Some appointments are just a job, and some come with a whole story attached before the dog even gets on the table. This one is the second kind.
Meet Aussie
Aussie is a little Yorkie mix — possibly with a bit of poodle in there too — and she belongs to a very good friend of mine — the kind of friend who looked after my cats while I was away visiting family. So when she asked me to take care of her girl, there was no version of this where I said anything other than yes.
She is a small black scruffy lady with a shaggy little beard, soft floppy ears, a deep red autumn bandana, and a pair of orange bows on her ears. She is also, and this deserves saying clearly because it matters for the photo above, a dog with some eye issues. That image has been edited, so her eyes in it look the way they did when they were healthier. It is here so you can see her at her best, and it is not a current picture of her eyes as they are today.
This was Aussie’s first ever professional grooming appointment. First appointments are always a bit of an unknown — a dog has no idea what is about to happen, who this person is, or why there is water involved. Some dogs decide immediately that they are fine with it. Most need a few minutes to think it over.
A little tripod doggo
Aussie is a tripod, which means she is doing everything on three legs rather than four. You would not know it from the way she carries herself, but it does change how a groom works. Balance is different. Lifting and turning need to be slower and more deliberate. A dog with three legs is working harder than a dog with four just to stand still on a table, so the rests matter more, and the transitions matter more.
She handled it beautifully. Genuinely. For a dog with no prior experience of a grooming table, on three legs, with eyes that are not what they used to be, she was calm and cooperative and trusting. That is not luck — it is temperament, and it is a dog who has been well loved at home.
She also got a lot of cuddles, and I want to be clear about why. Partly to keep her comfortable. Partly to steady her through the parts that were new — some dogs settle faster when they can feel you, and Aussie is one of those. And partly because she is adorable and absolutely deserves them. Not everything in a groom has to have a practical reason.
What Aussie’s coat actually needs
If there is poodle in her, that matters for the coat, because a Yorkie and a poodle are two different hair types wearing the same body. A Yorkie wears a single, fine, silky coat. A poodle wears a dense, curly one that mats far more tightly. Mix them and you get exactly what Aussie has: a coat that reads scruffy and wavy, softer than a poodle’s but with enough texture to tangle if you leave it alone.
Both types share two things worth knowing. They shed very little, which is why the hair keeps getting longer instead of dropping out on your floor — so it needs trimming on a schedule rather than shedding out on its own. And both mat close to the skin in the same places: behind the ears, under the front legs, and along the chest.
So the home routine is short and boring: a quick comb through in those three spots a couple of times a week, and a proper brush-out before the coat gets long enough to tangle around itself. Boring is good. Boring means we never have to have the conversation about whether something can be saved or has to come off.
Nails matter just as much, and for a dog on three legs they matter maybe a little more. The feet that are doing the work carry more load, and long nails change the angle the toes sit at, which throws weight back through the leg. Keeping them short and even is genuinely a comfort issue, not a cosmetic one.
She is an older little lady, and older dogs deserve a groomer who will adjust to them rather than the other way around. Which is exactly the plan.
Welcome to the pack
I am looking forward to keeping Aussie’s coat and nails in tip-top shape, and to getting to know her properly over the appointments to come. First ones are always a bit formal. The good ones get easier and more fun from there.
She went home with those orange bows still in, which is the correct way to end a first appointment.
Welcome to the pack, Aussie. You did wonderfully.
Until next time, my furry friends!
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.