My senior dog is going blind and having a hard time getting around. She doesn't enjoy being groomed anymore. Should I just wait until she is really matted to take her in to be groomed? No. Please don't wait until your senior is matted. Matting makes the grooming process much more difficult, especially on a dog that doesn't enjoy being groomed. Here are some things you can try that may help your #seniordog with the grooming process: 1. You may want to try to space out your appointments a little bit more (1-2 weeks more as long as that doesn't incur matting). 2. If your vet prescribes it for ar ..read more

My puppy is 4 months old and has had all her shots but doesn't need any trimming yet and I can bathe her myself in the tub. When should I start bringing her in to be groomed? We recommend you start them as soon as possible after 4 months, especially if this will be a dog that needs regular grooming throughout their life. The sooner you can start introducing the grooming process to your puppy, the easier it will be for them to adjust to it. The longer you wait, typically, the harder it is to get them to enjoy it. As a groomer, I can truly see the difference between a dog that was introduced to ..read more

Are you going on vacation for the holidays and looking for a pet sitter or kennel? Do you need an awesome new toy for your chew-crazy puppy? We've got you covered! I put together a list of local resources for dog owners of Steamboat Springs. It includes pet sitters, veterinarians, pet products stores, dog walkers, dog trainers and pet photography. Here it is! Give us a call and leave a message if you have any questions. Pet Resources in Steamboat Springs, CO ​ Veterinarians ​ Pet Kare 970-879-5273 Steamboat Vet Hospital 970-879-1041 Mt Peaks Vet 970-879-7200 Ski Town Animal Hospital 970-879-3 ..read more

This is something I hear all the time at the grooming salon. “Don’t poodle my doodle!” But when I explore a little more about what that means to the owner, the responses vary widely. Some people think a poodle has a fluffy snout, some people think a poodle has fluffy feet, some people think a poodle has a shaved body with puffs of hair on their hips and shoulders…so you see, what you have in your head about what a poodle looks like may differ from what your groomer has in her head about what a poodle looks like. More types of Poodle Haircuts Typically, a groomer at Powder Hounds Grooming Salo ..read more

Q. Why is my dog scared to go to the groomer? A. This is a great question. I never had a dog that had get groomed before I became a groomer. We grew up with labs, German shepherds, and cats. As an adult, I had a wolf hound/mastiff mix and a corgi mix. We gave them a bath in the river a couple times a year. When I started grooming, I thought every dog loved to come to the spa and get a haircut, just as I, as a human, loved doing. Of course, I quickly found out that this is just not the case. In my experience, it is probably a 50/50 split of dogs who love coming in to the salon and who are terr ..read more

Q. Why don’t you have online booking for my dog's appointment? A. In this modern age, everybody wants things to be quick and easy. I’m no different. My sister lives in Chicago, and she has a service where she can order all her groceries online. I wish we had that here in Steamboat Springs. I can book an appointment with my hairdresser and my massage therapist online, but not my acupuncturist. At Powder Hounds Grooming Salon, we use an appointment system that has the capability to offer online booking, however I have not enabled it. Why the heck not?, you ask. Dog grooming is different from a ..read more

Q. Most grooming salons I’ve taken my pet to in the past are set up to take in all the dogs in the morning and they get done around the end of the day. Why is your dog grooming salon set up by appointment? A. Good question. That was the way it was set up in the salon I worked at before opening my own. All the dogs would be scheduled to come in between 8-9am and would leave between 3-5pm. I saw how hard this was on some of the dogs. Dogs would be anxious to come in to the groomer’s and they would be in there all day, most of the time in a kennel, shaking like a leaf. They would go home and the ..read more

Guest Post by Cindy Aldridge of Ourdogfriends.org ​​ Photo credit: Pixabay Dreaming of a Dog Christmas: Gift Ideas for Dog Lovers This is dog country. According to Fortune magazine, there are currently 312.1 million domesticated pets living in 129.8 million households. Cats and dogs are the most popular. And as man’s best friend, dogs are an important part of our family lives, childhood, and holidays. Americans spend a considerable amount on dogs, and a good part of that money goes to increasing the comfort and luxury of our furry friends. So with Christmas around the corner, it’s a great time ..read more

​ ​​ ​We hope you all can join! No costume required ..read more

Hello Animal Lovers, I created this series to try to answer some commonly asked questions in the grooming world. Getting your dog or cat groomed can create some uncertainty in the owner's world. It is my hope that these Q and A's will be able to help you understand the reasons that we do things the way we do and what it is like from our side (the groomer's side) of things. Thanks for joining and please let me know if you have any questions that I may be able to answer! ​​ Photo credit: nashvillepaw.com Why can’t I stay with my dog while he is worked on? In my experience, most of the time, it i ..read more