Hi

A friend of mine knows that I have attended a breed specific grooming course (my breed is a CKCS) and that I am starting my city and guilds grooming course.  She has asked me to groom a friends shitzu cross (dont know what with but it looks very much like a shitzu) - I wouldnt be charging I would be doing it for the practice but is there anywhere I could get an online grooming guide to take a look at?

I only have a 10 blade for my clippers as well so think this would be a bit short.... any idea what blade I should be using?

thanks

Maxine

Hi maxine ,
what clippers do you have??? I use a 12mm or a 9mm for teddy bear cuts on my aesculap clippers. 12mm is nicer as they still look quite fluffy but a lot of owners prefer them a bit shorter. PM me if you need any more info.
mel.

Bit late coming on, but most of my clients like the body and legs done with a 7F, then you trim the head sort of round and leave the tail alone. My personal preference is to do the body with a 5/8 blade which leaves the hair tidy but fluffy, but only one of my clients likes the dog fluffy!

That is weird, people get a Long coated breed and then wanted a scalped sausage with a mop of a head and feather duster for a tail, weird.

If your going to have a coated breed at least they could leave a couple of inches of coat on it for goodness sake.

I'm with Brainless,

what is wrong with a Tibetan Spaniel????    Small, cute, fluffy round the edges and easy to care for coat :)

I really think most people just buy what they are used to seeing rather than looking for something they really like :(

When I've done Shih Tzus, I've scissored them all over to about 2 - 3 inches.  At least it makes them look like a Shih Tzu pup and the coat is easier to keep combed :)

Personally I feel most dog groomers want to clip everything they can as it's quicker and makes a bigger visual difference to the owners :(

> When I've done Shih Tzus, I've scissored them all over to about 2 - 3 inches.  At least it makes them look like a Shih Tzu pup and the coat is easier to keep combed :)
>

That is how I like to see pet coated breeds, it is a nice compromise.

Totally annoys me too.  But I think a lot of pet people see "pet" examples on the street and think that's what they actually are supposed to look like.

> But I think a lot of pet people see "pet" examples on the street and think that's what they actually are supposed to look like.

Surely not they look awful like that, how could anyone be attracted to that shaved black pudding with  a mop and feather duster look.

My local library used to stock a lot of older dog breed books with photos from the 1960s and 70s when the majority of dogs had a lot less coat than they do now - maybe people have looked at these and been attracted by the photos, or remember what the breed looked like in the past.

I saw a photo of a Bearded Collie in Dog World this week with a coat almost to the ground - virtually a different breed to the first Beardie Champions who looked rugged and able to work sheep all day.

There's a bit of a difference between over coated and shaved though.  Scissorign to a couple of inches woudl surely give the look of a less coated or immature version fo what the breed shoudl look like.

I don't like to see the over stuffed looking dogs.  In many breeds it seems that the undercoat which is normally dense and fairly short seems to have been elongated along with the rest for the coat and makes for a dog that is not weather proof the way it should be.  Rough collies come to mind as well as the bearded etc

well how has the shih tzu hair cut gone? if she want it really short all over i would do a 7f shave trimming the head an tail. a 4f or 3f also gives a kinda fluffyier look but still short, if u oly have a 10 blade do u have some comb attachment to go over it a half inch or a quarter inch would give a nice fluffy shih tzu trim useding it every where on the dog ie on the head and the legs, just make sure the dog is totally knot free and clean before u use them to get the best results. good luck

Hi everyone

thanks for all your replies.  well the two dogs came today - one a black and tan king charles - nervous as hell and very snappy!  I trimmed the tail, the feet, the back legs, the ears, the rear end, and tidied up the tummy - didnt use the clippers because becaue I thought it would go too short with the blade I had and it wasnt a long and unruly coat anyway .  I have Andis Pro clippers so will need to invest in some extra blades.  

The shitzu cross looked to me like it was crossed with tibetan spaniel - beautiful silky coat quite long.  So again I did a good neaten and trim everywhere.  They both looked lovely when they left - were very smelly and matted when they arrived.

The actual owner was on holiday so I decided not to risk going too mad and her being unhappy - rather to make them look very smart and shiny and hopefully she will come back another time.

