How Often Should You Groom Your Dog? A Montreal Owner’s Guide
The right grooming schedule depends on your dog’s coat, lifestyle and the season. Here is a coat-by-coat guide from the groomers at Chloe’s Spaw, with what each visit includes, what Montreal winters change, and what you can do at home between appointments.
The Paw CrewOctober 11, 20266 min read
01Start with your dog’s coat type
Grooming needs follow the coat. Find your dog’s coat below, then use the schedule in the next section.
- Short, smooth coat (Labrador, Beagle, Boxer, French Bulldog): sheds, but rarely tangles
- Double coat (Husky, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Bernese): a soft undercoat that sheds heavily twice a year
- Curly or continuously growing coat (Poodle, Bichon, Goldendoodle, Bernedoodle): grows all the time and mats if it isn’t brushed and cut
- Long, silky coat (Shih Tzu, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Havanese): tangles easily, especially behind the ears and under the legs
- Wire coat (Schnauzer, many terriers): coarse hair that needs regular trimming to stay neat
02A grooming schedule for each coat
These are starting points. A dog who swims, rolls in the park or spends winter on salty sidewalks may need more frequent baths.
- Curly or doodle coats: full grooming every 4 to 6 weeks, brushing several times a week
- Long, silky coats: full grooming every 4 to 6 weeks, brushing daily or every other day
- Wire coats: grooming every 6 to 8 weeks, brushing weekly
- Double coats: bath and de-shedding every 6 to 8 weeks, more often during spring and fall shedding
- Short coats: a bath every 8 to 12 weeks or when dirty, a quick brush once a week
- All dogs: nails every 3 to 4 weeks, ears checked weekly, teeth brushed as often as possible
03What a grooming visit includes at Chloe’s Spaw
Chloe’s Spaw is the grooming salon inside Doggieville MTL, open 7 days a week. Prices depend on your dog’s weight.
- Express wash: two shampoos, conditioner, ear cleaning and blow dry, from $64.99 (1 to 20 lb) to $104.99 (80 lb and more)
- Full grooming: everything in the express wash, plus face, body and paw-pad trim, nail trim and hand blow dry, from $109.99 (1 to 20 lb) to $229.99 (80 lb and more)
- Add-ons: nail trim $6.99, nail filing $6.99, teeth brushing $8.99, de-shedding $14.99, face trim $14.99, sanitary trim $14.99
- Walk-in nail trims are $20 plus tax on grooming days (call first to confirm); baths and grooming are by appointment
The salon is calm and low-stress, uses natural, eco-friendly products, and welcomes dogs with behaviour issues: certified specialists use science-based techniques and the P.E.A.R.L.™ method. Grooming requires up-to-date DA2PP (DHPP) and rabies vaccines.
04What Montreal’s seasons change
- Winter: rinse road salt off paws after walks, keep the hair between the pads short so ice balls don’t form, and dry the coat fully before going outside
- Spring: the big shed. Double-coated dogs lose their winter undercoat, so a de-shedding treatment saves your couch
- Summer: brush often so air reaches the skin, check for ticks after park and canal walks, and rinse after swimming
- Fall: the second shed, and the time to get the coat in shape before the cold
05Grooming at home between visits
A few minutes a week at home makes every grooming visit easier and shorter.
- Brush to the skin, not just the top layer: a slicker brush and a metal comb for curly and long coats, an undercoat rake for double coats
- Check behind the ears, the armpits and the collar area, where mats start first
- Look inside the ears for redness, smell or dark wax, and call your vet if you see any
- Handle the paws often and reward your dog, so nail trims stay stress-free
- Use a dog shampoo; products made for people can irritate your dog’s skin
Dog grooming FAQ
Written by
The Paw Crew
The Paw Crew is the team that cares for every dog at Doggieville MTL: boarding, daycare, grooming and pool staff who are First Aid certified and spend every day with dogs of all sizes and ages.
Meet the team behind Doggieville MTL
