# Not comfortable with groomer



## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

The mobile groomer I used for Charlie last time is so difficult to get in touch with. The first time I called I left a message, waited a couple days, left another message, and a few days later she called back. This time her phone appears to be off and she hasn’t gotten back to me since I called her Monday, so I’m assuming she’s out of town. Anyway, I feel like overnight Charlie went from being a good length to out of control! We’re going out of town and I wanted to get him groomed up before I leave him with the sitter.

I made an appointment with a groomer recommended on Angie’s List. When I talked to the guy he was asking about Charlie’s last groomer and if I thought maybe she was difficult to get in touch with because she didn’t want to have to deal with my dog because he could have been particularly difficult in some way. I understand he was probably asking to know what he was in for, but the way he asked came off as a bit rude. The mobile groomer said he did well and she didn’t need to trim his nails because I’d kept them nicely trimmed… she never alerted me to any problem and everything went smoothly. Anyway, I got a weird vibe and started getting nervous. My husband took him to the appointment today and also got a bad vibe. He said there was a lady who was frustrated with a dog she was grooming and was raising her voice and the guy who checked Charlie in wasn’t particularly friendly and was annoyed because Charlie didn’t want to get in the crate. There wasn’t anything serious, my husband just got a bad feeling about how they would treat Charlie and called to ask if it was okay for him to go back and pick him up. Since we were both uncomfortable I figured it was safer to just bring him back home. Now we’re both of course feeling a bit silly and over protective and the guy went out to talk to my husband about why he’d changed his mind, but my husband really didn’t know what to say… we got a bad vibe? He especially felt bad because at the point the guy was friendly. 

Since I found the groomer on Angie’s List and everyone had positive things to say, I don’t know if I should comment on why we decided against going. I mean, the site is meant to show real reviews from real people, so if everyone in my situation felt weird saying how they felt then all that gets up there are the good reviews, but maybe we were being over protective first time parents. Is it silly to say we decided against it because we didn’t feel comfortable?


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

its not silly at all, if youre like me your dog means a hell of a lot to you and you would never want to leave them in a situation that seemed off.


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

Not unreasonable at all. Given that I once worked for a groomer that alpha rolled puppies to "show them who's dominant" and wacked dogs across the nose with her brush if they acted up, it's good to be cautious. If a groomer is already getting impatient with my dog before they've even started grooming him, and made the statements to me that he made to you over the phone, I'd be uncomfortable too.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

I don't think you are being silly at all. I drive over an hour one way to get my fluffy white dog groomed because I know I can trust my groomer. I know I need to find one closer but Baxter is a handful and I don't just want anyone grooming him. He's not bad...just very full of energy and not fond of grooming. If both you and your husband got bad vibes....best to move on.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

I don't think it was at all silly to pick him up. I do think it'd be very iffy to leave a bad review based on bad vibes rather than something concrete, though, especially since a lot of people who are fine with animals are brusque with people. 

You might think about learning to clip him yourself. If you're not requiring the world's most spectacular haircut, you're able-bodied, and your dog isn't wild, it's not as hard as it looks.


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

I agree that maybe the groomer was just not a good people person, but I don't think there would be a problem with leaving a review stating your experience. Then others can decide whether or not to let that affect their decision on which groomer to choose. 

I home groom my two now, and I would never go back to a regular groomer. We had some really good groomers, never bad experiences, but I like handling them myself at home and it is less stressful for them. Plus, after watching some youtube videos and reading all of the breed-specific grooming guides, it's not as hard as I thought it would be.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I commend you on listening to your gut instinct and getting him out of there.

I think you could leave a review of what you saw if you wanted to. It's not a lie and a groomer yelling at a dog in frustration is something people should know about before hiring the groomer.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Thats why I got chatty with a Petco groomer ( I went and looked at several places) and he told which groomer clippers to buy ($200) but that was 4 years ago... and tips on trimming- he did one puppy clip(I gave him a $20 tip for the info, not that he asked for it or anything) on our giant schnauzer and I took it from there, never looked back- we ended up moving, but he would have been my back up, if he is still there....People compliment me on my beautifully groomed dog all the time, its really not that hard especially if you love your dog, and so worth it ..
Those reviews can be sooo Wonky, like 30 great reviews and then one person will have something that really makes you think and a pic of a torn ear or something....
My dog is not the easiest dog (espec back then she was a terrible adolescent, I would certainly feel better about her now, but thats 4 years later)....


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

That makes me feel better! I'll have to talk to my husband about whether or not to leave a review since he was the one who was there in person.

I would love to learn to groom him myself! We have a grooming table from my parents since my mom would groom our Beardie herself until she got very old and didn't tolerate it well. I'd also help groom our Beardie and know how to work out mats and brush down to the skin to prevent mats from forming instead of just brushing the surface. I trim Charlie's nails myself, bathe him, and do my best on his ears. I've just never used shears before and am nervous about that part. 