I enjoyed doing them though - so may be looking for more willing volunteers soon!

thanks again everyone I'm sure I will be back with more questions soon - 

Maxine

Got to have a quick word on Beardie coat Barbara sorry.  Even the luxurious soft blue Beardie coat is very waterproof. Its very hard to get them wet for a bath and they remain dry underneath when the outercoat is wet.  I have a blue bimbo boy with the overcoated look but he can still do the job and is weather proof, now the girls have the harsh coat and although long it is weather proof too.

Have to agree about the scissor cut It does look very nice on a pet Beardie also where shaving tends to cause problems with the coat later and once started its is continued because of the difficulty of managing a shaved coat that is regrowing.

Only my two pence worth

I've been asked to groom a beardie - that has a long awful matted coat.  My friend says its her sisters dog and its so bad they are ashamed to take it out!!!!!!!!!

I've just said - one day! - but if its that bad I will have to do it in stages otherwise the dog is going to get a bit upset.  When I see it I'll come back to this post to take a look at the beardie comments....

In Response to echo

Thanks for that Echo I did wonder if the overcoating of the beardies compromised teh weatherproofing, and glad to hear it doesn't.

Yep still waterproof and bathing takes for ever until you actually get the undercoat wet. 

In response to the grooming issue, the most difficult job you are ever going to have is convincing owners that they must take responsibility for grooming their dogs.  Its not just a once a month trip to the groomers but a lifetimes dedication to the comfort and well being of the animal.

My guess is that you will end up shaving quite a few Beardies as once matted they are difficult to de tangle.  If you want to give it a try firstly secure your dog belly band and head band no matter how friendly your charge appears. If the owner hasn't been able to groom it it is unlikely to appreciate anyone else trying.

Take it one step at a time 20 minutes each time.  You may be able to release some of the guard hairs from the top coat, if you can clip them up out of the way and look at the matt.  It is likely to be mostly the soft undercoat. Put your hand as close to the dogs skin as you can get and scissor away from your hand and the dogs skin along the line of growth (toward the tip of the hairs). Depending on how bad the knot its you may have to make quite a few cuts then tease away the hairs you have released ( I find using the end of a comb with rotating teeth best for this).  There is no easy way round this it is a long process.

Once a beardie is shaved off rather than trimmed a whole new set of problems can emerge.  The harsh outer coat (not so much in Blues and Fawns) will grow reasonably straight, while the soft undercoat will come through in a wave or even a curl until there is some length to it.  If the owner does not groom the dog daily from here on it the coat will soon tangle again and you will have a Beardie back for shaving.

Sadly that's life and if it give the dog a better quality of life, because lets face it they wouldn't be paying to have it groomed if they didn't care for it, then that's how it must be.  Matts are a recipe for all sorts of skin complaints and carry a big rental sing for every bug going - new home here bargain basement.

Echo - thanks for that - very interesting.

I have yet to see the dog - its a lady we know from our caravan site and although I know she has the dog with her because I can hear it and it is only two caravans away from me I have never ever set eyes on it.  I can only imagine how bad it is!!  Its the ladys sister who has the caravan next door to me that has asked me if I would have a try....

thanks again

Maxine

Sounds like you did a nice job - of course a Charlie should never be clipped anyway, just shorten the feathering like you did, and if they have a thick woolly coat like the neutered ones get, a Mars Coat King or Furminator is great for stripping out the fluffy rubbish. Of course if they were smelly and matted you may need to persuade the owner to bring them in more often or they will just get back in a state again, if the owner isn't grooming sufficiently.

Reminds me of a companion show I was at a couple of years ago.  One exhibitor had a couple of lhasa apsos in full coat (looking very posh) and during the course of the day a couple wandered over with a lhasa clipped as short as possible.  They made a huge fuss of the full coated lhasas but then enquired what breed they were!

Just thought I would let you know - I had some feedback at last from the lady whose dogs I groomed while she was on holiday.  She was really really pleased - gave my friend some money to pass on to me and has said she would like to bring them to me in future....

I am really pleased...

That's great!

Sheltiepap, happened to me once in the vet, I had my blenheim Cavalier boy in for a scan (Crufts class winner among many other awards so I KNOW he looks like a Cav!), and 2 people were there with a gorgeous black & tan Cavalier puppy which of course I went over to admire, and they asked what breed my boy was!!!