Home Grooming Tips Between Professional Grooms

Every dog needs grooming, some can be groomed from home but a lot of dogs need regular professional grooming. It is essential to know how to maintain your dogs coat in between grooms.

Your new puppy:
Your puppy can be groomed from 8 weeks. Just like toilet training & basic commands, training your dog to accept grooming as everyday life is vitally important. For short coats it gets them used to being bathed & brushed & for long coats it helps them to gain the patience they need to stand for long periods. The best way to do this is to place your puppy on a table like it would in the grooming salon & work on touching & brushing them all over, pay attention to feet – hold each paw & as soon as they settle give them praise or a little treat. With long coated breeds it is very important to “chin train” gently hold the fur under their chin & wait until they settle before you release & give them lots of praise & a little treat. It is important because when grooming sharp scissors will be very close to their eyes & if they aren’t used to the chin hold they will flinch & this can be very dangerous.

Brushing & bathing your dog:

Tools
There are many different brushes for all the different coat types. For short coats a Rubber Comb/Mitt(2) will pull all the dead hairs from the coat & help reduce shedding (these breeds only need brushing once a week & groomed every 8-12 weeks). For curly or long coats there are only 2 tools you really need, a Slicker Brush & a Metal Comb(1), the slicker will brush through the top coat but the comb will find any matts hidden close to the skin (curly coats need brushing every day while smooth coats need brushing every other day, both need grooming every 6-8 weeks maximum). You know your dog is matt free when you can comb through the coat with ease. Fore wire coats a Coat King(4) will help to strip the bulk of the wirey coat in between hand-stripping (brushed every other week & groomed every 6 months when stripping). For double coats a good Furminator(3) will help to de-shed & help malting (brushed weekly & groomed every 8-12 weeks).

dog grooming tools

Areas to focus on
We call these “Friction Areas” these include behind the ears, backs of knees, elbows base of the tail & belly, these areas matt very easily & need regular checking.

Bathing
It is essential that there are no matts on your dog before bathing them as the water can actually tighten matts making them impossible to get out without clipping. Choose a good dog shampoo, humans & dogs have different pH levels so always go for a dog specific shampoo designed for your dogs skin & coat.

If you would like any other advice please contact our experienced groomer at Calagran Four Paws Hotel & Spa or come along and book a groom!

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Terms and Conditions

All animals must be fully vaccinated and a current veterinary certificate must be produced at the time of boarding and may be retained on site during the boarding period. Effective treatment against worms and fleas must also have been given prior to the commencement of boarding.

Vaccinations for Dogs – Dogs must be fully vaccinated within the last 12 months against:
a. Distemper
b. Hepatitis
c. Leptospirosis
d. Parvovirus
e. Para-influenza and must have had a booster injection within the previous year.
f. Kennel cough – optional - kennel cough vaccines must be given a minimum of 14 days prior to your pets stay as this is a live vaccine.

If a dog has been given its primary vaccination course, or if they have had to restart their vaccines due to a gap in the vaccine history, the vaccine course must have been completed a minimum of 14 days prior to the check-in date. This does not apply to booster vaccinations. For ANY kennel cough vaccine - either initial, restart or booster, this must have been given a minimum of 14 days before your dogs stay, as this is a live vaccine.
If the relevant amount of time has not elapsed or if your dogs vaccinations have expired at the time of boarding, or proof of vaccinations are not produced the dog(s) cannot board at our facility and 100% of the paid fees will be forfeited. It is the owners responsibility to ensure their dogs vaccines are in date and given within the correct timeframes of their dogs stay, and that this can be evidenced.

Veterinary treatment will be arranged with a local veterinary surgeon if deemed necessary for any condition occurring during the stay. However, any recurrence of a known condition will NOT be covered by our own insurance and all owners will be expected to settle their own accounts in full.

Only dogs from the same household may share boarding accommodation.

Charges are per day including arrival and departure days. If a pet is collected before 10am on the departure day there will be no charge for this day. If an owner is late in collecting their pet and arrives after 10am this charge will be added to your dogs stay.

Cancellation fees will be at the proprietor’s discretion. Deposits are not refundable.

Whilst all reasonable care and attention is given to every animal boarded, the animal is boarded entirely at the owner’s risk.

By signing the contract and leaving the animal at these kennels, the owner certifies to the accuracy of all information given about that animal(s) stated on this contract and consents to the conditions set out.

In the event of an animal not being collected or boarding fees not being paid, the proprietor may dispose of the animal concerned after giving 14 days’ notice to the owner, or their representative at their last known address

Everything your dog requires for his/her stay is provided. However, bringing your pet’s favourite toys and blanket may help it settle in, particularly if it is their first stay with us. We do not accept any responsibility for their condition or safe return

We do not give credit for early returns; you must pay for the period booked.

We require a 50% non refundable deposit for all stays between the beginning of June and the end of September, along with the Christmas period. All other stays will require a 25% deposit. During our peak times we operate a 4 day minimum booking policy. For any bookings made under 4 days a premium will be charged.

For bookings which are made 7 days or less before the check in date, payment must be made in full at the point of booking to secure your dogs stay. If payment is not received the booking will be cancelled.

We are open for collection and drop offs between 10am and 12pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. We are closed ALL DAY on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and therefore animals cannot arrive or depart on these days.

We reserve the right to cancel a booking or refuse boarding if we feel there is a risk to our staff or other customers. Our staff will not tolerate abuse, and reserve the right to refuse service to customers.

If your dog has a pre-existing medical condition we reserve the right to request a statement of fitness letter from your vet.

By proceeding with your booking you are confirming you accept the above terms and conditions.