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!

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):

***********************

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...)

Fall news: The vagaries of timing

Those of you following our website and blog over the past year may remember that we have been planning to have a winter/early spring litter, likely from Topaz, followed by a late spring/early summer litter from either Phoenix or possibly Galena.

 

We generally find spring/early summer puppies to be the easiest to place in homes. It’s generally the fall/early winter puppies that take longer to place and can end up staying with us longer than we’d like. Of course, there are other variables too, like the general economic outlook, amount of advertising we do, and so on. But that reality was behind our planning for the upcoming year.

 

Well, dogs being living creatures that don’t always behave as planned (whether purposefully or inadvertently), those plans have changed. We follow the heat cycles of our dams so we can predict roughly when they will be ready for breeding and plan the litters around the rest of our lives (or, sometimes, the rest of our lives around the litters…).

 

Topaz had been on a seven-month cycle so we were expecting her to go into heat in October, with pups born in December and ready for homes in February. While February is still winter, spring is on the horizon and by the end of the month the weather is starting to get a bit nicer, so we figured that would be good timing. As it turned out, however, Topaz came into heat in September, which would have advanced everything by one month. Given this, we decided to skip the fall mating – not so much because sending pups home in January would be difficult, but more because we have a heavy November schedule and I couldn’t see fitting November puppies into the rest of our lives – despite the fact that for the first few weeks it’s the mama who does 90% of the puppy care.

 

Phoenix was expected to come into heat after about 6½ months., in late July or early August, and then next February, so we were planning to use her next spring for the late spring/early summer litter. Instead she waited eight months and had her fall heat in September! This puts our spring prediction into question – could be March, could be May. We’ll see.

 

As for Galena, we had expected her to come into heat this past September and then next April. But instead she was a bit early, with an August heat cycle.

 

So what does this mean for spring? The current expectation is for Galena to cycle first, in February-March. Topaz could be next, sometime in March. Phoenix, depending on whether she reverts to a 6½ month cycle or sticks to 8 months, could be anywhere between mid-March and mid-May.

 

Given our plans for a major summer holiday next year beginning in late July, we need to plan to be puppy-free in advance of our departure. That means pups need to be born no later than mid-May, which in turn means breeding needs to take place no later than mid-March.

 

So which dogs will be the ones to have litters in spring? It could be any of the three, but here’s our best guess. We’re hopeful Galena will cycle first, by late February. We have a lovely black phantom stud picked out for her, which would produce pups in black and chocolate, solid or phantom. These pups would, if all goes as hoped, be born mid- to late April and ready for homes before the end of June.

 

The second spring litter is more iffy. It really depends on which dog cycles next – and whether either Phoenix or Topaz cycle no later than mid-March. We’re hoping it’s Topaz, but Phoenix is also a possibility. If it’s Topaz, we plan to breed her to a red parti male, giving us pups in shades of cream to red, either solid or parti. If it’s Phoenix, I’m not yet sure which male we’d use, but the preference would be a black or chocolate phantom to advance our ability to produce more phantom pups in the future. With this timing we would have some overlap of litters, which will make it a busy (crazy?) place through late May and June, but hopefully also fun!

Of course, there is also the possibility that both Topaz and Phoenix will cycle later, in which case we’d forego the second spring litter and aim for a winter litter instead.

 

So, best to continue to watch this space and our website for more updates as the winter progresses. Specific news is likely to start coming in February, as we see whether our current predictions pan out. As usual, if you’re interested in one of our pups, please contact us at roma@dragonramdoodles.com to express your interest and get on the reserved list! (We've already got a couple of pups on reserve, so best not to wait to get a better selection of pups.)

Upcoming Doodle Romps

October review

Thanks to brave dogs and humans who made it out to our October Doodle Romp. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, but the skies cleared just minutes before our appointed time and we enjoyed a lovely hour-long walk through the forest and fields (aka parking lots) – all four dogs and seven people.

 

November Romp

Next up: Sunday 23 November from at 3:00, meeting as usual at DragonRam HQ. The forecast for Sunday is looking pretty decent: high of 9 above, 40% chance of rain (so more likely than not there won’t be rain, especially not between 3 and 4, right?). So far we have seven dogs confirmed (in addition to our two) and their associated humans, so it promises to be a good crowd. (Were eight confirmed, but one had to bow-wow out.)

