# Is this all I need?



## Katelyn2244 (Mar 10, 2012)

I am getting a standard poodle in 1 week now and I plan on grooming him myself as I cannot afford constant visits to a groomer. 

I have never groomed a dog myself before (besides brushing and bathing of course) and I could really use some tips and advise on poodle grooming.

So far I have, Wahl show pro clipper with 3mm, 6mm, 10mm and 13mm blades, a wire slicker brush, a normal soft pet brush, shampoo, a hair dryer, nail clippers and grooming scissors. 

I am a major beginner here so any and all advice is welcome. Do I need anything else? Please help!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

I groom my own boy, too, and it sounds like you've got a good starting setup, though the size blades you mention aren't the numbers I'm used to hearing. Are you talking about different blades, or the combs that go over the base (usually a 30) blade? 

You don't mention a comb, and having one of those is nice; most people like to have a greyhound comb on hand. Also, I have a grooming table (can be a bit more of an investment, depending on how fancy you get!) and find it totally indispensable! You mention two kinds of brushes, a slicker (good), and then the other, a "soft pet brush." Not sure what you mean there. For most pet cuts, a slicker could be all you need, but many people also use what's called a pin brush as it doesn't pull the hair as much and it good for the longer places. Maybe that's what you have, couldn't tell.

What kind of dryer do you have? Do you already know how to groom, or are you going to use a book or video to learn? A great book on the topic is this one: Amazon.com: Poodle Clipping and Grooming: The International Reference (Howell Reference Books) (0785555028081): Shirlee Kalstone: Books


Good luck, and congrats on getting your spoo! We expect pictures!

--Q


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## Arborgale (Dec 11, 2011)

Before you pick your pup up speak to the breeder and ask if they can show you how to use the grooming tools properly, especially on a wiggly pup. 

My 1st breeder, 16 years ago, showed me how to groom with her Oster Golden A5 (#10 blade) on one of her much older, more experienced dogs. She did 1/2 and I did 1/2. My husband videoed the whole thing, so I could look back and "remember". 

When we got Rosie, our new breeder showed me how to use the dremel (for nails). I'd never used it before and wanted to give it a shot to see if it was something I liked. It was! She also showed me her cordless adjustable clippers and the Wahl Mini Arco. I also loved the Mini Arco. 

Good breeders will be happy to teach you and give you pointers. They want to make sure all their pups are being well taken care of. 

I'm glad you are going to try to do the grooming yourself. It does seem scary at first, but with each session, both you and the pup gain more confidence. You will need to keep a firm hand at first as you set the rules for the grooming session. You will also need to keep the sessions short but frequent so your pup gets used to the sounds and being handled. Lots of praise and high value treats help. An extra set of hands to do the treating while you groom is also a plus if you can manage it. 

Good luck and can't wait to hear how it goes. Be sure to let us know. And make sure we get lots of pics of you and your new pup.

Ps- I agree with Q. you will need a nice pin brush.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

I groom Potsie, as well. If you can at all afford it, I recommend that you start off by getting your dog groomed professionally, then following the grooomers lines. Until you feel comfortable, I wouldn't use more than a #10 blade for shaving - less chance of nicking the dog. I like Potsie much closer shaved than a #10, but that's my preference. I also have a 5/8 in. finishing blade for the body, but I like Potsie fairly short. It saves on a lot of scissoring. I still have to scissor the top knot and parts of the legs and ears. Get as good of a pair of scissors as you can.

As far as brushes go, I use a slicker brush and a pin comb (one that has the tines that roll). Be sure to brush often to avoid letting mats develop. Potsie tends to have problems with that around the collar and shoulder area, where his fur tends to be the thickest and is covered by his collar (neck area).

Good luck, and remember - the hair will grow back if you make mistakes! Look at the sticky on the forum, posted by one of our groomers, too, which includes video of her shaving a dog's face and feet..


