Basic grooming not enough, pet styling in demand now among NCR's pet parents

A simple online search for pet haircuts will reveal how much the pet styling industry has grown, with multitude of articles and photos showing how pet parents can experiment with the look of their pooches. In the last few years, pet parents have become much more open to experimentation and spending on various styling options. Most have their own, unique preferences, when it comes to haircuts for their pets. In fact, pet groomers in the city say that now, 70% of their customers request for a specific hairstyle for their pets. Braids, lion cut, teddy bear cut are some of the styles that pet groomers have introduced. However, despite the craze for unique styles, the pets’ safety and comfort continues to be top priority for both the groomers and the pet parents.
“Now, people want their pets to look a certain way. They come with photos for the kind of hairstyle they want. If the cut is possible depending on the breed, we try to give the pet that look,” says Savita Raghuvanshi, a pet groomer from Scoopy Scrub, a pet grooming salon in Indirapuram.
Fluffy, a Maltese at a grooming session
Pet safety and comfort is important
While styling, groomers cannot compromise, at any point, on safety and comfort of the pet. Richa Aggarwal, co-founder of Wiggly Tails in Saket, who is often asked to give lamb cuts, teddy cuts and lion cuts to pets by customers, says, “It wasn’t too long ago when grooming your pet meant shampooing, trimming and combing. Now, with the internet flooded with articles and pictures of dog grooming, people have become more conscious about their pet’s style. Pet-friendly and breed-specific products, shampoos and equipment are required because different pets have different types of coats and skin. Extra care is taken while using a trimmer on the body and while trimming the hair around their noses and eyes because you don’t know when the pet can make a sudden move or try to jump off the table.”
Groomers share that smaller breeds are the most anxious, and giving them a haircut could be difficult. “One can manage big breeds easily but smaller breeds are usually anxious. Whenever there is a hair cut involved, two people are needed – one to style the pet and one to hold it. If a pet is snappy, which is rare, we ask the pet parent to hold it while we groom it,” shares Anuj Kochar from Trumppetz, a pet grooming salon in Gurgaon.
Snoopy, a Lhasa apso, at a grooming session
‘Everybody wants their pet to look cute’
“When we can try and explore different styles on us then why can’t we have them for our pets?” ask pet parents. Adesh Choudhary, a software engineer who lives in Sector 90, Gurgaon, shares, “I look for haircuts for my pet, a Lhasa apso, by typing keywords such as ‘cute teddy cut’. Then I show the pictures to his groomer. Everybody wants their pet to look cute. Uske saath grooming bhi achhe se honi chahiye.”
Isha Bery, a resident of Sheikh Sarai 1, who works as a social media marketing manager, says, “I have a shih-tzu and it has long hair. It is not easy to comb its tangled hair and we often need to visit the groomer. Since I want to style his hair in ponytails, we want a hairstyle which won’t get tangled. If your pet is well-groomed then people compliment you. I think it is great that people are focusing more on pet styling and grooming.”
Oscar, Isha Bery’s shih-tzu, with his ponytails
‘Grooming done as per the breed’
Pet parents often experiment with the curly locks of a poodle or with shih-tzus, Yorkshire terriers and other toy breeds. “People often come with the pictures of a teddy bear cut (where the body fur is clipped to a short length but the fur on legs and face is left as is), puppy cut (that makes a dog look like a puppy) and Asian fusion look (round muzzles and shorter cheeks are used to enhance the eyes). Sometimes, people want a Maltese to look like a Golden Retriever, which is not possible. You can’t make a shih-tzu look like a poodle. Hairstyles are done depending on the breed. Earlier, grooming was a luxury but now pets have become part of families. Grooming is also important from the perspective of cleanliness,” says Ashita Mathew, head of grooming and spa at Heads Up for Tails, a pet supply store and spa in Chattarpur.
“It also reflects good pet parenting,” says Shubhesh Goel, owner of DogSpa, a pet grooming spa and boutique in Delhi and Gurgaon. He adds that he has seen an increase of 40% in the number of clients who come with pictures of the hairstyles they want for their pets. “Customisation and variation in styling depends on hair quality. Some people want heavy or lighter hair on the faces of their pets. People want their pets to look presentable. Achhi breed hai toh dog cute lagna chahiye. Well-groomed dogs also reflect good pet parenting,” he says.
Sonia Johar with her shih-tzu Bella, who got an ‘Asian fusion’ hairstyle
Fluffy, a Maltese, at his grooming session
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