Some longhaired breeds of dogs grow hair inside their ear canal. For many years, one of the most controversial topics among veterinarians and pet groomers, is the topic of plucking this hair from a dog’s ears. New research suggest plucking the ear hair from a dog is both painful and unnecessary to keep away ear infections.

     While traditional vets say that, a dog’s ear should be plucked and cleaned on a regular basis to keep the ear healthy. Veterinarians who specialize in dermatological conditions like Dr. Paul B. Bloom -DVM would disagree, arguing that plucking ear hair causes trauma to the ear. This trauma causes inflammation and tiny wounds, which excrete a serum; an inflamed, moist ear is prime breeding ground for bacteria. However, both agree that routine cleaning is essential for preventing an ear infection.

     The most common cause of ear infection is inflammation from food allergies the second is moisture in the ear canal. Remember a dark, moist, warm cavity is prime breeding grounds for bacteria and bacteria overgrowth causes ear infections. Moisture can come from trauma from plucking and from getting water in the ear due to swimming or bathing.

If your dog has hairy ears, what should you do to prevent ear infections?
     Many vets and groomers are just now starting to come to the conclusion that instead of plucking ears completely clean, the ear canal hair should be trimmed with blunt tipped scissors or clippers. Other alternatives are plucking just a few hairs a day and cleaning weekly. Previously it was believed that ears filled with ear hair could not circulate air and thus would cause infection. Now, reasoning has evolved that if the hairy ear remains clean and dry, as long as there are no underlying conditions, the ear will not become infected. Does this mean your dog can’t enjoy the pool or be bathed? No, it only means that to prevent ear infections a drying ear cleaner needs to be applied every time your dog gets his ears wet.

Tips to Prevent Ear Infections
1. Keep ear hair trimmed short or-
2. Pluck only what comes out easily with your fingers.
3. Apply drying ear cleaner after every bath or swim.
4. Never use q-tips to clean inside the ear.
5. Wipe ear clean with gauze pads moistened with ear cleaner.

Do you fancy your dog in a different style - why not try something different.  Schnauzer Trim on your Westie or trim your Poodle like a Bichon.  Lots of styles are available subject to each dogs coat and owners choice.  Round ears, Square ears, long beard pick individual areas and decide what you want to make your own unique style.  You dont have to stick to the traditional Breed Standard.

We have customers from far and wide including Macclesfield, Ashton, Denton, Chaddeton, Oldham.  But we are very local for people living in Stockport, Cheadle Heath, Cheadle Hulme, Davenport, Edgeley, Great Moor, Hazel Grove, Heaton Moor, Heaton Mersey, Reddish, Bramhall, Adswood, Bridgehall, Gatley, Didsbury, Bredbury, Wythenshawe, Sharston, Altrincham, Worsley, Sale.

Yes people will and do travel to find the right Dog Groomer who they trust will groom their pet the way they want in a Calm Safe Enviroment.

Dog Grooming really needs to be planned and prebooked.  I have so many calls from owners worried about their dog being too hot in the summer etc etc. 

In summer many groomers are booked for 4-6 weeks in advance.  This is due to regular clients coming more often, prebooking grooming appointments when collecting their dog having a regular grooming schedule.

Also many puppies are getting to the age of 12-18 weeks and ready for their first groom.

So its important you try to book your dog in for regular grooming as soon as possible and we can work together to keep a healthy, knot & matt free coat to ensure rain or shine your best friend is happy, clean and comfortable.

We often run dog competitions for fun on our facebook page Wagstars Dog Grooming Stockport.  Our latest one is WagOlympics.  Starts 1st June all you need to do is take a photo of your dog, puppy or dogs doing something sporty, running in the park, swimming in the pond, jumping in the garden anything you can think of and email it to us at [email protected]

We will post your dog photo on Facebook and you tell all your friends to LIKE our page then LIKE your doggy photo.  The dog with the most Likes wins, its that simple.

Prize is a certificate, rosette and a patriotic bandie.  So dont delay send your picture today.

Following us on Facebook is the best way to keep upto date with news, special offers and appointment availability we look forward to seeing you there soon.

Require a good daily grooming using a slicker brush.

Rarely seen now but in full coat a topknot is usually tied to keep the hair out of the dog's eyes.

Most owners prefer to have them clipped shorter to make it easier and less time consuming to care for styles and lenght of the coat can vary discuss with the groomer to achieve the look you want that suits your and your dogs lifestyle.

Important to keep the ear passages and area around the eyes clean. Shih-Tzu's have sensitive eyes that need to be kept clean.

The harsh, straight, short-haired double coat is fairly easy to groom and sheds little to no hair. Simply brush regularly with a stiff bristle brush. Brushing should keep the coat clean, so bathe only when necessary. Trim around the ears and eyes with blunt-nosed scissors. The whole coat should be trimmed about every 2-3 months dependant on style.

Most people have a traditional Westie trim with feathers / furnishing this can be with or without skirt.

Whats the rule when trimming a mixed breed dog?

There are no rules.  Terrier and Spaniel breeds have similar trims a lot of the "breed standard" trimming can be incorporated into a mixed breed to bring out the particular mix of the dog.  Very popular at the moment are

Cavachons = Cavalier x Bichon

Cavapoo = Cavalier x Poodle

Yorkiepoo = Yorkie x Poodle

Labradoodle = Lab x Poodle

Cockerpoo - Cocker x Poodle

We can discuss all the options on meeting you as the options are endless.  Things to consider are face, ears, body, legs.  Think of each part and how you would like them to look, short body fluffy legs, clean poodle face, beard, moustash then we can create your own destinctive look based on what will suit your dog - a tailor made, unique haircut. 

We are updating products in our online shop weekly.  If you need something and cant find it drop us an email if we have not got it we can sure try to get it for you.

Winter grooming is more important than any other time of the year.  Dogs adjust to the temprature very well and lets face it most the time they are indoors snuggled up in front of the fire.

Matted dogs dont dry properly, the mats can cause infection and bacteria when wet and they will actually make your dog colder with them than without them.

Rain, snow, mud gets stuck all over the place and dunking your dog in the bath and not drying and brushing out thouroghly can cause knots and mats so a full prroffessional groom out will help combat this.

Opt for a bath & brush only or ask for a longer trim - I actually find most people want a short trim in winter to help keep their dog drier and cleaner - if your really worried buy a jumper or coat for your fur baby.