Let's Share Our Own Little Tricks..

Polly

Polly

Super Moderator
Staff member
Owned by
1 cocker
I was thinking while I did my groomies this morning. Let's share some of our little tricks.

As you all know, Michael and I live in a little cabin. It's a chalet style, with one great room and a kitchen, butlers pantry (where my puter is and it also covers as my painting area) and bath..

I keep all my grooming tools with the exception of my clippers in a kitchen utensel basket and I keep that inside an empty small bucket. When grooming I take the basket out of the little bucket and use the bucket for snippets of hair etc while I groom. For me, it's a space issue. I also keep my ear solutions and mouth spray and eye drops in the window right by where I groom. This works very well for me.

My routine is to brush, do eyes ears etc every day that I'm off or that I work late. So this week my babies went 4 days without brushing because I opened the store 4 days in a row. Boy did they need it this morning!:p

They all know our routine and accept it, I like to get it done early and be over with it.

Who's next to share??
 
Like you, I keep the grooming tools and brushes in a basket, too. But mine's next to the sofa. I have only the one cocker, so grooming while watching tv works fine. But my fave tool in the basket? Trick I learned from another cocker list. Letter opener. The plastic kind, that usually have advertising on it, sorta rectangle shape, with one long plastic tooth, tiny razor at back. These are the *best* ever for picking the odd mat or tangle out from the armpits.

Also in the basket: pinbrush, slicker brush, Mars Coat King, comb with rotating teeth.

Best dog bath: drag dog into the shower with me! :p
 
Deborah great idea with the letter opener! I don't have too much trouble with Matts since I keep mine in a longer puppy cut. I use coat handler leave in rinse a lot of the time, and I use a silicone based leave in conditioner when I wash. I don't have a rotating comb either.. sounds like a great tool.

Okay next question.. I have always used Oster clippers. What do you all use? I have 3 full size oster clippers and one small size that I sometimes use for touch ups around the muzzle.. but not very often. I usually just stick to the full size.

I use a 10 on the face and ears. When I shave the back I use a 4F.

I have been trying to grow the backs out a little.

Tools in my bucket are: scissors, both straight edge, curved edge, and thinning, nail clipper (I'm trying to do nails myself since my vet's price went up to $22.00!) comb, slicker brush, briscle brush, and oster tool like coat king. I also use a halo ointment for noses.
At the bottom of my bucket (I never have to use it) is a "party hat" (Velcro muzzle)
 
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I use two different kinds of clippers - both are cordless and lightweight. Wahl Bravura clippers (can be used with and without the cord), which have an adjustable blade. Laube Speed Feed clippers which are cordless, also with an adjustable blade. I find Oster clippers the heaviest of all, and the quickest to heat up. I prefer Andis clippers if using corded clippers.

For scissors I use 8.5" straight shears (Heritage Stiletto shears) and 8.5" curved shears (Geib Gators). I also have a pair of Andre Tisserand 5" shears for between the toes. For thinning shears I swear by my Millers Forge #190 46 tooth thinners. They work the best for me by far.

I have a slicker brush, a pin brush (Vellus brushes are my preference as they last forever) and a mat remover brush (will look up the information, but Pet Edge sells them - they look like 2-sided slicker brushes). I keep a Poodle comb (Med/Fine combination comb with 1" teeth) and a regular combination comb (1/2" teeth).

For stripping I use a Medium Oster Coat Rake (similar to the Coat King, but I find it takes out more undercoat and it's all metal, so non-chewable!) and a Fine Classic stripping knife.

For detangler/anti-static spray I use Crown Royal Magic Touch #2 (I LOVE the smell) and Quicker Slicker. Those are the best ones I've found to date.
 
I keep my grooming tools in a basket under my bathroom sink. I have a pin brush, slicker brush, comb, and mat rake. I also have a good pair of scissors. Riley, in his old age, has become so sensative to pain that the slightest tug of a mat causes him to squeal like Piglet. He is very full coated. Sometimes if I cut vertically through the mat I can get it out without pain. Usually I just try to brush enough that there are no mats. For the clipping I keep the groomer's number by the phone. She is great and both the boys love her.
 
My dogs are clippered every 3 weeks and bathed when they need it. Probably once every two weeks. I never brush them. I bathe them and brush them out while I am drying them.

When they are in show coat...It is entirely different. Every 3 days bath condition and dry
sometimes I put them in 'oil'...which is once a week and then the fourth take them out.

