Grooming is the ultimate dog experience. It requires time, trust and cooperation. It is an intimate experience with the dog that cannot be forced. At Your Pet Space we use gentle methods to groom your pet. We slowly introduce the dog to each process before proceeding in order to ensure that they are comfortable. If the dog is frightened, we change methods, or begin a series of de-conditioning exercises to put your pet at ease.

The health benefits of grooming should not be ignored. It is common to think of a the bath as washing the hair, but a proper bath also benefits the skin. Dead hair gets stuck in the pores and can cause lumps, flaky skin, and dandruff. A clogged pore can turn into an uncomfortable mass. The good news is that is it never too late to begin proper grooming.

We start by removing as much of the dead hair as possible, then bathe the dog using our Anivac system. The Anivac was especially designed to clean from the skin up using oxygen shampoo, leaving your pet clean and odor free, and is especially helpful for dogs with skin sensitivities.

Your dog should receive a trim every four to eight weeks. How often your dog should be bathed really depends on the dog and its environment. I recommend starting with once a month and increasing or decreasing the frequency once we see what your dog needs.

Long nails pose a health risk. Over time, a long nail striking the ground will cause discomfort and weaken the natural foot structure. An active dog may break the nail down to the quick which will bleed and could be painful. We recommend trimming nails every four weeks, although dogs that constantly walk on hard surfaces may wear the nail down and never need a trim. Just ask us about checking your dog’s nails.


Some dogs need to have the sanitary areas trimmed. These are the areas around the groin, under the tail, around the eyes, and in front of the ear canals that tend to collect the natural discharges from the dog. A sanitary trim reduces the amount of hair in these regions to help prevent the discharge from collecting.

Performing nail trims, and sanitary trims on a regular basis will help keep your pet comfortable, healthy, and reduce odor.

We often get asked to express the anal glands. This is not something to be taken lightly, nor performed on a routine basis. Anal glands release a foul, fishy smelling substance during a bowel movement. This is your dog’s calling card! If your dog is on a healthy diet with the proper amount of fiber, and getting the proper amount of exercise the anal glands should not need to be expressed. Manually expressing these glands unnecessarily could cause the muscle to become weak and dependent on outside help to function.

There are times that the glands may need to be manually expressed. If the glands don’t excrete enough fluid, the glands can become clogged or impacted. Look for scooting, licking, or a discharge when not defecating. (you can’t miss it – it is quite odiferous) We can help with these issues. If you see pus or bleeding around the anus, please see your vet.

During a bath we clean the ears, and shave the pads.
All dogs will benefit from an ear cleaning. Dogs with long ears are prone to ear problems, so cleaning them on a regular basis will help prevent odor and infections. Some dogs have quite a bit of hair in the ears. We can pluck hair from the ear canal if it is so thick that it impedes proper airflow.

A pad shave will remove the excess hair on the bottom of the feet that can trap dirt. The trapped dirt can cause discomfort and possibly inflammation.


If you see your dog licking its feet, ask us to take a look to see if a pad shave might help.

Keep in mind that as the holidays draw near, more grooming appointments will be scheduled with us–so it’s important to pre-schedule on a regular basis to make sure your dog always looks and feels great. Ask us about current grooming specials!

We also offer 50% off grooming for your dog any time you book a stay of 7 nights or more. 😉