# Grooming kits? grooming tips?



## woofy (Mar 22, 2008)

I was looking into getting a home grooming cit with clippers, brushes, and scissors. I saw on at the local pet store, for about $50 with everything. But i was wondering what would be a good kit? any brands? what should i look for? I dont want to show my dog or anything, i just need clippers and scissors to keep her looking good  also whats a good way to get matting out? Any tips for using the clippers? I just want to keep my dog (a shichon) like trim not to he skin but just nice trim.


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

The best way to deal with mats is by preventing them from forming in the first place. Daily brushing is a must! A pin brush and a greyhound comb are the best 2 tools any groomer can have in thier tool box. 

I would recomend getting a quality pin brush. The cheap ones you find in petstores fall apart quickly and really aren't worth it. A good pin brush will cost more, but it's worth it's weight in gold. Chris Christensen, Greyhound, and #1 All Systems all make some very nice pin brushes. You can find them at most dog shows or cherrybrook.com has a good selection. DO NOT get a pin brush with the plastic or metal balls on the tips. Those do more harm than good and are actually less comfortable on the skin.









^Above is what your standard greyhound comb looks like. There are variations in length and spacing of the teeth, but they all basicaly look the same. You can get a decent one at an petstore.

If your planing on buying shears and/or a cliper start saving your money now. The petstore ones are junk to say the least. With a Shih Tzu x Bichon you'd be lucky if they lasted a year. Personaly I'd op to go to the groomer every few months for a trim and keep up with the grooming inbetween visits. Hopefully the groomers on here can advise you about clipers since I don't have much experience with the different ones.

If you already have mats formed there's a few options you can try. The easiest option is taking your pet to an experienced groomer and have them take care of it giving you a clean start. If you would rather do it yourself here's a few tips. Get a detangling spray, preferably one designed for animals. "Cowboy magic" works miracles. It's designed for horses so you may have to go to a feed store or saddle shop to find it. Try to avoid cuting the coat or mat if possible. Cutting the coat will create different hair lengths making that area prone to developing more mats. You want to gently part the mat with your fingers working on it little by little till it's all gone.


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## woofy (Mar 22, 2008)

Thing is this girl was given to me all mattted. It seemed that almost all her body was matted. and its not just dread lck mats it like i there is a rug on her skin. The mats are so close to her skin its hard to get fingers in. I guess for the first groom ill take her to the groomer and then ill find the proper clippers so ic an keep her hair do up at home.I havent had a long hhaired dog in a while so bear with me  the last long haired dog i had was a yorkie.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

woofy said:


> Thing is this girl was given to me all mattted. It seemed that almost all her body was matted. and its not just dread lck mats it like i there is a rug on her skin. The mats are so close to her skin its hard to get fingers in. I guess for the first groom ill take her to the groomer and then ill find the proper clippers so ic an keep her hair do up at home.I havent had a long hhaired dog in a while so bear with me  the last long haired dog i had was a yorkie.



If she is encased like it sounds, I agree...take her to a professional, and expect a very short cut. You cannot humanely remove matting that bad. It must be shaved off and start over. Cutting matts like that out with scissors is very dangerous, as skin will most likely be cut too. 

I agree, the store bought clippers and "grooming kits" are junk, and won't last you more than a few grooms, if you are lucky. Invest in a decent pair of clippers and blade sets if you are serious about grooming her at home. I like Andis AG2 speeds, around $125.00, which are fairly cheap for good clippers. You will need a couple different blades, depending on the length you want to keep her. At least a 30 and 10 blade for pads, and sanitary, eye corners, armpits, and 30 also for under snap on combs if you want to keep her longer. Body blades range from 3 (or 3 3/4 depending on the manufacturer) to 7F. Go with F blades if you use a blade on the body. They leave a better finish and aren't as dangerous as the skip tooth blades. They have longer blades, like 5/8, etc..but I don't like the finish they leave and use a snap on attachment for longer lengths. You can get decent shears for $50 or less for what you will need them for. I second a comb..but I prefer a slicker over a pin brush, especially if the coat is less than 3 inches long.


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## woofy (Mar 22, 2008)

Yeah the matts are really close to her skin, if i pinch the matting her skin is right there, there is no gap in between. She has groomer appointment on thursday  With a groomer i trust very well. This poor litle dog has never been groomed in her life from the way u see her. She even has matting in between her paw pads :O the hair in her feet is soooo long and her nail were long too.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

woofy said:


> Yeah the matts are really close to her skin, if i pinch the matting her skin is right there, there is no gap in between. She has groomer appointment on thursday  With a groomer i trust very well. This poor litle dog has never been groomed in her life from the way u see her. She even has matting in between her paw pads :O the hair in her feet is soooo long and her nail were long too.


Awww...poor thing!!! Good luck on her first groom...she'll be so happy to be relieved of that coat! 

I am with Graco on the 'groom kits'...I typically use Andis clippers; they are spendy, but will hold up to years of usage, especially since you only have one dog. They are quieter than their biggest competitor, Oster, and lighter as well. The AGC series are easier to hold too, due to their more 'cylindrical' shape. 

As far as other equipment; There are many styles and types out there, and the groomers on here will vary in preference, so you might just want to check out sites like Groomerschoice.com, Petedge.com, or Groomers.com


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