Why do groomers take 4 hours?

When you first get to the Groom and Play, there is an extensive check-in period where the groomer will spend anywhere from 5-10 minutes talking to pet owners about their goals. This way, the groomer provides you with the results you want and has time to really get to know the dog to make it as enjoyable and seamless as possible. There's a lot of prep work that needs to be done, including taking care of the basics like shaving or brushing out a dog's coat, cutting their nails, brushing their teeth and cleaning out their ears. The bath can be relatively quick or take a lot longer depending on the dog's individual behavior, as well as their coat condition. Drying a dog's coat is important since it needs to dry properly before a groomer can cut it to make it even. This part gets tricky since the dryer often makes a dog nervous. You're not going to be the groomer's only client, so one reason why it takes so long is that there are multiple dogs there waiting to get groomed. Even though there are multiple groomers on staff, it can still take a while to see everyone – even if they have an appointment. The grooming process can be quite a lot of work, especially for a professional that takes pride in their job. We don't rush the process to ensure amazing results pet owners love.

At our grooming salons, two to four dogs arrive within the first hour of the groomer’s day. The groomer spends 5 to 15 minutes talking with the pet parents about the dog’s health, behavior, goals, and so on. Once the dog is checked in, work proceeds in five logically ordered steps: Prep work – The groomers take care of the basics first: coat, nails, teeth, and ears. Bathing – The bath itself can be quick or more intense, depending on the dog’s coat and any treatments such as conditioners or de-shedding. Drying – The drying process is essential; coats need to be completely dry in order to stretch to full length and make an even cut possible. Drying times can be less than 15 minutes for a Yorkie, but closer to 45 for a Goldendoodle. Many dogs still benefit from a break after the drying process. Clipping and tidying up – Finally, we’re to what feels like the “haircut”! This is when the groomer trims and tends to every last detail, from nose to toes to the tip of the tail.

Grooming can take while if your dog’s fur is long and thick, requires a certain cut or you are preparing for a dog show. Grooming your dog before an AKC conformation show may take as long as 4 hours. The longer you do not groom a dog, the harder it gets to catch up on it. Once mats and tangles form, the time needed to brush these out, bathe your dog and blow-dry him will be much longer than if you groom him regularly. If your dog already has matted areas and dreadlocks, expect the grooming to take much longer. For a dog like a Goldendoodle this could take up to 1.5 hours. Bathing and shampooing, blow-drying, brushing and clipping all add to the overall time it takes to groom a dog. How long exactly it takes to groom your dog will depend on his size, coat type, age and also on how well you have been keeping up with the grooming in general.