# Bit the bullet - ordered grooming supplies



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Just be prepared to learn to appreciate how quickly 1.5-2 hours per dog really is once you start doing it yourself!


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

You go, Bonnie! Congratulations! I totally get the long-standing shopping bag and finally just clicking "buy" -- I did that, too, and now I am so glad I did. It is a big outlay of $$ up front, but you will save so much in grooming fees. It is a bit intimidating at first and takes a few attempts to gain confidence. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to manage and I still am working on it, but it really does get easier with every groom and boy do you feel proud of yourself! Plus it is great bonding time with your dogs!

I think your plan to start with face, feet and tail is an ideal one. Those are the areas that need the most frequent attention anyway and you can gain proficiency with the clippers with all that fine work too. Using the dremel may turn out to be the easiest part of all (just watch for hanging hair so it doesn't get caught!) and that may be the best way to gradually shorten your dogs' nails without risk of quicking.

Good luck!


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Good luck with your grooming Bonnie. I am still a rank amateur and lack some confidence, but it gets better with each groom.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Just groomed Lucky this weekend. I feel like at the end of every grooming session I should get a prize. You will not regret it! Poodles are the hardest dog to groom I have ever owned but the results are nice. I just groomed him today! And I found this weird harness thingy to be useful for him to stay still.





















here is the Chris Christensen stuff. Pretty good but kinda leaves my skin feeling funky after the bath. It is a deep purple shampoo that dyes him temporary purple lol










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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I found lots of tiny mats with the comb esp in the pit or foot area. Here is the result. I think he is still mad at me for grooming him for so long










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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Ooh he's so fluffy!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

You will be happy to do your own grooming. Be patient with yourself as you get started. It won't matter if you don't do everything all at once. Make sure it is a good happy experience for everyone involved. Over time it will get easier.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

Mine are toys, but I cannot do them in 2 hours if I do everything in one day, so I break it up into 2 days, face, (sometimes hold until after I bath for 2nd day) feet, Private area, nails and tail. Next day shampoo blow dry and body, makes it much easier. If I do it in one day it is 8 to 9 hours, as I am still not sure of myself. Plus my back and feet won't take all that in one day. I do their face, tail, feet and private area about every 10 days and bath and dry


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

Thanks everyone! I'll do my best! And Snow, Lucky looks like he's made of clouds and cotton balls! I want to just hug him.  Good job!


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Since you don't have standards, you may be able to get by with something less expensive than the Kool Pup. 

Flying Pig Flying One Professional Dog Cat Pet Grooming Dryer


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

I was thinking the same thing about the dryer, Verve. Bonnie, I have the dryer that Verve has linked to -- and I DO have a standard. I find it really good. I can use no heat or heat and vary the wind speed, too. It has a 4 HP motor which is the most powerful motor I have seen in the less expensive models and really puts out the air. Something to think about for quite a price difference.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I also have the flying pig 4hp with adjustable speed. 
Pro 
1. Not $300 so great price under $200
2. Variable speed which helps with delicate areas ie face. On low speed it is very quiet.
3. Heat which is nice for speed. Chris Christensen doesn't have heat in their economic models 
4. Nice attachment options 

Con
It gets hot very quickly even on no heat. This is a problem because standard poodles have a lot of hair. Or if you have multiple big dogs this thing is gonna get very hot in your hands. 


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Good for you BB! You will save SO much money x 2! What a great idea to have had a running list of PF approved products.


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## BentleysMum (May 22, 2016)

Good for you! All of the products you've bought will definitely pay off in the long run. 

Seems like there's so many people here that groom their own babies. I'm kind of tempted to try.. it's just hair right? It'll grow back...


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

OMG thank you for the dryer recommendation, Verve et. al. - I had found the other one from recommendations on quiet dryers, which *was* my first priority after quality, but now I am thinking my girls must be used to a loud dryer from the groomers and they certainly don't bat an eye when I use my people hair dryer on them, so maybe it's not so important after all. 

And that price point is much easier to swallow... It has gone on the list and fingers crossed it won't be too long before I can hit that order button!

