Month: February 2021

Unless you’ve specifically searched out a non-shedding dog breed, chances are your dog will do some shedding at home. It’s just what they do and is part of everyday life for a dog. Even if you make appointments for dog grooming regularly, you’ll need to have a plan for managing the dog hair at home.

Smoochie Pooch in Valparaiso offers a shed relief system as part of our services for those dogs that shed a lot year-round or to help with seasonal shedding. While it may be assumed that shedding only once or twice a year would be better, that can bring about a lot more hair in a shorter period of time than if they shed their coat evenly throughout the year.

Dog Grooming Tips – What You Should Know About Shedding

Dogs naturally lose old or damaged hair by shedding. It’s considered a very normal process that rids them of their undercoat, with some regular fur loss occurring as well. If you know your dog is healthy but they still regularly shed a lot, understand that it’s just the way a dog’s body works. Shaving a dog to handle shedding is not recommended.

When your dog sheds, it will be visible on your clothes, furniture, and around the house but will not generally be visible on your dog’s body. As a pet owner, excess shedding can be tricky to manage. To help, reach out to a dog grooming expert and find out what the best type of brush would be to help support shedding. From a slicker brush to a glove brush, the right tools can go a long way.

Looking for more ideas on how to manage normal shedding? Smoochie Pooch also suggests considering adding healthy fat to your dog’s diet and increasing the frequency of baths during the summer months. More frequent baths will help rinse off dead hair, which will significantly reduce the hair found around the house.

It’s important to be able to recognize shedding versus fur loss, as loss of hair can be an indicator of other health concerns. If your dog’s fur has become very dry or falls out unevenly or in clumps, you’ll want to get them to the vet to be checked for allergies, hormonal imbalances, and other illnesses.

Manage Your Dog’s Shedding with Help from Smoochie Pooch

Regular grooming can really help your dog look and feel their best and help manage shedding too. At all of our Indiana locations, including Smoochie Pooch in Valparaiso, our highly trained groomers can tailor your dog’s grooming experience to their specific breed and offer you suggestions on how to help keep their shedding at bay. Whether you increase the frequency of their grooming appointments or choose our shed relief service, you can count on us to help you and your dog handle shedding in the best way possible. Contact us today to book an appointment.

Are there nearby dog groomers in Valparaiso that will take your young puppy for their first groom? The answer is yes! Early experiences can go a long way in helping them develop a positive relationship with professional services such as grooming, the vet, or any dog walking or dog sitting services you may need.

Puppies actually remember their first experiences with something quite well, so choosing great dog groomers in Valparaiso, Indiana, is really important. Their first grooming experience will stay with them their whole life, and so it’s best to do what you can to ensure it’s positive.

Finding Pet Grooming Near Me & Helping My Puppy Be Ready

At around the 10–12 week mark, you can make an appointment to take your puppy in for the first grooming session. Most people do wait until they’ve had their second round of shots. However, a puppy’s first grooming appointment should occur before 16 weeks of age.

In order to get them ready for their first visit to the nearby dog groomers, begin touch training as soon as you bring them home. Make sure you are gently petting and handling your puppy all the time, including frequently touching their paws, teeth, nails, ears, and inner thighs. Once your new puppy is comfortable being handled, move on to getting them used to brushing so that they are familiar with some of the tools used when being groomed.

As mentioned, even if you work to help your puppy know what to expect at their first grooming appointment, it’s equally important to finding a salon that will treat them well and be able to groom them with confidence and experience. When searching for ‘pet grooming near me,‘ take the time to read online reviews, visit their website and call to speak to someone on the phone.

It’s also a good idea to stop by the salon before your first visit to make sure that the facility smells good, is clean and well-lit. The people you interact with should be knowledgeable and friendly so that you can expect they’ll treat your dog in the same respectful fashion.

Best Dog Groomers in Valparaiso, Indiana

At Smoochie Pooch, we’ll ask you to let us know about any sensitive areas your puppy may have in order to make sure they’ll have the best experience possible. When you bring your new puppy in for grooming at one of our four Indiana salons, you can feel confident knowing that all of our groomers are highly trained and truly love pets. Trust us; your pup is in good hands! Our whole team strives to ensure that a puppy’s first experience is a great one. If you have any questions about booking an appointment for your puppy, please reach out to us at your convenience. We’d love to hear from you!

At Smoochie Pooch in Portage, we love nothing more than grooming a new puppy and helping them have a positive first experience. From rambunctious puppies to those that are on the timid side, we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know so many different pups over the years, whether we see them in our mobile grooming vans or in one of our Indiana salons.

The reality is that puppies are just like people, which means they all have different personalities. A dog’s attitude toward people, other animals, and environments is a result of their natural temperament as well as their upbringing.

