Pawdecures

Michelle Allan



Many salons have experience with a difficult client, you know the one that fidgets all the way through a treatment. During a pedicure, they pull their leg away complaining the foot scrub tickles, choose the darkest colour nail polish available, and leave the therapist cleaning up nail edges with polish remover and a cotton bud.

Well we should think ourselves lucky, because many of us haven’t had a client like Madaline. It was Madaline’s birthday, and she wanted to look her best for her party later that day, so she was booked in for a ‘Pawdicure’. Yes that’s right, a ‘Pawdicure’.

‘Pawdicures’ are the new doggy treatments that have taken the nation by the collar. Otherwise known as a doggy pedicure, they will take any trained doggy therapist roughly half an hour, and salons are charging around £10- £15 for every pampered pooch. They are roughly the same as a human pedicure, apart from the fur.

This claw clipping treatment consists of a cleansing paw soak to sooth, cutting and filing the nail for a smooth finish, a massage with balm to avoid dry cracked pads and removal of fur in-between the toes to avoid infection. To finish, a coat of nail varnish is applied, or even nail art for those who enjoy a challenge. The end result is a paw fit for Crofts.

Many dog owners know foot care is important for a canine’s well being. Their paws, pads and nails need regular attention to avoid paws becoming uncomfortable, this is why it is advised they rebook and return for a ‘Pawdicure’ every six weeks.

According to Sarah Clark from Grand Union Pets, these pampering paw treatments are booked for “luxury or special occasions”. A range of owners book their dogs in for pawdicures, and they have “worked on all types of dogs” Clark said “mostly shiatsu, staffs and cavaliers.” Clark explained that everything they use is “non-toxic, and the nail varnish wears off by itself, so no remover is needed.” In fact the foot balm used to massage the paws is made from petroleum jelly, it’s great to know these pawdicures will not cause any damage. “We use OPI ‘Pawlish’ and we have red and blue to choose from” Clark added. But it’s very different from working on a human, so how does she deal with a nervous or naughty canine?

“You gently hold their paw, and if they try to pull away you have to continue to hold it,” Clark advised. “This puts them at ease and shows that they are not in any danger. It also shows that you are top dog. If you don’t and they pull away, they will think they are in charge and this would make the treatment quite difficult.” So it seems there is a lot that can be learnt from treating a canine client.

Other new treatments on the market starting to be offered to the pampered pooch’s are ‘Doga’ otherwise known as Doggy Yoga, ‘fur-lights’ or highlights for fur, as well as massage, reiki, and even blueberry facials. Perhaps this is where the future of beauty lays.