# My Mini HATES Being Groomed



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

As a groomer, we see this A LOT! He's good for the groomer because a lot of groomers are NO NONSENSE! They know when to tell the dog 'NO!' where are mom may just go with it. Basically, he knows what buttons to press with you. 

Has he been going to the same groomer for a long time? Ask her exactly what he has or has had problems with and how she handles it, ask her to be completely honest and tell her how he is with you and what your plans are (grooming him yourself.)

That being said, if you continue to go back to that groomer after you've tried grooming yourself, if you don't do a great job and ask your groomer to fix, remember us groomers can only take hair off, we can't put hair back on 

Good luck with grooming! It'll take a while, but both of you will get comfortable with it.


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

I regularly sneak up on Beau with comb in hand when he's asleep on the floor during the day. You can only get to one side at a time, though.  But when we have anything serious to deal with, grooming wise, he goes up on a small typewriter table that now serves as a grooming table. He settles right down and stands nice and still. Do you have a table?


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks to you both.

Fluffyspoos- He's always gone to the same groomer and I end up getting him really short so he's easier for me to brush but I'd really like to get him into a better cut.

LEUllman- I sneek up on Pupcake too and at least try to get his head fluffy. lol
I do have a table I can use. I'll try that. Thanks.

Also, I think maybe my clippers suck. Is there a decent inexpensive brand someone could recomend?


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## passion4poodles (Apr 11, 2009)

Tynkers will run and hide when I take out my grooming stuff lol, but she is obedient and comes to me when called even if she really does not want to lol. She will sit through the brushing now, but when I first started learning one thing I was told is "don't let your dog train you" they will train you to stop by misbehaving or acting as if you are hurting them lol, if you are sure you are not hurting them, you just need to keep on truckin with the groom and let them know that you won't stop just because they misbehave.

As far as clippers go, you get what you pay for, if you are looking for a pair that is good, andis is IMO the one to get, they are on the pricier side, but they hold up well. If you want a cheap pair like you would bet at walmart you would end up spending more in the long run because they would need to be replaced sooner. Invest in a really good clipper and save yourself money.

Just my thoughts on it. Good luck!


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

Pupcake just LOOKS like he's bad for grooming. Know how I can tell? His wild and crazy hair do in your avatar. I am a groomer and some dogs are so wild, head shy, have foot fetishes, hate their genitals touched...OMG, I am lucky if I can zip it all off...these poodles dont get a stylized trim. They barely can get straightened....so kinky hair, sticky-outies, unkept beards and faces are signs that a groomer TRIES their best but the dog is not EASY to complete. I honestly dont feel that a home haircut will come out much better. Now I could be very far off base, but this is my general experience.


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

By th way, love that name Pupcake. My kids are grown and gone and I still have a cat names Simba that we bought the same week that the Lion King debuted? She's pretty old now. But since pupcake is your first, try to practice your grooming skills. I was in my early 40's with 2 daughters when it struck me......You CAN learn the skill of grooming. My biggest advice for you (specially since you desire a 2nd poodle, buy some good Andis clippers....around $120...they don't make a lot of noise...practice till perfect.


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to give grooming another shot. I'll scope out some clippers and get something decent. This is a stupid question but Are the steps brush, wash, dry, cut or brush then cut, wash and dry? 

Partial2poodles. The dog we lost in the spring was "Scully" and our cat is "Mulder" X files were big when we got them. lol


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## partial2poodles (Feb 11, 2010)

Wash till squeeky clean, condition longer matted areas

Comb out knots with detangle spray

Start drying with one hand and brushing and stretch drying with the other hand. 

Even with no clippers, attempt to scissor, using a comb to fluff up the stray stragglies. In the early ,days of groomin, there were no clippers. Even today, simple scissoring is a valuable skill. Practice making the coat smooth without chop marks. 

Even high strung, nervous dogs could care less about scissoring since its very quiet. Use young ring finger and thumb....nothing else, keep your wrist straight.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Brush, wash, dry, brush, clip


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

Depending how long it's been between grooms, I will sometimes use an older pair of scissors to do a rough cut before washing. 

It helps if the dog is somewhat tired before grooming. Not exhausted-tired, but well-exercised, has been pottied, has had some play time. A tired, relaxed dog is almost always easier to groom than a dog who is still rarin' to go for playtime.


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## Salukie (Dec 18, 2009)

pupcake's mom said:


> Partial2poodles. The dog we lost in the spring was "Scully" and our cat is "Mulder" X files were big when we got them. lol


OOH!!! Fellow X-Phile here! LOL! Notice, my dog's name is "Dana" LOL! :laugh:

Good luck with grooming pupcake! I know you can do it!


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

Salukie said:


> OOH!!! Fellow X-Phile here! LOL! Notice, my dog's name is "Dana" LOL! :laugh:
> 
> Good luck with grooming pupcake! I know you can do it!


LOL
Hey you're in Ontario too!
Where did you get Dana? She's gorgous.


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## Salukie (Dec 18, 2009)

pupcake's mom said:


> LOL
> Hey you're in Ontario too!
> Where did you get Dana? She's gorgous.


Thanks! 

I got Dana from a BYB before I knew any better. I saw both parents and they were gorgeous and I succumbed to the cute-puppy-take-me-home-now syndrome.

There was no testing so... who knows what boogymen lie in Dana's genetics! hwell: Oh well, I wouldn't trade her for any other!


