Does My Dog Need Professional Grooming?
Although not all breeds of dog need to be clipped or hand-stripped regularly, all dogs need to be groomed in order to keep their coats glossy and healthy. Bathing a dog helps remove foreign mater from the coat, preventing it from irritating the skin. Brushing promotes the production of the oils which protect the coat and keep the skin healthy. Brushing also removes dead hair which if left in the coat can be itchy and irritating to the dog. If your dog has a longer coat then dead hair in the coat can easily lead to mats forming which must be removed as they can pull on the skin making it very tender and sore. For dogs with curly coats regular brushing is essential as the curl in the coat prevents the hair from falling out naturally. This in turn means that mats will quickly form.

If you find a mat on your dog do NOT try to remove it with scissors as the mat pulls the skin away from the muscle and it is very easy to cut the skin, causing physical pain for the dog and the pain of another vet's bill for you! Clipping out mats is the only safe way to remove them.

Short Coats:
Although some dogs with short coats may not need to frequently visit a professional groomer, if you find that your dog is moulting then a trip to a professional should help considerably reduce the amount of hair coming out all over your house! I regularly groom dogs such as Labradors to remove undercoat and any loose top coat. You might be surprised at how much fur can be removed from a dog with this type of coat. I once had an owner return to collect his Labradors who was horrified to see how much fur I had been able to remove (and he didn't even see the fur that had been left in the bath!). He said “But I brush them every day!”, to which my reply was that I was sure he did but that there is always more fur that can be removed from a lab! I used to have the same experience myself with my tiny Jack Russell cross Bull Terrier – he had a top coat and and undercoat like a Lab does and it never ceased to amaze me how much fur I could remove from him in a full session, despite my brushing him regularly in between.

Longer Coats that Are Not Normally Clipped:
Dogs such as Golden Retrievers and long haired Border Collies are not often clipped right off (although they look rather cute if you do – like overgrown puppies!). However, many clients bring this type of dog to me to have their undercoat raked out and their feathers tidied up. You would be surprised how much fur can be removed from a coat of this type once it starts moulting. It is vital that dead fur is removed as it can quickly lead to mats forming if left in the coat. This is particularly the case on the tummy, around the 'trousers' on the back legs, under the 'arm pits' of the front legs and around the neck/chest/ears, especially where a collar is worn.