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

I am grooming my first spoo myself too! I am not going to give you any tips, but I will encourage you. I have found it is not hard at all. I groom Carley outside on our picnic table, so I am glad I did not get a grooming table. I don't do any of the fancy clips, just a #10 on face, feet and tail and a #4 on the body from time to time. I do her face ect at least every 2 weeks. I did start with a big advantage... my dog was 6 years old when I got her and she knows much more about grooming than me. lol


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## Katelyn2244 (Mar 10, 2012)

Quossum, I am talking about different sized blades, the clippers that I have come with blades that are measured by the length that they cut the hair at, if you don't know what a mil is then you are probably American (if not then sorry) A mil is a 10th of a centimeter, 1 mil equals 0.039370 inches  1cm equals 0.393700787 inches. Sorry if that is to hard for you to figure out, but if you can figure them out could you suggest sizes to use on each part of the poodle body?

I will definitely get a comb, that seems to have slipped my mind when out shopping for supplies. And I think it might be a long while until I could convince myself to get a grooming table  Baby steps! What I meant by soft pet brush is basically a useless brush that isn't even stiff enough to get through hair, it just bends the other way! I got it for free with the slicker brush.

What kind of dryer do you have? Do you already know how to groom, or are you going to use a book or video to learn? A great book on the topic is this one: Amazon.com: Poodle Clipping and Grooming: The International Reference (Howell Reference Books) (0785555028081): Shirlee Kalstone: Books 

I have a human hair dryer, I don't know if that vis safe for use on dogs though, I have dried my cats and rabbits with it on the coolest setting and it seems to have caused them or their fur no harm. Would it be okay if I used my own hair dryer on its coolest setting? Or should I just give him a good rub down and wait for him to dry naturally after bathing? Thank you for suggesting that book, I might download it on my kindle and give it a read tonight.

Thankyou for your advice!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

You've gotten lots of great advice already!

Ah, no wonder the blade sizes didn't sound familiar. I know what millimeters are, but here the standard blades sizes are called 4, 7, 10, 15, 30, from leaving hair the longest to leaving it shortest. There's even a 40 blade that shaves surgically close and is usually only used for show dogs. I thought those numbers referred to mm, too, in some way, but maybe not! Lol

I use a 15 on Sugar's face and tail, a ten on his belly, and a 30 on his feet. So far I've just scissored his body--inexpertly, perhaps, but I love his fluffy look!

You can wait on a table...but you will almost certainly want a different dryer than a human hair dryer. It will take forever to dry with that, and yes, you have to be extra cautious about the heat. You can wait for him to dry naturally, but the hair will be curly / wavy, and for cutting the body hair you will want the hair as straight as possible. My own dryer is quite old and I'm thinking of upgrading, so I'm going to sit back and watch for suggestions in this thread!

--Q


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

The translations for the clipper blades most commonly recommended for us amateurs are:
Clipper blade no 10 = 1.5mm
Clipper blade no 7 = 3.2mm
Clipper blade no 4 = 9.5mm
If the Wahl pro is a standard sized clipper, the Wahl stainless steel combs that fit over the blades are brilliant - use them over a close cutting blade and they give a very wide range of options very cheaply.
The no 10/1.5mm is probably as close as you will want to go on his face and feet until you know whether he is prone to soreness. I find a comb essential for fluffing the hair up when scissoring - I have a very ordinary greyhound type comb, but there is a group buy in progress where the poodle buttercomb is very highly recommended by everyone who has used it.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

*Katelyn*:

I second the Kalstone book recommendation and also love the Super Styling Sessions DVD on poodle grooming. 
You can order it here / watch a short clip (and sometimes find it for sale via amazon.com, etc.): Super Styling Sessions || Instructional DVD's || The Poodle

Here's a good video on face/feet/tail clipping: 
http://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodle...ng-face-feet-tail-sanitary-nail-grinding.html

Here's a great video on blow drying (that I somehow missed until I ran a search): http://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodle-grooming/15631-baby-lumi-blow-dry.html
(Note: *PammiPoodle *has a lot of good Lumi training videos that you'll find helpful--plus Lumi is adorable.)

I also love the Oster Nail Grinder (dremel) and think it's easier to use than the standard nail clippers. My MPOOs seem to prefer it as well. A good poodle buttercomb is also essential, along with a Pin Brush. Some examples here:
Grooming Combs for Pet Grooming, Show Dogs & Cats
Pin Brushes for Pet Grooming, Show Dogs & Cats

Congrats on your new addition and good luck!


