Grooming Your Dog Yourself (shih tzu, poodles, terrier, yorkies)

[veggienut]

Any of y'all groom your dog yourself~? I have a video on grooming that I recently ordered. I've been to a good amount of groomers and would like to attempt it myself, since I'm not happy with my present groomer. A friend of mine who shows Yorkies says it is easy. What do y'all say on grooming your dog yourself~?

[TabulaRasa]

I have a beagle.

Grooming consists of soaping him up 2-3 times a year, barring stinky messes. A run through with a hound glove every now and then. So, yeah, I do it myself.

I do, however, take him to the vet to have his nails clipped. He won't tolerate us doing it at home, and can't be handled at the local groomers'. He's just that averse to having his feet handled. If he'd let me do it, I'd do it myself, though.

[no kudzu]

I used to attempt to groom my dogs myself. This is what always happened.
1) I really didn't have the proper height table so I used something in the garage or the floor. My back ached, the fur was everywhere. It was a big mess. I would have to have several extension cords which got tangled and were a pain.

2) I could not do a decent job. They always looked like poor step children who had haircuts behind the barn. I would get nervous and tired and just wanted to get it over with.

3) I went thru several sets of clippers. I always had to stop and oil the clippers cause they would get clogged and then I would get oil on the top.

4) The dog and I would be tired, grumpy and I would have dog hair all over me and my clothes, my shoes, in my hair and mouth.

50 I finally decided the groomers were trained, had the right equipment, had experience and certainly earned their money. I haven't tried to do it myself in about 10 years and my dog and I are grateful.

[pixietob]

I groom my 3 shih tzu at home, and have the exact problems as No Kudzu posted (except I always get compliments on how my babies look so much better than the groomers). With my first 2, I started off by taking them to the groomers. Typical groomers in my area charged about $100 for both of them. Being companion brats, they act pretty traumatized when they're left somewhere. I didn't like leaving them for 5+ hours, and have them come home with haircuts that I wasn't exactly happy with (I had even brought pics in of what I wanted). After about 3 groomer trips, I decided to try it myself. I don't have a grooming table, and I'm sure not going to scratch my dining table up! So, I bought a pair of clippers, special ordered some guards in sizes I wanted, and bought the necessary scissors, oil, etc. I lay an old sheet on the living room floor, do what I can with them on the floor, then finish with them on the coffee table. I wind up getting hair EVERYWHERE. The clippers get clogged so I have to clean them every 10 mins or so; the dogs get impatient. Last time, I realized mid-cut that my clippers were too dull to really be using. I gave up, called a local groomer, and had her finish the job. I can only wonder what she thought of me!
Yes, groomers definately earn their money! I just can't help but wonder why it takes 5 hours for 2 dogs when it takes me about 4 hrs for (now) 3 shih tzu, and they have better (and correct) equipment!

[Katie1]

I groom my own dogs & others I sold as pups [free] I also clipped several other peoples dogs [free] that were badly matted. These were just strip clips tho nothing fancy. When I showed my dogs in obed I had a friend do it. Yep I PAID her lol I purchsed a heavy duty Oster clipper & kept my blades cleaned & sharp. Makes it easy to buzz right thru. Of course now I pick wash & wear dogs LOL

[skelaki]

Originally Posted by veggienut

Any of y'all groom your dog yourself~? I have a video on grooming that I recently ordered. I've been to a good amount of groomers and would like to attempt it myself, since I'm not happy with my present groomer. A friend of mine who shows Yorkies says it is easy. What do y'all say on grooming your dog yourself~?

I groomed my collies and my Keeshond myself. Now, are you showing your Yorkie? Is its hair kept long or in a pet clip? If your dog is not being shown, grooming is easy. if it is, then you'd know how to groom probably, but it is more complex.Here are a few links:
Yorkie Grooming | Yorkshire Terrier Grooming Information
Grooming Yorkshire Terrier
grooming

The last one is to the national breed club's grooming information so may be more show related but still good information.

One thing, be sure to invest in a grooming table if you want to groom yourself. While you can do it without one, it's much easier if you have one.

[Katie1]

Friend has Yorkie.... OP didnt say what breed/s her dog is.

