All right, let’s talk leashes.
So many people bring their dogs in to the grooming salon without a proper leash on! It makes me wonder how many of those dogs never leave the house or how many of them never have a leash on when they do.
First point – have a leash on your dog when you bring it into a grooming salon. It doesn’t matter how big or small your dog is, having it on a leash when you arrive is simply good manners. It gives you the ability to let your dog potty before grooming, and it gives you the ability to control your pet when it’s out in public. It doesn’t actually matter if you think your dog is trained off-leash. So many people walk up with their dog – big or small – and as they tell me their dog is good and doesn’t need a leash, their dog is running out the door and into the parking lot.
Second point – make it a real leash and not your belt, a rope you found in your closet, a piece of ribbon you grabbed in a hurry out the door, a chain from your yard, etc. None of those things are made to be attached to your dog and you should have a proper leash readily available for your dog to go on an outing.
Third point – no retractable leashes! Those have their time and place, and a grooming salon is not one of them. It’s amazing how many customers bring their dogs in with a harness, a head collar, a prong collar or some other training device and then attach it to a retractable leash. Retractable leashes give you no control over your pet. A lot of people don’t even know how to lock them so your dog can run around up to 20 feet unrestrained. It’s not a great example of manners for your dog to be able to race all over a lobby and disrupt the whole place because you have a 20 foot leash that you don’t know how to operate. Even if you know how to lock it, retractable leashes don’t have as much versatility as a regular old 4 or 6 foot leash.
Final point: use a 4 or 6 foot leash attached to a collar or harness, or use a slip lead to bring your pet to the groomer. You can also use a kennel, should you want to be even safer, but have a leash with you as well. It’s good manners and will help improve the impression you give to your groomer when you arrive for your appointment.
We take impressions of you as a customer just as much as you do of us as groomers when you drop your pet off. Make a good impression and we’re a lot more forgiving of things like being late or your dog being a little overgrown.
P.S. In addition to a leash, have a properly fitted collar or harness on that your pet can’t wiggle out of and bolt away. Pets often want to be anywhere but the grooming salon, and if they are not secure in their collar or harness they can run and then get hit by a car or lost if they can get out the door of the building you’re in. We want your pet safe and under control for their grooming experience.