Glossary
Every great groom starts with clear communication between the pet lover and the Stylist. Please browse our Glossary section for definitions and photographs of standard grooming terminology.
MATTED - the dictionary definition states "closely tangled together in a dense mass." The key word here is dense. Tangles can be combed out with relative easy but mats cannot and need to be broken apart.
This is a severely matted dog. When she attempted to wag her tail, her left ear wiggled too! We had to wet-shave this little lady, something we try to avoid at all costs as it is hard on our equipment but was the gentlest way to help this poor girl. There is no satisfaction in taking a dog's coat short, only concern for the dog's safety.
Here is our little lady sporting a Smoothie and feeling so much better. She was lucky. There were no underlying skin issues under her mats.
Check out the stegosaurus action on this poor brown tabby domestic shorthaired cat.
Same feline sporting a beautiful smooth Lion-cut.
PELTED - refers to when the mats on a dog or cat's body fuse together and form a hard turtle-like shell. This is a painful condition for the animals. The only answer is to shave the animal down and release them from this potentially life threatening condition.
This is a pelted cat.
Note the scratches and bite marks that were under the pelt. This was an outdoor intact male that was getting into fights. Being pelted he was unable to actually defend himself.
SHEDDING - Webster's states that this means to eject, slough off, or lose as part of the normal process of life i.e. shedding hair. One of the motivations for grooming our pets is to lessen or prevent excessive shedding hair filling our homes. De-Shedding treatments are built into the complete grooming session to help remove all loose or shedding coat and can drastically reduce the shedding on your furniture or home.
This German Shepherd Dog is having the loose undercoat carded out. Note how the pile of undercoat is soft and dull while the topcoat left on the dog is bright in color and shines!
This little Black with White Domestic Short-haired is also being carded and having her undercoat removed.
NAIL CARE - poor nail care can lead to all kinds of health issues such as splayed feet and nails that grow into the paw pads, and other very painful conditions that can lead to infections
This poor dog has severly overgrown nails that caused his feet to completely splay. He also had some nails that grew into his leg and caused an abscess.