# Gearing up to attempt my first groom this weekend



## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Sounds like a good plan! Good luck and make sure to post photos!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Yes, I'd say definitely watch some videos. They were really helpful to me. The nice thing is, if you clip her down short and you decide you don't like it, it will grow back pretty fast. I don't recommend letting her air dry. It will take forever and that dampness on the skin for a long time is no good. Use your own dryer, but be sure to hold it way back and keep it moving. Brush as you dry if it's possible with only two hands. lol. I use to use my own hair dryer until I got a stand dryer for dogs. Our dryers can be very hot for dogs tender skin so I'd hold my own hand near the dog where I was directing the dryer and if it felt at all too warm for me, I'd hold the thing back more. Also, if there's a lower setting, use that. Anyhow good luck. Be sure and show us some before and after pictures if you can. Let us know how your new, awesome clippers work out.


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## MollyDog (Jun 29, 2014)

Thanks so much for the tips. I'll give my hair dryer a shot, on the lowest setting. I think it might even have a cool. My biggest worry is spooking her with the loud noise, but I won't know until I try!


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Good luck! Check out Fluffyspoos vids here http://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodle...ng-face-feet-tail-sanitary-nail-grinding.html if you haven't already - she's awesome!!

First time is always the worst, but just be prepared not to do as much as you were hoping to if your dog has had enough. Slower over a couple of days is better than pushing beyond comfort zone. I do mine over a weekend usually.

Can't wait to see pics!!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Before you use the dryer on her, I'd lay it on the floor turned off and feed her next to it a few times. Then sit on the floor and hold it. If she comes over to you and sniffs it, feed her a few yummy treats. Then turn it on as low as it goes. If she comes over to check it out, toss some treats. Don't force her. If she's okay with that, turn it toward her and make a happy, silly voice like it's a game...feed treats. If she's unafraid, hold her on your lap and blow her with it just a little bit. Make it all as un scary as you can...do things in the mildest way you can and keep sessions short. I'd hold off for a little while and condition her to it if she's never had a blow dryer on her. It's always better to go slowly and condition them to things rather than force and make the whole thing miserable for them. You want the pup to enjoy grooming time with you because there will be a lot of it coming up.


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## MollyDog (Jun 29, 2014)

Such wonderful suggestions - thanks!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

If you have an Andis 2-speed, just a warning, those blades get really hot, really fast. Even blasting them with the spray, they heat right back up quickly. I'm only moderately fast and I can only do one foot before the blade becomes too hot.

Personally, I don't like the cooling sprays, so I've just bought multiple blades over time. I recommend a ceramic tile (like a marble coaster, if you have those) placed in the freezer, then placed next to you for putting the hot blade on while you use another blade. The first one will cool off much faster. Keep placing the blade against your own arm to test it.

If you're using the combs (over a 10 or 30), you don't have to worry about the heat so much, as the comb gets more airflow, but sometimes even combs get hot over the course of a dog's whole body.

I'll echo the others on the air drying. The hair will be a little harder to work with, but if you're doing an all over shave, you should still be able to manage.

I groomed Sugarfoot today, so that put all of this in my head! lol. Good luck with your grooming! It's easy, you can groom 'em however you want, you save money, and your dog looks so good afterwards!

--Q


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

Good luck- be sure to post pics! If you don't already have it, Shirlee Kalstone's Poodle Clipping and Grooming also has good tips for shaving different areas. I found it helpful because I can keep it open nearby to reference when I am grooming.


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## MollyDog (Jun 29, 2014)

Hm. I am very worried about the clippers heating up and will definitely try your chilled tile idea, Quossum. Thanks for that. I'm guessing the clipping will be a multi-day project for us. I plan to go slow - but I promise to post pics, for better or worse!:act-up:


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## bookwormjane (Dec 18, 2011)

There are a lot of demos for feet and face shaving on Youtube. Try the Groomer TV channel. It's my go-to for quick tips.

I recently clipped my girl down with a 7F and the shortest snap on comb when the blade heated up. I agree that the blades heat up quickly with the Andis and the combs can get pretty close without so much heat. Mine came for free when I bought the clippers.


