Thursday was a big-dog day with one small fluffy gentleman leading the parade. Bucky went first, then Kayla and Molly — two mastiff/lab mixes who between them used every single towel I own. Also, absolutely nothing electronic wanted to cooperate with me today. Here is how it went.
Here is today’s pack:
Bucky
Bucky was first, and Bucky is a cavapoo — Mr. Bucky, if we are being formal. He is the cutest boy ever and he would like you to notice that, please. He spent a good stretch of his morning sitting there being adorable while I fussed with cameras instead of him, and he had opinions about the arrangement.
His agenda: bath, nails, sanitary trim, and the general de-grunging of a small fluffy gentleman. He also arrived with a full complement of eye boogies and ear boogies, both of which are banned in this van. Boogies are not allowed here.
One thing worth knowing about small dogs and grooming tables: Bucky does not like how a wet table feels under his feet. He is not wrong. It is slick and it is cold. A non-slip mat matters more than people think. A dog who feels like they are sliding is a dog who is bracing, and a dog who is bracing cannot relax, and a dog who cannot relax is a dog who kicks when the nail clippers come out. Secure footing first, everything else is easier after that.
He got his toe beans inspected — very important business — then his nails, then his little sanitary trim, and then he was done and off to the door looking like a proper gentleman.
Kayla
Kayla is a mastiff/lab mix, and Kayla is a big girl. The first thing that happened was Kayla attempting to fit herself into a spot that was absolutely not sized for her, which she did with tremendous optimism and zero success. She then looked at the bath and made her position extremely clear, which was: nope. No, thank you.
We got there. She got there. It wore me out more than it wore her out, and the moment she was in the tub she tried to drink the bath water, which I had to talk her out of because it was soapy.
Kayla is a big dog going through a seasonal coat blow, so there was a lot of loose fur coming off her. That is normal and it is not a problem — heavy-coated and double-coated dogs dump coat around the change of seasons, and it comes out in drifts. What matters is getting that dead coat out, because coat that stays in traps heat and holds moisture against the skin.
Her nails took patience. She was uncomfortable about it, so we went one toe at a time, and I skipped the grinding on one of them. Pushing a dog who is already stressed is how you turn a two-minute job into a lifelong phobia. Sometimes the right answer is: we got most of it, and we will get the rest next time.
Molly
Molly is Kayla’s sister and the other half of the big-girl double feature. Same size, same enthusiasm, same total certainty that she is a lap dog.
Molly came to the bath a little more willingly than her sister, which, to be fair, was a low bar. Then came the drying. Both girls would like it on the record that they do not care for the dryer. Neither of them made any actual move to leave. They just wanted me to know.
Here is the honest truth about big dogs and grooming time, and it is not the haircut. It is everything around the haircut. A mastiff/lab-sized dog needs a bigger table, a lot more shampoo, more drying time, and roughly a full load of towels. I said it out loud in the van today: I have all the towels. All of them. This is why a big dog costs more to groom than a small one, and it has nothing to do with how much I like them.
Both girls got their bath and their nails, and their dignity came through more or less intact. They are very good dogs, and they are also genuinely, remarkably large dogs.
One thing before you go: the last week of this month I will be in costume. That Monday I am off, but Tuesday through Friday I will be dressed as characters from shows, movies and cartoons that have dogs in them. If you want to see what I came up with, tune in on those days.
Until next time, my furry friends! Thank you to all the wonderful pet parents who trust me with their best friends. I can’t wait to see who hops onto the grooming table next!
Catch the Action Live! Want to see these grooming transformations happen in real-time? Tune into the solo live stream over on Twitch at DogGroomerNicole. Whether we are tackling tricky coat conditions, working with different breeds and weight classes, or just enjoying some puppy cuddles, you can watch it all unfold straight from the van.
While you are watching from your laptop or desktop, please take a moment to click the link below the stream to learn more about Folds of Honor, a phenomenal charity we are incredibly proud to support.
See you all on the road!
About the Author
Nicole is the owner and certified groomer behind Vroom Grooms LLC, a mobile dog grooming service serving Northwest Ohio. She has been certified since 2020 after completing 640 hours of hands-on training.
This post was drafted with help from Nagini 🐍, her digital assistant, who keeps the blog running, handles the tech side of the website, and makes sure Nicole spends more time with dogs and less time wrestling with WordPress.