Can anyone recommend a good pair of grooming shears? What do you use between the toes? I use scissors to trim between his toes sometimes, but I really liked the way the groomer shaved between them. Is that a different tool? I'm sure the cost of the equipment will be an investment at first but should pay off quickly. I'm just nervous I'll invest, fail, and have wasted the money. I'll have to look at some youtube videos too, that's a good idea! It's tricky because I don't want him trimmed like a schnauzer or a poodle so I'm not really going by a breed standard. This is about a month after his first groom 

How would you describe that groom style? I'd like to go a bit shorter this time around since he's been doing a lot of hiking and playing in the water.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

pinksand said:


> That makes me feel better! I'll have to talk to my husband about whether or not to leave a review since he was the one who was there in person.
> 
> I would love to learn to groom him myself! We have a grooming table from my parents since my mom would groom our Beardie herself until she got very old and didn't tolerate it well. I'd also help groom our Beardie and know how to work out mats and brush down to the skin to prevent mats from forming instead of just brushing the surface. I trim Charlie's nails myself, bathe him, and do my best on his ears. I've just never used shears before and am nervous about that part.
> 
> ...


Andis professional clippers (in SF they want to charge $70 a clip for adult clips) they pay for themselves pretty quickly.
Ummm for your dog I would Utube Golden doodle clips thats what that looks like to me..

I groom on the floor or in the driveway (easier for sweeping away the Poofs of fur) ... I never did between the toes but our vet just did that - looking for foxtails... I would probably do it with sharp scizzors...
There are special blades you use and be careful on the ears .... cant really remember, these days I just clip her pretty short, and scizzor ears and beard myself later, like when watching TV- thats the nice thing about home grooming you can do it in stages, at your leisure...


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

BTW that looks like Poodle "puppy clip"...
to get rounded paw fur, pick up the foot and bend it back, like you see a farrier do with a horses hoof when he is shoeing, and using the underside (paw pad side) as guide clip the fur back like that...


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

BernerMax said:


> Thats why I got chatty with a Petco groomer ( I went and looked at several places) and he told which groomer clippers to buy ($200) but that was 4 years ago... and tips on trimming- he did one puppy clip(I gave him a $20 tip for the info, not that he asked for it or anything) on our giant schnauzer and I took it from there, never looked back- we ended up moving, but he would have been my back up, if he is still there....People compliment me on my beautifully groomed dog all the time, its really not that hard especially if you love your dog, and so worth it ..
> Those reviews can be sooo Wonky, like 30 great reviews and then one person will have something that really makes you think and a pic of a torn ear or something....
> My dog is not the easiest dog (espec back then she was a terrible adolescent, I would certainly feel better about her now, but thats 4 years later)....


So a few months ago I posted for advice on how to groom him and basically got the response that I needed him to see a professional asap so I started to feel that maybe I'd been irresponsible by not having taken him to a groomer. http://www.dogforums.com/dog-grooming-forum/272241-how-groom-my-schnoodle.html I mean, the groomer did a great job and everything but I do feel that I could get the hang of it myself with practice. I really appreciate all the responses from self groomers because it gives me motivation and hope to try it out myself!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

It's not silly to feel uncomfortable and you did the right thing by going to get him.

I don't know if I'd write a review though ... it's really up to you and *how* uncomfortable you felt. If there is no specific reason that you were uncomfortable, I would probably leave it alone - they could have been having a bad day or something.

ETA: I second learning to groom him yourself. It's not that bad! My mom and I used to do our schnauzers (in a puppy cut, not a real breed trim). I groom Watson myself for dog shows and he looks pretty good (though I'm not as skilled as some people).

For clippers, I highly recommend Andis AGC 2 speed clippers. I would get a nice pair of thinning shears as well (at least $50)

As far as getting a dog to the groomers young, it's more about them learning the routine and handling when they're young - it doesn't matter if you do it yourself or send them to a groomer, the important thing is that they learn to tolerate grooming.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Maybe it's cheating, but I just clip Giant with a blade guard on, which makes it danged near impossible to nick him. The nice thing about grooming at home is there's not timetable; if it doesn't all get done in one sitting, oh well, so there's no need to rush and stress.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

parus said:


> Maybe it's cheating, but I just clip Giant with a blade guard on, which makes it danged near impossible to nick him. The nice thing about grooming at home is there's not timetable; if it doesn't all get done in one sitting, oh well, so there's no need to rush and stress.


Haha now I'm just picturing Charlie half shaved with one butt cheek all fluffy and the other looking kinda scrawny! 

BernerMax, do you have any photos of your giant schnauzer after a trim?


