Grooming with Allison

04/05/2022

Before and after ✨

01/05/2022

Here are some of my favorite tips for teaching your puppy to be calm and confident for grooming!

-Brush your puppy’s entire body several times a week. This should be done when puppy is already calm and include a lot of treats. Don’t forget the tops of the feet, tail, and ears.

-Teach your puppy spacial awareness so they are prepared to stand on a grooming table. If you allow your puppy on the furniture, you’re already working on this.

-Introduce your puppy to a collar and leash so they understand being restrained with a grooming loop.

-Your puppy should have it’s first grooming appointment once vaccinated, ideally before the end of the critical socialization period at 16 weeks. This appointment should be easy and not include a full haircut. Instead, your puppy should be introduced to the tools and handling required during grooming.

-Repeat bath and light trim appointments until your puppy is calm and confident at the groomers, and then schedule their first haircut. Ask your groomer their reccommended timeline for your puppy, every puppy is different.

-Your puppy should visit the groomer every 2-5 weeks until about a year old- even after their first haircut.

-Talk to your groomer about brush and product recommendations or if you are struggling with maintaining a routine at home. We want you and your puppy to be successful!

01/01/2022

Happy New Year! Give your pup an extra treat from me 🐾

12/28/2021

Mitsy is one of the many senior pups I groom.

She gets what I call a comfort cut. All I ask of her is that she lets me get her clean and to a point that she can be easily maintained until her next appointment. For Mitsy, that includes a clipper cut all over and some extra tidying around her eyes. Since her body is becoming weaker with age, I don’t do any extra scissor work or nitpicking. And some appointments she can handle more work than others, so I always tailor my approach to her needs that specific day.

Comfort cuts are perfect for seniors or any dog that struggles with the grooming process.

11/16/2021

Arie ✨

11/01/2021

Just in case you haven’t already scheduled for the holidays, now is the time!

09/02/2021

Little Elvis from ARPO - Alliance for Responsible Pet Ownership was in need of a major groom today! He has been on his own for several weeks and was extremely matted. Now that he’s mat free and smells good, he’s a whole new dog!

08/02/2021

Bruno ✨

07/21/2021

05/28/2021

Oscar!

05/26/2021

Cooper and Tucker ✨

05/14/2021

Sweet Lily 🤍

03/27/2021

I finished my week off with this sweet baby from Far Fetched Dog Rescue
She has lived a hard life and likely never been groomed. Her coat was so impacted you couldn’t even feel her skin. She is terrified of everything and would rather shrink into a corner than be acknowledged.
But, as I was quietly brushing her coat, she turned and looked me directly in the eyes. As we looked at each other, she softened. It’s like she realized that I was just here to help and that she is safe now. By the end of our time together she was a completely different dog, in appearance and demeanor. She is still going to take some time to come around, but I believe she knows she’s in good hands now. I’m thankful I could be one step in her journey 💜

03/17/2021

I know I say it all the time, but grooming puppies is truly my favorite part of the job!

Meet Monte(left) and Ringo(right). Monte was ready for his first puppy cut, but Ringo wasn’t quite ready yet, and that is perfectly fine! Even though Monte was ready, I kept his first haircut very easy. I will go back and fine tune everything during his next few appointments, making sure he leaves my table happy and excited to come back.

Allowing the puppy to decide when they are ready is the key to creating a dog that is confident and comfortable with the grooming process. I always recommend celebrating the steps your puppy does make during their appointment and know that by following their lead you will have a dog that can have a beautiful haircut and enjoy going to the groomer.

12/22/2020

Well my unexpected Christmas gift to myself is a new phone! This little stinker decided the old one was a great chew toy and demolished the screen. As of right now, I have lost pretty much everything, so please be patient with me as I get everything back in order.

On the bright side, Willie is perfectly fine, the phone is replaceable, and I got a better camera out of the deal. And who could be upset with his precious face?

11/06/2020

Finished off my week with these precious little ladies 🤍

10/16/2020

George, my Bully, helped to teach Reggie, the Wheatie puppy, how to get on and off the grooming table earlier this week!

06/05/2020

Force free training and handling isn’t just for dogs!

06/04/2020

Bella 💕

06/03/2020

Giulia came to see me for a fresh groom today!

05/22/2020

Today was supposed to be Evee’s first haircut!

But, she was feeling a little bit hesitant.

So, instead, we kept things light and easy. We took plenty of little breaks and she got a lot of treats. I showed her that grooming wasn’t scary and that I would listen to her when she told me she wasn’t ready. I taught her that she could trust me.

I want grooming to be a conversation between the dog and me. They can tell me when they are ready and when they need a break. They can tell me if something is scary and in turn I will change my methods to help make them feel more confident. It can take time to speak the same language, but your dog is worth it to me.

05/13/2020

Handsome Zotti came for a fresh haircut today! 🐾

05/11/2020

Wyatt the Cavapoo puppy came to see me today for a bath and introduction to some of my grooming tools. He really enjoyed playing my table game and sniffing around the salon! It’s important to make puppies comfortable so they learn to enjoy coming to the groomer.

05/05/2020

Nora came to see me for a bath today! She licked some peanut butter while I bathed her and ate a few treats while I trimmed her nails.

For those of you that follow my personal page, Nora was one of my foster puppies, previously known as Penelope. 💜

04/29/2020

Evee the goldendoodle puppy came for a bath today!

04/27/2020

Cricket ❤️

Cricket was my foster dog. She went home yesterday, so of course I had to give her a fresh haircut first!

04/05/2020

Today while doing Tucker’s weekly nail trim I wanted to put a video together to demonstrate my handling techniques to make nail trims easy! The goal is to create an open dialogue with the dog and allow them to tell you when they are nervous or uncomfortable. Allowing your dog to say when they have had enough will make nail trims much less stressful for everyone involved.

*Please excuse the crying puppies in the background, my fosters heard me talking and really wanted to see what was going on*

03/28/2020

Here are a couple videos demonstrating how to brush your long haired dog since most groomers are closed right now.
You should use the line brushing technique from the face to the tail, and don’t forget the tops of the feet and inside of the legs too! Once you have finished brushing, go over everything with the comb to be sure you haven’t missed any tangles. This technique will help ensure you are brushing all of your dog’s hair and can help prevent mats.
If you have any questions about brushing or maintaining your dogs during this time please let me know!

*Facebook will only allow me to post one video, so the close up video will be in the comments.

03/17/2020

Emma and Annie stopped by for a groom before their vacation. Annie has always struggled with grooming, but with some training and patience we can accomplish a lot!

03/10/2020

Fresh and clean and ready for spring! 🌷🌼