01/04/2022
From a fellow groomer, Melissa Janninga:
Let's talk for a minute about your dog's lifestyle. I'm going to use an analogy here...
Imagine you had twin 2 year old boys. You are following a mom on insta that always seems to have her stuff together and she's always posting these light airy photos of her kids and you think "that's IT. That's my look, I love everything about this!!" You dress your twins in all white. You throw away all their clothes and buy them the most pastel and white. We all know boys, and we all know white. So, the kids mess the clothes pretty quick. Sauce, dirt, sticky stuff only kids can manage to find. You have a few choices. 1) wash the clothes all the time *HOME CARE* 2) You don't let the boys into anything that could mess the clothes *RESTRICTION* 3) You pay someone else to do a laundry service *PROFESSIONAL CARE* 4) You give them darker pants and keep the light shirts *COMPROMISE* 5) You admit the idea was not realistic and give them back a variety of suitable clothing *CHANGE EXPECTATIONS*
What does this have to do with your dog?????
We often have an idea of what we would like our dog's hair to look like. Unless you have a very potato- like dog, he or she would enjoy swimming, digging, camping, hiking, romping in snow, wrestling with other dogs etc. These activities are not always in line with the style we desire. 1) You can brush and comb your dog thoroughly and often *HOME CARE* 2) You can not allow your dog to take part in the activities they love *RESTRICTION* 3) You can hire a groomer way more often *PROFESSIONAL CARE* 4) You can ask your groomer to help you find a style that keeps some of the elements you love, ie long ears and tail, and trim the rest of the fur shorter or 5) You can choose an easier to maintain style and let your dog enjoy the activities to the fullest *CHANGE EXPECTATIONS.* The time to think about your dog's hairstyle matching their lifestyle is BEFORE all the clothes are stained beyond belief and ready to be trashed. In a similar way, it's easiest to change your dogs style before matting has overtaken the coat. In many cases, a matted coat may not be able to be salvaged and will need a full shavedown for your dog's comfort. I'm always happy to work with you to find a style that works for you AND your dog.
