How do I: Puppy’s First Grooming

Insights:

The first time at the grooming shop can be a little overwhelming for a puppy, especially if it is a large establishment.  It is always important to let your groomer know that it is the first time for puppy.  Choosing a time of day when the shop will be quieter and less filled with boisterous or anxious dogs will make the experience less upsetting for your little puppy.  Early morning, mid-week and evening appointments are best for an introduction to the grooming process.   In my own little shop because I have a small clientele, the atmosphere is always quiet and relaxed.   However, I have worked in a large volume shop before so I know how hectic these can be.  If you are doing this at home finding a time when there is not a lot of traffic, for example kids playing, is the important factor.

Technique:

I take time to hold and cuddle the new puppy to establish trust prior to beginning.  Often if the puppy has an older companion dog I invite the client to bring them along even if they are not being groomed.  First time puppies are bathed in the same way as experienced dogs.  I have a towel close by, shampoo premixed at hand and the water temperature pre-determined.  I use the grooming loop to secure the puppy to the tub area and use extra precaution as they may try to bolt when the water goes on.  Often it is the sound of the water “hissing” that startles puppy more than the actual water on the body.  I get the hose nozzle up close to the skin to help quieten this sound.  At all times I am prepared to drop everything to hold on to and settle a spooked puppy.  I pre-wet, shampoo and rinse as described in previous posts.

I wrap a totally shampooed and rinsed puppy securely in a towel to comfort the puppy and absorb the wetness. I use two different means of drying a puppy at this point.  If the puppy has a very light coat I use a second dry towel to absorb the rest of the water, followed by fluffing with a comb in front of a fan.  I do use the velocity dryer otherwise though.  It is loud and blows harder so I try not to get it very close to the body.   I only use it for as long as the puppy can tolerate then move to the fluffing and fan.   For Bunker who is pictured here I used two towels for absorption and then the velocity dryer to dry his amazingly thick coat.  He  had just watched his companion  get groomed and did very well with the dryer.

Bunker before

Pictured above is Bunker when he arrived at my shop. He is a 5 month old ShihTzu/Terrier X that had not been groomed before. The client wanted just a puppy trim which is a trim under the eyes, around the feet, bum and groin only.  She also requested that I tunnel his tummy for the snowy season.

After I scoop the pads clean of hair and trim the nails I start the puppy trim by beveling the feet with shears, working my way around the bottom of each foot as pictured above.

I follow the beveling with a straight trim down the hock and then around the upper part of foot while the puppy stands.

The above photo shows the hair that needs to be trimmed from the bum to prevent messes from sticking.  I usually trim this downward when I trim the hock so as to get a nice line.

The above photo shows the finished rear of the puppy…a nice flowing curve.

I used a 5/8 inch blade to tunnel the tummy and then followed that along the groin area with a #10 blade.

The face is the final touch for puppy’s first grooming.  Above shows the correct way to secure the puppy’s head for grooming procedures involving the head. Those chin hairs are a perfect handle and most dogs remain still while being held in this manner.  Some puppies need practice to understand the holding still part…hold until the struggle stops, praise and immediately let go while the puppy is still…repeat until he gets it.  Never let go while the dog he is still struggling…you will only have trained him to fight the process.  For a puppy’s first trim I use blending shears to carefully nibble down the hair on the top of the muzzle and under the eyes.  If the puppy is sensible…Bunker was very sensible…I follow the blenders with one swoop down the nose with a #10 clipper.  This move is to get the puppy used to the idea of clippers on the face…a real plus for future trims.

Bunker's finished groom

How do I use blending shears

Using blending shears is almost like waving a magic wand for a dog groomer…almost being the key word here. Quite some time ago Coquette, a Pomeranian Poodle X with an interesting brindle coat came to visit my grooming table for the first time. Her mom had given the scizzors a go trying to trim her at home. There is really nothing wrong with home grooming as long as you can live with the look that you create. Grooming dogs is not as easy as it seems…even the handy dandy videos showing how it is done over-simplify the process…just exactly where do they find those dogs that stand perfectly still I wonder! As you can see in the photo (A)

photo A

there were quite a lot of divots going down Coquette’s hind leg that needed “the magic wand”. The first step to fixing the problem was a good bath, dry and comb out. I then used the clippers to bring the rest of her coat down to the length of the home scizzored leg. The correct way to hold all types of shears is shown in photo (B).

photo B

All scizzoring on a dog’s leg infact should be done with the shears held as in photo (C)…held vertical and pointed downward.

photo C

I first fluff up the coat by combing in reverse to the growth direction. With the blending shears I use a snip, snip, snip motion, refluffing and rechecking the look as I go. It did not take very many of these snips to blend the divots down to an acceptable degree. Now I do remind myself as I go that it is not really a magic wand and the look of the leg will be improved but not perfect as shown in photo (D).

photo D

I will continue with the grooming process in future posts…clipper handling, leg scizzoring, ear trim etc using this lovely dog again.

How to groom a dog: techniques and insights

Okay folks, I am headed in a new direction with this dog grooming blog. There will be a series of “How do I” type posts to follow that will demonstrate the techniques that I use to groom dogs in my shop. There will be posts covering every thing from trimming nails to bathing and trimming hair, muzzles to shampoos…do’s and do nots. I am looking forward to sharing what I have been trained to do as well as what I have learned on the job…tips, insights, techniques. I have just had a couple of dogs come in with outrageously overgrown nails so I’ll be starting with “how do I trim dog’s nails?” See you soon with the first of many “informational” dog grooming posts.