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Here's mine after his most recent home haircut. I'm not that good at it yet, clearly, lol.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

Parus, he's so handsome! I'm most nervous about doing Charlie's face and messing up, but you did a great job. Do you shave right between the eyes and hand trim the rest? What clippers do you use?

I've never known exactly how to describe Charlie's coat to groomers who ask if he's more on the poodle or schnauzer side. Looking at your Giant I'd say my guy looks more poodle (part of that may also be the ears uncropped), but then when we've been with poodles I think he's really just right in between. What do you think judging by Charlie's photo?


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

pinksand said:


> Parus, he's so handsome! I'm most nervous about doing Charlie's face and messing up, but you did a great job. Do you shave right between the eyes and hand trim the rest? What clippers do you use?


Thanks! I have this clipper and it's decent quality but my boy is really too big for it (120 lbs) - clipping would go faster with something larger and more powerful. When I bought it I wasn't sure how clipping at home would go, so I didn't want to spend too much, but I might invest in something a little beefier now. I do pretty much everything with the clippers, including between his eyes, then just use the shears for shaping up his beard, brows, feet and ears. 



> I've never known exactly how to describe Charlie's coat to groomers who ask if he's more on the poodle or schnauzer side. Looking at your Giant I'd say my guy looks more poodle (part of that may also be the ears uncropped), but then when we've been with poodles I think he's really just right in between. What do you think judging by Charlie's photo?


A lot of schnauzers get downright silky when they lose their hard coats due to being clipped rather than show stripped. If Charlie is maintaining that nice water-resistant dense coat even after clipping, I think that probably means he's more poodley, but it could kind of masquerade as a schnauzer hard coat since it's not as curly as a full-blooded poodle, if that makes sense?

Cas is a little fluffier than the average schnauzer, probably thanks to whichever ancestor also gave him the markings. He's still basically non-shedding, though, hallelujah.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

> What do you use between the toes?


Cavaliers have very hairy toes..I use this little clipper to shave the pads of their hairy little feet.

http://www.amazon.com/Wahl-9861-600...qid=1404423143&sr=8-8&keywords=pocket+trimmer

Ok so now I am thinking about trying to trim my fluffy little guy. Looking for some recommendations for some really nice clippers.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

pinksand said:


> Haha now I'm just picturing Charlie half shaved with one butt cheek all fluffy and the other looking kinda scrawny!
> 
> BernerMax, do you have any photos of your giant schnauzer after a trim?


Not recent but she is like a month over due, its busy next couple of days but I plan to do her by next week and can post a photo then.... Like Parus' dog though the immediate post clip photo is pretty shorn sheep look, but you want that, then the dog is good for several months-- here is an older photo of her maybe a month post trim...


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

Ok so we did clip her (up late )- she isnt brushed and somewhat tangled and still damp from swimming earlier here goes (see how a clip really cleans up a dog) its a nice summer clip close to the skin as Parus did, but I do need to comb and condition out her fringes. Did a quick scizzoring of her head and ears...

here goes (messed up one of the pics)...


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

go with your gut feelings. if you didn't feel comfortable leaving your dog with a groomer
don't leave him. find another groomer that you're comfortable with. there's no such thing
as being overprotective. overprotective means you're taking good care of your dog.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

I don't want to hijack but I've been considering grooming Dove myself. She doesn't handle trips to the groomer well at all. She is poodle x chihuahua, only 7lbs. She lets me bathe her, brush her and do her nails just fine but I don't know if I could clip her, not sure how I would get her to hold still. I worry about doing her feet and "sanitary area", without hurting her. I assume I would just trim around her face and ears with scissors. Her last cut was sort of a Shih tzu trim? I don't know what you would call it but it was essentially what my inlaws always had done to their old shih tzu, body shaved and head left longer. Her coat is silky with a little curl in it. It costs me $35 to get her groomed (that is everything, bath, nails, hair cut) so it would take a long time to get to a $200 pair of clippers. I do worry about how she handles the grooming but I don't know that she is going to be any better behaved for me and I have no experience at grooming at dog (I had to shave a cat with bad mats and I cut hubby and the kids hair). http://www.amazon.com/Wahl-9705-Rec...1-3&keywords=wahl pro ion&tag=viglink20601-20 would this be a reasonable option for me? How hard is grooming a dog?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Remaru said:


> I don't want to hijack but I've been considering grooming Dove myself. She doesn't handle trips to the groomer well at all. She is poodle x chihuahua, only 7lbs. She lets me bathe her, brush her and do her nails just fine but I don't know if I could clip her, not sure how I would get her to hold still. I worry about doing her feet and "sanitary area", without hurting her. I assume I would just trim around her face and ears with scissors. Her last cut was sort of a Shih tzu trim? I don't know what you would call it but it was essentially what my inlaws always had done to their old shih tzu, body shaved and head left longer. Her coat is silky with a little curl in it. It costs me $35 to get her groomed (that is everything, bath, nails, hair cut) so it would take a long time to get to a $200 pair of clippers. I do worry about how she handles the grooming but I don't know that she is going to be any better behaved for me and I have no experience at grooming at dog (I had to shave a cat with bad mats and I cut hubby and the kids hair). http://www.amazon.com/Wahl-9705-Rec...1-3&keywords=wahl pro ion&tag=viglink20601-20 would this be a reasonable option for me? How hard is grooming a dog?


