Grooming Your Mini

Grooming Your Mini

To start grooming your dog you are going to need a few tools. On the table below are several examples of tools you might want for yourself. I prefer the Andis clipper, they run cool, and do not have air vents that blow hair and dirt particles into the groomer's and pet's faces. Blades for the professional clippers are interchangable. You will need a variety of blades. Most clippers come with a #10 to use on ears, belly, potty track and in warm weather to clip the back and head. A #30 or #40 are good for the pads of the feet and ears. To clip the body longer you will need a bigger blade. My favorites are #4, #5, and #7F blades.

In the photos I've shown several examples of shears. You will see long and short curved, long straight, bent shank and thinning shears. Each shear is designed to do a special job. No one shear is good for everything.

Brushes come in so many styles. Bristle brushes are usless as far as I'm concerned for the Mini. I prefer the red handled Universal Slicker Brush, but everyone has their favorite brand.

You will see two styles of hemostats for pulling hair from the dog's ears. The smaller one is used on puppies.

There are three combs pictured. The long toothed comb is called a Poodle Comb and it is used for longer hair.

The black comb is a teflon coated comb to help prevent static. The comb with a handle is a flea comb. There are many uses for this tool besides combing fleas.

Stripping knives come in many styles for many coats and purposes. I've shown two different styles.

Pictured are two styles of nail clippers. The small ones are for cat nails. I like to use them on young pups also.

There are many, many tools I have not shown. Some you might find useful but most you won't unless you are a full time groomer or grooming for show.

A well organized grooming area will allow you to work fast and efficient and will protect your expensive tools. Locate the grooming table close to the tools so they can be reached easily.

This is a simple grooming chart to help the beginner. It was made to hang on the wall for my groomers to look at when they were learning to groom a Mini Schnauzer. If you want to use thinning shears to blend the lines where the body becomes longer on the sides hold the shears in an upright angle parallel with the legs. Go into the hair from underneath. Only take out small amounts, comb and remove more until the coat lays flat with no line. Feel free to copy the chart for your own use.

		The photo above is an example of the pet grooming chart applied to a real dog. I chose a photo that shows the face and note that the bridge of the nose is NOT shaved, nor is there a "cocker skirt". The body coat length can be adjusted according to owner preference and season of the year. This pretty little girl is named Cricket and when I got her she hated grooming and would fight everything I tried to do. Not only did she get used to it, but she enjoys it now!

In this photo you can see Cricket from a complete side view which shows the side of the face and chest. I cannot stress enough that nothing should stick out and that the entire dog gets groomed. No shaggy legs, or skirt.

This is a very relaxed pup on the grooming table. She started her grooming at 4 weeks old when I shaved her belly, pads and potty areas and did her toenails. She is used to a grooming table and feels quite at home on it.

This 'Black Parti' puppy is groomed using a #7F blade on the body and a #4F on the legs, chest and skirt. The legs were then scissored and blended in. The skirt, trimmed of stray hairs and the bottom line evened up.

#7F blade on the body and #4F on the legs

This dog's body and head were shaved with a #7F. The legs and skirt were scissored short enough to be easy to care for.

When I got this boy in the grooming shop I discovered the inside of all 4 legs had been shaved down to about 1", while the outside of the legs were left long. I only wish I had thought to take photos of before and after of the whole dog. The bridge of his nose had been shaved, his feet had been shaved and there was hardly enough growth to even do much but even up his legs.

Here is Cookie.
This demonstrates before and after grooming.


At this point she's been brushed and bathed.	This shows a shaggy schnauzer before grooming.


Cookie's grooming is complete. I have shortened her furnishings and made everything neat.	Cookie's head after grooming. She can see again!

This was taken in the fall of the year so I don't cut coats down short. Actually I did not clip the jacket at all. I did a back shave with a #7F on Cookie's head, #10 on the ears, potty track and a #30 on the pads of the feet. I brushed all the leaves, grass and stuff out of her coat and followed by a bath and blow dry. Her legs were scissored and I scissored her belly line and around her paws and down the back of her legs under the tail to the hocks. All this took about 45 minutes. This is a pet groom not a technical show groom.

This shows a 'White' puppy groomed with a #7F on the body. The photo shows what a groomed tail looks like. The tail should match the body length. This is not a setter breed which has a feathered tail! There should not be any hair that hangs down from the underside.

