Objectives

• Understand why dog trainers benefit from understanding basic grooming.
• Understand why dogs may have difficulties while being groomed
• Understand what common grooming equipment is used for
• Understand basic safety precautions for grooming

Why understand basic grooming?

• Maintain the health and appearance of dogs in your care.
• Grooming can be a bonding/trust-building experience for the handler and dog.
• Teach owners how to care for their dogs beyond training.
  • Incorporate conditioning/counter-conditioning/training into grooming for clients.
    • group classes
    • private lessons
    • CGC requirement
    • in-kennel
  • Save the owners money and stress when they learn to maintain their dogs.
• Assist with any behavior problems related to grooming when you understand the basics.
• Add, based on your skill level, grooming services to your business
• Be better educated if incorporating a professional groomer into your business model.

Why do dogs have problems with grooming, even with reasonably skilled groomers?

• Handling by someone that they do not have a relationship with:
  • general fear and mistrust (paws, ears, genitals, face)
    • sounds (electric hair clippers, driers, dremels)
    • triggers fight or flight
  • social conflict
    • forced grooming has social significance in many animals
    • forced positioning, restraint
    • touching, eye contact, etc.
• Pain/discomfort
  • nails trimmed too short
  • ear infections
  • detangling hair (pulling)
  • electric trimmers
    • pulling hair
    • hot blade
    • lacerated skin folds
  • positioning
    • arthritis
    • neck discomfort
    • fatigue
• General lack of attention to stress signals

Grooming Tools to Know:

If you have client dogs in your care it is an absolute must to know some basics about the use of grooming tools.  You will also be a source of information for instructing new puppy owners on how to keep their pups well cared for.

Combs and Brushes

safety considerations

• Pay attention to the strength of pull on tangles and stress signals from the dog
• blade awareness on certain tools
• Thoughtfully use the tool that causes the least discomfort for what needs to be done

Comb

Slicker brush

Mat comb

Undercoat rake

Shedding blade

Furminator

Be aware that it can damage the coat and skin. It is made using a clipper blade, so it actually will cut hair.  Many reviews are complaining about how this tool causes bald spots!  Although this tool is not a favorite of mine, it is good to know what it is since many people do use these.

Shears

safety considerations

• Hold properly to encourage steady hands
• Do not tent skin
• Do not use for de-matting
• eye-awareness (make it impossible to poke the eyes)

Thinning Shears

Straight and Curved Shears

Electric Hair Clippers Playlist:

safety considerations

• Be careful of skin folds, nipples, skin tags, etc..
• Be aware of blade temperature
• Do not move clipper faster than it can cut

Grooming Tables and Restraints

How to bath a dog:

Karen Becker gives a good overview and points to consider here.  One of the most important things to take away from this video is the cotton in the ears and general caution in cleaning the face.

How to put in Eye Ointment or Drops:

One thing not covered in the bathing video is putting petroleum ointment in the dog's eyes prior to a bath that may involve soap or medicated shampoos around the eyes.  These videos illustrate technique for safely placing ointments and drops.

example with an aggressive dog:

Clipping Nails:

How to clip nails using plier clippers:

How to clip nails using guillotine nail clippers:

How to use the Dremel:

How to clean the ears:

How to brush a dog's teeth:

This is an older video (please don't make fun of me :).  But, some clients will ask about cleaning teeth.  Usually, a dog will not need its teeth brushed if the dog is an active chewer.  Brushing teeth will help with dogs that do not chew much for various reasons.

How to Clean a Dog's Eyes:

Puppy massage:

This is a basic exercise that can be done with pups and modified to a degree with older dogs to build tolerance to some of the more invasive grooming procedures.

Here are a couple of videos where you can watch Full Grooms: