09/01/2026
🐶Puppy Grooming 101: When should your puppy start grooming?
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear is, “They’re still a puppy, they don’t need a haircut yet wait till they’re 1 year old then get them one.”
However, puppy’s first grooming appointments aren’t necessarily about the actual haircut. It’s about the lessons they learn to prepare them for a lifetime of grooming needs. Just like you need to housetrain, potty train and teach your puppy basic manners they also need to learn how to be groomed!
Once your veterinarian says your puppy is appropriately protected to visit a grooming environment it’s a great time to introduce them to the professional grooming world!
Now take a moment to step into your puppies’ paws. Think about all the new and sometimes scary things that happen during their first grooming:
• Meeting someone completely new!
• New Environment with all kinds of smells, sounds, sights!
• Standing on a grooming table
• Getting in a bathtub
• The feeling of being blow dried
• Clippers buzzing against the body
• Brushing and Combing
• Shiny scissors by their eyes
• Having their face and paws and body handled differently
• Having their nails clipped
That’s a lot for a new little one isn’t it?! So you can imagine how overwhelming it can be for a precious little puppy!
Early appointments give us the opportunity to slowly introduce these things with lots of positivity, lots of patience, and lots of love and understanding.
At Furry Beginnings we don’t expect puppies to be perfect. They’re babies! Their first appointments are all about building trust and teaching them that grooming doesn’t have to be scary it can be fun and full of love!
The beautiful haircut will come with time. First we work on the foundation and confidence that will last them a lifetime!
Stay tuned for our next part in this series: Puppy Grooming 101 Part 2: What YOU can do at home to prepare your puppy for their first visit to the grooming salon!