I got the best clippers I could buy, recommended to me by a professional groomer, and they were just a little more than $100, so you should not be spending $200 on them. I have the Andis AGC 2 speed.

The ones you linked won't work for you. I have a pair like that and they aren't even good enough or sharp enough to do the top 1/3 of Watson's ears, or the underside of his neck. They definitely won't be good enough for a full body trim on any dog. 

A grooming table really helps to keep the dog in place, though you could use a card table or something and buy the arm and noose separately. You might not even need the noose if someone will hold her. If you want to do it you definitely can, my mom and I groomed our schnauzers growing up, it just takes a little trial and error and practice.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I have an Andis Power Trim and it's fine for just doing a tiny dog full clip. I just throw a comb clip on it and that's about it. Touch up with shears or thinning shears. I use shears between the feet.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Laurelin said:


> I have an Andis Power Trim and it's fine for just doing a tiny dog full clip. I just throw a comb clip on it and that's about it. Touch up with shears or thinning shears. I use shears between the feet.


Oh really? Maybe it comes down to coat texture or something because that's what I have and it doesn't work for me at all really (I use a #10 blade, no comb). I only use it to get the fur on the bottom of his feet since it's small and gets in there easier than the larger clippers.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Huh. It's worked well for us.


DSC_1238 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr


DSC_1129 by Summer_Papillon, on Flickr

It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Andis-32375-Cordless-Trimmer-Silver/dp/B000SDS3E4

Obviously Mia is small and so are the clippers. I wouldn't use them for a big dog.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

That's the same one I have. It worked ok the first time, but not so much after that. I do the underside of his neck and it looked so patchy and chopped up, and I had to go over each spot multiple times to get the fur off. My nice Andis clippers go through like butter on the first pass and it looks perfect. The small size is handy for doing small areas though, especially on a small dog.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Dove's coat is very thin and silky, it can get long but it is not coarse at all or dense. She is also super tiny, she has a lot of leg but her body is small. I think that makes me nervous too, she seems more delicate. I know her coat will grow back even if I do a poor job grooming her but I certainly wouldn't want to hurt her.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

lol, that's the clippers I use on my Giant. It's not ideal because the size makes it take FOREVER to do the entire dog, but it cuts fine. I'll probably upgrade to a more powerful (or at least bigger, dog is huge) clippers eventually but I haven't had a problem with it.



Remaru said:


> I don't want to hijack but I've been considering grooming Dove myself. She doesn't handle trips to the groomer well at all. She is poodle x chihuahua, only 7lbs. She lets me bathe her, brush her and do her nails just fine but I don't know if I could clip her, not sure how I would get her to hold still. I worry about doing her feet and "sanitary area", without hurting her.


Honestly, if the dog isn't a squirmy worm I think it's pretty easy to do a serviceable clip. Learning to make the tricky bits look good takes time but just getting the excess hair off isn't hard. If you keep the blade parallel to the surface you're cutting and watch out for nipples and whatnot you won't cut her, and if you _do_ slip up and cut her, it'll only be a small nick. I have yet to nick Cas, even doing paw pads and ears with the clippers.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

This is the dog in question


full coat though I trimmed around her feet with tiny scissors (I would prefer never to have to do that again LOL, it took hours)


and fresh from the groomer trimmed. I'm not looking for anything real fancy, just shaved down body and trimming around the face. She is like velcro picking up anything in the yard (and the mud, oh the mud). I worry about her delicate areas and feet most, I can do her feet with scissors but hate to do it. She will let me do most anything to her, dremel nails, bath, combing. She is a wiggle though, I think some one would have to hold her still. I figure I would need scissors for around her ears and face so I would need to find a good pair of those. I linked that clipper because I saw you suggested it Parus. She is so tiny I figured it would be no issue on her and it comes with plenty of accessories. Though the one Laurelin suggested seems like a good option as well. So clippers for feet or something else? I am looking for clean feet.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

I'm not saying that clipper is the best, or even the best at that price point, lol. But it was in stock, in my price range, is cordless, and I like the blade guards it comes with. It's worked for my dog. 









For a small silky-haired dog I think it would certainly work. 

I got a pair of decent ball-tipped shears at PetCo on sale. I don't know the brand, sorry. 

