So we bought a nail clipper and an electric trimmer. Then came the hard part - using them!
Prince Alvin, the Groomer's Dream
At 7 months,
Alvin is (sometimes) calm AND he's been groomed by a professional. He does not seem to mind the clippers. As long as I hold his head, he's lulled into a trance by the sound of it.These dog grooming clippers induce a hypnotic state for Alvin.
Sir Simon, the Groomer's Nightmare
This puppy may look innocent, but he's a little monster. Grooming Simon is not easy. Besides the fact that he has the attention span of a flea, the only way we can use the trimmer is if someone is feeding him treats at the same time.The bad news is that during today's grooming session he ate a few too many treats mixed in with a few hair balls and barfed them up an hour later. He also has a few barer patches when he moved unexpectedly. He's good for about 2 minutes; then, he loses focus on the treats and starts moving.
The good news - over the last 3 times we've groomed him (once a week), we found out there was a puppy underneath all that hair. And he should associate grooming and the treats. Eventually, his grooming will get easier.
DIY Dog Grooming Tips
I can understand why you would not want to groom your dog on your own. But here's a plan that might work:
- Get a cheap pair of clippers, scissors, brush, and a nail trimmer. Some dog grooming packages come with a DVD showing you how to groom. Note that the dogs in these DVDs are always perfectly calm!
- Get your dog groomed professionally at least once. Take pictures so you know what he's supposed to look like.
- Once you're ready to clip your dog (wait until he's at least 6 months old), get someone to help you . They can hold the dog's head so you can clip.
- Feed the dog treats while you clip if he's not cooperating.
- Clip in short increments of time - no more than a few minutes.
Best of luck with your DIY grooming!
valmillsy
