You might associate having your dog professionally groomed with the kind of person who calls their pets their "furbabies", but the truth is that there are a few advantages to grooming even for people who don't seem to think it's creepy to say that they are an animal's "mummy".

1. You won't have to do it yourself. Let's face it, most people don't necessarily find that grooming their dog is the most interesting part of their week (or month, or whatever). This is especially true if your dog has a long coat, some kind of complicated tail arrangement or a particular aversion to being cleaned and tidied up. Sorting them out on your own can be a pain in the posterior, and you're probably better off getting someone to help you out.

2. They're probably better at it than you are. Speaking of which, it's worth bearing in mind that grooming dogs actually is a skill--and it's one that a professional dog groomer has been trained in in a way you never will be. The trickier bits, like clipping your dog's nails, are very difficult to get right without a bit of guidance. If nothing else, take your dog to the groomer once and watch them to see if you can figure out how to do it properly yourself at home!

3. A professional dog groomer is likely to notice things that might not stand out to you. Groomers see hundreds of dogs, and they're trained to spot things that a dog's owner needs to be made aware of. There are a few problems dogs get quite often (ingrown dew claws, tooth decay, deep-level fur matting) that you might not notice at home, but your groomer will have an eye out for them and let you know if there's anything you need to deal with.

4. It gives your dog a chance to practice socialising with people and other dogs in another type of situation. Dogs are social creatures, but unless they get a lot of practice in a wide variety of situations they can display a lot of fear or aggression when you really don't want them to. By ensuring you're putting them in as many types of situation as possible--including a trip to the salon, which will probably be quite unlike anything they've ever done before--you'll be able to give your dog a better toolkit for dealing with unfamiliar scenarios.

The even better news is that it doesn't need to be a pain to find a dog salon and get your pet over there: plenty of groomers now offer mobile services, meaning that they'll come to you rather than you needing to go to them. You might even be able to get your dog groomed in your lunch break from work!