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

Salukie said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I got Dana from a BYB before I knew any better. I saw both parents and they were gorgeous and I succumbed to the cute-puppy-take-me-home-now syndrome.
> 
> There was no testing so... who knows what boogymen lie in Dana's genetics! hwell: Oh well, I wouldn't trade her for any other!


Well she's beautiful. I know I should wait and search but I'm always on Kijiji looking at BYBs DH gets a little streessed when I talk about $1200 or more dogs.:wacko:
I know I'd be rolling the dice though but I fall in love with every picture I see. I just want Brian to say yes. $1500 would be a lot harder to say yes to than $500. There's currently someone on Kijiji who has older AKC pups for $750 and I can't stop looking at their pic.


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

What is Kijiji??

I found Pippin through petfinder.com. He is not as beautiful as Casey and has slightly crooked teeth, but has a wonderful temperament and is a great pet. He cost less than 1/4 the price of Casey. When we are out and about, they both get compliments.

In one way, yes, you get what you pay for, but on the other hand, a rescued dog or even a BYB dog might still make a perfectly fine pet. NOT that I am defending BYBs!! But if you know what you are doing in temperament testing and evaluating bite and conformation, have a vet check it over within 48 hours of buying (most places give at least that much guarantee), and plan to neuter/spay your dog anyway, you can still find a perfectly acceptable pet for less than $1200. 

OR - save $50 or $100 a month for as long as it takes, and voila! There's enough to buy a well-bred dog from a known breeder. And it's little more than what the on-going costs of the dog are going to be anyway, so it's a good test of the budget.

Honestly, over the course of a dog's lifetime, what you paid for the dog in the first place becomes a tiny part of the overall cost of owning him, considering grooming, vet fees, food, training, toys, pet bandannas, more toys...well, you see where I'm going with this. ;-)

How old is Pupcake? How are your grooming attempts going with him? It's very rewarding to do your own grooming. I sure don't, not exclusively, but I enjoy the bit that I *can* do.


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## Salukie (Dec 18, 2009)

Beach girl said:


> What is Kijiji??


Welcome to Kijiji, Canada's most popular free, local classifieds site.

You can find anything on here, including puppies. Some good breeders advertise here... puppy mills advertise here too. hwell:


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

Oh wow. Some of those ads break your heart. There was one for a Jack Russell "terrior" (at first I thought she wrote "terror" which would be pretty accurate, going by the JRs I've known) who comes with half a bag of dog food, water and food bowls, and a blanket.

One can guess what happened - someone fell in love with "that cute little puppy" and had no idea what a bundle of energy Jack Russells can be. Took half a bag of dog food's worth of time to figure it out. So sad.

Getting back to grooming poodles - another thing I have found is "be consistent." My dogs' nails were growing too long because I was too much of a wimp and gave up when they fussed. This summer, I have been taking them to a wonderful woman who will quickly dremel the nails on both of them for only $5. They get it done every Saturday.

Finally their nails are a nice short length, and they are getting used to it and realize they get a little treat after every paw or two. They still are not crazy about it but they do realize now that resistance is futile. ;-)


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

Thank you all for the tips.

I'm so proud. Check out my new avatar. It's a freshly groomed Pupcake!!!!!
I think I did okay. He's not perfect but he looks better than ever. I only used scissors and I found giving him nice poodle feet difficult. 
He's so fluffy. My oldest daughter who's 9 helped me and she loved it. It was like playing poodle spa. She says she wants to learn more with me so she can help. He still hates it but about half way through he just gave up trying to fight it. 

Seriously it felt good to take my time and use everyone's advice and have him look like a poodle when I was finished. 
YAY
Thanks all.


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

He looks very nice to me. Love the way his ears frame his cute little face.

How did you do his face with scissors only? That sounds tough.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

I used to scissor Kodi's face. You can't get a nice close poodle shave with just scissors. But considering he woudn't let anyone, me or the professional groomer touch his face with them it was the best we could do. But with lots of work I got a nice shave yesterday without to much of a fight!!

Keep it up! Each time he'll fight you less and less. My little terror has gotten better, and I didn't think that was possible.


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

Beach girl said:


> He looks very nice to me. Love the way his ears frame his cute little face.
> 
> How did you do his face with scissors only? That sounds tough.


I did his face with just the scissors. It was slow going and it's not perfect but the average person we pass on a walk would never be able to tell. A razor would really neaten him up for sure.


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

CelticKitti said:


> Keep it up! Each time he'll fight you less and less. My little terror has gotten better, and I didn't think that was possible.


Thanks. I still need to work on feet and toes. I know I'm not cutting his nails short enough but I'm so afraid of cutting the kwik.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

I use a dremel! LOVE IT! They both have super black nails. I quicked Kodi relly bad a few months back... he squirmed at just the wrong moment! 

Then I was scared to do it, and let them get to long. So now I just dremel them. Neither of them really minded it. Its just a little cheap one, but it does the job!


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

CelticKitti said:


> I use a dremel! LOVE IT! They both have super black nails. I quicked Kodi relly bad a few months back... he squirmed at just the wrong moment!
> 
> Then I was scared to do it, and let them get to long. So now I just dremel them. Neither of them really minded it. Its just a little cheap one, but it does the job!


I bought one of those Pedipaws a couple of months ago. Totally useless. 
Is it just a regular hardware store dremel? I should look for one.


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

I got mine online... it specifically says for pets. I think I paied somewhere around $20-30 for it and it does the job.


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## pupcake's mom (Aug 12, 2010)

CelticKitti said:


> I got mine online... it specifically says for pets. I think I paied somewhere around $20-30 for it and it does the job.


The price is right. Maybe I'll try ebay.


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