# What are your wants/needs for grooming area?



## Mandycasey'smom (Jan 3, 2009)

I was doing it on a table in my sunroom during summer but to cold now.
Baths were done outside with a hose as had no laundry tub.
I am slowly building up a few things and picked up a laundry tub yesterday that hubby and I will hopefully hook up this week.
I have good clippers and some guide combs but hope to get actually blades I really want a 5f as I like the lamb clip on them.
I got a set of 81/2 shears yesterday Double duck ones.
I have a shopvac with blower that I bought just to blow the dogs coats till I can get a dryer. Nothing gets vac with it so it stays clean.
I plan to get some paint and stuff and do it up bright and clean down there so it is cheery for me to spend time. I have a spare radio that will get put on shelf once I get some shelves down there.

What all do you think you could not be without in your grooming room other then the obvious materials?


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

I keep a stack of old towels down there since I once found myself with Max soaking wet in the tub and no way to dry him off! Luckily I was able to yell for towel delivery that time!


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## SECRETO (Aug 20, 2008)

Band aids! lol I cut my finger on my new scissors yesterday. Had no band aid or a lean paper towel to put against it. Also have a few things available in case you nick your dog. Maybe some wound tape and bandages. Im stocking up today as I did't have anything near by when my little cut happen. Luckily my son was available to help.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

Cool lube, for your blades when you get them. It probably doesn't matter what brand but I like the Andis cool care personaly. 
Ouch, bandaids, the teeny ones or round ones are great for fingers, and neosporin are a must. Scissor cuts are the worst, makes papercuts look tame lol. I frequently clip a nice little V into one of my fingers, or my thumb or the worst my knuckle form time to time. 
Hummmm what else do I just HAVE to have..... 
OH, a camera - I take loads of photos when I'm grooming. Right now I'm working on a portfolio of sorts at work so that customers have a better visual to help them know what to ask for. But, for at home grooming I keep a reccord of what the dog looked like three weeks ago and use it as a guide. You can see soooooo much more in a photo sometimes than you notice in real life. I spend twenty minutes staring at Jazz's reccent photos and picking apart her grooming. Maybe it's just me but photos help a lot. 

Somtimes a mirror would be nice. You can see the other side of the dog and can compair without turning him/her around. I find mirrors disracting personaly but I occasionaly I find having one handy. I'm debating putting one up on the wall where my table is at the salon. I take so many pictures there that it would probably interfer with the flash lol.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

Just thought of something else..... 
hydrogen peroxide- depending on the color of your dog if the worst should happen and you cut yourself or you quick a nail or something and get blood on the dog's coat. The peroxide will take the stain out without you having to rewet and redry the area. It's handy.


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## Blue Fox (Oct 22, 2008)

Ohh definately bandaids LOL. I cut myself real good with my new thinning scissors the very first time I used them. Had the dog on the table and the owner who wanted to stay - how embarrassing. I was holding my cut hand away from the dog and using the other one to keep him on the table so as not to get blood on his freshly washed and dried coat :biggrin:. At least she could hold the dog on the table while I went looking for a bandaid. There was blood everywhere!

I would love a hydraulic lift table - that's next on my list of things to get. I have one but it is flimsy and can only take about maltese size. My big dog table doesn't lift so I get back ache. The new one will be on wheels too so I can take it to the hydrobath put the big dogs on it and then lift them to the height of the door so they can just walk in and out instead of me lifting or them having to jump.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

Oh my gosh blue fox, get the electric version of the hydraulic. You will loooveee it!


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## Pamela (Sep 9, 2008)

Mandycasey'smom said:


> I was doing it on a table in my sunroom during summer but to cold now.
> Baths were done outside with a hose as had no laundry tub.
> I am slowly building up a few things and picked up a laundry tub yesterday that hubby and I will hopefully hook up this week.
> I have good clippers and some guide combs but hope to get actually blades I really want a 5f as I like the lamb clip on them.
> ...


everything!


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## Purple Poodle (May 5, 2008)

I tried a hydraulic table the other day and did not like it at all! It wobbled and I kept bumping the swivel thing. I like my big plastic table :tongue:

Anyway I would get some sort of tool box or holder for all your tools. I found an old makeup holder at a yard sale and it works wonderfully!

I would invest in a good pair of curved shears, those are my favorite to use.

Hmmm...what else, oh a chair! I sit down when I groom as its a pain in the ass to stand up, I have just a regular chair.

If I had the money I would buy a set up like this.


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## SECRETO (Aug 20, 2008)

Purple Poodle said:


> I tried a hydraulic table the other day and did not like it at all! It wobbled and I kept bumping the swivel thing. I like my big plastic table :tongue:
> 
> Anyway I would get some sort of tool box or holder for all your tools. I found an old makeup holder at a yard sale and it works wonderfully!
> 
> ...





My little sister (well 20yrs) is a hair stylist. I know she has the same cart type style supply holder and she can get me one at West Coat Beauty Supply for a good price. Also you could probably find something similiar if not the same from a closing salon cheap. The hubby just bought a little cabinet but it certainly doesn't hold everything. Its always something else I need for these high maintenance Pootches. lol


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## Blue Fox (Oct 22, 2008)

My OH bought me a mechanic's workshop trolley which is brilliant. Ohh I found a pic, it's the black thing in the middle of both tables.










It has two draws at the top and is sturdy enough to hold my drier. It's on wheels too so I can drag it around the grooming area when I'm chasing a dog with my drier :rofl:


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## Blue Fox (Oct 22, 2008)

WonderPup said:


> Oh my gosh blue fox, get the electric version of the hydraulic. You will loooveee it!


If I get an electric one I will be constrained by the cord and won't be able to move it to the hydrobath, think I'll just have to pump it up.

I have one of those flimsy ones PP - it is next to useless. The next one I'm getting isn't a grooming one, it's a mechanics 500kg hydraulic scissor lift. I'm going to get a non-stip top made for it. A lot of the Aussie groomers use them and apparently you can put a really big dog eg. Newfoundland on these tables and they won't wobble or tip over, plus they lower to about 300mm so big dogs can just step up on them.

When I do finally get one I'm also going to get a grooming frame aka LIPS, but will probably get a local engineer to build it for me so it fits perfectly and then just buy the slings, nooses etc ...

Ahhh to many toys not enough money!


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## Sara (Aug 2, 2009)

Blue Fox said:


> My OH bought me a mechanic's workshop trolley which is brilliant. Ohh I found a pic, it's the black thing in the middle of both tables.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I really like your idea of using the mechanic's workshop trolley. 

When we built our new house I had them put a bathroom in the basement with a raised tub, we brought our washer and dryer from the old house and put them down there for the pet laundry. Now that I have the poodle I want to set up a grooming area outside that bathroom, storage was one of the things I was trying to figure out. So thanks for sharing what has worked out for you.


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

My number one would be a dryer! It takes forever to dry my Maltese with my hair dryer I would go crazy using it on spoo! An HV would be awesome for my Rottie too. Besides that new (good) shears would be nice and some new clipper blades.


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Good lighting!!!! :biggrin:

I just bought a house and there is a nice little area I am going to use to groom Vinnie. They happened to leave a 3x4 foot mirror too, so that's going to go on one wall. Now I just have to find the time/money to fix it up!!


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