Woes of Winter Grooming By Cheryl Russell-Miller, MPS, Meritus It is official, it is winter and it is cold out. Clients are coming in with pelted pets begging us not to let poor “Fluffy” freeze. It seems they don‟t think about this situation in October when they skip their appointment or November when they lose their brush to the sock monster. But, they are in your lobby now, expecting you to groom their pet to fit their expectation of how much hair is needed for winter warmth. I have found that clients have a perception of what their dogs need for a haircut for cooler weather-and then there is reality! With some tact, some humor and some good old fashioned tricks you can get through late fall and into winter with happy clients, happy dogs and no carpal tunnel surgery. In this early part of winter I groom a lot of mildly matted dogs that could easily be brushed out. Early in my career I was tempted to save those coats. Scissor them, use a long snap on comb or whatever seemed to suit the potentially cold dogs and the worried owner. However, in February when those dogs reappeared pelted and I had to shave them, I began to rethink my plan. From this comes my first suggestion; late fall/ early winter trims should be as short as their summer trims (I sometimes even take them a tad bit shorter!) For
example, I often take dogs that are normally trimmed with a #1 comb and trim them with a #2 comb this time of year. If the haircut is negligibly different I don‟t even mention it to the owners, but if they are going to notice I say “I took a little extra length off today, so he would be easier to brush and we wouldn‟t risk him being extra short in the really cold part of winter”. My second suggestion to groomers is this; ask about dog clothing and adjust your groom accordingly. If “Snuggles” comes in wearing his sweater you will know this dog wears clothes in cold weather. And when dogs wear clothes, they tend to have problems with matting. Those cute clothing items cause friction, and friction causes tangles. I recommend you remove canine clothing and check coat condition before proceeding. For dogs that regularly wear a coat or sweater, it is time to edit haircuts. That crest on a magnificent toy poodle is way better trimmed short from November to February than looking stunning when freshly groomed only to then become a solid tangle later in the season. Trim that neck shorter, as it will be rubbed by jackets and coats. Also, I tend to remove areas of longer, blended coat on the body during the cold season. My trims look a lot more “old school” in the winter, with blades or snap on combs used on the body and legs and without sculpted hair on fore chest and crest. If you are in a climate where ice and snow are an issue you know that salt is a dirty word for dog owners. Those of us who own doggy businesses use pet safe alternatives, but dogs that are walked away from home
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