# For all of you home groomers...



## Snowshoe (Nov 17, 2006)

How much have you spent on grooming supplies through the years? 

What was the most worth while piece of grooming equipment? 

In regards to shampoos- what is the best texturizing shampoo that you have encountered?


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

The best pieces of equipment I have bought were my own clippers and recently a Dremel-like rotary grinder for nails. 

I wish I had bought a better set of clippers though. The Oster ones I bought 25 years ago were only meant for home use and now Oster no longer makes blades to fit. So soon I'll have to invest in some new ones. I love the convenience of being able to do the grooming whenever I want and not have to stress the dogs with a trip into town. 

The Dremel-like tool I purchased at a local tool store. It was only $20 and works just fine. I use a 1/2" or 1/4" sanding sleeve, 60 grit. Both my dogs have several black nails and I no longer worry about cutting the quik. I can easily see the nail bed as I'm grinding away. Love it!

How much have I spent over the years??? Maybe $75-100 over time. The original clippers were only about $25, rotary too $20, and then I have a basketful of assorted brushes and combs.

I don't have a favorite shampoo at all. I just use whatever is available and reasonably priced. My dogs are a hair breed with no undercoat.


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## ashes (Apr 15, 2007)

im not a home groomer, but i work at a grooming shop. i dont even want to tally up the amount i have spent on grooming supplies. haha. but the two most valuable things you will buy are a good pair of clippers (i like andis 2 speeds approx. $130) and a pair of well made scissors (gators are my faves). get good ones and theyll last forever. as for the shampoo, i LOVE the natures specialty almond crisp texturizing shampoo. it works great on my gsd


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## ToysHaveMyHeart (May 9, 2007)

I have probably spent at least $700 on my equipement over the years. 
I could not groom without my high velocity dryer. It is definately a necessity owning a toy poodle and pom. I just wish that I had shelled out the money for a model that is more powerful. My clippers are also very important for me to use on my poodle.
I have a shampoo for every occasion but my favorite shampoos are the BioGroom line. They rinse out easily, smell great and leave my dogs' hair clean, soft, and shiny (my pom is of the flat coated variety).


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## Snowshoe (Nov 17, 2006)

Wow, thanks for all of the replies!  

I think my best investment will be the high velocity dryer. 

BTW- there is no such thing as a flat coated pom. All poms are supposed to be double coated.


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## Showpoodle (May 9, 2007)

I've had great sucess with a new product called The Dress Code
It is basically a high end saloon product formulated for show animals. I found it here:
http//www.thedresscodeonline.com


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## ToysHaveMyHeart (May 9, 2007)

I meant flat coated pom as a description, not a breed. He has a double coat, but it does not stand off of his body. His outer coat is flat and shiny with a fairly thin cottony undercoat. I assure you, he is definately a pomeranian, a bit off the standard, but one none the less.


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

ToysHaveMyHeart said:


> I meant flat coated pom as a description, not a breed. He has a double coat, but it does not stand off of his body. His outer coat is flat and shiny with a fairly thin cottony undercoat. I assure you, he is definately a pomeranian, a bit off the standard, but one none the less.


I'm a bit curious as to what he looks like since I'm only used to seeing fluffy perfectly groomed show dogs. Do you happen to have any pics that you could share wth us?


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## ToysHaveMyHeart (May 9, 2007)

I'm fairly new to the boards and I have no idea how to post images. Oni has a page on dogster though. Here's the address: 
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/520380


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

I have Standard Poodles, so all of my grooming supplies were purchased online, and are what professional groomers use. How much? Hah! I stopped adding it up after $1,500! LOL

Probably the most worthwhile product was a HV (high velocity) dryer for around $400. Without it, it was next to impossible to achieve the look of a professional groom. Next were professional clippers and trimmers, then shears. The item which makes my life easy (in comparison) is my mini mite dremel! Soooooooo much easier and so much nicer to trim nails and keep them short and looking good. Last, but not least was a grooming table.

Shampoos, conditioners, etc., are all EQyss products. I love them!


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

I don't have a high maintenance breed that requires alot of grooming but the best money I ever spent on grooming tools for my GSDs is a German made 'rake'. For dogs with an undercoat, it's a miracle tool. 

As for shampoos, Chazz uses a prescription shampoo because of his allergies and skin conditions. For Buck, my white GSD, I use Rio Vista shampoo, or Tropiclean shampoo for white dogs.


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## ToysHaveMyHeart (May 9, 2007)

Poodleholic, how many st. poodles do you have? I get tired after doing a full groom on my mothers toy poodle and she's only five pounds. I'm such a wimp!


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## Snowshoe (Nov 17, 2006)

Poodleholic- 

My mentor told me not to "skimp" on my HV dryer. She said that other then her Chris Christenson brushes/combs/scissors that the HV dryer would be my most important investment. 

I, however, am still saving up for it. I found a good used one, but it's still $300. 

Consider everything else that is going on, I just didn't have that much cash. I do have a small amount put away for it. It used to be my cigarette fund until I quit. Now, it's my dryer fund, LOL! 

I did, however, buy myself a "band aid" in the way of another HV dryer that is portable and much less expensive (I got it wholesale for $80 on ebay). 

I haven't tried it out yet. But, when I do I'll post before and after photos.


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## SunSiberians (May 7, 2007)

This will sound completely weird, but I borrowed a friends industrial vacuum cleaner he bought from Home Depot for like $80 - and used the reverse mode! It was brand new at the time, and has an air filter, so I didn't worry about blowing dust and other junk on my dog - but it worked really well.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

ToysHaveMyHeart said:


> Poodleholic, how many st. poodles do you have? I get tired after doing a full groom on my mothers toy poodle and she's only five pounds. I'm such a wimp!



ROFL! I understand! It USED to take me 9 hours to bathe and dry and brush and shave FFT for ONE! I have two Standards. With the K9 II HV Dryer, I've cut the time down to about 4 hours each dog. I've learned to do FFT every week, Nails included along with ear cleansing, then can go 4 wks. on the body, so it's not so overwhelming!



> My mentor told me not to "skimp" on my HV dryer. She said that other then her Chris Christenson brushes/combs/scissors that the HV dryer would be my most important investment.


SO TRUE! I LOVE CCs pin brushes - the best ever found! And they really last. I bought the K9-II HV Dryer on sale, and it's worth it's weight in gold! 



> I did, however, buy myself a "band aid" in the way of another HV dryer that is portable and much less expensive (I got it wholesale for $80 on ebay).
> I haven't tried it out yet. But, when I do I'll post before and after photos.


Please do!


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