 

If you haven’t already, please rsvp to roma@dragonramdoodles.com, so we know how many canines and humanoids to expect. (But if you haven’t rsvp’d, feel free to come down anyhow!)

 

Christmas Romp - New Indoor Event!

The December Romp will be a new experiment for us. We have arranged to rent the premises of the Ottawa Canine School at 425 St Laurent Boulevard, on Sunday 21 December from 3:00 – 5:00, for a Christmas social for dogs and people alike. We will provide snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for both species, and there might even be some games and prizes. You’re welcome to drop in any time during the rental period and stay for conversation and canine challenges.

 

(Note: Owners must accompany their dogs. This is not a doggy-sitting event while you fetch those last-minute Christmas presents!)

All gone!

We are pleased to report that all our pups have now gone to their forever families!

Red Boy, Rococo, joined his cousin Hershey (from Galena's January 2013 litter), along with a human brother and parents. He went home Saturday morning, after our Doodle Romp. Hershey and family came to the Romp and were really taken with this active, friendly little guy. We are pleased he has gone to a home where he can share fun and games with brothers both canine and human!

Our black-and-white parti girl, Harmony, has gone to live with a couple in Hintonburg. She has a comfortable home with a tiny back yard that sh shares with people with big hearts. She will be well loved and looked after, and we look forward to seeing her on many a future Romp!

We now have a puppy-less house, for the first time in 11 months! Though three of those months we just had Ophelia Angel, the last little girl from Galena's fall litter who didn't find her family until May, so it wasn't as though we were swamped with pups. Still, it will be nice to have a few months' break. We'll be focusing on our two adult dogs, summer holidays, and seeing my daughter settle into Canterbury High School in fall.

Our next litters will likely arrive sometime in December. The first to arrive will most likely be a second litter from Topaz, coming perhaps mid-December. These pups will be ready to go home around mid-February - and we hope we will have families waiting for them then! If all goes well, we'll have a couple months off and then welcome a second litter from Phoenix, likely early to mid-May - though if the timing of her heat makes it look like the pups wouldn't arrive until the end of May we will have to skip this second litter for now, as we are planning a long summer vacation abroad in 2015 and need pups to go home by mid-July.

Over the next months this blog will be fairly quiet, but I will post announcements of upcoming Doodle Romps and hope to post general info about dogs, puppies, care and training, etc. etc. Plus photo updates of our pups!

Stay tuned!

Still available ...

Red Boy
Hi! I'm looking for a family I can adopt for my very own. Do you love to play tag or ball? I do! I really love to run and play hard. I'm brave too - not much can scare me, or if it does, I just go right over and show it I don't stay scared for long! I love to go on adventures and explore new places. Making friends is easy for me! The world is an amazing place, don't you think? If you can relate to that, I'd love to share the world with you.  

  Black Boy 

Hey there! I'm a pretty thoughtful, observant fellow. My brother, Red, goes crazy pretty quick, but me, I like to watch and figure things out before I run into the fray. Don't get me wrong - I love to play! But I'm not noisy and boisterous about it. I'm just as happy having a warm cuddly snuggle. I'm a pretty quiet dood. I'd love to adopt a family that's on the quiet side, too - active but not rowdy, energetic but not wild, if you know what I mean. If that sounds like you, gimme a call, how 'bout?

We hope to see you soon!

Gold boy going home soon!

Gold boy is an energetic, self-confident and people-focused pup who learns fast and is very resilient. He plays hard, gets a bit silly and then flops down for a nap - if possible, close to (or on!) his people so he can be in contact with you. He has a culry fleece coat with floppy ears and a brownish nose.

Goodbye to Piccolo!

Gota love that face!

This cutie (we call him Piccolo) received the following temperament description for the evaluators.

CAUTIOUS, ATTENTIVE, SILLY

Piccolo is a mellow, non-confrontational pup. He is apprehensive in new situations and will look to a human for guidance. He is a people pleaser and will bond very closely to his owner(s). When frustrated or challenged, Piccolo will bark and play posture. Piccolo uses his mouth to investigate and should be provided with many chew items. He is a resilient pup who enjoys playing with humans or other dogs.

Gold boy will be going to his forever home next Sunday, July 13. He will have a mom and dad who are home all day (being retired), and get lots of visits from kids & grandkids! He gets to live on a large suburban property with lots of outdoor space to explore. Lucky guy!