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## loves (Jul 2, 2013)

Ok, I will be the bad guy here, but there is no need to take a whole week introducing her to anything before grooming her. She has obviously been to a groomer, so she knows the routine. You should have a collar and leash on her for control, even if she is on the floor. You can stand on the leash to keep her in one spot and use left hand to hold her still. Sure start the dryer on low, watch the heat as human dryers really get warm, keep it moving and start and the rear and work your way forward. Don't baby, or coddle her, expect her to behave and ask her to, firmly. Praise praise praise when she is good.

Cooling spray ruins blades. Yes, they get hot, that is why you really need at least two of each size. One can be cooling, and a ceramic tile, piece of marble, metal, is perfect for cooling them. I have an old marble chess board in my shop. Half is covered by books, other half is where I put the blades when they are warm. I test by touching the blade to my cheek, if it feels too warm, off it comes. And combs do protect dogs from the blade.

Oh noes! Don't cut her topknot!  She has a beautiful topknot. Poodles look kinda "houndy" with a flat head. In my opinion, they were designed for topknots. And if you cut it off, and then take her to your groomer, well..... she could faint. 

There are plenty of good grooming videos on youtube, just pick the ones done by professionals. Watching someone sitting on the floor whacking away at overgrown matted hair is terrifying to watch. 

And, clean hair cuts faster and easier than dirty hair and your blades will stay sharp longer. Did you get some blade wash? You will have to run the blades through it before using to remove packing coating. Put it on clippers, blade wash in a bowl, and just insert the teeth of the blade into it and run them for about 30 seconds. You should be able hear a difference in the speed. Keep clippers upside down, let cleaner run off and dry with a towel before holding them up again. Most blade washes are petroleum based and smell, and have special instructions for disposal, etc. which is why I use Chris Christensens Red Dip, none of those concerns. 

Good luck, have fun, and just remember to take it easy and that you are the one in charge.


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## PoodleDuo (Jun 14, 2014)

Also make sure you use a 10 only on her sanitary. It's the safest blade not to knick them.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

If you're of that alpha schmalfa mindset, human da boss, dog the underling, then yeah...you can have that attitude, "do it or else." If you're of the philosophy that I am and most behaviorists are, that humans and dogs are partners even though we're different species, no one calls all the shots, but instead work together to achieve goals, then we utilize a lot of desensitization and counter conditioning, making them think our way is the only way to fly. And work in a way where _we_ cater to the way dogs work, the way dogs operate, not the way we _think_ they should work, falling into that over-anthropomorphizing, then the progressive training style is to condition a dog to new, potentially scary or unpleasant things so that you're turning the bad thing into a good thing. In the long run, it can make a more trusting relationship and a better bond imo. I've trained both ways and I'd never go back to force based training. I conditioned my dogs to the hair dryer in about 2 or 3 sessions. I didn't use force to over whelm them all at once. If they're reinforced for behavior you like, even a baby step toward the goal, they catch on very quickly while making positive associations with the scary thing.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Loves, thanks for the info on new clipper blades. I just got my Bravuras and had no idea.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

MollyDog, congratulations on your new clippers! I can't wait to see how it goes for you. Love the Coat Handler products myself .

No idea if this would be your experience and my guy's jacket is longer so maybe it doesn't apply, but Oliver's coat wants to try and mat/tangle if it air dries (he's an apricot, so that may be the reason). I love the desensitization suggestions Poodlebeguiled offered.


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## loves (Jul 2, 2013)

Well Poodlebeguiled, puppies fall asleep during their first groom; Sully was relaxed on the table at 10 weeks while being groomed. My dogs jump up easily and freely onto the grooming table. But I do not and will not ever lay the dryer by a dog for a week while he eats, hold and kiss the dryer/clippers to show him it is a "friend". Grooming is a fact of life and I do go slow and know how/where/when to groom them and they learn. Yes, I expect certain behavior and cooperation out of them, after all I am working around their body with sharp instruments. Now the spoiled little darlings who have become so dependent on their owners they can't live without them, often never totally get the idea, but we get past what they dislike as quickly as possible and enjoy the rest of the groom.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Are you implying that I don't get it that sharp instruments can hurt dogs? And that because I don't expect perfection out of a dog fearful of a dryer the first few times, that means I don't get good behavior from them? Of course I do. Behavior modification has been my profession. I know that a dog can behave beautifully without force based training and forcing the dog in question to have a dryer blasting him when it can take a few sessions to get him okay with it, is unnecessary. If you don't have time because it is a shop or something and not your own dog, I can get that. You have to do what you can...maybe advise the owner to practice at home at a more mild level to help the dog become less fearful, if the dog is fearful. But I got the impression that the OP wanted to ease into the drying aspect and that the dog was fearful. Maybe I got that wrong.

