Grooming for a puppy is an absolute must! If your pet needs to be groomed professionally, the best time to start is after they have had all their puppy shots. This is typically around 12 weeks of age. Setup An Appointment
It is never too early to start preparing your puppy for his or her first grooming session. When spending time together on the couch gently brush your puppy. Get your puppy familiar with being touched everywhere. Pick up their feet and gently play with their toes. The more your puppy is familiar with being touched the easier the first groom will go.
Many people wait until the puppy is over 6 months for their first groom. However, the sooner you familiarize them with being groomed, the happier your puppy will be. I associate the puppy’s first grooming experience with that of a child’s first dentist appointment. If it scares them, they will fear and dread it for the rest of their lives. However, if they are CORRECTLY introduced at a young age, it can be both a positive and rewarding experience.
Love and patience are the keys to years of successful grooming. Conduct frequent short
sessions with patience, LOTS of verbal praise and treats.
Touch your new puppy’s feet and rub your fingers between its toes a couple times a day. This will make nail clipping easier. I promise, your groomer and your vet, will love you for this. It is a natural instinct for dogs to pull their feet back when being touched. This is a great way to get them used to it when very young. Most pets are fine with being groomed and only stress out during the nail trimming process. This can be avoided by taking the time to help train them to enjoy it.
Show your puppy his brush & comb. Let them sniff and play with it for a few seconds. Brush their coat a few times, then reward your puppy with a small treat and verbal praise. Do the same with the comb. Each day increase the number of brush and comb strokes. After the first week, you should be able to do the brushing AND combing in a short period of time.
Play with your puppies ears, by touching them on the inside & outside. Afterwards, reward them with lots of praise and a small treat. This is important because it will make it easier when groomers need to remove the hair from their ears.