I clip around the pads of the feet with the clippers and then get the nooks and crannies of the foot with the ball-tipped shears. But Cas's feet are huge. With how small your dog's feet are compared to mine, you might want to get one of those little teeny clippers for pads - I've never tried to do a small dog!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I would just do feet with straight and thinning shears. I do use clippers on the bottom of the feet and kind of scoop out the pad, but I wouldn't use them on the rest of the feet. I can do furry spaniel feet in about 15min with shears.


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

laur, i LOVE mia with that clip. the tail! the ticking! its just darling.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

I ended up hearing from Charlie's mobile groomer and he has an appointment tomorrow. We got home from vacation last night and he has so many mats and I swear his fur grew 2 inches longer! He spent a lot of time in the water while we were away and my parents didn't brush him at all so the poor groomer is going to have her hands full! I'm so embarrassed by the state he's in, I'll have to work on some of the worst mats tonight.

I'm going to try to take some good pictures of how she grooms him so I can try to replicate it myself.

@ Remaru - Your grooming questions are helpful to me as well so hijack away!


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Well I found a pair of Andis AGC clippers used for $50 and bought them. They are big (sort of daunting for such a tiny dog) and do have a cord but it is really long so not a huge deal. I am using them on her today and she has been super so far. I'm about half done, did her body but still need to do her legs and clean her up. I will post pics when I am done. I'm not going to lie, it isn't the best grooming I've ever seen. I'm not perfect at it and I'm going for something utilitarian vs beautiful (I don't want her dragging mud and grass through the house anymore). Also my "helper" gave up midway through, it is really hot outside and though she isn't running, fighting or trying to jump off of the table (just a normal folding table, nothing fancy) she keeps flopping down for a nap LOL. It would be easier if she would stand for me. I need to get more comfortable with the clippers and how to use them on a dog vs clipping a person. Totally different technique. So she is going to have uneven patches and he legs are shorter than the rest of her body. Oh well. Next time my son asked if I will leave her legs longer and just shave her feet. I guess we'll see.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Fun! We definitely need pics.

I love those clippers. Are you using a comb? What blade? It shouldn't be too hard to keep the fur the same length if you use the right blade, but I'm no expert since I just use a #10 which is very short. Growing up we used the combs on our schanuzers, though I've heard it's better to just get the right blade.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

She is done. I think I did a reasonably good job. Not great but not awful. I let my son convince me to leave more fur on her legs but I took the shears to her feet so she sort of has a poodle cut on her legs. Not sure how I like that but it isn't terrible or anything. If she starts picking up more yard gunk I will shave her legs down. He just liked the way she looked with fluffy legs I guess. It isn't like she is a purebred with any kind of "standard cut" so I'm not too worried. Her fur is a little uneven in places, she would lay down while I was cutting and her fur is so soft that it was hard to catch everything just right. The clippers have a 10 blade and I used a #1 comb. I was afraid to clip her all the way down with her skin being so delicate and pink and her coat being so thin. The sun here is really intense and I don't want her to burn. The clippers also got very hot so if I were to clip her down with just the blade I would need to stop frequently and let them cool, not sure if that is normal. I think I might get something smaller for her "delicate areas" and in her feet to make cleaning her up easier. She did not like me using the shears around her head but the clippers were too big. It took me I think 20-30minutes to trim up her feet with the shears. I made them pretty naked. 


showing off her top knot (which she removed shortly after, any advice on types of ties for doggie hair?). My son put a barrett in her fur and one in his as well. 


here she is actually sitting still for a second. Her nails need done, I do a little once a week trying to get them to something resembling normal after I don't think they were done at all at her first home. I didn't want to do any more today though. 


Remus photobomb you can see her body a bit better in this. I think she looks like the luck dragon from Never Ending Story or something. My son didn't want her ears trimmed and I wound up doing around her face with the #4 comb because she didn't want the shears anywhere near her face. She was fine with the clippers though, tolerated it really wall and I think it cleaned her up pretty well as far as her beard and around her face went. She looks sort of funny with little fur pants but it is sort of endearing. I shaved around the base of her tail so she has a plume.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

She looks great, and it'll be easier next time. Good for you on taking the leap


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

She looks great Remaru! I can only hope that my first attempt would look 1/2 as nice lol.

When we used to tie our Beardie's fur up in a topknot we used something like these
https://www.etsy.com/listing/112804800/316-dog-grooming-bands-bow-making-doll?ref=related-0

ETA - Their basically little cornrow bands so you could probably find something similar at Target or the grocery store. They stayed in pretty well, although your girl has a thinner/silkier coat than our Beardie. Until we started trimming around her eyes, we'd have her hair up like that every day so she could see and they did the trick. I'd just recommend taking it out to brush and redo it daily because they can get tangled.


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

She looks great- its a true custom cut- one of a kind! Both she and your son look cute with their do's! Maybe a scrunchie for the future (you can get toddler size ones )...


