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Grooming Tips

31 articles from our groomers in East Northport and Ronkonkoma.

A groomer lathering a dog's chest and front legs in a grooming tub
Grooming Tips

Poison Ivy in Your Dog's Coat — and Then on You

Dogs almost never break out in the rash. The people who hug them do. How the oil travels from coat to hands, and the bath that actually removes it.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A groomer drying a dog's coat with a high-velocity dryer at a grooming table in East Northport, NY
Grooming Tips

Bathe at Home Before the Groom, or Leave It to Us?

What people hope to save, what a home bath does to a coat that's about to be cut, and the five-minute thing that actually helps before an appointment.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A long-coated dog having its leg feathering combed through section by section during a grooming appointment
Grooming Tips

Burrs and Grass Seeds in Dog Fur: How to Get Them Out

Ears, armpits, groin, between the toes. What to try with fingers and a comb, what makes it tighter, and when a seed that has worked into skin becomes a vet call.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A goldendoodle on the grooming table at Lillian Ruff Pet Spa in East Northport, coat shaped with a scissor finish
Grooming Tips

Clipper Cut or Scissor Finish? How to Choose for Your Dog

Clipper cut or scissor finish: two ways of finishing the same coat, with different upkeep and different time on the table. How to say which one you want when you book.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A curly-coated doodle standing on a grooming table with its coat combed through and trimmed to an even mid-length.
Grooming Tips

Curly Coat: Keep the Length or Go Shorter? An Honest Call

A long curly coat is a weekly commitment, not a haircut. What the length really costs you in brushing time, what you give up by going shorter, and the middle option.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A poodle-coated dog having its ear checked on the grooming table at a Long Island salon
Grooming Tips

Do Groomers Pluck Ear Hair? Hairy Ear Canals Explained

A genuinely contested procedure explained without picking a side for your dog: which coats grow canal hair, the alternatives, and why your vet's view outranks any rule.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A groomer brushing a small dog on a grooming table at Lillian Ruff Pet Spa in East Northport, NY
Grooming Tips

Dog Grooming Terms Decoded: A Glossary for Owners

Bath and brush, full groom, blowout, de-shed, line brushing, blade numbers — the words groomers use, in plain English, so you can book what you actually want.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A small long-coated Maltipoo before and after grooming, showing a tidier coat around the body and rear
Grooming Tips

Sanitary Trim for Dogs: What It Covers and What It Fixes

The trim most owners have never heard named, and the recurring mess it solves. What it covers, what it doesn't, and when the problem is the skin rather than the fur.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
A soaking wet dog standing on grass after a swim, coat flattened and dripping
Grooming Tips

Your Dog Swam in Lake Ronkonkoma. Now Dry That Coat.

Lake water sits in an undercoat for days. Why a towel isn't enough, and what a proper dry actually does.

Lillian Ruff Pet Spa
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