Pet Grooming Orange County

Winter Grooming for Dogs: Why It’s Important

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Winter Grooming for Dogs: Why It’s Important

Many people believe that dogs do not require regular grooming throughout the winter. However, grooming during the winter is extremely important to your dog’s health and well-being.

Dogs are more susceptible to skin and coat issues in the winter. Their skin can become extremely dry from indoor heating. This can cause excessive licking and scratching, leading to painful sores and infection.

A dog’s coat can become tangled and matted if not properly maintained. This is especially true for double-coated breeds. Matted fur is extremely painful. If it becomes wet from snow, frost or rain, it can increase your pet’s discomfort.

Regular grooming helps you spot problems with your pet’s skin and coat. This allows you to address these issues before they can become a much bigger problem. The following tips can help you take care of your dog this winter.

Keep Them Dry

When spending time outdoors, your pet’s coat can become damp from frost or rain. A damp coat can cause chills and dry, itchy skin. It’s important to properly dry your dog’s coat immediately after returning home.

Brushing

Make sure that you continue to brush your pet throughout the winter. Brushing helps prevent tangles and mats. It also helps your pet shed their winter coat. Brushing stimulates the skin to produce more oil. This helps moisturize the skin and protect it from damage caused by dry indoor heating.

Nails

You probably won’t take your dog on as many walks during the winter. Without the hard ground to wear them down, nails can quickly become too long. Long nails are prone to cracking and breaking. Make sure you trim your dog’s nails every four to six weeks.

Professional Grooming

Professional grooming is the best way to ensure your pet’s skin and coat is well maintained throughout the winter. During your pet’s grooming appointment they will receive a bath, blow dry, nail trim, ear cleaning and thorough brushing.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers full service grooming throughout the winter. We use soothing oatmeal shampoo to protect and moisturize their skin. Please call 714-962-1005 to set up a grooming appointment.

 

Helping Your Pet Lose Weight

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Helping Your Pet Lose Weight

You might have noticed that your pet is looking a little chubbier than usual. Maybe guests are starting to mention that your pet looks quite round. Obesity in pets is extremely common. Unfortunately, pets that are overweight face a number of challenges.

Pets that are overweight are more prone to arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems. In fact, overweight and obese pets rarely live as long as their slimmer companions. Pet’s cannot change their diet on their own or begin an exercise plan without your help. It is up to you to help them lose weight and get in shape. The New Year is the perfect time to help your pet shed those extra pounds.

Diet

Diet plays a big role in the overall health of your pet. The food that you feed your pet affects every part of their body, from their skin and coat to their weight and energy. You can help your pet lose weight by decreasing the amount of food that you feed them. Your veterinarian can help you determine the right amount of food for your pet. For the best chance of success, you will need to stick to the guidelines provided.

Table scraps can cause weight gain and be dangerous to your pet’s health. Fatty foods can lead to life-threatening pancreatitis in dogs. Foods like onions, garlic and chocolate are toxic. It’s important to avoid giving your pet table scraps.

Exercise

Regular exercise is an important part of losing weight. Exercise is good for both your pet’s mental and physical well-being. Play with your pet and take them on walks as often as possible.

Overweight pets are more prone to arthritis and other joint problems. Extra weight can put a lot of pressure on their delicate joints. Keep exercise sessions short and watch your pet for signs of distress. You’ll be able to increase the amount of exercise as your pet begins losing weight.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers dog and cat grooming in Orange County, California. Our full service salon is conveniently located on Brookhurst Street in Fountain Valley. Please call 714-962-1005 to set up a grooming appointment.

Handling Aggressive Dogs

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Handling Aggressive Dogs

As a pet groomer, people often ask us how we handle aggressive dogs. Although extremely aggressive dogs WILL be turned away for both their own safety and the safety of our groomers, we often encounter dogs that bite. Typically dogs bite while being groomed because they are afraid. Expediting the grooming process is usually the best way to keep frightened dogs calm.

An experienced groomer will attempt to make their canine clients feel comfortable before beginning to groom them. The groomer might offer frightened dogs a treat and speak to them in a soft voice while giving them a little love. Once the dog is more comfortable they will be placed in the tub for a bath. Once in the tub, even aggressive dogs should allow the groomer to bathe them.

After the bath, the dog will be dried before it is moved to the grooming table. Dogs are restrained with a loop and a muzzle when necessary. Neither of these items hurt the dog. They are simply used to ensure the safety of both the dog and the groomer. When needed, the dog will be clipped quickly while being talked to calmly. The nails will be trimmed and the ears cleaned, possibly with the help of another groomer. After the grooming process is complete the dog will be calmed with more treats, kind words and lots of affection.

