Quetions about Mats/ evaluating a groomer- need advice

Good grooming practices are essential for maintaining health and happiness for you and your dog. This is a forum to exchange tips and advice for proper care of your dog's hygiene needs.

(Page 3 of 3: Viewing entries 21 to 27)
1 2 3

Maxie CGC,- TDI

Social Butterfly

Barked: Sun Oct 2, '11 8:00am PST


	Toto- Thanks for the groomer's perspective on problem areas. Max's fur grows so fast that it might be a good idea to go for touch up in between if they will do it. He's a year old now and his coat has changed a bit, and it's taken me by surprise how fast he mats. However, now that he has his adult coat, I know what I'm dealing with. In your opinion, do you have clients that successfully maintain their dogs in between appointments or does it just create more problems? There is a local groomer here that is offering a course on grooming but it is designed for professionals and is quite expensive. My first step is to figure out how to maintain him in between grooms- thank you for your advice on this- lots of good tips. Then I'll see if I want to take on the task of actually grooming him. A friend of mine learned how to groom her Cockers herself and they look pretty good....but that poodle coat I think brings a whole different set of challenges! She has offered to let me borrow her equipment to try it- and I may do that down the road. For now- I just want to find a groomer I can trust and be able to keep him looking good in between.

[notify]

Gus

did someone say- 'cheese'??

Barked: Sun Oct 2, '11 8:11am PST


	Maxie - I learned to groom from my uncle (who had a show dog) and from youtube BOL. They have great instructional videos. But I started grooming our family dogs when I was 15, so clippers and shears are comfortable for me. I just need to see what I want to do with Gus. I keep him in a puppy clip, and I don't bother with topknots for him. I tried when he was a puppy but got a lot of resistance from my family for "making him a girl", so I just don't bother. He looks cute with more of a bichon-like top anyway. I will say - as a home groomer - if you aren't comfortable grooming your dogs beyond a brush and comb, then please do find a groomer. Dogs can be nervous while grooming, and if the person is nervous too mistakes can happen, injuries can happen. A dog will know if you are not comfortable behind the clippers. That being said - if you want to learn, there are probably some great books out there for owners to groom on their own... or look online. Start familiarizing yourself with things until you do become confident.

[notify]

Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Sun Oct 2, '11 8:38am PST


	I have a great beginner book at work, it's very old but still able to be found on places like Amazon. When I go in tomorrow I will note the title and Author for you. In MOST cases, the adult coat will not matt nearly as much as the cottony puppy coat, but having said that, my worst nightmares are cockapoos!!! Most of them have a terribly THICK coat and it IS cottony and matts if you look at it. I did end up shaving my crested, Crystal, since her coat was always ending up matted, even with WEEKLY full grooms!!! She was supposed to be a show dog but that was second to her being a happy, carefree pet and the weekly four hour grooms were too much for her AND for me!!! I kept it until after her puppy coat was gone and she had a full adult coat but it was still hopeless. Out of fairness to other puff cresteds, Crystal is a very active dog and LOVES mud and mud puddles and brush and long, weedy grass. When I had Harvey's sister I had no problems with her coat. I am happy if owners just keep the coat clean and brushed out. My clients who will do that usually can have 8 or 10 week appointments rather than 5 - 6 weeks. You need to remember that the equipment is very expensive as well as the costs to maintain those blades and scissors. Dull blades will not cut and dull scissors are downright dangerous. Depending on how much you pay your groomer it is probably cheaper to have them do it for you. We have things like force dryers which really help keep a coat tangle free while drying and lots of back up scissors and clippers if the worst happens and something quits in the middle of a groom. A good clipper and the right blades will set you back about $150 - $200 and those dryers are around $350. Plus, a good scissors will end up over $150 as well. Sharpening is going to run around $10 per blade/scissors, and then there are the incidentials like a table and post, nail clippers, etc. So, if you do it right AND you do the math, a professional grooming is pretty darn reasonable 6 to 8 times a year. But, it can be done well, if you spend the time. At home I have a desk with a pull out panel which I use to stand the poodles on so I can brush ears, etc., while I watch the news each night. And, except for Toto and Pinki, they all fit in the kitchen sink for baths!

[notify]

Maxie CGC,- TDI

Social Butterfly

Barked: Sun Oct 2, '11 7:39pm PST


	I don't have any experience with clippers so I would very much be a beginner. My mother bred/showed Persian cats and I used to get involved in their grooming at times- but it is nothing like the curly coat of a poodle...and that was years ago. All of our other dogs were fine with a good brushing and an occasional bath. I have entered a whole new world with these little poodle guys! So I think for now I'm going to stick with just trying to keep them mat- free in between grooming, Max is certainly a bigger challenge. Not closing the book on learning some basics later though, and Toto if you have the name of that book, that would be great. You tube does have some good videos- I wouldn't have thought of looking there. I think the first step now is understanding how to maintain this coat in between grooming...there is definitely a learning curve here. Everyone's suggestions were so helpful. I bought a leave in conditioner today and spent 2 hours working on Max with that and a metal comb...and finally feel like I got somewhere and am starting to understand how to take care of his coat. I'll put some powder in him tomorrow- he's still a little damp from the conditioner. It was amazing how many small mats he had that I never would have found before. A huge problem was I was using the slicker and it just glides over a lot of mats, so I had this false sense of security that he was OK...the all of a sudden...Bam!...there were the mats! That and bathing him without brushing first, and letting him air dry...I have learned a lot here. It's good to know that Max's adult coat may be easier than the puppy coat- I am continually amazed at how much hair he has- it's so thick and seems to grow so quick. Both Max and Lily are both good with grooming, even Lily who probably had little, if any grooming other than the shaving she got at the shelter. At first she was scared and wouldn't hold still for anything- but it was amazing how quick she settled into the routine once she trusted us. They both have that bright, engaging poodle personality- which I just love. We'll see how thing go with the groomer this week. Many, many thanks for everyone's help in helping me solve this dilemma!!! Edited by author Sun Oct 2, '11 7:41pm PST

[notify]

Cooper

Cooper- Peace_Love_&Bell- y Rubs!!!

Barked: Mon Oct 3, '11 10:56am PST


	Okay so I have a question....my Shih Tzu Cooper is in a puppy cut and I plan on keeping him that way. So other than the eyes and around his rear which I can do myself... How often should he go to the groomer to maintain his coat??? I've heard every 4-6 weeks. Can I stretch that out to 6-8 weeks?? He's okay with me doing small trims but I'm not certain in my own abilities to do his full coat. The last time it cost around $30 to get him groomed. Nails included and he looked great with no mats. I'm happy with the groomer and so is Coop.