Hi

could anyone tell me the best size of curved scissors to use and who makes the best scissors and thinning shears?
also why is there hair left exposed at the end of the ear when it is wrapped? does this not get dirty when the dog eats?

thanks

Have PM'd you

It is impossible to say who makes the best, as waht is perfect for one person does not suit another.  Best bet is to try out lots of different ones on the trade stands at Ch shows (especially Crufts)  And curved sicssors dont suit everyone anyway.  I only use straight ones 90% of the time.

Concerning ears, not evertyone puts vet wrap on the ears - we rarely do, however, snoods cover all the ear hair for eating, drinking or travelling.
bye
Gwen

Hi BN, it's all down to personal preference really, use what you feel comfortable with. I have found that it's not always the most expensive equipment that feels the best. The best scissors I have ever used cost me less than a tenner, and I've never owned a pair of curved scissors. As Gwen says, get to the trade stands and handle the goods to find what feels nice. I also have a pair of really cheap clippers too, and I like them better than my Osters.

I also use snoods instead of wrapping ears, but as far as I can tell, wrapping isn't intended for long term use, so I can't see how the hair could get that dirty in a few hours, which is as long as I would like to wrap ears.

Do come back on and talk Yankees, there are a few Yankee enthusiasts here.

Dawn R.

thanks everyone for the advice.
I got the idea of the vet wrap for the ears from watching the american handlers using them when I was at the shows there for a while. However, how do you keep the ear hair straight with a snood. Does it not cause the hair to go wavy?

BN

Hi BN, glad you came back, some dogs just have wavy hair and that's that. I have 3 bitches in the ring at the moment, one has very slightly wavy ears and the other two have straight hair on the ears. The snoods don't make straight hair wavy, but maybe I should try wrapping Kitty's ears to see if it keeps them straighter. I think the secret is to ensure that the dog is blow dried really thoroughly, because a trace of dampness might encourage a bit of a wave.

Dawn R.