How to brush your dog
Brushing your dog regularly not only keeps his coat looking good, it helps release dead hair, cuts down on excess shedding, removes mats and distributes the natural oils in the skin to keep your dog healthy.
To make brushing safe and comfortable, teach your dog the stand command. This tells him that he needs to stand in one place until you say otherwise.
Short to Medium Coats
For short to medium coats, use a bristle brush. Brush in the direction of hair growth. Don't use too much pressure so that it hurts your dog's skin; instead apply firm strokes that will help remove dead hairs.
Long Coats
For long-coated breeds and poodle mixes, you are going to have to take a bit more time. Part the hair in sections and run a pin brush or slicker brush through each section. If you find mats or knots use a comb to eliminate them - hold the tangle by the root and ease out with the comb.
How often should my pet be professionally groomed?
We usually say its great to have your pet groomed every 4-8 weeks, 12 weeks for short haired coats. Not only for your pets health and hygiene but to keep them on a good schedule and routine as pets adapt very well to structure and routine.
When should I bring my new puppy in?
We recommend bringing your puppy in right after their last set of puppy shots. Usually around 16 weeks of age and then every 4 weeks to reassure them of the routine and to help you with any issue you may be encountering with a puppy coat.
We offer a "Puppy Intro" package at a discounted rate for puppies 6 months and under to encourage an early foundation of grooming and handling. During the Puppy Intro we introduce them to the bath, brushing/combing, nail trimmers and blow dryer. Since they will be groomed for life we like to make it a happy and positive experience.
Guidance for Poodle Cross Owners
Poodle crosses (cockerpoos, labradoodles, maltipoos, schnoodles etc.) are NOT "easy breeds" to maintain.
You may have been told they don't need/shouldn't be groomed/clipped until they are a year old. Please be careful, this is not true. By simply looking at a dogs top coat, you may not see the knots and you may not feel them as you would a knot on the ends of the fur and once it starts it's very difficult/impossible to brush out... and even if you could it would be cruel to put the dog through it. Maintenance at home has to be more than a quick once over if you want to keep that fluffy coat. You need to sit down with a brush and then a metal comb and make sure you can get it through the entire body including muzzle, legs, tummy and tail at least 2 to 3 times a week.
If you like a fluffy pup, you probably need to consider no more than 3-5 week intervals between grooming and set aside time for regular brushing AND combing at home.
If your dog is matted, there is only one choice for a groom and that is to clip under the matts. This means taking the coat back to the skin. We do not want to do this but it is in the dogs best interests to get their coat into a manageable condition and then we can work together to prevent this from happening again.
At The Polished Dog, we deeply care about your dog and are truly saddened when we have to de-mat a dog in this way.
Do you do flea and tick baths?
We do not. The products we use are all natural and we use no chemicals. We recommend in flea and tick season to use Vet recommended products.
If we find ticks we will remove them as part of the grooming process and inform you when you collect so you can keep an eye out for any infection/inflammation.
If we find fleas, for the safety of the other animals in our salon we will send your dog home. Then once you have treated your dog and killed all remaining fleas (48 hours) we can take your dog back to finish their groom. A charge will be made for both appointments.
Can I stay with my pet while they are groomed?
Unfortunately due to insurance reasons we cannot have you in the back with the animals. Also due to current COVID-19 restrictions we cannot have anyone else in the salon. We also have found that dogs become anxious when their owners are around as they are then ready to leave and get over excited.
Sometimes my pet shakes when he comes in, is he afraid to be groomed?
Not necessarily, he may just be anxious from the car ride, excited, or not sure if he is going to the vet to get a shot.
Much like kids in pre-school, once you are gone they settle in and get comfortable. In fact, they often pull us into the grooming area! We always allow the dog to sniff around and smell the salon a bit to familiarise themselves with their environment and with 2 groomers available there is always an extra hug or treat available!!
Dogs are very intuitive and will pick up any anxiety that you may be feeling, so it is important that you be calm and reassuring.
Can I bring my own shampoo?
Absolutely, although our top rated Wildwash shampoo is designed to promote a healthy coat and skin. We have many different shampoos to sooth many different types of skin and coat. All of our special shampoos are included and there is no charge to upgrade.