dog groomers

We adopted a dog from my bf's sister. He is 6 years old and has the energy of a puppy! He is one Rambunctious dog, but I think that is because he is in tune with his breed's hunting instincts. I read that Yorkies were bread for hunting rats and he has proven to be a great hunter. To my dismay, he successfully caught a rat in the bf's mom's backyard and shook the heck out of it, killed it, and presented it to my bf as a gift. He loves to run around chasing birds, bugs, and anything he considers an intruder. I also read that hunting dogs instinctively rub their faces on things to eliminate their scent for the "hunt"; my Bubs has successfully rubbed his face on old rotting pumpkins, dead bugs, and crab remains that he's found. Yes it is disgusting, but these things happen periodically. I suppose this is why dog grooming businesses exist- it is a tough job and people pay good money to have it done often.

When we first got him, I decided to buy a grooming kit for $29.99 which included clippers, scissors, a mirror, and guards + Pedi-Paws for $5.99 because it costs less than having him groomed professionally. 

Pet Smart's dog grooming package for $37.00 includes:

• Oxygen-infused bath
• Shampoo washing & blow dry
• 15 minutes or more of brushing
• Dematting & haircut
• Nail trim
• Ear cleaning
• Scissoring feet & pad shaving
• Sanitary trim
• Anal gland cleaning

Bubs' fur grows out easily; long fur is natural for his breed. I'm not fond of the look especially with all the grass stickers and various other things that get stuck in his fur from the backyard. I typically think his fur is too long after 4 months and shave him down to a "2" or "3". If you average it out, that's $148.00 per year with only grooming him 4 times and I'd still have to pay to bath him and clip his nails about every month on top of that!


The first time I home groomed him, I didn't do so well; I accidentally left long fur on his legs and didn't know how to style his head so I left it long. I eventually took him to get his head and legs styled, and got his anal gland expressed all for $17. I'm scared of cutting his nails at home because he has black nails which prevent me from seeing his quick. At his latest vet visit, I paid $20 to have them trim his nails down which was better quality than the Pet Smart $7 nail clippings; we've decided to bring him to the vet for that service going forward.

This time, my 2nd time grooming him, I cut all his fur at a "3" and successfully shaped his face and tail. He looks like a puppy again! My Easter guests got to see him and they all complimented the cut and asked which groomer I used. Of course I shared that it was I that groomed him about 2 hours... It took long, but I'm getting better and faster each time! (I think I spent 3 hours when I messed up the first time) I also need to add in, that I notice that he gets stressed out when he's at the groomers and find that he's less stressed when I groom him myself!

as Phil Robertson would say: "happy happy happy"