# OK so how hard can it be???



## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

Bella is really starting to resemble a mop  She cant see well because she has hair in her face, her feet are getting overgrown again (we did shave these down a few weeks ago) and she is just all overgrown fur. But the worst is that I have to practically bath her everyday because of the pee all over her leg fur...she always smells bad . I really want to take her to the groomers but she is not finished her puppy shots yet. She goes for the second one in the begining of march, and then the third in the begining of April...we cant wait that long.


My husband is really good with people clippers, he has been cutting his own hair for years, and my sons hair for about 4 years (its just the opposite direction right?). I want to go buy some dog clippers and do Bella ourselves....its not like she goes anywhere if we mess up LOL.

Any tips, recommendations etc??? Oh and as for clippers, are there some good budget friendly ones? She doesnt have coarse hair at all its all soft fluffy hair. I dont really want to spend a fortune on clippers.


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## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

I shared this thought--how hard can it be?--until my sister loaned me a couple of DVDs that showed how to groom. Once I watched them, I knew I did not want to groom my own dogs.

You might not have the same reaction, but I would check out a do-it-yourself DVD for tips and to see if it's something you really want to do.


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## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

Oh believe me its not something I want to do LOL. I think the grooming part wouldnt be too bad (plus my hubby would help) and I am sure with practice it would get better (like I said she doesnt go out in public yet LOL) I am not sure how to do it with a wriggly puppy???

If I could get her groomed by someone else I would, but she is always smelling . and wiping her down all the time isnt helping because she has so much fur.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

I started grooming Zoey as a puppy and I never found it terribly difficult. I think it all just depends on the person and how much patience you have for certain things. I have no patience for some things, but grooming dogs is fine for me  Just don't be afraid to mess up. "It will grow back" has helped me not feel so bad about some of my mess ups.. (see my thread  ) and it's fun to be able to do it exactly how you want. I suggest searching Youtube for some how to videos.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

The one consolation about clipping your own dog and you make a mistake, is that the hair will grow back. If the hair is getting in her eyes, I would just trim it with the scissors. You can hold her foot and just trim the hair around her paw with the scissors.

I think Wahl puts out a reasonably priced clipper. With just one dog to trim, they should last. I have a pair of Oster but they cost around $200.00 and also have a set of used Wahl that I picked up at a Garage Sale and they work fine.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

How hard can it be?

Alot of times, puppys take a few tries to get a full haircut. this is b/c pushing a the pup too hard, or stressing them out could cause them to hate grooming forever. WHen someone brings me a pup for its first groom, i strictly do what the pup will tolerate. it is much more important for the pup to enjoy the process. very rarely is a pup good enough for a full haircut its first time out. It is usually hard at salons too, b/c there are new sights and smells, all leading to a very distracted pup, who is a handful. 

also, cutting people hair, and cutting dog hair is different. if a person starts moving, you tell them to stop or you will cut their ear off by accident, and they understand what you are saying and stop. a dog does not understand what you are saying, does not understand why you need to cut its hair, and will jerk around whenever they want. 

its much harder than im sure you think it is, and it is very easy to cause issues with grooming for the future by simply not knowing how to handle the dog, or when enough is enough. most salons will want you to have your 1st series. but i have worked in places that still took younger puppies. they were the first ones into the clean shop, and no dogs came in until after they were gone. im a person who is a little more into socialization to things like grooming, than i am into following vaccination protocol, especially knowing that other dogs who go into the facility are vaccinated. you may think differently, so you can make that decision on your own.


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

If it wasn't hard then I would not have a career. People would not pay me 50-100$ 4-8 weeks to do it.

Some people really have a knack for it right off!! Like me, and Binkalette (I think she should become a groomer)

Most people try it at home, and then bring puppy back in for me to "fix"

I'm sure you didn't mean offense, OP, but gosh, I can't help but be slightly offended.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Honestly. Id just bring the pup in to a grooming shop. Shops clean up often with bleach and what not to kill disease (if any). A good groomer can ease a puppy and get the job done, with out upsetting puppy and making a bad experience.

It IS hard, espeacially on a wiggly puppy.


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## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

GroovyGroomer777 said:


> If it wasn't hard then I would not have a career. People would not pay me 50-100$ 4-8 weeks to do it.
> 
> Some people really have a knack for it right off!! Like me, and Binkalette (I think she should become a groomer)
> 
> ...


No it wasnt meant to offend, and I didnt think it would be super easy...thats why I said if I messed up she doesnt go out in public anyways. Obviously I am not a groomer but I am sure between my husband and I we can do a basic clip on our puppy...something fancy like a poodle cut...no of course not.

And I tried when we first got her and the only place in town that would take her with out a full set of shots (not sure though if they check) was Petcetera...not sure how clean they would be...but the lady really didnt want to do it either.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

well your in CA, so im sure it may be different than here. most private salons i have worked in (and most in my area) are pretty lax on vaccinations, especially on puppies.