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Aww thank you all. My son is thrilled with how she turned out and since she is his dog he is the one that counts most. She really did take most of the grooming like a champ. Need to work on trimming around her face, I was able to use the sheers a little to clean around her eyes but it made her jumpy, not ideal. I would like to get her sanitary area cleaner too. My son wants to buy some dog airbrush pens he found and color her. LOL Next time I will know better what I am doing so she should look more even all over I think. At least we will know what we want her to look like anyway. 

I tried tying her hair up with some of the little pony tail ties we have around for hubby and the boys (because I'm the only one in the house with short hair LOL) but she keeps pulling them out (or getting Freyja to do it for her). I considered the bands from the Rainbow Loom but wasn't sure if they would pull or not. My niece insists that you can use them in your hair but I never know if I can trust her on these things. Thank you for the link, I will probably order some of those, added benefit being I'm allergic to latex.


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## Villian72 (Jul 25, 2014)

So Cavalier said:


> I don't think you are being silly at all. I drive over an hour one way to get my fluffy white dog groomed because I know I can trust my groomer. I know I need to find one closer but Baxter is a handful and I don't just want anyone grooming him. He's not bad...just very full of energy and not fond of grooming. If both you and your husband got bad vibes....best to move on.


 I totally agree. Listen to you gut. Especially if both of you have the same feeling. Good luck! =)


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

So I'm planning on upgrading some of my current grooming tools now and purchasing clippers next month (stupid budget!). I'd like to be ready when the time comes so here it goes...

Is this the Andis AGC 2 speed you mentioned? http://www.chewy.com/dog/andis-agc2-ultraedge-super-2-speed/dp/54038
Keep in mind I'm totally new to this, am I supposed to buy the comb set for a longer cut or do I purchase different sized blades? Which ones would you recommend if I wanted to keep his length around 1-1.5". I saw magnetic Andis attachments, but am worried they won't stay put, any thoughts? 

What do you think about something like this for between his pads? http://www.chewy.com/dog/conairpro-dog-palm-pro-micro-trimmer/dp/43132

As far as thinning shears go, how do these look? http://www.amazon.com/ShearsDirect-...d=1408049195&sr=1-40&keywords=thinning+shears I've never used them before and never imagined I'd spend this much on some scissors lol... you're telling me the more expensive ones are worth it right?

Also, on a completely ridiculous yet serious note... can I trim my husband's hair with these tools? He goes to the closest/cheapest hair place and they do an awful job, like I have to fix it when he gets home but he refuses to spend more money on his hair.

Anything else I should consider? I have a slicker brush, pin brush, straight scissors, de-matting comb, and metal comb... all of which may need upgrading at some point but do the trick for now.


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

Wow Remaru I'm gonna send Cosmo over to you, do you do ears LOL


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

littlesoprano said:


> Wow Remaru I'm gonna send Cosmo over to you, do you do ears LOL


I actually used to groom my sheltie when I was teen. I did her feet and "sanitary" area with shears then trimmed her nails and painted them LOL. Now Kecha was a very patient dog, Dove is wiggly when you get to the face area so I've got some practice to do on working on her ears, around her eyes and her beard. I've had some years of practice on wiggly kids in the middle, it isn't too terribly different.  Of course after Cosmo was here I might not want to send him back. He is so cute. 

Pinksand, I do hubby and the boys hair at home with Wahl clippers. The basic set is reasonably cheap and I have had it for probably 10 years at least through I can't tell you how many cuts. It comes with the clippers, a decent pair of scissors and a couple of comb guards. I bought a set of "rainbow" guards so we could do longer cuts with it. Hubby does my hair with it as well so that is all 4 of us and occasionally friends and other family members. You can get a bigger set at Sam's that includes all of the guards and a small clipper for around the ears/beard ect for a really good price (if you are a Member or know some one who is).


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Yep, those are the clippers I have. I think I got them from chewy too 

I don't think you'll need the little trimmers. You can do feet with big ones. I would recommend a 30 blade for that but you can try the 10 that comes with it. 

As far as other accessories, I'm not really sure since I only need the 10 blade. Graco (forum member who is a pro groomer) mentioned that groomers just get different blades and don't use combs. But combs are probably cheaper and we used them with my dogs growing up. So I'm no help. Haha. I think either would be fine for what you want so I'd go with combs if they are cheap. With such nice clippers it will probably be fine. 

The shears look good. You might want to look for more teeth for finer blending unless you will need to take off a lot of bulk with them. Mine are 46 teeth I think and they are good for what I need. It's always better to take off too little and spend more time than hack off too much. But that's basically what I spent on mine so they are probably med-good quality. The really good ones go for well over $100 which is nuts. 

And yes, you should be able to use it all to cut your husband's hair. Haha. From what I understand, average human grooming products are more cheaply made than dog stuff (I guess dog hair is thicker?) so it should be fine.

