# Where do you groom ?



## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

For toy or mini, I use and recommend a wood TV/laptop table. They are under $10 and the perfect size. Fold away when you're not using them.

A scrap of countertop on legs, a garden bench are options for grooming a standard. A piano bench is the right size and sturdy, but too short - it would be hard on the knees. I would do it though!


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

I plan to make my own table using a keyboard stand I already have. It will be height adjustable, but not while the dog is on it of course.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

In my laundry room/grooming room. My fiance is a renovator and absconded an old tub from a job he was doing and raised it for me to help spare my aching back. Bless his heart! You can see the grooming table on the left. Next on my wishlist...a hydraulic table!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Wow, Arreau, nice set up!

I also groom in our laundry room, but nothing so fancy as that. Here's a rather sour-looking Sugarfoot standing on our grooming table.









We bought the grooming table at the Reliant show last year. The lighting in there is not really adequate, and I wish I had a raised tub (or room for one), but the table does make things easier.

--Q


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## Sawyersmomma (May 28, 2012)

I use the washer/dryer. It's a bit too high for him (it's perfect for my eskie) but for Sawyer I just grab a stool and stand on it to work on the upper half lol. I do have an old school-type desk that I can bring into the living room, but if I'm just doing a quick face/feet trim I use the laundry room. Too much work/mess to use the living room for a quick job.:aetsch:


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

If I'm grooming at home, I use an old school desk in front of a window in our kitchenette-turned-craft-room upstairs. Easy to clean up and decent light. Also the plug in there has enough amps or whatever to keep my dryer from blowing the circuit, which it does quite regularly if I use it in other parts of the house. typically though I just take them to work...makes things so much easier that way!


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

Most of the time I just sit outside on our stone wall and let Carley stand on the ground. If I am doing a full body clip, I have her get on the picnic table on our deck. Carley can get into the tub, on the table by herself. I love that about a big dog.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I have a height adjustable folding table, which lives in the bathroom, tucked in beside the sofa (I have a very large bathroom!). I run an extension lead under the door (no sockets in a UK bathroom), and either stand, or sit on the sofa. Once I complete the Great Room Change Around, later in the year, I will probably use my newly sorted study/studio, with hard flooring throughout, but I suspect the light will still be better in the bathroom...


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## roulette (Feb 18, 2011)

sigh...wishing I had a nice room like Arreau's...


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## Lily's-Mom (May 31, 2012)

sigh...I wish I had a bathroom with a sofa in it! LOL! 
I have not, nor do I intend to, clip Lily myself. But for brushing I sit on the floor in the living room. Although she likes being brushed, 3/4 of the time she flips over onto her back, so brushing can be interesting with me constantly moving her into a position that I can reach a brushable area. But she hates having her back end (legs and tail area) brushed at all. I have to admit, the groomer may find some small matts back there. In reading these posts, I think I may pop her onto the washing machine and see if she will stand up for me there. Yesterday my husband was holding her and I came over and started brushing her back end. Hey, I have to take advantage of any beneficial situation. It was working for me, Lily seemed fine with it...now I just have to convince my husband that this is a good idea.


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## dogs123 (Jun 14, 2012)

This is my set up in my laundry room....this is Emmie Sue, my schnauzer in the process of getting groomed....hubby built this for me, but the table isn't adjustable....I do have a large tub that is deep and high for washing, but I do wish I had the professional type....


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

I had some renovations done several years ago, and when you are redoing things anyway, it doesn't cost much more to add a dog bath! All you need is a hose on the wall and a drain in the floor. The hose is from petlift.com. 

I groomed my own poodle for a while, but I am a really terrible groomer. So when I heard of a groomer who would come to my house, I was absolutely delighted. She's a poodle breeder, which is a big added bonus. I have learned so much from her--everything from health questions to conformation critiques and a whole lot more. She brings her own portable grooming table and it fits perfectly in front of the washer and dryer. (The washer and dryer are on the wall opposite the toilet and hose.)


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

I started out with using the kitchen counter. I found it to be a good height that I don't have to bend over. Problem was Sandy kept trying to counter surf :aetsch: even being tied. 
Switched to a desk..but it was too low. 

