Do you get your dog groomed?

[Giraffapuses]

Settle an argument between me and DH he thinks its totslly normal to pay to get your dog groomed. I think this is the epitome of bourgeois excess. Should I LTB?

If he wasn't groomed every 12-weeks he would be a mass of matted fur by now,
of course grooming is a thing (more important with some breeds than others).

Do YOU have a haircut?????

Twice per year mainly for nails and glands.

I bath her regularly and brush her coat everyday otherwise it's everywhere in the house and her floppy ears would be matted.

Pekingese groomed every 6-8 weeks. I bathe myself when needed as gets itchy if fur not kept clean.

Yes. My dog doesn't shed and I get him done r every three months or so. He practically had dreadlocks by the end of the first lockdown as he was due a groom when it started!
They also clean his ears, clip his nails and brush the teeth. Most people I know with non shedding dogs and ones that have particular cuts (like schnauzers) get them groomed.
When growing up I had a mutt and I used to wash him myself.

Depends on what you mean by groomed.

Our dog was a hound and the poor girl had over active anal glands. So it was easy to have her glands emptied and nails clipped every 2 weeks at doggy daycare. She didn’t hate it and it was part of her routine so no stress on her. They would pull her out of group play for about 20 minutes and take care of things. (Her groomer told us she was the only dog she’d ever had that would hold out her paws for nail clippies) It was relatively cheap and kept her comfortable.

For baths though she would be tossed in the tub at home when she was stinky. She was a short hair hound so no challenges with fur. She wasn’t keen on brushing (you would have thought we were flaying her skin off with a brush) so we got one of those rubber mitt things which she liked.

I've a springer spaniel who's groomed about every 3 months. He enjoys it and I think it really helps him.He also enjoys seeing the other dogs and being fussed over

Yes, we get our dogs groomed. We brush them regularly and they get washed in between grooms but the grooms are definitely needed.

Another depends on the breed comment.

I've had a collie cross, a heinz 57, and a cocker spaniel. Only the cocker spaniel needed grooming regularly.

You could always buy the equipment and learn to do it yourself.

I can't be bothered to do that.

I bath and clip my rescue dog. She is a scruffy beauty.

She got scared and escaped from a groomer and could have been killed so will never risk it again.

We have a Rough Collie who is groomed regularly.

Me too. It's not 'bourgeois'. It's necessary.

My Labradors have never ever had a bath ever - once one rolled in fox shit and I hosed him down in the garden and once the other one went swimming in the sea and smelt of seaweed and agsin got the house

maybe they smell but I don’t think so!

My farther has a little terrier type thing that has very thick and curly hair. He has to be groomed , especially in the summer. I have a cockerpoo who definitely needs to be groomed. No amount of brushing seems to help his coat.

It seems to have become a massive industry. I don't recall most dogs being groomed other than at home years ago but now it is so common with lots of people working from sheds in their garden. I think you are both right!!

Personally, no, because I enjoy grooming and have the kit and skill to do it myself, though it takes me a while as its very hard on my back/hands.

If I did not have DP here to help, I would use a groomer, yes.

I have a stinky hound, a frilly sighthound and a heavy coated tibetan thing, so grooming does have to be done or there will be welfare issues.

Judging by the number of clients my groomer friends have, and still have despite lockdowns and pandemic restrictions, and their waiting lists... I'd say plenty of people do.

In my experience, those who do, typically do not do enough grooming in between and do not take their dog frequently enough - for some breeds, six weeks is too long if you aren't skilled at combing/brushing down to the skin, and many people seem to think that they can literally not touch the dog for the entire six weeks!

My best friends poodle is groomed weekly, though she does most of it herself as it means she can do it in small bursts and tidy the dog up as and when necessary - leaving her six weeks would result in a badly matted little dog!

It may seem like a luxury but if you have a coated breed, either you do it yourself iwth all the kit, properly, or you pay someone else and neither option is cheap!

Decent clippers -£200+
Grooming table - £100+
Blaster - £50 - 200+ (very dependent on size of dog)
Specialist bathing gear ££££loads!
Combs - £20
Scissors -£30 - 300+
Brushes, shampoos, conditioners another £100..

Whilst it pays for itself over time you're looking at £500+ for grooming a small to medium breed dog and considerably more if you have a giant breed - plus of course your time in doing it.

A full groom when the Tibetan Thing was in full coat (he is clipped down like a schnauzer now as he is old) took 3 hours - thats a comb through, full shampoo, condition, brush out properly and blow dry. That needed doing for his coat type, every three/four weeks, and he is only a small dog (12kg).

Something like a Bernedoodle, Sheepadoodle, Standard Labradoodle - that might be a five hour job at home (without the benefit of a big blaster, drying cabinet etc).

I've got a westie and cocker spaniel and groom both myself. I've had westie since a pup, so he's never been clipped and has a great, easy care coat. Mars coat king to remove undercoat, clip paw pads and ear tips, trim coat length.

The cocker spaniels coat has been ruined by previous owners clipping it and I also suspect she has spay coat. It's bloody awful cotton wool. Mats if you glance at it. After 7 years I've given up hope of it ever getting better, so shear her like a sheep. I try to remove undercoat first but its just hideous. Most of the guard hairs are gone thanks to being clipped for years before I got her. I saw pics of her when she was young and she had a lovely, proper coat.

What post is complete without handsome boy pics and Miss Glamourpuss pulling a face 😊 Westies head is done better these days - I've never groomed dogs before, so it's taken a bit to work his noggin out.

I went for short coated breed dogs for low maintenance, they only get bathed if absolutely necessary to clean so can be once a year, but they don't smell apart from when still damp from rain.

I expect the explosion of groomers is down to the boom in non-shedding dog breeds & their mixes and less people learning to do themselves like via show scene or even wanting to. I know few people that have bought clippers to DIY trim but after not being able to get in at groomers for ages but you'd need a calm, willing dog while you figure it out.

Agree @ScattyHattie I would hazard a guess that more people see groomers because of the popularity of poodle crosses. Poodles need grooming and a lot of the poodle crosses I've seen have long curly coats.

My dog is groomed every 3 mths. He is a fox terrier and he was stripped when he was younger but now just gets clipped. His anal glands are squeezed and his nails are done. His nails get very long and I don’t like doing them myself.

YABU

Grooming about animal welfare, not vanity. I have a long haired breed and she goes to the groomer ever 7-8 weeks. I feel they do a better job than me. It would be cruel to allow a dog to get matts in their coat and be ungroomed. If I had a greyhound or jack russell I could do it myself.

😢 Just found out I need to find a new regular groomer. Mine can't fit them in for three months. I need reliability for my dogs' welfare. It wouldn't matter if it was just for vanity.