All the other tools you have are the same as what I use, so should be good there.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

> And yes, you should be able to use it all to cut your husband's hair. Haha.


Just don't try trimming his nails with a dremel. :nono:


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

So Cavalier said:


> Just don't try trimming his nails with a dremel. :nono:


Why? I've dremeled my own nails before, was a bit funny feeling but ok.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

Flaming said:


> Why? I've dremeled my own nails before, was a bit funny feeling but ok.


Just kidding...lol...


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

There is nothing (except her raw food) that Manna has that I have not tried out in one way or another.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Here's my monster's most recent home haircut. I'm growing out the bridge of his nose to join his beard, which is why it looks so doofy. I'm pretty pleased with the rest of it, though.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

Parus, you did a great job. He looks very handsome. Are you using a comb guard or just shaving all the way down?


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

Remaru said:


> I actually used to groom my sheltie when I was teen. I did her feet and "sanitary" area with shears then trimmed her nails and painted them LOL. Now Kecha was a very patient dog, Dove is wiggly when you get to the face area so I've got some practice to do on working on her ears, around her eyes and her beard. I've had some years of practice on wiggly kids in the middle, it isn't too terribly different.  Of course after Cosmo was here I might not want to send him back. He is so cute.
> 
> Pinksand, I do hubby and the boys hair at home with Wahl clippers. The basic set is reasonably cheap and I have had it for probably 10 years at least through I can't tell you how many cuts. It comes with the clippers, a decent pair of scissors and a couple of comb guards. I bought a set of "rainbow" guards so we could do longer cuts with it. Hubby does my hair with it as well so that is all 4 of us and occasionally friends and other family members. You can get a bigger set at Sam's that includes all of the guards and a small clipper for around the ears/beard ect for a really good price (if you are a Member or know some one who is).


Teehee. We have horrible groomers around here..... My BF tried 5-6 of them with Jing Jing. He just brought him in for a sanitary trim and nails/paws. One time a dog bit Jing and sent him to the E-Vet. Another groomer, well, she cut off his entire mane. Another one cut off the leg fringe.... You get the point, only once did he ever get a sanitary trim and paws done right, and he left that groomer shaking. We have terrible groomers in Grand Rapids LOL. Our Petco isn't too bad, but at that rate I'm better off just buying clippers and doing it at home. Cosmo is easy peasy now with grooming. He falls asleep when I'm line brushing him. Eeek speaking of bad groomers, my hand slipped and I cut a quick. Oops. 

And Parus your dog looks wonderful too.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Remaru said:


> Parus, you did a great job. He looks very handsome. Are you using a comb guard or just shaving all the way down?


Thanks  This time I did the close parts with the bare blade, but with the little length lever flipped up for a slightly longer shave. Then I put on a comb guard and used it to blend and shape up his furnishings a bit. His face is all scissors. 

I've decided I like a bit of furnishings for a schnauzery look, but I'm not going to let them grow out TOO much, because I am lazy about brushing, lol. I'd rather cut his hair every two months than comb out a bunch of snarls every day.

He was an angel for his cut. I really lucked out with this dog.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

littlesoprano said:


> Eeek speaking of bad groomers, my hand slipped and I cut a quick. Oops.


lol, I'm a huge baby about toenail cutting. I know how to do it, and I CAN do it, but I hate doing it. It's the one thing I have a groomer do for me. They only charge $12 and they dremel it so nicely.



> And Parus your dog looks wonderful too.


Thank you


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Kayla_Nicole said:


> I agree that maybe the groomer was just not a good people person, but I don't think there would be a problem with leaving a review stating your experience. Then others can decide whether or not to let that affect their decision on which groomer to choose.
> 
> I home groom my two now, and I would never go back to a regular groomer. We had some really good groomers, never bad experiences, but I like handling them myself at home and it is less stressful for them. Plus, after watching some youtube videos and reading all of the breed-specific grooming guides, it's not as hard as I thought it would be.


See, this is me, no one knows them like I do, so I just do it myself ... granted I don't have difficult breeds to clip/groom, though. But if I had a poodle or something, I still would do it myself, but I used to work for a groomer too .

I agree, go with your gut. Many dog / animal people aren't good with people, so maybe that might have been it.


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

OwnedbyACDs said:


> See, this is me, no one knows them like I do, so I just do it myself ... granted I don't have difficult breeds to clip/groom, though. But if I had a poodle or something, I still would do it myself, but I used to work for a groomer too .
> 
> I agree, go with your gut. Many dog / animal people aren't good with people, so maybe that might have been it.


I think thats why I'm trying to learn to do it myself too. Aside from Cosmo being quite fragile, we haven't had many good groomer experiences, and to be honest for the cost of 2-3 groomers trips, I can buy most of the supplies for myself! 

