A dog groomer is a little like a dentist - you have to stop in for a tune-up occasionally, but most of us leave a little too much time between visits. In fact, grooming is important both for the health of your dog’s coat and their overall comfort. So, whether you’re looking for a way to stretch out the time between trips, or want to take over from your groomer altogether, we’ve rounded up the best tips for a DIY groom below:

Bathing

Seems straightforward, but bathing a reluctant dog can be tricky! If your pooch is hesitant to dive into a bath, Cesar Chavez recommends reinforcing cooperative behaviour with positivity - offer your dog a treat to jump into a bath (full or empty), and encourage helpful behaviour (sitting, or staying still) with affection.

Once you have them in, make sure you’re making the experience as easy for them as possible. Rule #1 is avoiding the face - work from the neck down with spraying water, and use only a washcloth on the face, avoiding the ears as much as you can. Rule two is use mild soap with light fragrance or none at all - nothing that will irritate their nose, or leave their skin itchy. Towel them off gently - blow dryers are loud, hot and can be stressful. You’re done!

Clipping

If you’ve ever cut your own hair, you’ll be able to clip your pup with a few easy tips. One, make sure your dog’s coat is brushed out - no tangles or snarls you could end up pulling on. For matted pets, you might need a specific kind of comb to untangle - don’t just clip over them. This will pull at your dog’s hair and skin and can cause injury. Use sharp blades always, and try a clipping guide the first few times so you can get the feel of cutting hair. You might also enlist someone’s help in holding your pet so they don’t wiggle too much.

Plan ahead with ideal “after” photos - knowing what you’re working toward will help you clip quickly. To avoid shocking them, especially if they haven't been groomed often, start closest to the neck/face area and work your way down. While you’re working, clip with the grain of the growth, not against it, and take a break if your clippers get too hot. Otherwise, they might end up with a burn - and you might end up with a half-clipped dog. Make sure you brush them out well at the end, to get rid of all the remnants of chopped hair.

Touch-Ups

Finished with the bulk of your trimming? Now it’s time to get into the details, like ears and paws. You’ll need sharp scissors or hair cutting shears here - the sharpness is essential, as it’ll help you work quickly and evenly. If your dog is especially mobile, Love That Pet recommends to opt for blunt-tipped scissors.

On the feet, brush their coat up and towards their legs, and trim evenly across the top and around the toes. There’s a great how-to video here. Make sure their eyes are clear and their visibility is good - if not, trim in small increments until it is.

Grooming your dog at home is an exercise in trust and training as much as it is in aesthetics. That means you should have treats and head pats at the ready to encourage them to be calm and complacent. Go as slow as they need to - you might need to run your clippers for a while to get them accustomed to the noise, or take breaks between sections for them to relax. If you do it right, grooming can be a bonding activity between you and your pooch, and a great way to save a little extra money in the process.

Have you ever trimmed your own pet? Show us the results on Facebook or Instagram!