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About Me
- bbird
- Known as BBird to her Internet friends, Barbara has been grooming since 1971. She apprenticed under a local legend, Bill "Scissorhands" North, before opening Transformation Pet Center in Tucson, Arizona in 1977. She continues to have a passion for pet grooming and has expanded into the educational and journalistic arenas, speaking at trade shows and seminars and writing for Pet Age Magazine as well as sharing herself and her wealth of wisdom and knowledge on the Web. She was awarded the esteemed Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for Best Grooming Journalist of 2006 and for 2007, and has self-published several books, cd's and educational articles for groomers and pet owners.
SHOP! With A Groomer - It's Good Karma - www.bbird.biz
24 comments:
Just ordered a Peticure Safe Guard for my 8 pound Pom. Very touchy about feet and doesn't like noise. Looking for help in picking a dremel tool that would do the job without upsetting my Prince.
There is a blog with dozens of comments about the the Peticure on the Groomblog. The short answer is that any dremel that has a collar that will unscrew and enable you to screw on the Peticure guard will work. There are more specifics among the comments on the larger article.
http://groomblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/peticure-tool-disappoints-groomers.html
I take care of my cockapoo's grooming needs at home. It's completely unprofessional, involving a very tired dog, one pair of scissors from the knife set and nail trimmers. I also bathe him and try to brush him when I can. His overall look is either "black lamb" or "bear cub".
I'm aware that this is all less than ideal, however, I have never liked what any of the groomers he's been to have done. He's 5 now, and I feel like I should probably admit to myself that I need to get some proper tools.
Can you suggest what basic things I'll need? It appears I need a comb, the right brush, a better nail trimmer, ear powder and better shampoo/conditioner for him. I would love your advice for exactly which products I need to purchase in order to do a better job for the little darling.
Thank you!
I am looking to get a Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy for my dad. My problem is that I live in West Tennessee and the heat and humidity are a less than ideal climate for the breed. Would it cause any problems for the dog if I took it to a professional groomer and had it clipped shorter. Not buzzed to the skin just clipped over the body to provide some comfort in the heat. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Congratulations on your home grooming. It's not necessary for professional groomers to have all the fun! Your question is excellent, and really requires a whole article for response. Not having time for that right now, let me just say a few things.
The tools and equipment needed for home grooming depend on the the dog's coat and what kind of style you are going for. Any kind of a "fluffy" trim, we could call it "teddy bear" style, requires thorough combing of the coat, not just light brushing. I recommend a good stainless steel comb with tapered and polished pins.
Slicker brushes (the kind with the very small bent pins) are good for lifting debris out of the hair, but can cause hair damage over the long haul. If you are going to use a slicker, I recommend Les Poochs brushes or Chris Christensen slickers. Chris Christensen also makes a 16 mm T Brush that is a stiff pin brush that acts sort of like a comb and brush together. I use mine a LOT.
If you are going to be doing scissor trimming, you need to invest in a good pair of scissors. For beginners, I like the 6-7 inch barber style scissors.
Anything smaller, and you tend to do choppy work, larger and you lack control.
For small to medium dogs, I do a lot of shortening and sculpting with the Laube Speed Feed trimmer and the snap-on combs that come with it. The key to using snap-on combs is that the hair you are trimming must be thoroughly combed or the snap-ons will just snag and not go through.
The bath, dry, and fluff finish and comb out is the foundation of your grooming so can not be done half-assed. Excuse my language, but let's be real. Compromising and letting the dog run around the house to dry and rub herself on the sofa, is only going to make the combing and trimming that much more difficult.
You need a decent dryer. Drying a dog is about as exciting as watching grass grow, so do yourself a favor and get one that shortens the time. I like the Laube Magnum Force. It has decent power for small to medium dogs, the air gets warm, and it has a variable speed.
There are a lot of good products on the market. If you are going to be shopping PetSmart, I can recommend the Groomax line. Espree products are available in pet stores and are another excellent line. If you want to go to top line stuff, I like Isle of Dogs. www.IOD.com
Hope this gets you to another level. If you want to send pictures of your home grooming efforts so I can laugh my butt off before gathering myself together to give you a few tips, my email is bbird@dakotacom.net.
P.S. I've seen some home grooming that is far better than some dogs I've seen leaving professional shops. There are home groomers with lots of talent and, unfortunately, some professionals with very little.
I love Bernese Mtn Dogs, but what a LOT of hair! And they shed like crazy. If you really have issues with the coat, you might want to look into getting a Greater Swiss Mtn Dog instead. They are slightly larger, but short coated versions of the same type dog.
That being said, it is possible to use a snap-on comb attachment on a BMD and leave an inch or more. It is especially possible if the groomer has a vacuum clipper system. This is a vacuum hose attached to the clipper (or the iVac clipper with the vacuum built in) that gently lifts the hair as you go through it with the clipper attachment. It is a wondrous thing with snap-on combs, but not every groomer has one.
Using a snap-on comb to leave length, or scissor trimming the coat all over, requires the entire coat to be raked out so that a comb can get through it easily. On a BMD, THAT is a ton of work! If the coat is at all matted or gnarly, the groomer is going to want to grab the clippers and shave away.
