Do It Yourself Easy Dog Grooming

                 

My Aunt owns a very successful dog grooming and boarding business. In fact she employs several family members as well as 10 others. And she began by realizing that she couldn't afford to get her own dogs groomed. She got a book from the library that set out the basics. She experimented on her own poodles then started working at a vet's washing dogs & grooming the animals that didn't need fancy cuts. After a year or two she got another book from the library [this one on the various poodle cuts] and bought herself a few grooming essentials. Pretty soon she was in more demand that the vet. He encouraged her to set up a separate business and the rest, as they say, is history.

Of course these days there are all types of certificates you can earn in the differing cuts, and my Aunt has gotten most of them and taught so many others, myself included. In our family all the teenagers had a built in job if they wanted one....learning the 'family' business. I did my stint as a dog washer/ clean up groomer. Here's the disclaimer- I never did elaborate show cuts. If that's what you want for your dog this is the wrong place to find out how. But if you just want to save a ton of money and make sure Fido looks clean and neat, I think this article will fit the bill.

First Step: Washing Poochie- This is the easiest step. The only real insider trick here is to brush your dog out first. If you will spend just a few minutes once a week on this brushing chore, you'll never have to deal with the dreaded 'matts'. If your dog is matted badly you might want to take your time and either pull the matts apart [that's what groomers do] or if your dog isn't going to be posing for a doggy fashion magazine soon, you can do a little judicious snipping of matts with a small pair of scissors. A helpful tip  Unless your dog is used to being groomed regularly you may need a helper to hold the dog. If you will place your hand over the top of your dog's nose you will control the dog. Remember, if you control the nose you control the dog. 

OK, now that Killer is brushed out it's time to soap him up. Buy a cheapie bottle of dog shampoo from the Dollar Store for this. Don't use dishwashing liquid or people shampoo. Your dog will start itching and drive you crazy scratching if you do that. In the summer my dog takes his bath in the driveway by the garden hose. I soak him with water, soap him up, & hose him off. I take special care to be gentle around his ears and face. I crouch by him so that I can control the amount & force of the water cascading over him. Dogs do not take kindly to water in their ears or nose!!! I back up and let him shake a few times.  After that you can towel your dog off and let nature take it's course for a couple of hours to dry him. Most groomers use a blow dryer with the handle tucked into the neck of their groomer's smock/ tee shirt to dry. They control it's direction with their chin...really. That leaves their hands free to use a brush to speed drying, just like when you blow dry your own hair. My dog Ernie has a silky double coat that dries flatter & better naturally. So I don't use a blow dryer on him.  

After he's dry, I clip his toenails [dogs do get used to this and its no problem]. Don't use people toenail trimmers!!!!! The shape is wrong for dogs. If you're scared, do what I did and buy dog toenail clippers with a guard on them from Petco. You literally can't make a mistake with these babies. White toenails are easy to clip as you can see the 'quick', black toenails are trickier. If you cut too far, your dog will yelp once, bleed profusely [a quick dip in cornstarch will slow this down], and then forget what happened to him. It's not the end of the world and it happens every day in grooming shops.

Now it's ear cleaning time. Use a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol [Wintergreen Alcohol leaves a nice scent] to clean out your dog's ears. This has the added benefits of killing ear mites, its not painful, & it dries super quick. Again, dogs don't like the feeling of anything wet in their ears! If the ears are really nasty it might take a few of these soggy cotton balls. If you're squeamish at this point, use a long pair of tweezers to hold the cotton ball as you clean the ear, that's what the pros do. OK, on most pups you're close to being done. But not if you have a mix [especially anything poodle-yorkie poo, peekapoo, labradoodle- you see where I'm going here]. These type pups require that their coat be shaped. For about 10 bucks at Walmart buy a cheapie clipper set. You will more than pay for this in just one grooming.

Again you might need a helper until your dog gets the hang of being clipped. It doesn't hurt them but some dogs really hate the sound of the clippers. Groomers use a stand that actually supports & restrains the dog. If you are on your own but committed to saving money on regular dog grooming, you might want to consider buying one of these from an on-line source. They clamp to any table and aren't very expensive. Also if your dog's a biter there's no shame in using a muzzle at this point. Groomers do it all the time and it doesn't hurt your pooch. I've used them many times on dogs I didn't know well. Better safe than sorry! Remember if you control from the top of the nose you control the dog. Don't try to control Fluffy's head by grasping her chin...you will get a nasty nip if that's your dog's inclination. 