Choosing the Right Puppy

If you’ve made the decision to welcome a puppy into your home, you may have already taken the time to get prepared by finding a vet, buying supplies, and even locating mobile dog grooming vans to take care of your puppy’s hygiene.

But before you make any final arrangements, take some time to assess puppy personalities. At around seven weeks of age, here are seven traits you can look out for when choosing the ideal puppy for your home:

• Confidence. A confident puppy will be ready to interact with you, with its tail up, and with positive energy. 
• Independence. When you walk away from the puppy, are they interested in following you, or do they move away? Ideally, you want a puppy that wants to be around you.
• Dominance. When the puppy is placed on its back, does it struggle fiercely to get back up and even try to bite, or does it become submissive?
• Trainability. How much interest does the puppy show when you try and get its attention with a ball?
• Sensitivity to handling. Does the puppy show obvious discomfort when you try to touch their ears or paws?
• Reaction to loud noises. Some puppies cower at unexpected sounds; others are curious to investigate where the sound originated from. If they don’t react at all, they may have hearing issues. 
• Problem-solving abilities. How curious is the puppy? When there is something new to play with, do they watch first and then try to grab the item, or are they fearful?

How to Help Your Puppy Thrive

Once your new puppy is at home, there is plenty you can do to help them adjust and to mold them into the kind of pet you want to have. While their training is very important, make sure you pay attention to their grooming needs too. Mobile dog grooming vans may be best for some puppies who might feel overwhelmed by a trip to the groomers.

When home, focus on socialization, potty training, stopping biting, and crate training. All puppies will train at different rates, so be patient. If things aren’t going well, you’re likely going too fast and need to slow it down. Remember, they have a lot to figure out and are adjusting to a new home, so it won’t all come together quickly!

Smoochie Pooch in Portage Is Ready to Welcome Your Pup

A new puppy should have its first grooming experience before six months of age. Whether you choose our mobile grooming vans or make an in-salon booking, Smoochie Pooch is ready to welcome your puppy and help them learn to love their grooming appointments. With extensive experience handling puppies of all ages and of all breeds, we’ll ensure your puppy comes back to you looking and feeling its best. Make an appointment today or give us a call at (219)-312-7362.

Some pet owners worry about the toll winter snow and ice can take on their pet’s paws and coat. Whether you book local mobile dog groomers or in-salon appointments, regular grooming over the winter months can help keep them looking and feeling great while allowing them to enjoy winter as much as possible.

In addition to regular grooming, dog owners in Valparaiso, IN know that their furry companions need both mental and physical exercise to keep them healthy and to stay happy. However, the colder winter months can make it a bit more challenging to ensure your dog gets what they need.

Making the Most of Winter with Your Dog

Whether your dog is reluctant to bound through the snow or not, every dog needs to keep active and well-groomed in the colder months. Things like lack of exercise or missing an appointment for dog grooming services can lead to negative issues such as weight gain, matted fur, and painful overgrown nails.

Lying around can certainly lead to health issues but will also result in too much pent-up energy, which can lead to unpleasant behavior issues too. Even if you aren’t interested in spending hours outside this winter, there are plenty of fun and engaging activities you can do with your dog to keep them entertained and active.

• Make them work for their food.

Rather than just putting their food down at mealtime, why not make it a bit more mentally challenging? Invest in a slow feeder or a treat puzzle cube to stretch out feeding time and engage their brain to help them find their food. Not sure where to find these tools? Check the pet store or try your local dog grooming services in Valparaiso, IN to see if they sell these types of items.

If you want to keep things simple, just hide a few treats around the house and let your dog sniff them out!

• Play hide and seek.

This game isn’t just for humans! Hide in a different location in your home, and then call out to your dog so that they can try and find you.

• Use your stairs.

Running up and down your stairs a few times is an excellent way to get everyone’s blood pumping. This is an especially great activity for those high-energy pups! If you want to leave the stair climbing to the dog, try tossing their favorite toy up the stairs for them to chase. Booking regular dog grooming services will make sure their nails are trimmed, making it easier for them to race up and down the stairs!

• Make an indoor agility course.

With objects you already have around your house, create an obstacle course and then train your dog to navigate it.

• Change your route.

Even if you can’t walk as far as you normally would, make those short winter walks count by adding variety. Instead of tracking the same route every day, try a new path. Visit a different part of your neighborhood, or take a drive to a different part of town.

When exploring a new route, you’ll see your dog’s brain and nose in overdrive as they process the new surroundings.

Smoochie Pooch: Your Local Dog Grooming Service in Valparaiso

As tempting as it might be to hibernate the winter away, it’s so much better to maintain an active and healthy routine! In order to make it through winter feeling as good as possible, don’t forget to book regular grooming for your pet. Find it harder to get out in the winter months? Smoochie Pooch‘s local mobile dog groomers would be happy to help. To book an appointment with our mobile or in salon groomers, contact us today!