[JennyLeroux]

I groom 5 dogs also. Two of them are puppies and the other 3 are adults in full coat. I don't trust the groomers to be gentle with them. Also, grooming is a traumatic experience for them and taking them to a foreign place and kenneling them concerns me. You can also open yourself up to disease and infection if they are stashed in the kennel while waiting to be picked up or groomed. The very few times I have groomed mine they get bathed and clipped but they look so ugly when I get them back. I can bath them at home.

One thing I always recommend to those who do want to do their own grooming is to take the pups to Pet Smart to get the nails done. I think the nails is the most challenging thing in grooming. It costs $7 per dog where I live and you can do it on a walk in basis. I now do the nails on mine and that is my least favorite part.

The second most challenging part is the ears. I used to just shave them until someone showed me how to cut them around the outline. It takes practice.

I feel it is a good way to spend more time with my dogs and further bond with them. Personally, I really enjoy making my dogs look pretty. That is one reason the Yorkie breed is so appealing to me.