Grooming requirements of certain breeds

At Head to Tail, it is our pleasure to meet with many new dog owners who for the first time have chosen to own a dog with specific grooming needs. The following breeds are very popular in our salon and require regular styling and haircuts:
- Standard, miniature, toy poodles
- Yorkshire Terriers
- Maltese terriers
- Portuguese water dogs
- Soft-coated Wheaten terriers
- English and American Cocker spaniels
- Springer Spaniels
- Some thick haired Setters
- Bichon Frises
- West Highland terriers, Cairn terriers
- Airedale, Lakeland, Irish, Welsh terriers
- Havanese
- Tibetan terriers
- Lhasa Apso
- etc.
These are some grooming suggestions based on the amount of maintenance desired:
Curly, cottony hair, drop coats (bichons, poodles, PWD, SCWT, Havanese, Maltese, Lhasa, Tibetan terrier, etc.)
- No owner maintenance between groomings: 1/2 inch or less, professional grooming every 4 weeks
- Minimal owner maintenance between groomings (minimal brushing and combing): 1/2 inch, professional grooming every 6-8 weeks
- Frequent owner maintenance (brushing and combing every 2 days): 1/2 to 1 inch, professional grooming every 4 weeks
- Frequent owner maintenance (brushing and combing every 2 days): 1 inch and longer or long skirt and full furnishings, professional grooming every 1-2 weeks

Harsh and wired haired terriers can go longer between groomings as their hair does not grow as fast and is generally easier to de-mat.

These simple guidelines help with determining what schedule works best to keep the dog well maintained while meeting the aesthetic preferences and grooming commitment of its owners. One must understand that keeping a dog's coat long requires commitment from the dog's owners as well as more frequent professional grooming sessions.
It also is important to note that delaying the groom of a dog does not necessarily save money as groomers charge more for de-matting and shaving out mats and the health risks and veterinary costs related to having a poorly groomed pet may far surpass the cost of regular grooming services.
Being a busy working mother, I understand how difficult it is to keep track of all that needs to be done in a busy household. For people in the same situation as mine, I recommend keeping their dogs very short (1/2 inch or less) while maintaining a 6-8 week grooming schedule. Pre-booking also helps with making sure that the dogs' grooming needs will never be forgotten and the length is kept manageable without much work from the owners.