This weekend our three legged rescue pooch got a make over of adorable proportions and it inspired us to write a little advice on how to choose a dog groomer that is right for you and your pooch!

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How To Choose A Dog Groomer!

We recently realised that Oscar is a german shepherd and jack russell cross! He’s probably got a few other breeds mixed in, but this is the cross that really makes the most sense. As we rescued him, it’s been a little upsetting to not know what his background was. When our friend told us that she’d seen a dog that looked exactly like him and that the owner had said he was a cross of those two breeds, we could not have been more pleased. Finally we feel like we’ve figured him out. He’s incredibly loving, loyal and obedient with a few mental, naughty terrier tendencies thrown in.

Plus, he moults. ALL. THE. TIME.

He’s adorable with his long hair. He looks like a little fox in the face and has a big bushy tail to match. His hair is longer and thicker around his tummy making him look like a ridgeback gorilla when he’s wet, as it all sticks out and puffs him out at the front. You’d probably think we were completely mad to want to get him groomed when he looks as sweet as he does and as it’s also still very much winter! Well, perhaps you’d change your mind if you came to our house wearing black!

Oscar getting a cuddle to calm him down before his grooming!

After a rather defeating few weeks of constantly hoovering our home and still finding his fur was getting everywhere (including all our clothes and regularly in our food) we decided that we had to bite the bullet and get him groomed for our own sanity.

Look at all that hair, Oscar!!!

It was now very clear that Oscar had inherited the german shepherd moulting coat and something had to be done. Conveniently, when we went to pick up his dog food from the Llys Nini RSPCA shelter where we first found @Oscar_threepaws there was a new sign up advertising the Goody 4 Paws grooming service that now worked at the shelter!

@Oscar_threepaws was a very patient boy for his lovely groomer!

We won’t go anywhere else for our dog food, because we want to give back to the shelter as much as possible. They gave us @Oscar_threepaws at the end of the day and without them we wouldn’t have our amazing family and this truly wonderful dog. We are incredibly lucky and give to them whenever we can. So, it only made sense to us that he should go back there for his grooming as well!

1. It’s important to have a good relationship with your groomer.

After calling Goody 4 Paws and making the appointment (with Oscar’s Dad shouting “Ask them if they accept 3 paws!” and “Do we get 25% discount?” throughout, haha!) I already had a really good feeling about them. The lady on the phone had been so lovely and I felt like we’d already known each other for years. She put me at ease without even meeting her. This is something that I think is really important. Normally, you aren’t allowed to be with your dog while they are being groomed (I was lucky to be allowed in to take a few pictures!), so you need to be able to trust your groomer. Establishing a sense of ease with their customers this early on is very good sign and made me feel very comfortable to put Oscar in their care.

@Oscar_threepaws hates bathtime!

It is important to meet your groomer and ask to see the facilities before you hand over your beloved pooch for their much needed transformation. Ask as many questions as you like and it’s important that they are asking you plenty of questions too. You need to both have a very clear idea of what you want! They should be checking you for any allergies, but also you should be telling them anything they need to know! With @Oscar_threepaws we knew that we wanted an all over shave, but still wanted a little length on the coat so he wouldn’t be too cold over these last few cold months. Make sure you know exactly what you want from your groomer and tell them!!!

2. What training and experience do they have?

It only took a quick google to find out how experienced the Goody 4 Paws dog groomers are! The website even says that their professional dog groomer “has over 27 years of experience in veterinary nursing and has won the Crufts ‘Best of Breed’ title”, which is rather impressive! Luckily for us though, our little mutt won’t be attending any Crufts competitions any time soon, but it was definitely a plus for us! Also, upon arrival it turned out that our groomer had her very own pack of german shepherds at home, so she knew her stuff about the breed. It was really nice to be able to have someone professional agree with us about his cross.

Oscar seems to be loving his pampering session.

The groomer was really kind and patient with @oscar_threepaws. She calmed him down with a cuddle after she lifted him on to the grooming table and he was a very good boy for her. She talked me through everything and also explained to me that because of the cross of breeds his hair grows in lots of different and unexpected directions. She took extra time and care to shave to the directions (but naturally there were some spots where it was just to difficult, meaning he ended up with some adorable patterns and swirls!). Her knowledge was really assuring and also very interesting and informative!

@oscar_threepaws looks back in shock at all that fur!

Having the grooming parlour at the RSPCA shelter also filled me with confidence. I trust that Llys Nini wouldn’t have just anybody grooming at their home! I was also doubly pleased to know that Goody 4 Paws came with 27 years of veterinary nursing experience. There is something very reassuring knowing that there is a medical knowledge behind your groomers. It really was a great find and I would whole heartedly recommend them to any of my friends.

3. Make sure your dog is happy to be groomed!

Now, it’s pretty clear that Oscar had no problems with being groomed. Despite hating water and wanting to jump down a few times, he was very placid and quite content with his make over experience. Don’t force your dog to be groomed if they don’t enjoy it. If he aggressive or agitated by the experience then it might be a good idea to see an animal behaviourist and your vet. There could be a lot of different reasons that your pet is distressed, such as underlying injuries or illnesses.

4. Be realistic about price!

We had done our research on dog groomer prices and found that £30 was a pretty average price in our area. There were of course more expensive groomers and it was more expensive for certain breeds, but anything less than that price and we would definitely recommend you avoid them. Yes, you might be on a tight budget, but be sensible and pay that little extra for a more experienced groomer. We paid £30 for this brilliant doggy makeover and wouldn’t want to pay less.

We treated @oscar_threepaws to a new jumper to keep him warm!

We were more than happy with the results! Oscar looked so much younger and adorable with his new trimmed look. We went straight to our nearest pet store and picked him up this adorable doggy hoody! We even spoilt him with a new leather collar and lead to finish off his transformation.

5. Do your research!

We were very lucky with our dog grooming find, but it helped to have done a little bit of research! This is our top tip! ALWAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH!

A massive thank you to Goody 4 Paws for doing such a sterling job!

Also, another huge thank you to Llys Nini RSPCA for all the amazing work that you do and for giving us our family! We are more than lucky to have @oscar_threepaws and that is entirely down to you! Keep up the great work!

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