Techniques

Everyone’s pet is special to them. And to prove it, some pet parents like to dress their fur kids up in designer outfits with flashy jewelry, or have unique creative styles, colors, and designs put on them.

As the Doodle population explodes, the diversity of their body type, shape and size, as well as coat type and texture is also expanding. There is no “cookie cutter” trim for the Doodle so we must adapt to the dog presented to us.

Cutting the nails on some dogs is as easy as picking up a paw and trimming or Dremeling each nail, but there are too many dogs that do not take to nail care that easily.

Over the years I have always done modified grooming. It conforms to the dog and comes from my heart, head and hands.
There is no right or wrong way to these styles as it is the job of the groomer to bring out the best in every pet and make the owner smile with delight when they see what we have been able to create with their beloved pet.

In my decade of experience behind the grooming table, I have come across hundreds of “difficult” dogs. You know the ones I’m talking about; the tap dancers, the shut down, flat pancake of a dog that can’t bring itself to stand up, and my personal favorite—the snarling, lunging dog trying to bite the scissors out of your hand.

The Samoyed is a double–coated breed that requires extensive coat care to keep them in good shape. This can prove to be a challenge for the average pet owner who may desire a tidier, cleaner appearing dog adorned by coat furnishings that are less likely to attract every sticker, twig and leaf in the yard. This heavy-duty maintenance places them on our Bread & Butter list.

As groomers, as much as we would like to finish a pet to our standards, it isn’t always possible. I have three such dogs as clients.
Cher is a 15 year–old Yorkie, whose limitations are due to her age. The aptly named Iffy is both geriatric and cantankerous. And then there is Pica. Pica is a 6 year–old Rottweiler.

Razor Pens are the newest creative carving tool hitting the grooming scene. Like many tools in our industry, they are a cross over from the beauty industry. The small pen–shaped tool holds a very thin, very sharp razor blade that is folded and inserted into the shaft of the pen that holds it.

I have just returned from a trip to Pooch Styles Pet Grooming in District Heights, Maryland where I met with the owner of Pooch Styles, Kyonna Brown, and her staff for a fun filled day of Creative Styling. Kyonna has some very enthusiastic and trusting clients who happily entrusted their fur kids to us for a “who knows what might happen kind of day”.

Right now I am working with a miniature Poodle who used to bite if you tried to pick him up. His owners didn’t feel comfortable attaching a leash to his collar for the same reason. At the same time, his groomer had no problems with handling this dog.

I confess…I am a stripper. I know, shocking as it may seem, I love to hand strip, roll coats, pluck and twist. Whew, feels good to confess that I use a stripping knife and stripping tools a lot in my grooming, and sometimes even on non-terrier breeds!

As professionals, we are constantly striving to bring the best to our clients. At least we should be trying, as sometimes it’s a fine line that separates us from our competition.