Does your dog love to be brushed? Most dogs do. And for Bailey and I, it’s always been a bonding time. So after a few extremely expensive dog grooming trips (and me thinking that I don’t even spend money on my own haircuts and nails!) I decided to try it myself. I waited until Bailey just started looking like she needed a trim (a few weeks after being groomed). I took her outside with the brush and a small, sharp blunt-ended pair of scissors. Actually, they are just kid’s school scissors I picked up in the school supply aisle. I began brushing Bailey and added in a few clips here and there between brushes. Simple! And since it hadn’t been long since she’d been groomed, I could easily follow their cut. After a few sessions of this, (and a treat when she was finished, of course) I now bathe her, dry her, brush her and cut her myself. I’ve also gone online to learn how to clean her ears and cut her nails. She loves it so much that I don’t even need to use a leash to keep her near. It’s amazing how much this activity (which started out as a money-saver) has built so much trust between us. She looks forward to her grooming - and to her after-grooming treat. As a side note, if you don’t have a bug chunk of time for grooming, you can handle the process in small chunks. Wash and dry one day; brush and cut the next. Have fun grooming and saving a big chunk of cash!