And Parus I've been thinking of doing the 20 dollar sanitary package at Petco for that reason. It's just a sanitary trim, nails, and ear cleaning. Which I'm tempted to do. I really did cut the nail wayyyy too short, but after a little piece of cheese, everything was all better haha.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

littlesoprano said:


> And Parus I've been thinking of doing the 20 dollar sanitary package at Petco for that reason. It's just a sanitary trim, nails, and ear cleaning. Which I'm tempted to do. I really did cut the nail wayyyy too short, but after a little piece of cheese, everything was all better haha.


I prefer to do the sanitary clip and ears myself because it helps me keep an eye out for health problems. Nails are just horrible, though, lol.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

None of mine like their nails done, some are more pathetic and dramatic about it than others (mainly Bear, the old man) but they all "take" it, sometimes no matter how I try, I just cant make something a positive experience, the best I can do is make them understand that no harm will come to them.

But none have ever been to a groomer and I dont know how they would be having some stranger messing with them.


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

One of mine acts like she's being murdered but doesn't actually resist. The other one is entirely blase about it. I'm just twitch about getting a quick, and they both have thick black nails that are hard to cut.


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

parus said:


> One of mine acts like she's being murdered but doesn't actually resist. The other one is entirely blase about it. I'm just twitch about getting a quick, and they both have thick black nails that are hard to cut.


I'm so grateful Cosmo has been so patient with my dog-noobyness. When I first started line brushing him, he would HOWL and yelp like I was trying to kill him or something. And that was just when I'd place him on his side. He looked so sad lol.... Now that he realized that when he's calm I can be gentle with the brushing, he falls asleep.. Silly dogs. 

But man I was so bummed when half of his clear nails ended up turning into jet black nails. Of course that was one of the nails I cut too short when my hand twitched, a little bit of cheese made it alll better though.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

It's funny, nails are something that I feel more comfortable with. Charlie's reaction to his nails being cut varies greatly depending on his mood. As a puppy, I could cut them when he was sleepy and he'd just watch me do his front paws. He's a bit more squirmy now so my husband has to hold him still and distract him with treats. He has black nails, so I just take a little off and try to do them often.

I bought the clippers, magnetic chrome comb set, and the Kenchii Scorpion 46 Tooth Dog Grooming Thinning Shear (thanks for the tooth # recommendation!). My parents still have a grooming table from our childhood dog so I'll probably use that and just need to purchase a table arm. Since my husband and I have such varying schedules, I think I'll need to use the table with a haunch holder (he's a sitter) and grooming loop to assist in keeping him from squirming or sitting. That will be a purchase for next month  These things added up very quickly, but I'm hoping it will be worth the investment! 

With tip, Charlie's grooming has been around $100 and because of that cost I've let his fur grow longer than I'd like since I tend to put it off. Hopefully this way I'll be able to maintain it at a good length. I'll post some before/after photos unless I do a complete hack job lol.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I hate doing nails. Watson's are brown, so you can sort of see the quick, but not well. If I take off too much he yelps and won't let me touch his feet again for a while, even if I don't get close enough to make it bleed. He's just such a baby so I end up taking very little off every time, and they grow faster than I cut them. I want to dremel, but I keep putting it off because of the mess (my friends claim nail dust goes everywhere, but I haven't tried it), and the thought of having to train him to deal with it.

His nails are pretty bad now, but we are on a work trip and I don't have clippers, so I just took him to PetSmart last night. I figured $9 for a nail trim was better than buying a 3rd pair of clippers and then trying to do his nails without my grooming table to help. The woman took about 30 seconds to do all of them, and she was able to get off so much more than I'm comfortable cutting off. So worth it.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

parus said:


> Here's my monster's most recent home haircut. I'm growing out the bridge of his nose to join his beard, which is why it looks so doofy. I'm pretty pleased with the rest of it, though.


Parus, he looks awesome!

From what you said, I'm thinking that Charlie has more of that silky schnauzer coat with some poodle curl thrown in. His coat is softer than most doodles I've met, and I think less woolly than a spoo coat. It doesn't seem to have as much water resistance either. His head, chest, and outside of his legs get the most curl (sometimes almost like tight baby ringlets). We ran into a goldendoodle this weekend that was exactly his size and literally looked like a cream colored version of him, but her owners kept commenting on how soft Charlie's fur was. Even though they looked the same, their doodle coat felt much more stiff/coarse. 

What do you think your boy has mixed in there? He's so handsome


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## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

Yeah, a clipped Schnauzer can be downright velvety. Last time we were at the dog park someone was like "This dog feels like a peach!" lol.



pinksand said:


> What do you think your boy has mixed in there? He's so handsome


I did the Wisdom 2.0 test and he came back a quarter Great Pyrenees. Doesn't seem too outlandish, but I don't know how reliable it is...my guess had been Landseer.


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