Thursday 11 December 2014

Grooming supplies

Last week, I posted info about the book on Doodle grooming From Scruffy to Lovely. If any of you are interested in trying to do your own grooming, here is some info on what kind of equipment you will need.

The primary required tool is the clipper, which is the most expensive piece of equipment. Andis, Oster, and WAHL are the most common brands, and each seems to sell good quality equipment. Full price on a clipper will run you $150 to $200, but you can often find deals on-line that will reduce that by as much as half.

There are many different clippes available: corded, cordless, heavy duty, for small animals or large ones, with a case or just the clipper, and so on. Things to consider when choosing a blade include:
  • Noise level: Some clippers are advertised as extra quiet. Since your dog might shy away from the noise a clipper makes, it may be worth looking for a super-quiet model.
  • Heat: The clipper engine produces heat as you use it. Some have special features that help to reduce heat build-up. Keeping it well-oiled and functioning also helps to prevent dangerous heat build-up. Most clippers have automatic controls that will shut the clipper off if it gets too hot, but heat can still build up that may be uncomfortable for your dog. Look for a clipper with good heat-control functions.
  • Motor power: There are varieties of blade drives, with different torque and power levels. If you're like me, this isn't that meaningful. For a professional groomer I'm sure this worth paying attention to, but I figure most clippers out there will be sufficient for home grooming.
  • Detachable blades: These are must. Don't get a clipper where you can't exchange the blades or you'll be stuck with whatever clip length the blade gives you.
  • Blade compatibility: You want to make sure that the clipper will work with the other blades you buy (and vice versa). The info on clipper will indicate that it's compatible with X and Y type of blades (such as ultraedge and ceramic).
  • Corded vs cordless: This is more a matter of preference. We have a corded clipper and it works fine. If you prefer the cordless, so you're stuck to clipping close to an electrical outlet, that's fine too - you'll just have to make sure to charge the battery before you use it!
The clipper will most likely come with a single blade - usually for a very short cut (more of a shave than a cut). You will want to get one or two other blades so you can clip the hair to a more suitable length - as in not pretty much bald. We purchased the #3 and #3FC blades, which let you cut to 1/2" length - still short, but not naked. The "regular" #3 blade gives a "rough" cut, that is good for a first go-over to get through mats and tangles. The "FC" stands for "finish cut" and is what you'll use for a second go-over to get a cleaner, more tidy look. (Of  course, you can stick with just the regular blade if you like the scruffy look!)

Things to consider when purchasing blades include:
  • Compatibility: As noted above, make sure the blades you're buying will fit on the clipper you've purchased.
  • Blade type: The main types of blades I've seen are UltraEdge, CeramicEdge, and ShowEdge. UltraEdge are chrome plated high-carbon steel for a razor-sharp edge. Ceramic ones have a ceramic-coated high-carbon steel. The ceramic coating them to stay cooler longer, so help to prevent clip burns, while maintaining a super-sharp cutting edge. The ShowEdge blade (designated "SE" after the clipper size number, eg: #7SE) is a chrome-plated, carbon steel-edged blade designed to give the smoothest finish possible on a dog's coat. All are high quality and keep a good edge.
  • Blade length: The blade that ships with a clipper kit is usually a #10, which is 1/16" long - pretty short!! The bigger the number, the shorter the cut. A #7 blade is 1/8", a #5 is 1/4", a #4 blade is 3/8", a #3¾ blade is 1/2", (and a #30 blade is 1/50"!). (Note that the ShowEdge blade seems to cut a bit shorter - the #7SE says it cuts to 3/32", which is 1/32 less than 1/8".) We use the #3¾ blade. The half-inch cut is short enough to keep away mats, but still long enough to give a bit of insulation and good looks.
  • Blade style: Is it skip-tooth or finish cut? If there are no letters after the number, it's likely skip-tooth. Finish cut blades will indicate "FC" after the number (eg: #3FC). You will likely want one of each in the same blade length - the skip-tooth to do a first, rough clip, and the finish cut to give a nice, smooth, finished look to your dog's coat.
Blades will cost you between $25 and $70 each, depending on quality and whether you can get them on sale.

The clipper also comes with a variety of plastic combs that are supposed to snap on to help with combing out the hair, or to extend the length of the cut without needing a separate blade. In other words, if you use a 1/2" comb with the 1/2" blade, your final cut will be 1" long. Frankly, we've never used them, but that's more because I have yet to figure out how to get them to snap on than for any other reason.

