# So I've been practicing my home grooming...



## Flake (Oct 18, 2009)

....because I have a poodle and want to save some money. I think it's a good skill to have too, and of course it's only going to get better with practice. I just need more practice. Duncan has been booked in to the pros next week for a 'reset' clip I guess you would call it. 

I have some questions though. I have learned that to 'fluff up' the poodle, they need to be blowdried. Is a hairdryer okay to use? Because the only other driers I can find for dogs over here are $995, and it's going to take ALOT of grooms to pay that off! Is it bad for the dogs coat if I wash, towel dry, brush/comb & then clip? 

And, quite often you guys talk about sizes. I've tended to go all over in one comb, tail and nose in a much much shorter one, and sizzor the legs & feet. I've been keep it the same measurement length, but don't know how these equate in numbers? I'm not sure if that makes sense at all

Thanks!


----------



## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

ok, there have been cheap ($250ish I think) dryers on trademe at the moment flake, I'll see if I can find them... A normal human one will do, but it'll take a long time and you'll need to brush as you dry because there's not enough force to blow it straight. You'll also likely need to have a spray bottle to dampen him down again as you go along cos he'll be drying (curly) before you can get it all straightened! It's possible for sure, just tedious hard work.

It isn't bad for the DOGS to just towel dry and clip. It's hard work on your clippers usually to clip curly hair (though at least it's less work than a dirty curly coat!) and you will *not* ever get a nice 'finish' if you clip him when he's curly. Not that it matters when grooming yourself of course, but getting a nice 'finish' can be very rewarding!!!

The number/sizes we use are what is usually printed on the blades or snap on combs. I'm not sure what type of clippers & combs you have though, if it's a human one then it'll be different to what is normally used on dogs, but there should be measurements on the combs still (1/2", 1/4" etc. They often have mm too, but I've gotten used to using inches for grooming cos I'm used to talking on international forums where the large majority use imperial measurements! haha)

ETA, here's the cheap-ish dryers for us here in NZ Flake: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pets-animals/Dogs/Grooming/auction-284200542.htm
that one has a buy now, but there are a few auctions for the same model with no buy now and a starting bid of $30 so ya might get a cheap deal too! It'd end up being more like $300 with shipping, but still cheaper than most around... I don't know how good it is, I've heard mixed reviews and never tried it myself.


----------



## Flake (Oct 18, 2009)

Thanks! 
Yeah we've got the measurements, just not the numbers, so I decide what I think works for him at the time and stick with it pretty much, or is there a poodle uniform length when they are in a pet clip? Not that that matters either but now we're going more places I don't want to embarrass myself too much!

We have andis clippers. Pet ones, but work on DH to


----------



## poodleholic (Jan 6, 2010)

I got a K9 II HV (high velocity) dryer, and just take the end piece off to fluff dry. I paid about $350 for it, and well worth the money. PetEdge has good prices on grooming tools, products, and equipment - got a grooming table for $59 on sale! 

A human hairdryer will take a long, long time, doesn't have enough power, plus it gets too hot unless you've got a cool button.


----------



## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

poodleholic, $350 in NZD is nearly $500, and my experience has been that it can cost nearly as much again to ship it into the country too...!

Flake, the numbers we are talking about (10, 4, 5, 7 etc) are blades, not combs, and the number is what is printed on them. The combs generally have a measurement printed on them (1/2", 1/4" etc)

There is no uniform length for a poodle trim! It varies for what people want, and what they can maintain. Some get buzzed down super short all over so they last for ages and don't need much maintenance, others brush their dogs so we leave them longer or in a more styled clip etc. There's no rules; do whatever ya want and like!  

I had to lol at the clippers working for hubby; I do hubbys hair at the parlour with dog clippers too. hehehe!


----------



## Oodlejpoodle's mom (Sep 11, 2009)

Are brushes and combs more money in New Zealand? How about shampoo?


----------



## Flake (Oct 18, 2009)

I doubt its that they are more expensive, I think it's more likely that we don't haver the range of products available that some of the larger countries do, and then will currency exchange and shipping fees, importing is rarely worth it.


----------



## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

brushes and combs are average cost for average products. You want to get something like the les pooch things though and they're blimmin expensive and generally not always available (as they are generally imported in small batches by groomers or specialists rather than big companies like masterpet or something!)

