Time For a Grooming Table
By: Peter Demmon
Brushing your dog's hair or trimming your dog's nails can be difficult chores. Of course a big part of this is the temperament of your dog, but an even greater aspect of it all is where you choose to do your grooming. You should have enough control of the situation that you can localize where the excess fur or nail trimmings go. A bathtub, the floor, the couch or the front porch are all tried and true locations for dog grooming. However, the truth of the matter is that dog grooming tables exist because they make the chore that much easier. Bathtubs get clogged with dog hair, nail-trimmings can fall out of your hands and into the couch, and dog hair can blow all over the porch. Sure you could groom your dog on the floor or in the bathtub, but chances are there will be a lot of bending over and struggling on your part. You should be able to have full access to your dog in order to get down to grooming business. What you need is a table where your dog is in place and you have control over where all the doggie detritus goes. Dog grooming tables make dog grooming easy, and they are well worth the investment.
The benefits of home dog grooming table are both simple and economic. Some dog owners like to take their dog to the local dog salon to have their dogs groomed and pampered. In preparation for writing this article, I checked out the local listings and was amazed at how many various dog grooming places there are here in Santa Cruz alone. I also checked out the pricing. Yes, these are trained professionals, but long-run dollars can be saved if you do the grooming yourself. Plus, it helps you to further seal your bond with your pet. If you can find the time to take care of brushing your dog's hair and the odd nail trimming, home is the way to go. But in order to do a proper grooming of your dog, you should really consider where you will do your grooming. The idea of having your dog elevated and easily accessible makes a lot of sense. Part of getting the proper grooming table for your dog is to know what to look for. This article is going to tell you the points that you should consider if you are on the market for a dog grooming table.
When looking for a dog grooming table you have to consider many things. One is your height and the other is the size of the dog. The table that the dog will sit on should be big enough that the dog can lie down and not hang his limbs over the side. It should also be tall enough that you aren't putting a lot of pressure on your lower back as you go to work.
Grooming tables also need to be sturdy and well-footed. In my research for this article, I saw many tables on the market today with flimsy legs, or legs requiring several unnecessary adjustments. Your grooming table shouldn't be a typical fold-out table, but it also shouldn't be overly complicated either. Your grooming table has to be something that can take weight in any of its corners and remain upright. The legs also shouldn't be weak enough that they will bend, buckle, or shift if weight or pressure isn't evenly applied to them. Your pet is going to be on this platform for extended periods of time, it is worth the investment to make sure that it is safe.
Another aspect of a grooming table is to keep the dog in place. The standard grooming table solution for this is a contraption known as "the arm." The arm is a metal post designed to go up and then arc over your dog. Basically arm is a leashing post on the table. The arm should be something that is sturdy and not flimsy. A flimsy arm would make it possible for your dog to pull and possibly lose his balance.
I have seen many different variations, but typically at the end of the arc at the top of the arm or bolted into it somewhere within the arc is the noose. The noose, while sounding a bit savage or barbaric, is actually the common term for this part of the table. The noose is a security measure. In essence it is just a leash that should be used to keep your dog in position. Grooming tables are sold with and without arms. It seems like a no-brainer that an arm is completely necessary.
You should always have your dog under control while grooming. If the dog is comfortably held in place by a noose on the table then most potential accidents are bypassed. Your dog should be able to stand on the table, but the mobility should be limited. Obviously, a dog is going to know that he is elevated and not jump, but the noose is good to hold him snugly in place to that you can groom him without the worry of him falling over the side.
Another aspect of your potential grooming table to pay attention to is the surface of the table top. The tables are made with the awareness that dogs are hairy and potentially slippery. The table tops tend to have non-slip surfaces so that the dog doesn't slip and slide while you are trying to brush their hair. This also helps with the cleaning of the table afterward. Also, your table should be moisture resistant, so that if your dog is wet, it won't affect the table top.
It is also good to pay attention to how the grooming table is assembled. Screws and bolts shouldn't be a part of the edges. This would be a bad thing, because your dog's hair or your shirtsleeve could get caught in them. The edges should also have soft corners and the corners themselves should be rounded so that if per-chance, your dog's leg were to slip over the side, there would be no injury.
If you are considering making your dog-grooming experience easier, or if you are looking into saving some dog-grooming dollars, a home grooming table is probably for you. Grooming tables can be pricey, but they are generally affordable. Considering the amount that will be saved by doing the grooming yourself, and the bonding that you can do with your pet they ultimately pay for themselves. If you are already doing your pet grooming elsewhere in your house, a grooming table is definitely a step up. A proper grooming table seems like the option that is easiest for both the pet owner and their dog.
Check out our Precision Pro-Series Grooming tables at West Coast Pet Supply
