Regular Grooming Is Everyday Grooming
A good groomer can create a clean, neat little clip that looks good for months after they’ve wielded the scissors. However, there’s something that your groomer can’t do for you in most cases and that’s grooming in-between your pet’s visits. Regular grooming is an important part of your pet’s health care and makes a good grooming last longer.
In-between grooming keeps your pet clean – even professionally groomed pets can collect dirt or get longer hair tangled. A quick combing through long hair and brush on shorter hair can dislodge dirt and anything else tangled in it. Attention paid to your pet’s ears and nails mean that ear infections can be prevented and nails never grow past a comfortable length.
Think of it like cleaning your bathtub. Clean it every few weeks and it’ll be easy. Clean it once a year and seeing a shiny surface will take a lot of strenuous work. As with many obligations in life, it’s better to not let them accumulate.
Stay Informed By Grooming Often
Another benefit of regular grooming between professional visits is that you can catch any signs of an injury or illness. This provides you with early warning of parasites, skin conditions, even cuts and punctures. Many pets have been saved by the discovery of serious developing conditions during a grooming session. This information can be very valuable to your vet, groomer, and pet sitter so they know what to look out for.
In-between Grooming Prevents Stress, Too
Professional grooming can be a major event for you pet, even a basic bath and nail trimming, not to mention clipping. Many groomers must add additional services for dematting when that has become an issue. A groomer often can’t just include this in a standard grooming – it takes a lot of time to work through a matted coat and it’s a painful, preventable condition. Your groomer would be happier doing a quicker grooming and not have to work through a matted coat on an extra-stressed pet.
Speaking of stress, regular grooming does a lot toward accustoming your pet to professional grooming visits. Being used to brushing and combing and nail clipping is half the battle, especially when your pet is introduced to it early. When mats and tangles are prevented by at-home brushing and combing, your pet will have a much less stressful time at the groomer’s.
A Little Grooming Every Day Adds Up
Regular grooming is a wonderful way to continue to interact with your pet. Keeping your pet clean means less stress for your pet in general. Making grooming a regular part of your pet’s life makes professional grooming visits less scary. And certainly, five to ten minutes a day with a brush and comb can save a lot of extra work at the groomer.