Long-form guides on the things pet owners most often ask us about, puppies, matting, senior pets, and the world of oodles.
It's always exciting bringing a new puppy home. Their boundless enthusiasm and energy fills the house with joy.
Grooming needs vary significantly by breed. A Jack Russell needs a brush once a week and can be washed in the sink at home every 2–3 months for free, a Samoyed will require daily brushing and, at minimum, 6-weekly grooms costing anywhere from $120–$250 each appointment. Research grooming requirements before choosing a breed.
Start immediately. 5-minute sessions, 3–4 times a day, with positive reinforcement. Reward desired behaviour, don't punish mistakes.
"Like a kid throwing a tantrum to get their own way, many dogs learn that if they just wiggle around and carry on enough, Mum or Dad will give up."
Hold paws while the pup is relaxed. Progress to sitting and standing. Teach "shake". Desensitise to touch between pads and nails. Same gentle progression for tails. For faces, teach the pup to rest their head in your open palm using treats, for longer-haired dogs, the "chin hair hold" is the position groomers use to keep dogs still and safe while trimming around the head.
Puppies are born with soft, fine coats that transition to coarser adult coats between 6–18 months, taking 2–6 months to complete. Short-coated dogs show it through increased shedding. For medium-to-long-coated breeds this is the trickiest period, increase brushing and combing to reduce matting, or clip shorter to prevent it. Once matting occurs, clipping short is the only humane option.
As early as possible, we start taking puppies from 10 days after their final vaccination.
Our Puppy Intro grooms for pups under 6 months focus on introducing the sensations, treats, toys, cuddles, and comfort over completing a full groom. Book in advance; groomers typically carry waiting periods.
All dogs need to be brushed. Whether you have a poodle with two inches of fur, or a jack russell with more attitude than fur.
Extra brushing is required after swimming, muddy play, during spring-summer shedding, and after grass seed and burr exposure.
"Brushing your PET is like brushing your teeth. You've gotta brush what you wanna keep."
The most common mistake on long-coated dogs is brushing only the outer layer while mats hide underneath near the skin. Line brushing reaches the skin. Areas under collars, harnesses, halti, or clothing need top priority, friction creates knots. We often have dogs come in matted in the exact pattern of their collar or harness.
Matting is when a coat becomes tangled beyond a few knots. The hair knits together so tightly it damages the hair, and is a long, painful process to untangle.
Three real problems:
Matting at the ears also carries aural haematoma risk, blood vessels can burst from head-shaking and scratching, causing blood to pool. Prevention is essential; veterinary attention required if it happens.
Humanity over vanity. Brushing out matting is painful, and we can't get consent from the pet. So the only humane option is to remove matted areas, which means clipping short. Some longer areas may be preserved case-by-case.
Brush. Your. Pet.
Plus: stick to a regular grooming schedule, choose a hairstyle that matches the brushing commitment you'll actually keep, and recognise that long shaggy styles require 30+ minutes of daily brushing and fortnightly appointments. We're happy to recommend a style that works for you and your pet.
Anyone who is lucky enough to know the love of a pet knows that it is inevitable that they don't stay young forever.
Humanity over vanity, always, but especially here. Senior pets may have soreness, arthritis, fatigue, sensory loss, incontinence, or cognitive decline. We customise to reduce session duration and minimise handling around sensitive areas. Comfort supersedes aesthetics, every time.
Senior pets commonly develop lumps, from malignant tumours to benign sebaceous growths. Monitor like moles for changes. Occasionally these can be accidentally nicked during grooming, if that happens we clean the area and let you know straight away.
Thinning or baldness is a normal sign of ageing, but always worth a vet check. Skin pH changes in older dogs create texture and odour differences, the "old dog smell" is ageing, not poor hygiene.
Grooming requires limb handling that can hurt arthritic pets. We work within individual mobility limits rather than forcing uncomfortable positions.
"Dryer fits are probably one of the saddest things groomers deal with when working with senior pets."
Panic-like reactions during blow-drying: glazed eyes, non-responsiveness, panic, vocalisations, sometimes incontinence. Once we identify a pet is prone to dryer fits we modify the approach and avoid recurrence.
A crash course in the poodle-crossbreeds that now dominate Australian dog parks.
Oodles are a crossbreed between a poodle (toy, miniature, or standard) and another dog breed. The most common ones:
…plus many, many more.
Oodle breeding first began in 1989 when Wally Conron mixed a Labrador with a Poodle for seeing-eye dogs with hypoallergenic coats. Today, Cavoodles, Spoodles, and Groodles rank among Australia's top 10 breeds.
Poodles have single, wool coats, low-shedding, but prone to matting. Most breeds crossed with poodles are double-coated, high-shedding types. The coat variation within oodle litters depends on genetic inheritance, resulting in a spectrum of possible coat types.
"This variation in coat types means there's no one size fits all approach for maintaining or styling an Oodle."
New clients: expect a wait of 2 weeks in winter to 2 months in summer. Worth it.
931 Centre Rd, Bentleigh East · Mon/Tue 12–8pm · Wed–Fri 8am–4:30pm