This photo shows a 'Black' pup with a long body coat and shows a groomed natural tail. The body and tail coat are the same length.

This 'Salt/Pepper' shows short scissored front legs. Blend them into the body. The leg hair should not stick way out from the body on the sides or in front. The "apron" or chest of the dog should not stick out like on a collie. Note the silver/white patches are groomed close NOT left hanging long and messy. If left it adds length to the overall body which unbalances the dog's looks. MS should look like neat little machines not fluff mops.

Please note the muzzle. It's never shaved nor is it ever shaved under the eyes. This would give a poodle look and make the dog hollow under the eyes. Contrary to popular belief, shaving the bridge of the nose and carving out under the eyes does not keep hair out of the dog's eyes. Instead as this hair grows back it sticks up getting into the dog's eyes. If your dog has been groomed this way let it grow back out. It will fall down and stay out of the eyes. Scissor under the eyes and between them.

This dog looks like it's got a black eye. Some groomer shaved under this pretty 'Black/Silver's eyes and this is the result from the side.

YUCK!

If you've let your dog get completely matted this is what you can expect to bring home from the grooming shop!

This 'Salt/Pepper' was groomed with a #4 for winter. His sides and skirt are blended and the chest is scissored so it does not stick out. Blend the legs into the body so it appears there is no line between the two. Legs are scissored round all over like an inverted baseball bat, smaller at the top than the bottom. Make sure to scissor angulation into the rear legs.

This dog is in a very long winter clip. Her coat is done with a #2 attachment. The furnishings are blended into the body and legs are scissored long enough to be in balance with the coat length. For an easier coat to care for in winter, the entire body, legs and skirt can be taken one length. In snow areas the snow will ball up on the legs and skirt making a big mess. This coat length is warmer but requires the most care to maintain.

Grooming The Pet Poodle

This Photo Shows The Top Knot Untouched. The body Is Clippered With A #7F Blade, The Feet Are Clippered With A #30 Blade, And face/Potty Area Are Clippered With A #10 Blade. The Legs Are Nearly Finished.


One Front Leg Done	Hold Up Tail And Scissor Into A Ball

These Photos Show One Rear Leg Done As Compared To The Unfinished Leg. Also Note The Round Tail.

You must hold the shears correctly to be able to scissor hair. This photo shows how to hold them. The only thing that moves is the thumb. Do NOT squeeze your hands together. The fingers only hold that blade still and to balance the shear. The shear should have loose blades. Your hand should not get so tired it cramps up while scissoring.

Toenails Are Polished On The Outside Of Each Nail, Not Both Sides. Hair Should Be Clipped Entirely Away From The Nail. If Polish Gets Into The Hair, It Pulls Every Time The Dog Moves It's Toes. This Is Painful And Will Cause The Dog To Chew It's Nails. Nails Cut Proplerly Do Not Touch The Floor When The Dog Stands.

Here Is The Completed Poodle. Her Name Is Fluffy. She Is 8 Years Old. She Travels The Southern States With Her Family In The Winter Months.

Grooming The Pet Pomeranian

Many people find the Pom's coat to be more than they can keep up. I have a number of Poms that I completely hand scissor taking off the bulk of the coat. A similar look can be achieved using an attachment blade and then combing up the coat followed by scissoring off any hairs that stick up. This is an old Pom who has a show coat. He cannot stand having that brushed and screams in pain. Scissoring him like this allows his family to keep him clean and neat without the pain of brushing an old dog. This is far more attractive than shaving him nearly bald.

Grooming The Pet Bichon

For most people a Bichon's coat is just too much hair to care for in today's busy world. These photos are the typical pet Bichon clip most of my customers prefer. I don't have any customers who want the big Bichon head or the complete hand scissored body.

This clip is done by clipping the body with the blade number of your choice. This boy has a #2 attachment on his body. The legs and head are hand scissored. The ears are scissored all over to be easier to keep brushed. Ears should never be longer than the bottom of the chin hair. They should not hang down long like on a Poodle. The muzzle is not clipped, nor is under the eyes. The key to a nice clip is to hand dry the dog. Scissor, brush, scissor, brush and repeat until the dog is smooth. Use a Poodle comb with long teeth to get the long hair combed up away from the body. Blend everything so there are no lines or long hairs sticking out. I've groomed Rudy since he was a puppy.

He's so happy when the grooming is finished he does tricks for me. Isn't he a ham?

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