[Thursday007]

I first tried grooming my cocker using store bought clippers - big mistake. They are not good quality and there was something wrong with them and I realized I'd given my dog an electrical shock.

Then, for the heck of it, I went to a grooming place and started out bathing dogs and the guy taught me how to groom different dogs. First was ordering the proper clipper and more importantly the correct size blades for the specific dog. Then there is the sissor cutting part and the correct ones for those. Huge difference. The other if the dogs are on a table with a harness to keep their heads up and standing - at home I had no such device and it too makes a huge difference.

I still groom my own cocker here myself, but now that I have had training she looks better - still, she's getting older and can't stand for long periods of time and I have to give her some slack and a break.

Last year I took her to a regular goomer for a complete shave down for the summer.

This is the place most groomers use for equippment and shampoos and stuff.

NE Serum Company | PetEdge.com

[foxywench]

anyone can learn to groom...itll take practice, and the first couple of times you may butcher the cut...
also remember it depends on what kind of dog your grooming and the cut your keeping it in...
id never suggest a novice start grooming poodles for example...

a yorki typically has 3 cuts.
1: show cut, that long insane silky meticulous flowing coat and top knot. this is the absolute hardest to acheive as it requires mostly scisoring and scisoring is a hard skill to master.
2: medium or puppy cut...this ones the common groomer clip, guard goes on the razor to the leanth your prefer and shave away...almost anyone can learn to do a puppy/kennel clip all you need is a GOOD pair of clippers.
3: SHORT. i rarely see yorkies in a very close cut unless they are having skin issues...gettign close to the skin is not as easy as it looks...

now in terms of doing it yourself, a dvd is a great start...id also have your friend who has yories show you how she does it...BUT in the end youll only learn if you get your hands right in there.

things you will need:
a GOOD set of clippers/grooming sheers, dont ever buy the ones in the likes of grocery stores or walmart, they get too hot and the blades dull too quickly, dull blades leads to a bad cut, pulling and potential for nicking.
personally i have the whal arco and love it, its wireless so i always have 1 battery on use and one charged on stand by, i like it because its relitivly small, easy to use, and light!
i use that for pony clipping my 10lbs powderpuff chinese crested and tidying my 5lb hairless chinese crested.
whal also make the arco mini which is great for finnish work and very small toy breeds, im planning on purchasing the mini once ive got the spare cash to use as a paw and face trimmer.
if not il pick up an oster finnisher...which is another small clipper prefect for sani trims, paws and faces.
be prepared, you WILL spend money for a good set of clippers, but they are less likely to burn out, burn you, burn the dog (the motor gets incredibly hot on the ones you can buy from the store) even the ones with "good brand labels")
belive me, its an investment, but if your serious about grooming your own dog, its worth the money!

2: invest in 1 REALY good pair of scissors...you can get them from grooming supply places or human hair supply places, but you want a GOOD pair of scissors, and keep them well looked after.

3: buy a can of clipper cool and one of clipper cleaner...cleaning your clippers will keep them working well longer.

4: buy spare blades for your clipper...nothings worst than being 1/2 way through and your blade going dull lol.

5: invest in a grooming table or pad...i personally bought a noose and none skid mat and i use my coffee table...
i will be honest and say my back does start to ache before im done with both the dogs, and once i get my own place ill be investing in a grooming table...your back will thank you.

and a good little shop vac. you dont want to eb using your main household vacume for picking up all those hairs, they will clog everything...a shop vac will handle it all and never complain.


other than that, watch, and then get your hands in there.
the biggest issues come if you have a dog who doesnt like being groomed, it can be frustrating when your trying to learn and there wiggling all over the place.

so lots of high value treats and start small

[veggienut]

Thanks for all of your responses. After watching the 2 hr video, I learned a lot. I really don't think he's going to go for those clippers due to the sound. He doesn't like the hair dryer, so I blow him half or less than half way and let him take care of the rest by drying himself on the carpet, couch and chairs

She showed the 3 different types of cuts on the video. Best of all she showed Yorkshire Terrier dogs that won't stay still. But my Yorkie has her beat, he wiggly-er than hers She also showed on the video the tools you'll need and where to purchase them at.

I've never heard of a "Keeshon". Maybe I've seen one, but what kind of dog is this~?