Facials, Nails and Beauty Treatments for Dogs- Is it beneficial?

In recent years, dogs have become accepted in society as not only someone’s ‘pet’ but as someone’s ‘baby’. We as humans tend to baby, nurture and protect our pets as if they were our children, and more often than not we treat them as part of the family. Therefore, surely it was only a matter of time until businesses and other people caught onto the profitability side of this fad.

It appears that there is an increase in pet grooming beauty salons opening, and not only in the UK, but also in the US and Hong Kong too! Dog Salons have opened up around the world offering nail treatments, facials, massages, grooming, special shampoos and conditioners, and nose trimming services that focus specifically on our dogs! A lot of the salons have joined onto beauty and hair salons for humans, so that you and your dog can get your treatments at the same time! What a fantastic idea right? It looks as if this trend is catching on all over the world, and people aren’t afraid to let you know about it! And why not spoil our dogs from time to time?

The question is however, is this craze really beneficial to our dogs or does it make us as humans feel better about ourselves rather than actually benefiting our faithful friends? First of all it is important to know that dogs do need attention and love, otherwise they can become distressed, aggressive and lonely- therefore paying special attention to your dog is never a bad thing! But we need to look more in depth of the services that are been offered.

1. Nail Treatment- this is a tricky one, yes your dog’s nails will look cute and they will be receiving lots of attention whilst receiving this treatment. But you have to be very careful with the polishes the groomers use. If they are using human nail polishes, this can be very harmful to your dog, especially as they have extremely sensitive noses and sense of smell! If the groomer is using a dog friendly polish, this won’t be harmful to your dog; however I wouldn’t recommend this as being an ‘essential’ grooming process. With this said, it is very important to ensure that you have your dog’s nails clipped regularly, in order to keep them short and healthy. If you allow your dog’s nails to grow too long this can cause bad posture and can result in your dog’s nails ripping, cutting and bleeding.

2. Facials- Again, this comes down to the kind of products the salon is using, are the products/treatments dog friendly or are they human products? You need to really do your research into the type of salon that you are taking your pooch too and make sure that they are respectable and have great reviews. If the products used are dog friendly, then facials can help to remove tear stains from your pooch’s faces and it is also really relaxing for your dog - it can even send them to sleep!

3.Massages- Just like humans get a build-up in stress, so do dogs, and this is why a massage for your faithful friend will be super relaxing and beneficial! However, you do need to ensure that you go to a respectable and professional dog salon. If someone is not properly trained in this profession, your dog could get seriously injured and hurt as they are more sensitive and weak than humans

4. Grooming- This is a no brainer… it is so important to get your dog regularly groomed, cut and cleaned! Keeping your faithful friend well-groomed will not only improve your dog’s behaviour, but it will also benefit you as the owner as your pooch isn’t dirty or getting fur or mud stuck in the carpet!

After looking at the treatments dog salons offer and doing some extensive research, this new found trend can actually be really beneficial to your dog and why not get your hair cut and coloured, whilst your pooch receives a fantastic facial and massage! It is however; very important to make sure you do thorough research into the salon you want to attend. There will unfortunately always be horror stories, but it is so important to make sure that you are not one of them! Google the salon, ring them up, have a look at some reviews, or even visit your local vet- vets can be extremely helpful when looking for tips and advice!

Do you spoil your pet? Is he/she a part of the family? Get in touch on social media and let us know! There is still time left to enter your pooch into our pet competition 'What Makes Your Faithful Friend Part of the Family?' Click Here for more information!