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## afkar (Dec 9, 2011)

I have used a human drier on my short clipped girl before now but it takes a lot lot longer to dry than a dog drier.. As I now have three Standards I am seriously thinking of upgrading my dog drier to make things easier still..


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

Katelyn2244 said:


> I am getting a standard poodle in 1 week now and I plan on grooming him myself as I cannot afford constant visits to a groomer.
> 
> I have never groomed a dog myself before (besides brushing and bathing of course) and I could really use some tips and advise on poodle grooming.
> 
> ...


3mm = #7 (7 is 3.2 mm)

6mm = #5 (5 is 6.3 mm)

10 mm = #4 (4 is 9.5 mm)

13 mm = #3-3/4

You will need a closer blade. I recommend a #15 (1.2 mm).


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## Rayah-QualitySPs (Aug 31, 2010)

Katelyn2244 said:


> a hair dryer,
> 
> Please help!


Using a people dryer works well with puppies but as the hair grows you need more strength or you will spend too long trying to dry the dog. Using a workshop vacuum with the hose blowing instead of suck will help you get rid of most of the water. 
When I first started I just used an old electrolux or filter queen vaccuum with the hose on the blower end.
Good luck and grooming your dog can be relaxing if you are not too much of a perfectionist!


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Rayah-QualitySPs said:


> Using a workshop vacuum with the hose blowing instead of suck will help you get rid of most of the water.
> When I first started I just used an old electrolux or filter queen vaccuum with the hose on the blower end.
> Good luck and grooming your dog can be relaxing if you are not too much of a perfectionist!


If you're going to use a workshop vacuum for a hair dryer, make sure it doesn't have any workshop dirt in the canister or you'll blow _stuff _all over your damp dog! :afraid:

I've heard that brand new vacuums (that also blow) are the safest bet to not have debris or smelly air blowing on your dog.

Good luck!


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## Katelyn2244 (Mar 10, 2012)

*Dog dryer?*

I didn't know that there was a specific 'dog' dryer could someone please tell me what these are and how to use them? Should I try and get one? Are they expensive?
Thank you for all of you great advice so far!


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

Katelyn2244 said:


> I didn't know that there was a specific 'dog' dryer could someone please tell me what these are and how to use them? Should I try and get one? Are they expensive?
> Thank you for all of you great advice so far!


There are many different types of dog dryers--High Velocity, Cage, Stand, Variable High Velocity, etc., and the prices vary. I love mine because it cuts my drying time in half and I have three MPOOs!  

If you're interested in one, check out the Chris Christensen Group buy that's currently underway. You can get a high quality variable speed HV dryer for a substantial discount. I have the CC Raptor dryer and I love it! There are many other brands to consider as well and the first link (below) lists a review of some. Note, I researched the Dog Shammy dryer and decided against that one. 

*Here are a couple of links*:
This one outlines the types of dryers, how dog dryers work, and also includes a HV dog dryer comparison link:
Dog Dryer Reviews | How a Dog Dryer Works to Dry a Dog Efficiently and Safely

Choosing a Dryer

How To Use Dog Grooming Dryers | Made Manual

Chris Christensen dryers: Pet Grooming Dryers Used by Show Dog Professionals for over 30 years

CC Group Buy link: http://www.poodleforum.com/9-poodle...christensen-group-buy-march-april-2012-a.html


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## catsaqqara (May 20, 2011)

Your also going to need ear cleaner, and to choose a method of ear hair removal. This is topic itself with different options, there are ear care threads devoted to the issue here.

You don't need a force dryer but it cuts the drying time down a lot if you buy a good one. If you want one I like the b-air, I chose it because I have limited amps here and it was the most powerful per amps I could find. And I found it for under a hundred.

The butter comb is the perfect tool for scissoring imo, You'll want one if your going to be scissoring but its not necessary. Its also good for detecting knots after brushing, some like to de-mat with it but I never could figure that out. I love this comb, I do a lot of scissoring.

I believe conditioner is necessary.

safety tips, 

Be mindful of the temperature of the blades, they can burn the dog if they get too hot. 

Try to keep the blades flat against the skin and not angled.

Avoid dragging the slicker along the skin. You'll want to look into "line brushing" 

And grabbing onto and pulling out large chunks of ear hair can injure the ear.


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