Grooming pets as they age

Grooming through the ages

One of the most frequently overlooked aspects of our job is age.

Dogs age, our age and customer’s age.

Each of these require different approaches for the different stages of life. Often, by making a few minor concessions and considerations, we can greatly improve the grooming experience for us, our customers and their pets.

Part 1 Dogs

Living in a house with 3 older dogs, (the eldest being closer to 16 than 15 years, and the youngest, a large breed, of 9.5 years, with one in the middle at 13), our day-to-day life revolves around accommodating age related issues, but let us start at the beginning.

Puppy to geriatric!

Wouldn’t it be so much easier if all our furry clients came to us accustomed to grooming, fully developed, mentally and physically, and then stayed that way all through their life. We could avoid the 9 month old, ‘slightly tangled’ (we all know exactly what that means), goldendoodle for its first ever trip to the groomers. And of course, all it needs is the merest of tidy ups! Yup, Sure! If you haven’t yet experienced this, consider yourself a groomer anomaly.

But don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t be long.

There are many things groomers cannot agree on, but the indisputable fact is that dogs have different requirements depending on their age or life stage. This affects both their physical and mental capabilities and requirements.

Ensuring that we optimise the grooming experience at each stage, helping to develop and maintain a comfortable, well-adjusted dog in the grooming environment, makes it easier for us and them.

12 week old Cockerpoo

Youthful Exuberance

expected, or how to behave, so it is up to us to ensure we give these little ones the tools to grow into steady, amenable dogs that view grooming as part of their regular routine.

What should we consider?

is different from ours, and for puppies, it is even more limited. They are, after all, sooo much closer to the ground. Remember that by elevating them (picking them up, standing on a grooming table, etc) is a very new way to view the world and for some pups, this may be the first time their perspective has changed. Sound: We all know dogs can hear much better than us, it is important to remember what might sound normal to us, could be damaging to their ears and a ‘scary’ experience. Mental: Puppies have very short attention spans, so we need to remember this and allow for breaks, keeping grooming sessions short and fun. By ensuring we introduce pups to the grooming environment and processes in a calm, neutral fashion helps them build confidence and acceptance. An overexcited or overtired puppy won’t learn as well. Physical: Puppies are still developing, and it is important we take extra precautions on how we handle young dogs. Until maturity, mishandling can have negative effects on skeletal development. Coat: Some coat types need early attention to assist in promoting the optimum coat health. In my opinion, we should be using our knowledge of coat, and its development, to ensure we promote the best possible coat for each breed. Even if, ultimately, an owner will not be wanting the traditional style for the breed, encouraging the correct texture and health of the coat until maturity, often leads to an adult coat that is easier to maintain, in any style. Puppy coat is finer and not yet fully developed, so we should try to allow the natural maturity.

Introducing puppy grooming programs is a very effective way of aiding owners through the developmental stage and allows puppies to get used to all aspects of grooming in a consistent manner.

We encourage owners to book their puppies in around 12 weeks old and then every 4 weeks until around 24 weeks. We will do a full clip and style around 24 weeks, providing they have come to the previous puppy visits and the pup is comfortable with grooming. Our puppy appointments are never in the middle of the day and we try to ensure they are the only one in the salon.

By taking the time at this early stage, we mould confident, well-behaved adult dogs, who enjoy visiting us, or at the very least, are amenable and relaxed. Being empathetic, but firm and consistent, helps puppies to realise the boundaries in a way they can accept.

Happy, relaxed adult Cavachon

Contented Adults

This stage of life is hopefully the longest for our clients and also the age where they, mostly, don’t have as many age-related considerations. We do still need to know the history, health and temperament, especially if we have not had the dog coming from puppyhood. As professionals, it is our responsibility to work most effectively for each individual dog.

Info that will make grooms easier!

Health: Knowing this will allow us to make provisions for dogs needing extra. We can adapt the time for the groom, prepare different products, or perhaps even have another pair of hands to help. Psychological: Having an understanding of a dog’s dislikes and fears can make all the difference when scheduling in the diary and guide your approach and handling. This is so important for your own safety and

the benefit of the dogs. Breed: Understanding breeds, gives us an insight into so many factors from temperament to conformation. Owners: Yes, these play perhaps the biggest role in the dog’s groom. Their wants, in addition to their needs and capabilities, can often determine the service we offer and the style most suited to and achievable for their pet. Although this is usually the longest life stage, it is by no means constant. We must learn to be adaptable, making sure we keep up to date with any changes and being flexible with our methods and always open to learning different tactics.

Fragile Seniors

As our clients start to age we have to, once again, reconsider our approach to their grooming visits. For some, standing becomes uncomfortable and I find the most common habit of ageing dogs is the need to shift weight.

This pottering around on the table can make a groom extremely tedious from our point of view, but it is important to remember that this is not bad behaviour, but a method to keep themselves comfortable.

It is our responsibility to recognise and be able to minimise discomfort for our ageing clients.

After all, if they have been coming their whole life, they are part of the family.

Some Things to look out for!

Weight Shifting: Very common as dog’s age. The need to relieve the weight on one or more limbs due to a variety of factors, i.e., Arthritis, weakening of muscles, etc Loss of Sight: Dogs can become much more sensitive around the face if they are losing their sight. It can also add to disorientation and mild confusion, often causing startled and grumpy reactions. Loss of Hearing: If you know, or suspect, a dogs hearing is fading, (apart from the relief of not having to listen to us prattle on), make sure you keep all movements within their line of sight. This can help to prevent surprised reactions from them. We all know how it makes us jump when somebody sneaks up on us! Stability: Some dogs need to sit down or lie down more often. It’s just too tiring to keep standing for too long. In fact, a little nap may be called for, on occasion. Mental: As pets age, their brains age too, and this can cause several behavioural changes. Some of the common changes we might notice are reactivity, more frequent toileting, restlessness and intolerance to some grooming processes or noise.

This is not an exhaustive list, and not all dogs will have obvious indications, so we may have to be pre-emptive and make changes to prevent discomfort.

It truly helps if we discuss any changes we notice with the owners, and ask them to let us know of anything they notice.

Keeping them aware of what we are doing and will do as their dogs get older, means we can make the appropriate changes to suit each dog and allow them to still enjoy their groom and keep them comfortable.

Growing older gracefully is something we can help dogs achieve.

It is not only our gift to them, but our duty.

Modified Schnauzer face for this senior