Dog grooming here is very expensive, at least it seems that way to me, so I always do my own dog grooming. We have two small dogs, onelonghair, and one shorthair. Chipper, the Yorkie-poo has to be groomed the most often, because his fine hair gets tangled easily. Tootsie just needs a bath now and then , f she gets dirty, or starts smelling "doggy".
I have had Chipper all of his life, and so he has been groomed since he was a tiny puppy, and has always been fine with having his bath and brushing. However, as he has gotten older, he has also gotten fussy and grouchy about both of these activities.
Even when I am just bathing him, he squirms and squalls like it was hurting him something awful. The amazing thing is that when my husband give Chipper his bath, he holds still and does not squall at all. Bobby just tells him to "man-up" andchipper will stand there and get his bath.
Clipping him is even worse now. Sometimes, it takes both of us to clipone little 6 lb dog ! Bobby will hold Chipper and keep him still, and then I can clip off the rag-tags that he gets in his hair.
I just found a small set of electric clippers on Amazon that helps out a lot. they are cordless, so I do not have to worry about chipper tangling up in the cord when I am clipping him, and they are also very quiet. I think that the noise of the larger clippers is part of what upsets him, since the clippers arenot actually hurting him at all.
I have though about sending him to a professional groomer; but I have heard that sometimes they drug the dogs, or hit them to make them behave when they are grooming them , and I don't want Chipper to have to endure anything like that; so it seems better just to struggle through the process myself, and know that he is not hurt.
RE: Grooming your dog, do you do it yourself or not ?
If you mean grooming by giving a bath and cleaning the mouth, ears, etc, then I do the grooming myself every weekend. Last Saturday, it did not rain so I had the opportunity to give my 3 dogs a bath. I have a kit in a basket with complete needs aside from the soap and shampoo. I can do everything except cutting the toenails so I bring my 2 dogs to the grooming salon just for that. And grooming last Saturday was imperative because we were going to the Pet Blessing in one commercial center. It was a big event with lots of pets brought by the pet lovers. I brought along 2 of my dogs only because our 3rd dog has the tendency to bite.
RE: Grooming your dog, do you do it yourself or not ?
It is smart to give your dog a bath at least once every 1-2 weeks to keep up with good hygiene and to keep from shedding. I would suggest having your dog professionally groomed at least once a month for haircuts, (depending on whether you have a long haired dog) to have their nails clipped, you could do it yourself but it can be hard to control your dog/not injure them, and for extra maintenance that you might not be giving your dog by just giving them a bath.
RE: Grooming your dog, do you do it yourself or not ?
I groom my dog myself! It's a great way to bond, and I can make sure they're comfortable. Plus, it saves money! If you're not sure how to start, there are lots of tutorials online.