A final necessity will be some cleaning oil. I believe the kit comes with a small tube, but you might want to get a small container as well. The blades should be oiled lightly before every cut, then wiped with a soft dry cloth to remove oil from the exterior surface. Spray lubricants are fine for cooling a blade if it gets too hot, but deliver insufficient oil for sufficient lubrication of the working mechanism. Blades should also be properly cleaned after use to ensure they stay clean and work well for many years.

For the clipper, two blades, and some cleaning oil, if you manage to get them all on sale the total cost will come to about $200-$250 including tax. If you only have one dog, that's equivalent to a bit less than one year's worth of grooming costs (depending on how often you get your dog groomed.) With two dogs, you'll recoup your investment within six months. Or you can get a professional groom every six months and use your clippers for touch-ups in between.

As for sources, you can buy the basic clipper sets at many pet stores - I've seen them at PetSmart. The stores may not carry as wide a selection of extra blades, however, so you might end up getting those on-line anyhow.

If you want to order everything on-line, Amazon.ca is a good source, or you can buy from stores like PetSmart, Walmart, or Canadian Tire. There are also sites dedicated to pet supplies. One such site is Ren's Pets, which is a Canadian site for a store with retail locations in the Toronto-Waterloo area. Another is GroomerStore.com, which is based in Arizona so prices are in US$. Both stores have a wide selection of grooming supplies as well as other pet supplies. Or you can order directly from the manufacturer: Andis, Oster, or WAHL (links to Canadian sites).

Happy grooming!

Thursday 4 December 2014

Book on Doodle grooming

I recently received an e-mail (actually a few e-mails) from someone who has written a book on how to groom your Doodle. The book is called From Scruffy to Lovely, and is written and sold by a Doodle-owner from the Netherlands (which has a good-sized Doodle community - one of our own pups went there as a breeder almost four years ago!)

I haven't checked out the book myself yet - because it hasn't been published yet! - but here is a bit of info from their website (slightly edited):

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Have you ever thought about learning
to groom your own Doodle professionally?

It's the perfect way to relax, spend quality time with your Doodle and improve your relationship.

On top of that you save a lot of money on grooming costs, you get to be creative and most of all: you get to decide how you want your Doodle to look, keep it groomed the way you love (and fell in love with when you first saw it) AND you take the responsibility for the well being of your Doodle in to your own hands.

Learning how to do it professionally is a party! After starting my grooming workshop business for Doodle owners in the Netherlands three years ago, I received so many enthusiastic reactions from the Doodle and Waterdog community worldwide that I decided to take my business online, teaching Doodle and Poodle mix owners all over the world how to groom their Doodle themselves, in a natural fluffy way.

Happy grooming!
Love, Wanda & Joy

***************************
The website is www.fromscruffytolovely.com. It indicates that the book is expected to come out in December 2014 / January 2015, so right now they're looking for pre-orders, but they do offer a free e-preview you can download for a taste of what's in the book. I've downloaded the preview and hope to post a review of the preview soon. The cost is $45.00 (likely US$ since it's a Dutch website) and they offer free shipping world-wide, which is probably worth about $10 for shipping to Canada.

The website also has a blog component (which, when I checked, seemed to have only 2 posts, but I'm sure more will come).

At our home, we started grooming our own Doodles about a year ago. I found paying $70 per dog for two dogs every three months or so to be a bit much, so (with some advice from Galena's dad, Martin, who has been grooming Galena and Frisou themselves for some time) I purchased the clippers off Amazon.

It's actually my kids who are doing the grooming, because "she's my dog, Mommy!" and they tell me I can't do a good job, though I've never even really tried because they always seize the clippers out of my hands every time I get them out! The kids tend to do the job in "bits and pieces" - do the clipping one day, and the brushing to remove mats a few days later. And I do have to admit that the result is not as professional-looking as when the actual professionals do it, but it's pretty good, and frankly I find that, if the dog is quite matted, the "pros' often just shave the dog down and don't spend the time to take out mats so as to leave the coat a bit longer,. So all in all I'm satisfied with what the kids do. (Even if I sometimes have to get out the matting tool and do a bit extra work myself once they say they're done, just to get the coat to a point I consider "finished.") I pay them $15-$20 per dog, which is pocket money for them and a lot cheaper than $70 per dog to the pros!

So I' might end up buying a copy of the book to consult and see if they have tips and tricks to suggest to make the job easier and even better-looking. (If I can get the kids to read it, mind...)