Then I found DH's tool table and I used that up until I got my own small grooming table (yay!). A arm "just" fit on the tool table so it helped out alot keeping Sandy from playing while I'm trying to groom her. So now the grooming table goes in the kitchen or bathroom. I wash her in the kitchen sink at the moment but if she gets much bigger then I will use a shower.


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

I groom downstairs in my basement. We bought a table from Sam's and put RV tape on it so its non-slip. I use to put the table up in my bathroom and groom in there but I eventually got too much stuff..lol stand dryer, K9II dryer, clippers, blades, you know all the stuff one needs  So I moved it to a permanent spot. 
here is a link to pics I posted last year when I groomed in my bathroom..and you can see the table we made...it was cheap! http://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodle-grooming/15233-got-new-dryer-holder-third-arm.html


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## Tonjad (Mar 12, 2012)

Me too! wish I had a set up like Arreaus! Thanks everyone !


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## Eclipse (Apr 26, 2010)

I groom in my kitchen - which is a pretty good size - on a regular grooming table. At one point in my past I used to groom professionally so I did my dogs in the shop, but now I just do my own dog at home.

I do FFT and rough clip in my pattern for whatever cut I am doing first and vacuum hair as I go with a shop vac. Then she gets a bath in the shower in one of my upstairs bathrooms that I designed to be able to bathe a dog - large shower with hand held for wetting/rinsing, etc. I force dry her with a CC Kool dryer before she leaves the shower and then she goes back on the table to be dried and fluffed with the stand dryer (big Edemco). Once that is done, I finish clip and hand scissor whatever cut she is in. Then I shop vac up the rest of the hair on the floor, go over the counters, etc. with the regular vac brush attachment and wipe everything down. I have a 3rd bathroom connected to the laundry room in my basement that someday I want to convert to a grooming room - can't wait until that happens!!

Eclipse and Fallon


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I used to groom the dogs I do at home on my bathroom floor. However, today I bought a TV tray that I'll attach a grooming arm to. BAM! Cheap grooming table!


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## Meg (Aug 1, 2010)

All of my grooming equipment is set up in my garage. I was lucky enough that I had a pretty long wait for a puppy and spent my time trolling craigslist and ebay for used grooming supplies. I started out brushing Darcy in the living room. He was too wiggly, the lighting was bad and I got frustrated with him quicker. Now I put him up on the grooming table and he knows that it's time to be still (we've only worked up to about a solid five minutes of being still, but I'll take it!) I absolutley love my "workshop" and enjoy grooming way more than I thought I would because of all of my nice equipment.The biggest drawback is that I'm just using my own tub for bathing and I have to lift him and carry him through the kitchen sopping wet, wrapped in a towel. He's only about 25lbs now but he is only going to get heavier. A raised tub would be a awesome, but I'm still pretty happy with what I have.


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

dogs123 said:


> This is my set up in my laundry room....this is Emmie Sue, my schnauzer in the process of getting groomed....hubby built this for me, but the table isn't adjustable....I do have a large tub that is deep and high for washing, but I do wish I had the professional type....


Thats a great photo and a cool looking dog. I feel bad that he only has about 30 collars to choose from though. :laugh:


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## PoodlePowerBC (Feb 25, 2011)

At home I have a booster bath with a pump for recirculating shampoo and conditioning water as well as a table for brushing and drying in the laundry room. At the cabin I use a puppy pool with a pump for recirculating shampoo & conditioner for bathing and I use the picnic table for drying and brushing. I don't bathe him at the cabin during the winter months


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

I've been known to use the iron back patio table with a rug scrap on top for her comfort. The rug catches the hair. I can pick it up and shake it in the trashcan. Luckily she will hold still for me while I practice my (not so great) scissoring skills, but I usually call my husband into service as a head holder.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

My neighbours have a Newfie, and always groom her on the garden table. She is bathed with buckets and a hose, dried with a blaster on an extension lead, and brushed and combed, and stands like a rock through it all, even with people and other dogs passing by. Very impressive!


