In return for the gift of companionship, our pets need the right professional care. Today we meet a person who dedicates a large part of her life to this. So here we are at Groommistr, a grooming studio in Prague’s Černý Most district.
“We no longer have parking problems,” says Elena Chaplygina, the owner of Groommistr.
“People come to our salon not only from all over Prague, but also from other cities. It’s all because we are, for example, professionals at handstripping.”
Interview by Boris Kogut, photo: grooming studio Groommistr.
Elena Chaplygina is a groomer, a breeder of Scottish Terriers, works professionally with show dogs and has worked as an expert at dog shows in Kazakhstan and Moscow in the past. Elena has been involved with dogs since the age of 13 in the DOSAAF club.
Ten years ago, Elena moved to the Czech Republic. Here she opened her own grooming salon and is now putting all her decades of experience into professional work with dogs.
Recently, her knowledge has been appreciated: she has been invited to give grooming master classes all over the Czech Republic and she also regularly gives master classes in her salon.
Elena, how do you start working with a new client?
When people bring a dog into the salon, I start with an examination of the animal and a short interview with the owner: I ask what and how the dog was last grooomed, what it can do, what it is used to, what the client wants to see as a result, and I assess what can be done with their pet’s coat.
How often would you recommend a visit to the salon?
The more complex a dog’s coat is, the more often it needs grooming. For those who have their hair cut, I recommend a visit to the salon every two months, provided they comb at home. For other types of grooming — express-moulting, handstripping, combing — the timing may vary.
Why is it important to brush dogs?
All dogs, whether they are moulting or not, have a constantly renew coat. Moulting dogs need timely brushing to remove old hair and undercoat. In non-moulting dogs, the old hair stays in the coat, doesn’t fall out and is removed by combing. Old is uneven and easily tangled, and new hair can get twisted around it and form tangles. Tangles are a source of discomfort and skin problems for pets. Tell us more about dog stripping. Handstripping is the removal of a dog’s old hair by plucking.
Rough-haired dogs have a hard time shedding, and the coat won’t replace
itself without stripping. Stripping cannot be replaced by clipping; it changes the structure and quality of the hair. As well as breeds with stiff coats, there are many other dogs that should not be clipped, let alone shaved. These are all dogs with «double» or «arctic» coats. These dogs lose their guard hair and their coats degenerate, become soft and wadded, lose their protective function, get dirty easily, get wet, tangle easily and get tangled.
Unfortunately, I have come across some salons where these dogs have had their hair cut and even shaved. When this is done, the hair of such dogs is simply ruined. It is very important to choose the right groomer for your pet.
Call us: 776 155 530,
IG groommistr_cz,
