A purely hypothetical situation-suppose I have a bitch who has just whelped and I want her clipped at a salon.How soon do you think she could go-assuming she would be there about 3 hours? Would you be worried about her mixing with the other dogs(well no direct contact but in the same room) then going back to the puppies?

I would say that she should be trimmed and belly shortened/clipped before whelping, and then will have a hormonal moult starting about 2 months after pups are born, so the question doesn't really arise.

This isn't so hypothetical really as the bitch with puppies 5 days old was taken into a salon to be clipped "asap".I would have thought a grooming salon isn't really an ideal place for a bitch with such young pups.I agree she should have been clipped before whelping.But could she be clipped when the pups are,say,5-6 weeks old or would it not be advisable for her to mix with other dogs then go back to the pups?

5-6 weeks should be ok though as a groomer I would make sure the bitch did not mix with the other dogs just in case. But if possible it would be best to wait until pups have gone or have had their shots. We had a bitch come into the college once either very pregnant or just whelped, can't remember which, and they were sent straight back home! The owner who took the 5 day old puppies & bitch in is (I'm afraid) a complete idiot!

>  The owner who took the 5 day old puppies & bitch in is (I'm afraid) a complete idiot!

Yep,my sentiments as well! Although,having reread my post I realised I worded it wrong-the bitch was brought in but not the pups-which were apparently fine at home on their own!!

I would have it done a number of weeks before birth, wouldn't even contemplate taking a mother with pups at any time myself.  THough there again I clip mine myself.

I wouldn't dream of taking a bitch to a groomer before pups were 12 weeks old.

I clip mine prior to whelping (myself), as I wouldn't put a heavily pregnant bitch through the stress.  And, as someone has mentioned, by the time she is ready for a groomer, she will have lost her coat anyway.

> as someone has mentioned, by the time she is ready for a groomer, she will have lost her coat anyway.

I was starting to wonder if there are breeds that don't have a hormonal moult, but even humans do so am glad I was not imagining it.

It wasn't entirely clear, but they were idiots whichever way round it was!

>Yep,my sentiments as well! Although,having reread my post I realised I worded it wrong-the bitch was brought in but not the pups-which were apparently fine at home on their own!!

My bitch was trimmed before she whelped, my groomer came her to do her and again just recently he came here to do her.
I wouldnt take her to the salon, just to be on the safe side.