I do a lot of what I call "summerize" trims on Goldens and some undercoated breeds that involves thoroughly combing and deshedding the back and sides, trimming the backside and the forechest, shaving the underbelly (just the tummy or up to the armpits) and blending in the sides to the undercarriage. This is one alternative to a complete shave down that works for many folks.
My greatest concern in actually clipping the double coat of a BMD is that there is always a chance that it will not regrow to exactly the same qualities as the virgin coat. It may be more dense, patchy, wirey, or just not as nice. It is almost always slightly different and usually harder to manage.
I wish you were in Tucson, as I love the breed and would like to work with you to find a way to maintain a BMD for your dad. Good luck!
Thanks for the valuable info. I work in a boarding kennel and see so many goldens, etc. completely shaved except for the head and tail and frankly, it looks dumb. I don't want to see a beautiful BMD look like that so something like you described to 'summerize' mey be just the thing! Especially because changing the coat texture takes away from the breed's natural beauty.
My toy poodle's ears have matted pelts on the exterior. What is the best way to fix this problem? Besides grooming more often...
In your Peticure blog, you mention that you like the Miller's Forge "scissor" style clipper with the red handle for trimming cat claws. There are so many Miller's Forge clippers out there... are you referring to the 743C model? Thanks!
I have a 7 week old goldendoodle where can I purchase the shampoo and conditioner, and how do you start grooming without frightening him.
Where do you get the shampoo and conditioner products??? I have a 7 week old golden doodle that I will have to be bathing soon, and brushing, is used a brush today on him. He seemed to like it just a little.
I would like to start a "At Your Home" pet grooming business in south Florida. How do you choose a school?
Please give me tips on how to groom a Cavalier with a cotton cancy coat. Thick, profuse coat with fine hair. I've tried Mars coat king 20 blade, mikki stripper and furminator. Besides those products, can anything else be done and can we use anything electircal for ease and also speed? Thank you.
I have to play catch up here. Sorry for the delay. The Millers Forge toenail clipper that I like IS model 743c.
On the Cavalier grooming, I am going to ask my professional groomers list. I do not have much experience with this breed. Stay tuned, and we will find out what some others say...
Irish with the Goldendoodle. Sorry to be a month late getting back to you. How rude!
I get products from www.cherrybrook.com. or Show Season - http://www.showseasonproducts.com.
Your Goldendoodle will accept grooming if it becomes an integral part of your life together. You are actually a little late getting started. I would normally recommend that grooming begin at about 16 weeks. Then you can ease into it. At 7 months, there is a lot of work to be done! Good luck.
Choosing a School - This is a huge topic, one of those I SHOULD address.
The most important thing to do is to look into the qualifications of the persons teaching. Are they certified as master groomers through one of the National organizations?
The three national certifying organizations are International Professional Groomers, Inc. (IPG), National Dog Groomers Association of America (NDGAA) and International Society of Canine Cosmetology (ISCC).
Also check out how much actual hands-on time you would have grooming and having your work critiqued.
Hello, I just found your blog. Any advice for grooming a couple of havanese? I do the grooming myself and they are in full coats.One has a very full, very wavy coat, the other a nearly straight coat. We live in the AZ desert and they tend to have dry coats as well.
Thanks!
Hi,
Just wanted to say I linked to your blog on mine. Your blog has changed my bichon from a "what happened to your dog" to "where did you get him groomed" bichon. He's one of the difficult ones and reading your blog made me more understanding of him. He has settled down quite a bit in the time I've been following your blog. THANKS!!!
I'll try to put pictures of Dispatch before and after on my blog soon.
He has been to a professional groomer several times but only one asked him back! Tell you anything?
Hi...I found your blog and saw the post about Gracie the Goldendoodle. It was informative. I have a 15 month goldendoodle who has been groomed every 2-3 month since about 5 months. I also have a 10 month old pyredoodle (Great Pyr/poodle) mix. She has similar hair, but not as curly. Anyway, I have been spending $60-75 every 2-3 months for both of my dogs (they are 60-65 pound dogs) on grooming and it is just getting very costly so I have been looking into doing it myself. Also my groomer disappeared and they got a new lady who charged me much more and didn't even clean his ears! I can already do nails, ears, teeth, and brushing, so really I just need to learn how to use clippers and shears and what kind to get. And I would really like to get a large amount of good shampoo and conditioner because they are very active and are muddy and wet 75% of their lives. I typically ask for them to have 1" bodies and 1 1/2" legs. The problem is I have no idea what clippers I should get (I hesitate to spend $100-200 since I'm just an at-home groomer. Is that necessary? Also, what size combs should I use for that length? I have had trouble finding the larger sizes. Is there a best brand? A good website to go for information and supplies? I just don't know where to start. Thank you so much for your help!
Because my response is becoming rather lengthy, I'm creating a new blog article to cover this question. Thanks for asking! Look for the article: "Starting to Groom My Goldendoodle".
wow, thanks so much!
I am looking for a recipe for FRAGRANCE FREE dog shampoo and conditioner for poodles. I have one for shampoo (only) that reportedly came from you, but includes Ivory or Dove dish soap, both of which contain fragrances, to my recollection. Please send fragrance free recipes if you have any. Thanks very much.
Bre
I have addressed this as a separate article. Thanks for asking!
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