How To Pick A Detailed Dog Groomer For Your Next Dog Grooming Visit.
Singapore has more than 200 dog grooming shops scattered across the sunny island. Depending on the type of groomer and style you prefer your dog to be groomed, there are many options to get your beloved furkid cleaned up with the cutest haircut. Ensuring your dog’s coat is in good condition and removing excess hair and dirt from your puppy's fur is important for their health and welfare.
So how do we decide if a dog groomer can meet our pet’s needs?
Read on to find out more!
The Top 5 Questions To Ask
Some basic questions that you can ask your groomer helps in evaluating if a particular shop can fulfil the needs of your dog’s basic grooming needs.
1. What services do they provide?
Most groomers in Singapore provide two tiers of services; a basic grooming service and a full grooming service. The basic package typically includes a wash, blow-dry, trimming of nails, shaving of fur on paws, groin, and butt area. The full grooming package will include everything in the basic package, but usually includes a more stylish cut and even additional services.
Some popular additional services include mud and mineral spas that are said to benefit your pup’s skin and coat in our hot and humid conditions.
2. What training do they have?
There are currently very few internationally recognised grooming certifications, and most trained grooming professionals learn on apprenticeships or through private courses.
To really understand how good a groomer can get, it may help to take a look at customer reviews and years of experience in the grooming industry.
3. What kind of products do they use?
Shampoos, conditioners, are usually formulated with chemicals. The preference here should be for gentle, high-quality cleaning and grooming products with a minimum of harsh chemicals. If sustainability and eco-friendliness is important to you, ask for an organic, naturally-formulated dog shampoo, or you can even bring your own to the groomers and instruct them to use that for your dog.
4. Do they have experience with your dog’s breed?
Some dog breeds have specific needs when it comes to grooming. Hypoallergenic dogs such as Poodles, Shih Tzus, and Yorkshire Terriers do not shed and require regular grooming to keep their fur free from tangles and knots.
Large dog breeds will also require more dog-handling experience as they tend to be stronger and more challenging to manage for amateur handlers.
5. Do they have basic first-aid experience with dogs?
Hopefully, this would not be required of your groomer, but just in case your dog injures itself at the store, or already has an existing injury, you would be more comforted to know that they have experience in handling basic medical emergencies.
Another related question would be to check if the store has a first-aid kit to manage basic medical conditions for your dog, and if they use organic or lick-safe products for these situations.
The Environment
From a brief scan through the groomer’s space, you can deduce many things about a groomer. The shop should be well-kept and clean with a pleasant fragrance that permeates the store.
Some dog owners prefer cage-free groomers whereas some still prefer a crated environment for hygiene purposes. Unrestricted environments allow your dog to roam around freely and mingle with other dogs at the shop, however, they may also mingle with other pups that may not have been washed and groomed yet. There is no preference here, and it is up to pet parents to decide what they would like for their dog.
The Price
Grooming packages usually price according to the size of your dog and complexity of the groom. A basic grooming package can range from $30 to $70 here in Singapore, and a full grooming package can range from $50 to $150 excluding additional services.
Always ask for the price before you decide on the package you would prefer. Some groomers may charge extra if you just brought your dog out on a hike or to the beach, as they may take a longer time and more effort to get the dirt and sand out of their fur.
How To Find A Dog Groomer In Singapore
We love a conscious and ethical business that is run by locals. Here are a few groomers that we have tried and tested on your behalf. Bookmark this page as we will be trying out more groomers in Singapore and giving our reviews!
The Grooming Loft
Location: 476 Tampines Street 44, #01-175A, Singapore 520476
Grooming Services: Basic Grooming, Full Grooming, Spa.
Experience in Dog Breeds: Small to Extra Large Breeds.
Price: $$
Call: 9683 9059
Recommended for: Friendly staff, cage-free grooming, toys and cute bows for your dogs to play with.
Urban Paws (Telok Kurau)
Location: 224 Telok Kurau Rd, #01-06 Uni Building, Singapore 423836
Grooming Services: Basic Grooming, Full Grooming, Spa, Nail Clipping, Anaesthesia-Free Teeth Scaling.
Experience in Dog Breeds: Small to Extra Large Breeds.
Price: $$
Call: 6345 9132
Recommended for: Friendly and experienced staff.
Petpawroni (Sentosa)
Location: 31 Ocean Way, #01-18, 098375
Grooming Services: Basic Grooming, Full Grooming, Spa, Nail Clipping.
Experience in Dog Breeds: Small to Extra Large Breeds.
Price: $$$
Call: 6734 2531
Recommended for: Friendly staff, cage-free grooming, basic showers after a day at the sandy beach.
Grooming Your Own Dog
If all of the above sounds too overwhelming, then you may consider an alternative option to learn how to groom your dog yourself. It’s definitely not as complicated as giving another person a haircut, but basic fur management techniques can take some time to pick up. If you are keen to learn more about how to groom your dog on your own, stay tuned to our blog for more!
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xo
Nellie