Grooming your dog is a necessary step in preserving their health and appearance. Grooming is the opposite from the required scheduling of monthly health vaccines. However, most veterinarians will recommend that the younger you begin a grooming regimen and the more frequent the visit to the groomer, the better.
Contrary to the thought that your puppy will be afraid of the groomer, the younger the pup, the better the experience will be from then on. Just as with humans, dogs like predictability and routine.
Here are some reasons to back up the idea that grooming a puppy young is better than waiting until they’ve matured.
Comfortable with the Grooming Process
Grooming young will prepare your puppy for the close contact that is involved in the grooming process. She will learn that the cutting, brushing, and trimming are not harmful. Once the grooming is over, be sure to reward your puppy with a new treat.
When grooming is done is a younger age, it helps to ease the puppy’s fear of a new environment and new people. Just as with babies, the more they’re exposed, the better they will adapt and handle the situation.
At the age of 8 to 10 weeks, you are establishing your puppy’s positive feelings about the grooming process. From then on, your puppy will be much more able to tolerate the handling of their body by others, especially at the vet’s office.
Keeping Them Healthy
Grooming in the early life stages provides a head start with checking for abnormalities. Most people think tumors and benign growths only appear at an older age, but that simply is not true. While groomers are not licensed animal doctors, their thorough examination while grooming can detect problems.
While you do want to start as early as possible, don’t force the grooming upon your puppy, especially if they appear distressed or frightened about it. Grooming is not just about appearances, it is much more about maintaining physical health. If your puppy is resisting grooming, speak to your veterinarian. For professional grooming and dog care, contact D’Tails Grooming today.