BUT, you guys do have petcos, right? i do know for a fact (because i used to work there), that corporate policy states that puppies can be seen if they have their second series, which is usually by 12-15 weeks. so if you have a local petco, maybe stop in and talk to them. talking to them in person will give you a better feel for the groomer and how educated/experienced they are. 

also, my experiance with private vs corp in terms of cleanliness was that corp was a lot cleaner and a lot more anal about sanitizing the salon. why? because someone is actually checking that sort of things. if our manager came into our salon, and he noticed anything dirty or smelly he immediately stopped what we wee doing and made us fix the problem. i have witnessed such horrible things in private salons, that it makes me laugh when people say never use corp, only use private local salons. i dont think every corp salon is bad. i think, no matter what salon you choose, you need to go in there and question the people yourself, and really get a feel for what they know. 

maybe if you explain that the dog is matted, the groomers will be more willing to take the dog. i know i wouldnt hesitate to groom a matted puppy (the longer the mats sit, the harder the groom will be), especially if you came in and explained the situation like you did in the first post (except maybe dont bring up the "is it hard" thing, like groovygroomer said, it was a little offensive, considering it is our career).

Edit:


> but the lady really didnt want to do it either.


Dont use a groomer that give you that feeling. even if i couldnt do your pup b/c of the rules, i would more than likely try and book you for after the shots were done, maybe offer to come to your house and do some brushing in the meantime (if the dog is really matted, i may offer a complete home grooming), but i wouldnt ever give you the feeling that i didnt "want" to groom your dog. have you called mobile groomers?


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## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

No we dont have a petco here. We are in a small town too and the only big pet store is petcetera. We had an appointment booked with them to do her feet, nails and sanitary clip but the lady called in sick that morning. I called a few other places and explained what I wanted and they wouldnt do it because of the shots...we ended up doing her feet, nails and I have cut aroung the butt area on her. I didnt end up going back to the lady at petcerta because all the other groomers kinda freaked me out about the shots thing...the lady at petcetera was going to take her in quick and just do those things so she could be out quick.

Maybe I was unclear in my post, Bella is not matted I am just bathing her back end every day (she is also brushed daily) when she pees it gets all over her fur and belly area and then she smells. Because of the length of her hair wiping her after each pee isnt working well. And she has only had one set of shots so far and that was only at the begining of Feb, she goes for the second at the begining of mar  .

As for the grooming thing (and yes I am probably digging myself deeper with this) but I dont understand the offensive part. I never said it wasnt hard, I asked a question. I didnt say its so easy anyone could do it. Someone posted in the training section on how easy it is to train a puppy, was that offensive? I didnt think so (IMO anyways) people train dogs for a career too.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

Well, to be fair, i said it was "kinda" offensive. By that, i mean, i totally understand what you are saying, but i do it as a career. i dont know what you do for a living, but if someone made a comment regarding how it couldnt be that hard, i dont think youd like it very much, b/c it it pretty close to saying "your job is easy and you have it made". not exactly, but it just has the same tone behind it. 

it is easy to groom your dog, in the sense that you can do the basics and get the job done. i just dont think a regular dog owner with no formal training will be able to do the job as well (or as safely) as a professional (well, most professionals). 

and you saying "training a puppy is easy" is not offensive to anyone. but if you changed that to "being a dog trainer isnt that hard right?" then youd be asking a different question, that might be offensive to dog trainers. 

im sorry about your situation, and i wish i could be of more help to you. the best way to trim her stomach is to stand her up on her hind legs, holding her by her front legs. when you trim legs, pick up the leg and hold it straight in front of the dog, and just trim in a straight line. if shes feisty about this, try going for a long walk, maybe in a new place, to tire her out a bit first.


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## !dogbreeds (Feb 5, 2010)

nice to see that your husband can do these kind of works .lol
but if she has long hairs on her body , and she can't even see properly then you should cut her hairs as soon as possible.


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## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

Purplex15 said:


> Well, to be fair, i said it was "kinda" offensive. By that, i mean, i totally understand what you are saying, but i do it as a career. i dont know what you do for a living, but if someone made a comment regarding how it couldnt be that hard, i dont think youd like it very much, b/c it it pretty close to saying "your job is easy and you have it made". not exactly, but it just has the same tone behind it.
> 
> it is easy to groom your dog, in the sense that you can do the basics and get the job done. i just dont think a regular dog owner with no formal training will be able to do the job as well (or as safely) as a professional (well, most professionals).
> 
> ...


I appologize if you were offended, that wasnt my intentions. I dont think grooming is easy at all, and didnt say being a groomer was easy either...I just want to shave/clip my dog, nothing pretty, thats why I said lucky she doesnt go anywhere if we mess up .

I hear all the time how easy my job is and to tell you the truth pretty much anyone could do it...not everyone could do it well, and some shouldnt do it at all...I am a stay at home mom 

Thanks for tips on how to groom her legs...and the tip on walking her first...she is always tired after a good play outside and that will help alot.


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## RinseAce (Aug 16, 2010)

It all depends on how "official" you want your dog to look. If you just want nice clean fur, a home cut will do just fine. The hardest parts are the legs, most dogs do not like their feet touched too much. A nice pet shower after the cut with a good brushing and your dog will smell great and look nice too!


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