Edit: And Snow, good to know about the heating up - I am thinking because my two are small, and I keep them mostly in a short cut (just long legs in winter) aside from ears, TK, and tails, we won't need to worry too much about that. I will be sure after getting it to let it rest between uses. Which shouldn't be too hard since it will be turned off after use while pup #1 is being clipped, and then while pup #2 is being bathed before using again.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I think you'll love grooming yourself once you get more use to it. I only have wee ones...a 7 and 4 pounder and let me tell you...it takes at least 2 hours, each dog and that does not include nails. I do that separately. And by all means, you can certainly break the chores up. I usually want to get their feet done asap so when they go outside, the dirt or dust doesn't get in their hair and dull my clippers or sheers. So, if I'm going to only do part, I start there but usually I wind up doing almost the whole thing minus the nails and save that for the next day or so. 

It sounds like you've not had the greatest situation with your groomer. Isn't there another one you can use when you do need to use one? 

Anyhow, I think you're smart to get your own stuff. Then there are videos galore on the net. I love Sue Zecco's videos best. Jay Scruggs too. Sue Zecco Mini Poodle Demo Part 1 | Groomer to Groomer – Pet Grooming News, Stories, and Videos

I got my stuff very early on. When I was showing Matisse I needed a good dryer and got the best I could afford. I must have a hands free and this stand dryer is very convenient how it can roll around and it can be maneuvered where I need it. 



 It is a bit pricey but it's worth it to me. I figured in the long run...well, not even such a long run, it's paid for itself many times over now. (if I had used a groomer)

Anyhow, I think you're making a good move to learn how to groom yourself. You'll save a lot of money. And it's a nice bonding sort of thing too. Good luck.


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

*Feel so stupid and guilty (long vent)*

I dropped Mochi & Chuui off at their groomer's appointment at 11am and was so disappointed. I spent hours over the last three days working on Chuui's legs because she had developed so many mats and I had been neglecting to brush her regularly with all the travel and crazy schedules over the past week and a half. (Must be related to coat-change as Mochi was just as neglected but had hardly any mats). I was so worried the groomer would think I had become "one of those" owners that never brushes her babies, and also that I would be charged the dematting fee. I had only the stupid wide-tooth rake comb to use, and when I say wide-tooth, I mean wide. This wide between tines: |__|__|__|__| I just held the comb up to the screen to get it right. Is it just me, or does that seem a bit too wide to be useful? And the tines are thick, so it's more like: ll__ll__ll__ll__ll

Anyway, I know Chuui hated our sessions, though I kept them to about 20mins each, spread out during the day over the three days, and had lots of treats on hand. Work on a mat for a minute, give a treat, back to the mat until it came out, give another treat. Move to the next mat, maybe 30 seconds into it give another treat, etc.

After all was said and done I could run the comb and brush through all four legs and nothing snagged but one on a back leg and a couple on her front legs. I figured I had put her through enough for now, and that she must have had mats when going into the groomer's in the past since I was bad at checking for them right before a grooming. I had never been charged the dematting fee before and I didn't want to start paying more now. So I was happy that I had spent the time on getting out all those mats and promised Chuui and myself we'd never let it get that bad again. I figured her legs were probably in the same or slightly better shape for this appt so no worries about a dematting fee. Wrong.

When the groomer asked if I wanted anything different this time, I made the mistake of asking if she could go a little shorter on the legs since I had had a hard time getting mats out recently. The groomer immediately stooped to start feeling Chuui's legs and found the couple mats on her front legs and got a serious face and asked if I wanted her to be dematted. I said "Not unless they can't just be combed out, I mean, those two mats can be combed out like I do at home, right?" The groomer made another serious face and kept feeling legs. I stupidly said "well, I know she has 1 left on this back leg here, but I can just get that out myself at home, so if you want to just cut it like normal (normal is scissoring) and I'll comb it out at home, that's fine, ... unless that makes it too difficult?" She repeated she'd either have to shave it all off or charge for dematting.

Now, I DO NOT think groomer's jobs' are easy! I think they are VERY tough and dealing with a matted dog is NOT fun. I really truly did not want to make my groomer do any more work than she normally does for my girls. But I was very surprised by how suddenly the whole feeling changed. I know my girls do not go in there with tons of mats. I do make sure that doesn't happen. But I also know I don't always brush them the morning of, or even the day before the grooming appt so a couple mats here and there are probably a reality for their regular appts. 

