Welcome to our third part of Dog Grooming Tips For Beginners. This time, we will look at some Dog Grooming Techniques.

 

A professional dog groomer never stops learning new things. Every day there is something new to study or some new trend discovered. A technique that was acquired 10 years ago may change, and you have to adapt to the new ways things are done. However, the primary methods remain the same as they are tried and tested.

 

If you love working with animals (mainly dogs and cats), then a little extra study from time to time will no doubt be something that will interest and excite you.

 

Actually, in the next few weeks, I’ll be writing a post about the different courses of study available for working with animals, and grooming will indeed be one of the course topics.

 

Back to today, though. Dog Grooming, like hairdressing, is an art-form. The groomer is both a stylist but also, and more importantly, somebody who has knowledge of dog/cat health, the level of which will depend on their studies but all groomers should have studied basic hygiene and health.

 

 

Before taking your dog to a groomer, it is always best to ensure that you’re leaving her with somebody you can trust. Somebody who has the proper knowledge and skills in the following techniques, which are regularly used depending on the breed. This is, of course, after a good revision of your pet to make sure all is looking healthy, i.e. ears, paws, tail.

 

The aim of the groomer’s work is to make sure the animal ends up with an excellent aspect to their coat and overall condition. The coat must, in many cases, last a long time before another session so it should be able to protect your cat or dog in any season of the year.

 

The techniques used will all depend on the breed of dog or cat, the type of coat, the kind of cut requested by the client where appropriate for the breed, and other possible factors concerning each individual.

 

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It must be warned that these techniques require proper training from a professional dog groomer. If they are used in the wrong way, your dog/cat may end up with an injury, or at the very least, a terrible hairstyle!
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Stripping

Described in our last post here. This is the action of using a stripping knife to renew the hair in rough/wire-haired breeds such as the Schnauzer. The end result is a more robust and healthier coat.

 

Plucking

This involves literally pulling the hairs out with the fingers, using a rubber thimble as an aid if required. This is standard practice when removing hair from inside the ear canal of dogs or removing dead hairs from a cat.

 

Blending

This requires precision cutting. Blending means it is impossible to detect the fusion of one length of coat or layer with the next. All areas of the body are cut in such a way to conceal the “joins” of different zones. They are blended together.

 

Top-Knot

You might consider this one pretty easy. It is, after all, a ponytail on top of the head. However, there is skill involved in this so that the long hair which would typically hide your pet’s eyes, is pulled back but in such a way, that it doesn’t bother the animal. Going from personal experience, if I pull my ponytail too tight, I get a headache. So it’s always something to bear in mind if you do do this because your dog/cat can’t tell you if they have a headache and then reach for the paracetamol! There is a technique to it.

 

Genital Shaving

Yep, you read that right. This is for hygiene purposes and requires a very steady hand and the correct electric razor. As you can imagine, the hair around this area gets slightly dirty so best to keep it as clean as possible.

 

Carding

This is a technique which gets rid of dead hair from the undercoat. Whether you use a stripping knife (blunt is best here) or a Furminator, carding will remove the sub-coat leaving your angel feeling a lot fresher.

 

The hair is “dragged” out through the top-coat so you must be careful not to damage this. It takes skill and knowledge to get this right without damaging the top hair.

 

Any damage will be seen after a few weeks of hair growth. To finish, the coat is gone over with a comb to remove any stray hairs. The skin must be checked regularly for any sign of irritation. Not ideal for all breeds.

 

Clipper work (Flatwork)

Using a Shearing machine for a short effect. Flatwork, however, uses a longer blade for a more attractive finish.

 

Pedicure

Using either a small electric razor or rounded scissors (carefully), the hair between each paw pad is removed. At this stage, you could find anything stuck in there – chewing gum, cigarette butts, leaves, thistles you name it. This routine is vital for healthy paws.

 

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Summing-up

The above dog grooming techniques are necessary – according to each breed – so that your canine and feline friends maintain correct hygienic conditions. They will also be happier for it because they cannot get rid of excess dead hair themselves as they used to in the wild, rubbing up against trees or rocks.

 

Some groomers will include most of the techniques in a set price while others may decide to charge separately for extra work and concentrate on the basic needs of getting your dog clean.

 

Dog Grooming Tips For Beginners – Dog Grooming Techniques

If you fancy becoming a professional dog groomer, why not subscribe for updates here because coming soon, there’ll be a post about online animal courses you can take – grooming and other animal-related topics.

 

What do you think? If you found this post interesting, feel free to like it and comment below, and share with friends and family. My post regarding dog grooming tools may also be of interest. Thank you for reading.