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| Photo by: Twenty20 |
To properly groom a dog, you must first get the right equipment: clippers, grooming table…
tips for grooming your dog.
To shear, comb, brush, maintain the hair, clean the ears, the eyes of your dog… place your dog on a grooming table.
Before grooming your dog, you must first take certain precautions. To give yourself all the chances to succeed in a beautiful cut, it is better to equip yourself with the necessary equipment. A good dog clipper with cutting combs, a grooming table, scissors for finishing, and shampoo, dryer, brush, etc. to groom your dog.
Proceed with method for cutting long hair. Follow some basic advice and with good professional equipment everything will go well, you will succeed.
EQUIPMENT FOR CLIPPING A DOG
Does your dog need a cut? The hair is long and you have decided to do it yourself and not to call in a professional groomer. You can be sure of success, however, it requires good equipment. As the saying goes, “good tools make good workers“.
Specialist advice: choose a good clipper, a grooming table to place the dog on high, round-tipped scissors for finishing (head, ears, paws), a dog brush, shampoo and a dryer.
You are ready to go. Step One
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| Photo by: Twenty20 |
The dog must be clean, otherwise if it is dirty, shampoo and shower mandatory. Dust, dirt, sand scattered in the fur would definitely damage the cutting blades of the lawn mower. You would then lose efficiency for the following cuts.
Install the dog at the right height on a grooming table, the position is comfortable. When the dog is perched he is less tempted to move. Placed on the ground he can run away and escape at any time. If possible, groom your dog when he is young. With experience the puppy will no longer be afraid of the session and will let himself be groomed without any apprehension.
The dog is on the grooming table; you will proceed with the shearing. Choose the right cutting height according to the season. In summer the plot is cut short, (3 mm), in winter (6 mm). In this cold season it is better that the animal keeps its natural winter coat.
Once again the choice of the clipper is important. Grooming equipment and professional clippers, it is inevitably more expensive than a low-cost clipper, will give you a better job. Trimming like a Pro. The blade glides through long, woolly and even tangled hair. The motor is powerful, quieter (an advantage so as not to frighten the dog) and faster. A first price mower heats up quickly, gets out of breath with use and mowing takes longer than usual. The dog then loses patience, he gets restless, the work becomes difficult.
To help you in your choice, we can advise you the Wahl Creativa professional clipper the best quality/price ratio. This very robust equipment, guaranteed for 1 year, is particularly recommended for intensive continuous trimming. This mower is perfectly suitable for long-haired dogs such as English Cocker Spaniels, Yorkshires and Shih Tzus.
For info a trimmer is used about 3 to 4 times a year. Certainly it is an investment at the beginning, but it saves you grooming sessions. This useful purchase will very quickly pay for itself and you will become an expert.
TIPS FOR GROOMING YOUR DOG
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| Photo by :Twebty20 |
If you are right-handed, hold your dog with your left hand and reassure him. When the blade is in position in the fur, hold the tool firmly in your hand (blade flat) and starting with the head, slide the clipper without too much pressure from top to bottom.
Proceed gently on the back, flanks, front side, neck, throat, chest and finally the legs. Always in the direction of the hair. Do not be afraid, the passage of the blade close to the skin does not risk injuring the animal. Nevertheless, watch the cut, by getting close to the skin you could possibly discover small wounds, moles (nevus), skin irritations, which should not be skinned.
Clip the whole body of the dog, ending with the legs. If you encounter knots, the hair is tangled, choose a clipping head to cut short. The blades then pass without forcing under the tangled hair. Keep the clipper blade flat. The cut is regular; the coat is pretty. Do not hesitate to lubricate the blades from time to time, a small bottle of oil is provided in the clipper pack.
The delicate areas where the risk of cuts in the skin could happen are the legs and under the armpits. When you stretch the paw and underarm you may touch the very thin folds of skin. If you are careful, however, it is possible to clip the dog anywhere on the body. Except of course the ears, the eye contour and near the paw pads, in which case you will have to change tools. Use dog scissors with round tips to avoid the risk of pricking the dog. Make sure the dog remains perfectly still when you approach these delicate areas. With grooming tables, professionals use straps to secure the dog.
USEFUL PRECAUTIONS TO MAKE THE WORK EASIER
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| Photo by: Twenty20 |
Should I wash my dog before clipping it?
Wash the dog only if the dog is dirty. The coat collects all the dust by electrostatic contact, it also recovers the sand, the earth during its outings. So yes, if the fur is very dirty, give the dog a bath. Dirt would cause damage when the cutting head passes through. The grains of dust and sand would damage the cutting edge of the blade.
Before bathing, it is essential to brush and untangle your dog. This will remove dead hair. If possible, use a shampoo adapted to the type of hair and the pH of the skin to preserve the natural balance of the skin.
Drying session before clipping
To dry the dog effectively, let him snort, then run a terry towel over the body quickly to prevent him from catching cold and use a powerful dog dryer while brushing the dog back.
If a bath is not necessary, groom directly. Once this is done you can shampoo, dry and repeat a second groom. Be careful if you are very close to the skin, check from time to time if the blade is not too hot. Turn off and touch the cutting head to test the temperature.
IS IT ECONOMICAL TO GROOM YOUR OWN DOG?
It’s a small calculation that anyone can make. How much does a grooming session cost? How often should my dog go to a professional. Look at the price of the clippers and do the ratio. Calculate the price by adding the price and the number of sessions.