My dog falls asleep too when being groomed and is eager to be picked up and put on the table when he sees me getting the grooming things out. Both Poodles hold nice and still for me. I just went over his continental clip and shaved all those places, clipped him after bathing drying. He stood still as a statue for me. He falls asleep when I do the banding sometimes. 

One of my other dogs has made such a positive association with the Dremel because it was eased into... that he resource guards it from the other dogs when it's within his sight. lol. He loves his Dremel tool. lol. That did not come from force based training and "expecting" every dog to be a soldier the first time some of these things are introduced. If you don't want to take a few sessions to condition a _fearful_ dog, then don't. That's your choice. In this particular case, the Op seems to want to take it slower. It doesn't usually take a whole week if done systematically.

I also took a ballistic, aggressive dog when it came to nail clipping...a dog no vet would do nails on without anesthesia and conditioned her to being fine with clippers and the Dremel. That one_ did _take a week or 10 days. She was terrified beyond anything you've probably ever seen. The reason she got that way is because she was fearful as a pup and was forced with sterness, converged on and held down by 3 or 4 guys. I shook my head in disbelief when I saw Cesar Milan take a dog 100 times less fearful than the dog I mentioned and forced that dog to have his nails clipped. He laid across that dog and forced him to stay lying flat on the floor. It was a GR and much more mildly fearful than the dog I mentioned. He got bitten 3 times on that episode. Ridiculous. Forcing a fearful or aggressive dog without some counter conditioning is a risky thing to do.

My dogs didn't need much getting use to things because their breeder had already started most of it...just not the Dremel.


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## blacky55667 (Dec 29, 2013)

:argue::focus: clearly there are MANY different opinons. I'd like it if we could just stop, and get back on topic with helping this new home groomer,


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

MollyDog my guy was done with a hand dryer for quite some time before I was able to use my force dryer. They are not as loud and it is possible that the professional dryer your groomer used was. I've been to a couple of dog washes & used the same dryers as the groomers. Although they were very powerful the noise was pretty bad. If you are concerned about heat & noise Andis makes a hand dryer that is quieter than a people dryer & doesn't get as hot. I've seen them at pet supply stores & even Walmart. I'm not familiar with a 5fc but if it is similar to the 4fc you may not get it through kinked up hair that has air dryed very smoothly. With a fft I usually start with the face & then move on to the sanitary then feet. Feet are slow going for me so even though I switch between 2 blades I will shave 2 & then do nails to make sure both are completely cool. I do the same between face & sanitary. I just find something else like scissoring the tk after face is complete. You don't want a hot blade on such a sensitive area 
Your plan sounds good but you may want to consider clipping the body on the first day after the dry is fresh. We get heavy dew here in the morning & my guy loves to play in it so if I clip his body after he goes out in the morning I have to dry again. 

Just go slow & you should be fine. Don't forget to have fun! Lots of treats for good behavior


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

blacky55667 said:


> :argue::focus: clearly there are MANY different opinons. I'd like it if we could just stop, and get back on topic with helping this new home groomer,


Getting this dog unafraid of the dryer is very much on topic. Showing that drying or other procedures can be done without traumatizing the animal is relative. Different opinions or ways is the name of the game on a forum.


I got a stand dryer which I just love called the X Power and it's quiet, has a two heat settings, no heat (which produces a little heat because of the motor) and little bit more heat. Neither is very hot. It is variable speed so your power can be controlled to very little, which is very quiet to powerful enough to blow a toy Poodle off the table almost. It's maneuverable and leaves both hands free. It also has a switch to reduce static electricity...an ion regulator or something or other. It was pricey though...almost $500. 

XPower 1/4 HP Pet Dryer: Dogs : Walmart.com


Lots of good advice about clippers from Loves and Poolan. I know nothing about them really and I too appreciate the pointers.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Air drying does let the hair curl up and I also find that it promotes tangling. My CC force dryer (that I asked for as a Christmas gift) was one of the best things I've ever gotten. It makes it go much faster and straightens everything out well. Lots of treats along the way and your pup will be a happy grooming pal.


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