And yup, we basically don't have the range, and certainly not the range of GOOOD stuff. I'm a groomer so I'm constantly looking out for stuff, be it clippers, dryers, brushes, combs, shampoo.... We simply don't have much range here of any of the above!!!

What I'd do for an arco clipper and why b*tch shampoo......! LOL!


----------



## Oodlejpoodle's mom (Sep 11, 2009)

Flake said:


> ....because I have a poodle and want to save some money. I think it's a good skill to have too, and of course it's only going to get better with practice. I just need more practice. Duncan has been booked in to the pros next week for a 'reset' clip I guess you would call it.
> 
> I have some questions though. I have learned that to 'fluff up' the poodle, they need to be blowdried. Is a hairdryer okay to use? Because the only other driers I can find for dogs over here are $995, and it's going to take ALOT of grooms to pay that off! Is it bad for the dogs coat if I wash, towel dry, brush/comb & then clip?
> 
> ...


Flake, how much does it cost there to groom a poodle (US Dollars)? The equipment should pay for itself in six months (depending how crazy you get).


----------



## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Flyingduster..you are going to be so sick of seeing me write these words. I am sorry...

Flake...here is what I recommend to people who are grooming their own dog only. You do not need a top notch high velocity dryer to start out with. I suggest people buy a small to mid size decent quality Shop Vac that has an exhaust hole for the hose to fit in. You brush out and bath the dog as you would, then blow the dog dry with the vacuum cleaner on exhaust. We did this in as pinch at a salon I worked at years ago, and we liked it so much we kept using it for a very long time. Let it run for a few minutes to warm the air up so you don't freeze the dogs buns off. And don't ever use it to vacuum, or it will develop smells and make the dog stinky. A decent one here runs about $80 and it does as good a job as my Airforce HV dryer.


----------



## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

I am curious where we'd get a shop vac here and their costs. I had never even heard of the term 'shop vac' before hearing about them being used overseas for dryers (heard it a lot on grooming forums before coming here!! lol) it'd be interesting if we CAN get an equivalent for here in NZ....

Oodlejpoodle's mom, NZ grooms, if converted to US$ are very very cheap. But if compared as a simply numeral, are very much on-par. Yes our grooms are cheap in US$, but the style of living is also different, so they are pretty relative...

Though for numbers sake, a normal mini poodle groom here starts at $35US for an average simple full groom, and up North where the cost of living is generally more and for a more 'fancy' trim (more scissoring) you could pay as much as $55US. 

A frequent mini poodle client might come in 6-8 weekly, but a LOT are 12 weekly shave downs (never matted cos they're shaved down fairly short, but nothing fancy at all) so you could actually take 2+ years to get back $350US in equivalent grooming savings for a dryer in NZ!!!

It's still the same if put into NZ$ too. Our average prices are about $50NZ and you can pay as much as $80NZ up north for fancier trims. So a $500NZ dryer will still take 10 average grooms to pay for itself, which if only done 4-6 times a year will take a couple of years to recoup... And hence paying more than a couple of hundred NZ$ is getting a bit steep really...


----------



## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Shop-Vac® :: Vacs

This is the link to the ShopVac site. It does not have to be the Shopvac brand. Basically they are the heavy duty little vacuum cleaners used to vaccum up the workshop, garage...any heavy vacuuming you do not want to ruin your home vacuum doing. They are very powerful, and will suck up anything- wood, drywall dust, stones, without suffering any ill effects.

We call all of these heavy duty vacuums " Shopvac" the same way we call all facial tissue "Kleenex".


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Just make sure, if you do find one of these vacuums, that it has a "blow" function as well as a "suck" function! I'm not sure all models do...


----------



## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> Just make sure, if you do find one of these vacuums, that it has a "blow" function as well as a "suck" function! I'm not sure all models do...


That is correct. They do not all have an exhaust hole, and that is what you need.


----------



## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

I took this suggestion and it works well. Thanks Cherie!! 

I got the small one for $20 at Walmart. BUT I intend to get the big one. 

When doing standards you need much more blowing power. The small ones are perfect for mini's or other dogs - but to get the straight blow out, the small one doesn't get the job done as well.


----------