Now....Brush out your pet's dried coat. You literally want it fluffing out on its ends. Sweetie should look like a frizzy puffball at this stage. Put the shortest guard onto your trimmer. A basic 'puppy cut' is very easy- trim your dog's face [go a little above her 'browline'} and feet up to the ankles. You can also use this short guard to get between toes and trim a little around anus & genitals if needed. OK, that's the worst part and its done. Now put a longer guard on your clippers and trim the entire body staying away from ears and tail [if you're grooming a poodle or poodle mix, tail can be trimmed with short guard, just be sure to leave a full pouf at the end]. OK, now that's done too.

Take a pair of scissors [some folks like long blades, I prefer short] and trim up the ears and tail. I'm talking hair length here, not shape. A professional groomer would not use scissors to dramatically alter the shape of either ears or tail. The only exceptions would be poodle or schauzer types, or dogs with textured hair and docked tails. Turn that fuzzy poodle tail pouf into a manicured compact sphere [think golf ball sized] at this point on poodles and mixes of that type. Textured docked tails [schauzers come to mind here] look best clipped to match hair length on rest of body or even shorter. Go slow and take small amounts off. You can always come back and take off more. Stand back and take a peek at the whole dog. Does the body look uniform or does any one area stick out as needing a little more scissor work? If so do it sparingly.  

OK, almost finished. If you desire, now is the time to paint Sugar's toenails. Any people polish will do, and black looks good on boy dogs. A dog stand comes in handy here so that Chopper doesn't sit on his wet nails and get get nail polish into his coat. Laying down works just as well. Use a dog cologne next. I bought one from Target in a designer scent [Giorgio] five years ago and I still have loads left. It was well worth the five bucks. You can also get a powder spray that freshens your dog's breath [I just brush my dog's teeth with a rag and dog toothpaste]. If you don't want to put your hand in your dog's mouth just put the toothpaste on a big piece of old thick towel and let Fido chew on it a while. Watch him for choking though & if the towel starts to fray and disintegrate into smaller bits take it away before he swallows it!!

OK, this woman is a nut, you're saying. Brushing a dog's teeth????? It's not that I want Ernie to look like a hollywood movie star with white capped teeth, honest. Most folks don't realize that one of the most common and costly vet bills is for tooth extraction. Dogs get cavities just like people and untreated they & the infections they cause will kill. I'm just trying to be thrifty.   

For the finishing touch either tie a brightly colored bandanna [Walmart has a great selection or just use fabric you have cut into a suitable triangle] around your dog's neck, make a teeny tiny bow [like a florist bow only reaaaallly small with very thin satin ribbon] for it's topknot [this is especially good for silky haired dogs as it keeps their topknots out of their eyes- some groomers use the rubberbands from teeth braces to secure the hair first then add the bow], or tie those same minuscule bows raffishly over each ear where the ear connects to the head.

OK, now I know some professional groomers out there are rolling their eyes. What about a flea dip they're asking, or expressing those nasty glands down by a pup's rectum? I've been there and done all that, but for a non show dog [my dog Ernie for example] I skip them. A monthly flea treatment & nature take care of both problems. 

That's it in a nutshell. Anybody can do this......honest. The first few times might be challenging, but you'll get the hang of it fairly quickly. And your dog will learn to stand still and let you bathe and groom him over time. Ernie knows that he's not allowed to shake off water or move unless I give him an oral command. I use the word 'OK'.   

You might be asking this question, what if my dog is an outside dog who looks like he's getting ready to attend a convention for Rover Rastafarians? In other words, you have a very dirty, extremely matted, nasty smelling pet on your hands. In that case do what groomers hate to do but must resort to at times- clip before washing. Just use a long guard and clip your dog completely. This will get rid of most of the truly toxic matting that just can't be brushed or pulled out. Then go ahead with the washing steps. You can always clip or scissor some more during the process when the dog is completely dry. Don't wash Scooter with matts still intact!!! That will 'set' them and tighten them & just make the whole process of getting them out worse.

Ernie has a 'spa' day like the one I've described once a month around the 13th. I've found that keeps him smelling and looking his best. Ernie has gone through this drill since he was a baby so he is trained and is an easy keeper. Just a quick wash, brush, feet trim, a little scissor work on his tail and ears, toenail clipping, ear cleaning, toothbrushing, & he's done. 

You can save yourself a ton of money by learning to do simple grooming. Hope you give it a try.