Well I haven't done a blog for a while and as I have a lot of time on my hands at the mo, like most in this lockdown, I thought I would do one on grooming.
I have quite a few clients on the books that I groom, and due to having to cancel all, you are now going to have to work your magic at home.
Grooming has always been in my life as grew up with dogs. My family bred and showed dogs, and also won a few Crufts titles. With so many dogs on site there was a lot of grooming and clipping to be done.
Setting up my business a few years ago, I thought I would add grooming into it. Now my books are full and have a lot of lovely clients who appreciate the work I do.
To start with...
First thing to do is to make sure you have the right equipmemt. You don't need a lot, just basics and to make sure you have the right equipment for your breed of dog.
Brush- Soft slicker brush, which is ideal for everyday grooming and for soft coats.
Comb- Fine/coarse comb, which is used to rid of matting, felting and remove tangles.
Scissors- There are SO many different types of scissors, just like combs. Aslong as you have a decent pair to use for trimming and ridding difficult knots, then thats a good start.
Short clip showing the tools that would be great to help grooming. Very basic grooming kit that will at least keep your dog knot free. You don't need to spend a fortune and its always good to have.
Apologies if the video sound awful or I am repeating myself. First ever video uploaded for site and work.
Technique
Our main goal for lockdown grooming is to make sure are dogs aren't really knotty and are clean. So I will share a few techniques with you that I use (and other groomers) to make sure we get all those unwanted knots out.
Firstly I always tell clients that they need to make sure that they get to the root of the hair rather than just groom the top. This makes sure that your going layer by layer through your dogs coat and grooming out any knots, but to also check the quality of the skin and check for any parasites ie, Fleas. Here I have attempted to explain and show in this clip what I exactly mean. Here goes...
Any difficult knots that you come across you can either split them with your scissors, starting at the root and then brush out or just cut them out. Remember we are only making sure that your dogs are comfortable until there next professional groom.
The technique above should be used all over the dog. If you feel that areas need to be trimmed especially around the eyes, bum and underneath then do so, but be careful. You can get scissors that have rounded tips for trimming around eyes if your worried about it. You can go as far as buying a cheap pair of clippers so you can take the underneath of your dogs coat nice and short and get rid/prevent knots.
I will hopefully save your dog ending up like this LOL!!
Nails, ears and eyes also need to be maintained.
Nails
I know that a lot of dog owners worry about nails and so do a lot of dogs. Make sure that you have another person to help and try and be calm yourself to create a calm atmosphere for you dog. Last thing you need is to both be stressed.
Two different types of nail clippers and the last one is an electric nail file.
This is a great diagram showing you step by step
If you are confident enough with the nail clippers and you know what you are doing then continue on using them. Its definatley easier clipping the white nails as you can see the kwik, so know where to cut. Black nails are a lot more difficult as you can't see the kwik and best do if your more experienced.
Also when clipping dog nails don't forget the dew claw. This is the nail that is further up the paw. They can get forgotten about and end up growing into the pad. Some dogs have them in the front, other in the back or both.
I suggest the nail file for dog owners that aren't confident and its also less upsetting for a dog that can find the whole experience stressful. You can sand down the nail and see if your getting to close to the kwik.
Be careful if you have a long coated dog as the file can get caught up in long coat around the feet.
A great item to have in your grooming kit is...
Quick fix is great at stopping bleeding on a caught nail. If you don't have any at hand then corn flour also works.
Ears
Dogs ears are prone on getting too hairy inside and dirty. Some breeds hardly get dirty ears, when other can suffer terribly. Its always good to check and make sure they are clean.
I use an ear cleaner, which I put on some cotton wool and clean the inside as much as I can. Then put a pinch of ear powder inside, which ensures heathly ears and mite free.
When cleaning the ears on some breeds they can have hair in the ear. You can pull this out if your confident enough. This just helps being able to clean the ears properly.
Ear cleaner and ear powder I use...
Eyes
Keep eyes clean, checking routinely for any sleep deposits or any weeping ducts. With damp cotton wool to remove any accumliation or this will form a hard lump and could develop into a sore. Make sure using a new cotton wool pad for each eye. Again some breeds are more prone than others.
Just a helping hand
This blog is just to give you a helping hand on the basics of dog grooming and care. If your worried or concerend about any health issues then please get hold of your vet.
I hope this helps and if you have any questions (my clients) then just drop me a line or a text as more than happy to help.
This is a difficult time for all of us, but I am a 100% sure that our beloved pets are loving the fact that we are home so much.
I miss all my clients and can't wait to get back to work and see them all. Please do try and groom your dogs as well as you can. I would love some pics for your work.
Stay safe everyone and much love x
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