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## Agidog (Jun 4, 2012)

*Grooming ideas*

From 9 wweks -> 16 wks we did the sit in comfy chair outside where it was bright so my eyesight could pick up any missed bits, she would actually just go to sleep in my lap while I meticulously did her feet, face, neck etc, then we had to graduate to top of show trolley with grooming arm attached as scissoring came into play and I needed her still and my eyeline exact for that all important job. so now at nearly 7 months we still do the trolley top in arm but she is pretty good now and usually just stands there for clipping and scissoring and I still sit her on my knee for using clippers on tail, bum, feet, neck and face.


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## dogs123 (Jun 14, 2012)

Ha-ha.....I am crazy about dog collars.....I have Christmas, Valentines Day, spring, summer, and everything I can think of covered in collars!

When my dogs get a bath, on goes another clean collar...I have the little id tag straps that I can just snap on each collar. With 4 dogs, that gives me plenty of excuses to buy a new collar....I get adjustable ones so that I can adjust the size to fit each dog...


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## Jacamar (Jun 2, 2012)

Well you made me think to google for "Festivus dog collar". No luck, but i did find some cute images..

http://img2-ec.etsystatic.com/000/0/5403654/il_570xN.99538746.jpg


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## kdias (Sep 17, 2011)

I am just learning on my 12 week old standard, Ellie. I used MsStella's idea of the adjustable table & have a large eye hook in the wall behind it. I have all of my equipment in one corner of my sewing room, & all of the small items organized in a beautician's rolling cart purchased at a thrift store. I am putting her on the table every evening for a few minutes & doing something, combing, cleaning ears, dremmelling one toenail, etc. I am so happy at how fast she is learning what the room & table are for.


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## BKLD (Apr 29, 2012)

I wish I could get a nice set-up like Arreau's too. But alas, the way my house and family are, it would never work out. 

Anyways, while I don't have my pup yet, there's an unused desk in my room that might make a good grooming table and storage area. The floor is concrete, so easy clean up. Now if only the tub wasn't all the way on the other side of the house...


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## Kloliver (Jan 17, 2012)

PoodlePowerBC said:


> At home I have a booster bath with a pump for recirculating shampoo and conditioning water as well as a table for brushing and drying in the laundry room. At the cabin I use a puppy pool with a pump for recirculating shampoo & conditioner for bathing and I use the picnic table for drying and brushing. I don't bathe him at the cabin during the winter months


Quite late to the party but as Costco has a BB sale coming up.... :alberteinstein:
How do you run your system? Do you run the drainage hose to a bucket & recirc back up? Is this effective? Is there enough water in the bucket to submerge the pump this way? 

If you do it differently, pls share.

TIA


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> In my laundry room/grooming room. My fiance is a renovator and absconded an old tub from a job he was doing and raised it for me to help spare my aching back. Bless his heart! You can see the grooming table on the left. Next on my wishlist...a hydraulic table!


What a nice large laundry room!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

*Basement*

I've always groomed in the basement - both at my mom's house when I lived there and now in my house. Largely because it's unfinished and concrete so easy to clean and no poodle hairs making their way into the living area of the house. Only downside of the basement...it's dark. I have some light, but not enough yet. We just moved in a few months ago, so in time we will figure out a way to make better lighting. Eventually when we finish the basement, I will have a specific grooming room down there, hopefully with raised tub and all.


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## lilypoo (Jul 25, 2011)

I've used everything from the kitchen table to a dining room chair (and I sit on the floor) to on the floor, to in my lap, etc. LOL I have a clamp-on grooming arm that I bought to fit a folding table I already had, however the two pieces don't work well together. I'm moving next month and the new house has a deep sink in the laundry room. There's no extra counter, but I figured I could put a non-skid run atop my washer or dryer and try that.


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## PoodlePowerBC (Feb 25, 2011)

Kloliver said:


> How do you run your system? Do you run the drainage hose to a bucket & recirc back up? Is this effective? Is there enough water in the bucket to submerge the pump this way?
> 
> TIA


That is exactly how I do it. The pump only needs a couple of inches of water, so a 5 gallon bucket works super.


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## happybooker1 (Dec 6, 2011)

*On the tailgate of my Pickup Truck!!*

Truck is in garage so it's shady but lighted enough to see. I put the tailgate down and loop a leash around the garage door struts. I run an extension cord out from the house and all the hair stays outside. 

Remi still hates it though.


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