The Do-s & Don’ts for Groomers and Guardians in Salon Cherie’s Experience

What is a Matt?

• This is a bit cheeky, but a mat is something a dog is supposed to sit on, not wear or carry around on his body.

Do-s for You and Me

• For you to make a good association with your fur kid being brushed and bathed before taking him to a parlor see Link for more- when bathing your dog turn the water on before you put it near your dog and hold your hand in front of it so that you can keep note of the temperature of the water
• Make a good association with your dog and strange dogs/people before taking him to the parlor
• If you have time to brush your dog hair daily for about 15-30 mins, are able to investigate what is on his skin, keep him indoors under the aircon in summer and winter and want your dog’s coat to remain fluffy, long and cute book him in immediately his coat begins to get knotted for instance a Poodle, Maltese , Sheltie, Skye would need to come in for a neaten about every 6 weeks.
• If you don’t have time to groom your dog coat daily and prefer a summer clip book your dog in before his coat gets unbearably tangled and definitely before summer sets in (to avoid all he nasties) for instance Border Collies only needs to be clipped twice yearly (March and September) to keep them comfortable all year round. If you are worried about him being too cold in winter or getting sun burn in summer– no problem – just put a jacket on your dog, it will be much more hygienic and kinder than the infected and matted coat.
• Always have a thorough look/feel all over your dog before you take him to the parlor – inside his ears, his teeth, his feet, his nails and inside his coat then have another good look/feel after his been to the parlor – checking ears and mouths requires smelling and looking – fur kids don’t always show signs of painful conditions by shaking heads or crying if touched – if they are chronic they get used to the pain and you the Guardian gets used to the smell!
• When lifting fur kid up of the ground its best for me to squat down lift him up so that he is close by my side with my hand giving full support under his chest – I stood up in the video because my leg was in a moonboot and I couldn’t get low! And NO, I didn’t trip over a dog, I fell down a step because I was rushing around in high heels!
• The location of my table has a non-slip surface on it and a bed for your dog’s so that they can grip their nails into the rubber mat or rest. Their head are never held up high on a noose or feet dangling in air in a hammock and I never leave them unattended on the table or ever use a choke chain under any condition
• I use the least amount of restraint as is possible: your favorites are free on the table but if they warm me that they are going to bite me I use an Elizabethan Collar with tethering to keep them on the table I prefer not to use muzzles as a first choice because the closed ones prevent panting which leads to them not being able to regulate their temperature so if I really needed to use one I would use the Italian Basket Muzzle but even they can increase a dogs anxiety in certain cases
• Clipping Nails: I prefer to lift the dog’s feet up from behind him so that your dog can’t see me clipping his nails its less stressful for him- and also so that I can get a better view of his nails
• Hair Drying: I use a towel then in summer a brief stay outside to get excess moisture out of the coat then I hand dry coats with a hair dryer – I don’t use drying cabinets 
• De Tangling of undercoat and Styling ONLY for dogs that have been groomed within the last 6 weeks – 3 months, depending on your dogs coat type (Please see Price Listing and Q & A )  

Don’ts for You and Me

• Lift the fur kid up like you would a child i.e. grab hold of the front feet and face the dogs face into your face it can hurt their front legs and frighten them
• Bathing: when bathing your dog don’t spray the water directly into pooches’ face! Don’t use a cold water hose to wash your dog’s coat, he will most likely learn to avoid hoses because of the bad association then this can very quickly generalize to the broom in the parlor then the broom and the dog in the next cage, and so on!
• Wait until the coat has got too tangled then ask me to untangle it because de matting is firstly very painful and can cause skin rashes for most dogs and secondly things hide under the coat that are not easy to find i.e. grass seeds, hot spots, ticks, fleas, lesions and of course lumps / growths and last but not least, it is very uncomfortable and hot for your dog to wear a dirty and matted coat in winter and in summer (Please see Q & A and Links)