Have you ever wanted a fancy dog? You know the kind you see in the street where they seem to trot a little differently to the rest? Let’s look at what makes a dog fancy and how you can emulate this yourself at home.

Fresh groom - I don’t know about you, but when I see a little pupperino trotting down the street and his coat is all shiny, or all combed out, I think to myself woah, that’s a fancy pup! You can always tell when owners spend a lot of time grooming their pets and it shows what valued members of the family they are. You don’t have to actually take your dog to the groomer though, you can brush or wipe your dog over with a chamois to bring a real shine to their coat. If they’re a curly coated breed, you really do need to be brushing them every day to keep them looking spectacular.

Trimmed nails - nothing says ‘high maintenance hound’ like nice short nails. It also shows that this pooch is walked often on the pavement that keeps nails trimmed. Ooh la-la. The pawdicure is the ultimate in-home dog grooming because it’s such a hard thing to do, until you get the hang of it. The trick to this particular task is to start early and do it often. Try trimming one nail per day from the week after you bring your pup home and they should be used to this in no time.

Personalised collar & tag - no fancy pup is complete without a personalised collar & tag, really. This should be point number one! A fancy pup wants everyone to know their name, and you have to admit that when you have a fancy pup you also want everyone to know their name! The more collars and tags you have, the fancier you are… clearly. Experiment with different looks to see which you both prefer!

Matching leash - It goes without saying that you need some matching leashes for all those collars. Collars and leashes really show a pup’s personality, some are the strong silent type so a plain set would complement them nicely. Perhaps your little pup is a diva, so you need every colour under the sun. OR maybe your pup’s mood changes like the wind so you should have all options at the ready. A good quality leash is comfortable for both you and your pup. You don’t want something that will chaff your hands as you’re walking and your pup

Good manners - nothing says fancy like good manners. Just ask Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge. A pup who does what he or she is told and looks the part is the jewel in the family crown.

Do you have other things that you think should be added to this list?