do not let your medium or longhaired dog air dry.  As soon at they roll around, mats will begin to reform in the wet hair. See FAQ on mats (at the top of this page) for more information.

Q:  What are anal glands and why do they need to be expressed?

A:    Anal sacs or glands are two small internal glands that sit on either side of the dog's anus.  Many dogs will secrete the sacs on their own when they defecate.  Some dogs are not able to secrete them on their own and require someone to do it for them.  Signs that your dog cannot secrete their glands are scooting on the floor or constant licking around their anus.  Anal gland expression is not available with every groomer.  Some do not prefer to offer the service and advise a visit to the vet's to have it done.  The vet's internal method of expression may be more thorough than a groomer's external method, but both are successful options.  If you need gland expression done for your dog, ask your groomer.

Q:  If I bathe my pet myself, will you reduce the price of the groom?

A:    We do not offer an a la carte service.  It is a package deal that comes with a bath, nail trim, ear cleaning, and hair cut if requested.  We prefer to bathe the pet ourselves to ensure that the pet is clean to our standards.  A hair cut will be of lesser quality if the pet is not thoroughly cleaned.  It also gives us the chance to really look at the pet's skin and hair condition.  We may uncover ticks, fleas, infected wounds, rashes, warts, lumps or other previously unknown issues.  Regular professional grooming is very proactive in ensuring that a pet receives prompt veterinary care before a problem becomes severe.

Q:  How often should I have my pet's nails trimmed?

A:    If your pet is regularly walked on cement sidewalks or pavement, nail trimming may not even be a requirement.  The pavement will often file the nails for you.  Be sure to check the nails once in a while so you know if the pavement is filing them down adequately.  For dogs who are not walked on pavement, nails should be trimmed every three to six weeks.  If the nails are left to grow, they will begin to twist the toes making walking uncomfortable, even painful.  Some nails, especially the dewclaw (thumbs on pets) will curl around and stick themselves into the pads, causing bleeding and infections.  Long nails are especially difficult to cut because the quick, or blood vessel grows with the nail and makes the groomer unable to clip the nail short.  When a nail is trimmed, the quick recedes to protect itself from exposure.  Short term weekly nail trimming might be required to get the nail back to being short again.  If your groomer is unable to trim the nails due to a pet's difficult behavior, you may need to have the nails done at your vet's office.

Q:  What is "quicking" the nail?

A:    Quicking a nail is when a nail is trimmed to the point of making it bleed.  Inside of a pet's nail are a blood vessel and nerves.  For dogs (or cats) with clear nails, the blood vessel is more easily seen and avoided.  For dogs with black nails, the blood vessel is completely hidden from view and quicking can happen more easily.  Quicking a nail is comparable to receiving a very minor paper cut.  Some dogs react highly and some dogs don't react at all if their nail is quicked.  Stopping the bleeding is easily done by applying a styptic powder or gel to the bleeding nail.  If no styptic powder is available, flour or even a bar of regular soap will also stop the bleeding.

Highly excitable dogs can cause their own nails to bleed by scratching their nails down to the blood vessel.