Pet Grooming

Nov 18

Kuro getting blow dried using a Dyson Hair Dryer at Wagging Tails. — Kuro getting blow dried using a **Dyson Hair Dryer** at **Wagging Tails**.

Pet Groomers can be a very personal choice. And often, we try various pet groomers to land at one that we like and keep going back to. Perhaps we may use 2 different groomers. It took us a while to figure that out with Kuro. We’d take a moment to share our personal experience.

The first groomer we went to was Wagging Tails. We were introduced via a friend who brings her dogs there. We value recommendations, particularly from those who have tried and tested the service or product. The location wasn’t ideal as it was in Marine Crescent, which is about a 20 minute drive and Kuro as I learnt later, does get pretty bad motion sickness (thank goodness we found the cure in Buta by Kuro Snacks). Kuro was about 7 months, she was starting to shed. Now, she’s a Shiba Inu, so they have short fur and I thought it would be nice to bring her for her first grooming session. Now, our groomer, Cleo, was wonderful and very patient. Kuro was a little scared. There were so many new things for her. But on the whole, it was a very good experience. The downside was more because Kuro continued to blow her coat and we realized quickly, we don’t really need to do a full grooming session for her, despite her looking all nice after her session. The reality is that we try to prolong the need for grooming and we only need some essential services like deep cleaning for her ears, and cutting of nails on occasion. A lot of the rest like a bit of a trim here and there or grinding/filing of nails was something we could do quite easily ourselves with Dog Nail Grinder that you can get. Lucky us! Nonetheless, we do turn to Wagging Tails from time to time, because Kuro would be very scared of the one nearest to our home, more than usual.

So that was our experience. But we wanted to run through some criteria on choosing a good pet groomer for your dog that ultimately became our reasons for our choice of pet groomer:

Location & Facility
Location is always a key consideration factor. Depending on whether you drive or if you’re okay with Pet Taxi Services, nothing beats the convenience of rocking up to the pet groomer’s on foot. The facility is also important to note - do they have ample space, when your dog is waiting for its turn or when it is done, where would they be placed to wait, if it is not near you, is there a waiting area or lounge for you. These are important. Kuro was once at a groomer’s where the waiting area was a cage, something she’s not used to and we prefer the home-based facility like Wagging Tails because there is ample space and there is a nice sofa for us to relax in while Kuro gets her nails did and if we went out for a coffee, Kuro gets to roam about while she waits for us, instead of sitting in a tiny cage.
Services
Some groomers are better at certain services than others. So this may be a factor for you to choose different pet groomers for different services. Not all pet groomers do teeth cleaning (removal of plaque and tartar without general anaesthesia) and not all who do are good. Whether it’s essential/full grooming, post-surgery or medical grooming, there are specialists and generalists, so you have to pick them based on their expertise and your requirements.
Observation
Especially for the first time, we were very happy that we could stay throughout the entire process. Subsequent visits were the same, but we chose to sit away from the action as Kuro tends to do better that way. We once went to a pet groomer for teeth cleaning and they did not allow us to stay and observe, so that led to us being a little uncomfortable as we have heard some horror stories of dogs stuggling and getting cuts on their gums which can lead to nasty infections and of course, the staff not highlighting any of this. We were lucky that time. But I think a place that lets you observe is most certainly more trustworthy.
Experience
With Kuro, because her needs are so little, we didn’t think it mattered a whole lot. However, experience, especially with breeds that require more complex grooming like dogs with varying lengths of hair, it might be a little more important because there’s more to the styling and certainly experience with the breed is important. Some dogs have short, but curly hair which can make things a little more complicated. Whilst we are not adverse to a novice trying their hand, since everyone starts somewhere, the years of experience can actually save you money and time as they would dive into what’s essential and required. To understand more about the experience is something a simple phone clarification can resolve.
Equipment & Products
Whilst we may not be experts in the field, but ensuring they have rust or tarnish free equipment is a very big tell tale sign. The last thing we would want is a rusty pair of scissors or clippers touching our dogs. And of course, a good grooming table is not just for the groomer, it also provides comfort and security for our dogs. Understanding the products they use like the shampoo or the conditioner are also indicators of how good they are. We like how Kuro was being dried with a Dyson Hair Dryer at Wagging Tails as we understand it’s great for humans also, the sound doesn’t get to her as much as the professional grade blow dryer that is better suited for bigger dogs that aren’t too fraidy (sorry Kuro, the truth hurts). All these special touches add on to the reputation of the pet groomer.
Safety
Whilst this may not always seem like an important point, since it’s just grooming, but perhaps during the first session, it’s always good to have a conversation with the pet groomer to learn from them through their experience about casual medical advice, that’s an indicator that they know dogs really well. Especially if they are dog owners themselves, they’ll be able to teach you a thing or two and in that case, they’re very likely to be very safe on the job and in the case of an emergency, they’ll know what to do. It helps if the pet groomer has an affinity with animals and might even know animal communication. We kinda think that most good pet groomers have a bit of that natural gift though it’s not the most important pre-requisite.
Cost & Fees
It is important to know if the pet groomer’s fees are all encompassing, whether it’s inclusive or exclusive of tax or if there are additional fees if you’re paying by card or other modes of payment. The last thing we want is to have a mismatch of expectations when it comes time to pay. Always understand the cost before you book an appointment or in the case of walk-ins, know the cost before you proceed. That way you know for sure what you owe and will avoid a case of unexpected costs or predatory fees.

Be diligent, but also don’t kick yourself if you don’t find a pet groomer right for you the first time, sometimes it take a little bit of trial and error before you find the one best suited for you. And remember, hair and nails grow all the time.