Sometimes pet parents consider giving sedatives to their dogs before grooming. Please talk to your veterinarian and groomer before doing so. Many groomers do not accept animals that have been sedated. If you are worried about your dog biting their groomer, it is important to discuss this matter with the groomer before scheduling your first grooming appointment. Most professional groomers understand that baths and haircuts are stressful on even the most well behaved dogs.

Claws N Paws Day Spa offers dog and cat grooming in Fountain Valley, California. Our professional dog and cat groomers have many years of experience handling pets with all different kinds of temperaments. For more information, or to schedule your next grooming appointment, please call 714-962-1005.

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How to Choose a Pet Groomer

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How to Choose a Pet Groomer

Responsible pet parents want what is best for their pets. However, choosing a pet groomer can be a little confusing. Currently, pet groomers in the United States are not required to undergo any special training before handling sharp instruments around pets. While even the best groomer will sometimes nick an animal, an inept groomer can cause serious injuries. This is why it is so important to find an experienced pet groomer that is both skilled and kind. When choosing a groomer you should consider the following:

  1. Training and experience
  2. Cleanliness and attitude of the grooming shop
  3. How the groomer handles difficult pets

The last person you want handling your pet is someone who has just picked up a pair of clippers and posted an ad on Craigslist. It is extremely important to find out how your prospective groomer got their training. For example, they might have taken special courses or learned the art through an apprenticeship. Whatever the case, make sure that you choose a groomer who has received the proper training and has an ample amount of experience.

Whether it is hair on the floor around a pet being groomed, or an accident from a nervous pet, a grooming shop is bound to have the occasional mess. However, a grooming shop shouldn’t be excessively messy and pets should never be left in soiled cages. If the grooming salon handles both dogs and cats, they should be kept well away from each other. Barking dogs will frighten most cats and a pet groomer who takes this into consideration is a groomer that is mindful of the comfort and well-being of the animals that they are responsible for.

Don’t be afraid to ask a prospective groomer how they handle difficult pets. Confrontational and coercive reactions have a high probability of escalating the pet’s aggression, making them respond badly to any future attempts of grooming. Using grooming muzzles is acceptable however they should be used carefully and only for short periods of time. Groomers should never administer sedatives unless they are provided by the pet’s guardian under a veterinarian’s recommendation. The best responses regarding dealing with difficult pets will mention gentleness, breaks from the grooming session, not rushing the process, distracting with treats and stopping if the pet becomes overwhelmed.

Claws N Paws Day Spa has been taking care of Orange County’s pets since 2001. Our talented groomers are experienced and fully trained. For more information, or to schedule your next grooming appointment please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!!

 

How Grooming Affects your Dog’s Behavior

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How Grooming Affects your Dog’s Behavior

Most people know that petting and stroking their dogs provides many physical and emotional benefits for humans. However, this nurturing interaction can benefit our dogs as well.

Dogs learn to enjoy touch only when they have the right experiences with it. Rough handling destroys a dog’s trust. Tentative handling can have the same effect. Puppies will often protest being touched. If you back off when these protests occur then you send the wrong message to the puppy. They will learn that the only way to communicate with people is by growling or biting. On the other hand, if you overreact and punish the puppy for protesting, then you can actually make the puppy more defensive.

A regular grooming schedule provides structure to a puppy’s experience of human touch. With the important task of grooming to get through you are more likely to hold steady when faced with a puppy protest. In order to help your puppy cooperate through the process of grooming, you will quickly learn ways to make the grooming process more comfortable for your puppy. This brings balance into your interactions, leading to a number of benefits.

In order to maintain a healthy relationship with your dog, regular touch is necessary. While it’s easy to cuddle and pet a clean dog several times a day, it’s not so easy if you must go and clean yourself up every time. This is one of the reasons that regular grooming is so important to your relationship with your dog. When dogs have tangles and mats, they often have skin sores hidden beneath the mats. These sores hurt, making the dog fearful of being touched. However, because the sores are hidden, their family members do not realize why the dog resents being touched.

Families with long-haired dogs should know right from the start that professional grooming will be required. The training provided by a skilled groomer can be extremely beneficial. For best results, find a good groomer and stick with them. Shopping around for the best price for dog grooming can negatively affect how your dog handles the grooming process. Dogs who visit the groomer regularly tend to enjoy the experience while dogs that are not taken often enough can find the experience painful and scary.

Short haired dogs require regular grooming as well to distribute skin oils throughout their coat, keep their nails trimmed and to remove loose hairs. Families that groom their dogs regularly have healthier dogs because they are able to detect problems much sooner, while they are much easier to treat.

Claws N Paws Day Spa has been taking care of Orange County’s dogs and cats since 2001. For more information about the grooming process, or to schedule a grooming appointment please call 714-962-1005.

Receive a free teeth brushing for your pet when you mention our blog!!