When you should bring your dog in for grooming depends on the breed. So if you want your dog's hair trimmed, of course, we need them to see the groomer who can do a full-body clip or even just a more thorough brushing for them. And again, some dogs never need to go to the groomer. You can do it yourself, or we can help you with the bathing, but if they need their hair trimmed, then they need to go to the groomer.

So, scooting or dragging the butt, what they're trying to tell you is there's a problem back there. Most likely, it's their anal glands. So dogs have scent glands down by their anus. There are two of them, right and left, and they should be able to express those glands with a bowel movement. And most owners don't even know they have these glands because they poop outside. You never smell that smell. But if they're too full, they cause pressure on the anus, and it's irritating for the dog. So the dog will drag their butt, and they'll turn around and lick. Sometimes they'll even cry out during a bowel movement because of that pressure back there. So they're trying to tell you their butt hurts, and they need to get to the vet. So, you bring them in, and we'll help express the glands and make sure everything's clean and normal back there.

It's important to have your dog’s nails trimmed because they continually grow. Some dogs will kind of chew on them, but that's rare. A lot of dogs will wear them down with activity. So a dog that's less mobile or more sedentary is going to have nails that grow faster. That's just because they're not being worn down. And then the dewclaws, the tiny thumbnails, those never touch the ground. So those definitely need to be trimmed in all dogs. Some dogs have them on the rear feet, but mostly the front feet. So yes, nail trimming is important because the nails can grow all the way around and cause a problem for them.

Try to make it positive. Starting when they're young is important, but if you've got an older dog and you're just getting them going, you want to make it short. So, you don't have to do everything that first time—work on the nails at first or just work on some brushing. And you might only be able to brush one part of the dog that day and then give them a break. Then the next day, you come back and work on another area if they're really matted. This is where professional groomers come in too. They're going to be more efficient than you. They're going to have the right tools. So if it's a really matted pet, that's where the groomer can help you.

So by a sanitary haircut, what that means is we're shaving a little path for the pee and poop to come out. So, cleaning up the rear end. Many dogs will get so much hair over their rear that they'll get poop and urine stuck in there. It can cause a skin infection. It can be a mess, and of course, that's uncomfortable for them. So we want to make sure it's a clean, healthy environment in the rear end. So, sanitary trim is just shaving that hair off.

That's a good question. So we recommend starting when they're puppies because they're getting used to everything at that point. So make it a very positive experience, even just having them chew on the toothbrush; put a little toothpaste on there. You can put a little toothpaste on your finger and then wipe that on their teeth, making sure that it's not wrestling time. You want to make it fun for them. You can give them a treat afterward. That's okay. Make sure they're in a comfortable position. So getting them used to just the handling first before you're brushing every single tooth is important. And then once that's going well, and it seems like they're taking to it, then you can move on to working on the spots you want to work on. But the whole thing from start to finish should not take you more than 30 seconds. You don't need to be in there for two minutes as we do for us. It should be quick, in and out. Just get the job done and don't make it a big, scary thing.

Tooth brushing is a critical task. We recommend you brush your dog's teeth every day, but there's a tiny percentage of people going to do that. So I'll be honest, I can't even do that for my dogs. But have your goal be at least three times a week. If you can only do it once a month, honestly, don't waste your time. You're not helping them. You need to get in there regularly so that you can remove plaque. Once plaque turns into tartar, you can't brush it off. So that's where they need a complete scaling anesthetic dental, and it takes about three days for plaque to turn into tartar. So that's why brushing every three days is so imperative.

And then, as far as how to brush your dog's teeth, we recommend flavored toothpaste made for dogs. My dogs love the poultry-flavored one, but it's important that it has an enzymatic action. That means it's going to do some good even if you are only smearing it on the tooth. It's going to work on that plaque buildup, and then getting your toothbrush in there with some abrasive action is even better. There's a video on our website that shows you exactly how to do it, and I demonstrate how to do it, but starting with the canine teeth is an essential part. We have a little model here that shows the teeth. The canine tooth is the big fangtooth, and most dogs get tartar right at the gum line of the canine tooth. So focusing on that upper canine on both sides, and then if that's going well, you can move on to the back teeth or the cheek area. Another really common spot is this upper fourth premolar, so right at the gum line in those four spots. The right and left canine and premolar are the most critical spots.

Well, you'd want to know what's the daily schedule. So how often are they let out? Is it cage-free or not? You might want to take a tour of the facility. We're happy to show you our facility anytime. You'd want to ask about feeding schedules; if your dog usually’s going to eat three times a day, we recommend that they stay on that regimen. Try to keep it as smooth of a transition as you can. Ask what their emergency policies are. So what happens if my dog gets in a fight? Where will you take them? What veterinarian do you use? Ask those types of questions. And then are they able to provide care should they have a problem? Are they able to medicate the animal or change a dressing or things like that? You need to know what to expect should an emergency arise.