Some coats, particularly ‘woolly’ and ‘doodle’ coats, require a little more attention between professional grooming appointments in order to keep in tip top condition and free from tangles and matts. Mini grooms are also suitable if you want to keep your dog in a longer than recommended trim.
We can help in the following ways:
Mini grooms
These include everything contained within the full groom without any reduction in coat length (clipping and scissoring).
Half hour brush-outs
This is just as it sounds – we will thoroughly brush and comb through every inch of your dog’s coat to remove any tangles and debris before they can turn into matts *
*Your dog must be clean, dry and free from matted fur for us to do this. If not, we will need to recommend either a full or mini groom instead depending on coat condition. It may also be necessary for you to re-book as we may not have immediate availability.
Do you have a rescue dog?
Has your dog been ‘banned’ from a grooming salon?
Do you find it difficult if not impossible to groom your dog at home?
Sometimes dogs develop negative associations with being groomed. At Headington Hounds we understand this and will never “force” grooming on a dog if it is uncomfortable. However, as grooming is a necessity for health and wellbeing, we have developed a programme to help such dogs overcome their fears. We use insights from dog psychology, modern husbandry, animal centred education and Tellington Touch methods to reduce stress and develop trust with the ultimate aim of being able to achieve adequate grooming. Please don’t expect this to be a quick or cheap process but if you feel we could help your dog, please do get in touch for a free, no obligation, consultation.
Hand stripping is a traditional method of coat maintenance particularly suited to wire coats and some ‘sporting’ breeds. Instead of cutting the hair, a percentage of the dog’s coat which is ready for replacement (known as ‘blown’) with new individual hairs is gently removed by hand or the use of specialist tools. Only the hairs still in their “active growth” phase are left behind to give a dense, richly coloured ‘jacket’ for the dog. Not all dogs have the correct coat for hand stripping – genetics, neutering, previous clipping and age all contribute to making a coat ‘unstrippable’. If you are interested in hand stripping for your dog, do get in touch and we will invite you in for a consultation to decide if it is the way forward for your dog.
Some pointers ….
• As a specialist service, hand stripping is more expensive than clipping
• It is not possible to choose a finished length. This is determined by your dog’s genetics
• To develop a good coat with many layers of hairs, puppies will need to come in regularly to ‘set’ the coat. Poorly developed coats with hairs in the topcoat all growing at the same rate are liable to leave your dog in his/her “underwear” (undercoat) following stripping.
If you like the hand stripped look but your dog’s coat is not suitable for any reason, we can offer an “simulated hand stripping”. This uses specialist tools to give a smart and stylish finish to create a hand striped look and is a good alternative to hand stripping for:
• Pet dogs
• Neutered dogs
• Elderly dogs or,
• Dogs without the ‘correct’ coat due to genetic differences.
Why not upgrade to a shampoo from our 'speciality' range?* (there is a small additional cost for this).
*The shampoo will besuited to your dog’s skin and coat colour/type.
We use a range of speciality shampoos and conditioners to help enhance the unique qualities of your dog’s coat. These are also available for you to purchase for home use.