I got very emotionally worked up, in my head, as I felt she was telling me she could not groom my dog as normal without either charging a dematting fee or taking her legs down to a summer cut of "very short". I was just so confused and a little, selfishly-I know, hurt. Thinking it wouldn't be a big deal and feeling glad that I had spent the time to get out all the mats out those three days prior to the appointment. The whole time I was thinking "if only I had a professional grooming comb, these mats would come out so much easier and faster!" so I thought a couple to get out at the appt. were not the end of the world.

I feel so guilty for 1) feeling that any mats on my dog before a grooming appt were at all acceptable, and 2) letting myself get upset at a measly $5. 

I am so determined to do well by my girls now. I am good with people hair so I think I will be a fast learner. I had already favorited a number of Sue Zecco Youtube videos ;-) and know with careful practice I will manage to save that $2000/year for grooming that I currently spend.:amen:


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

It's hard to say without feeling the dog whether the dematting fee was warranted. I had someone drop off a show puppy I bred to be ringsided with his handler. She has all of the proper grooming equipment and grooms her standard poodles herself. She mentioned the night before he had a few little mats on his legs and that she had been working on them. 

The puppy was dropped off matted terribly all through the legs and in no condition to show. I spent 5 hours dematting him. His owner couldn't believe it. "He just had a few little mats!" Part of the problem was with her technique. She may groom her own dogs, but she clearly didn't have the skill down of how to properly dry and brush coat to keep it free of tangles and mats. 

Now, obviously it couldn't have been this bad with your little guy, but the point here is that it's possible the matting was a bit worse than you realized. 

For future reference, when you are dematting, it's best to use a slicker. I like #1 All Systems. Brush one section at a time. Once a section has been brushed out, go through it with a comb (yep, with much finer teeth than the one you were using). You know your job is done when you can take the narrowest teeth of the comb and brush through the entire dog in every area with no resistance at all.  The comb is only used as "proof" that you dematted. Occasionally you might need to use the edges of the teeth to pull apart a bad mat, but don't want to be dematting a dog with a comb. That would be very difficult and much more uncomfortable to the dog than it needs to be.

I also think that you will find that once you have a force dryer, keeping coat tangle and mat free is MUCH easier. Bathing and then using a force dryer to blow out spider webbing and break apart matting prior to brushing is much more effective than using a brush alone and using it on a dirty coat.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

#1 all systems comb: https://www.amazon.com/All-Systems-Grooming-Slicker-Brush-Large/dp/B005AYUWZE

Good comb for poodles: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Christ...&sr=8-1&keywords=chris+christensen+buttercomb


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Also - don't feel guilty!  I think that for as many people that take their dog to the groomer matted due to not brushing, there are the same number who were brushing but incorrectly. It's a learning process and not a huge deal! With a dryer and some better brushing tools and a desire to learn how to properly brush, you'll be in great shape!


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

Thank you CharismaticMillie!:redface: I feel a little better and very grateful for your pointers on combing/brushing. I thought it was the comb that was important for the mats! Oops! I didn't use the slicker on mats because I thought it would just float over the mat or at most, break the hairs randomly. I always try teasing out the mat from the ends back to the base with the comb, and so thought having a proper comb with thinner, closer tines would have worked better.

Always glad to have the advice from PF!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

You can use the slicker to break apart the mat much easier than you can with a comb and all the little tines tend to more widely distribute the area that you are separating, which helps break it apart faster. But honestly, if matting is bad enough that you have to start picking the mat apart, and there's more than 1 or 2, and it's taking awhile, that's when I usually feel like it's better to just shave the dog down. I've been known to take a 5 blade to my parents' dogs.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

And even when we normally do a great job there are times when things can just end up getting out of hand. Don't feel guilty, just bite the bullet and do what you have to for your dog to be comfortable. It is hair and it will grow back! Because of some recent medical issues I was really not able to do any meaningful combing and brushing on Lily (who had a long jacket). When I finally felt up for trying to get things straightened out with her this week I decided that the kindest things was to go over her with that 5 blade. We were both happier at the end than we would have been had I tried combing everything out.


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