Clipper work is done weekly as is scissor work.
 
Gina
Questioning minds want to know ^_^
What is "Putting them in oil" mean?:)
 
Polly said:
Gina
Questioning minds want to know ^_^
What is "Putting them in oil" mean?:)
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lol sorry..

I use a product made in California called Summerwinds. It is a blend of products that you 'leave in' the coat, It is used to put moisture back into coat that is bathed and dried frequently. It leaves an oily appearance on the hair, so they do not look very good...additionally its not a good idea to let them run around the yard ;) because the oil attracts dirt...it sticks to it lol

I only use it on dogs in extremely long coat that might have suffered some damage or If I need a heavier conditioner.
 
Gina, what do you do on your boys to cut down on urine staining underneath? Jack Jack has such light buff feathering that he's pretty much yellow underneath, and I hate it. Somebody told me that putting them in oil would help cut down on that . . .
 
KLADCkrs said:
Gina, what do you do on your boys to cut down on urine staining underneath? Jack Jack has such light buff feathering that he's pretty much yellow underneath, and I hate it. Somebody told me that putting them in oil would help cut down on that . . .
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First do not cut off the hair at the end of the penis...it acts as a spout and the urine will follow the hair.

Second...you can 'wrap' the side coat on the side he favors...but truley I don't think you can see it unless he is rolled over on his back so I really wouldnt worry about it.

Third...you can correct him when he hikes his leg....so he squats when he pees....

Buffs are not nearly as bad as parti color...THAT really looks yellow
 
Wow Kelly & Gina! I never thought of the pee stains on the long coat!

Kelly Jack Jack is so beautiful, the latest pictures you sent (this week) he seemed to look like a silver to me. He is stunning.
 
I'll try and get those pictures posted on the site tonight . . . I ran out of time yesterday. He's definitely not a silver . . . it's the flash bouncing off his coat. He's a regular old buff, but I think I'll keep him anyhow :)
 
I've never trimmed that hair, because I had heard before that it's like a spout. He usually does squat when he pees . . . but he's around a female in heat for the first time and now thinks he's the king of the universe. It's not doing him any favours in the housetraining department . . . he's driving my mother NUTS! I don't want a belly band on him too much, so he's in the crate a bit.

I know that it can't be seen when he's standing up, I just thought it would be nice to find a way to cut down on the staining. It looks so awful when he does roll over.

I'm thankful that I'm not trying to keep a parti coat clean . . . that would be a super tough job!
 
Interesting about the pee stains...I always trim the hair cause they bring droplets in the house if I don't. No one's got pee stains here but they all pretty much squat except Charlie. He's already so stained from being a yard dog it would be hard to tell which stain is which!

I too keep all my grooming stuff in a basket but in a closet in my dining/living room (great room). I do my dogs on my sheet-covered dining table as I don't have a regular grooming table. Mine get done once a week as well as the toenails but they're all kept reasonably short. I have a Wahl clipper which can be used without the cord but it doesn't seem to have enough power without being plugged in while trimming. Baths are maybe once a month as they don't get a chance to get really dirty. My yard is sectioned off with gates and fencing so they don't get to go in the back when it's muddy or dark out (possums). The area they usually go in is the driveway and a small grassy area that does not tend to get muddy very often.
 
Lets see:

Some of my tricks.

I agree, leaving a wicket on the noodle helps. I've seen girls with hair clips on the long leg fur to hold the fur in place so they don't dribble all over (during shows).

In my grooming area are pretty much the same things as Kelly, except for a few different brands.

I like to keep Cowboy Magic in the area, for working out matts in ears, but I shave pits, #10 -- just shave em down.

I like 44/20's for my blenders (thinning sheers), and I use a #4F over the top of the head for a decent pet topknot (taught to me by Michelle of Bleumoon). I use #10 and start at the ear curl and go up and over (crosshatch) the head and start on other ear and do same thing. After that I use the 10 at end of outside of eye and clean it up a bit, using my thinning sheers on the sideways angle going across head from front, to blend. ?

Even after I clip a back, I use my fine stripper to sort of make it look smoother. I like to clean out eyebrows with my thinners too - and give the middle area (between eyes) the inverted V.

Hmm,. what else. Oh I sometimes just mix up a special shampoo for different dogs.

I like to use the Mosers on last notch to clean out paw paddies.

I use my palm cupped sort of (as a guide) to clean up the foot (from back of foot) and do some bevels from the front, using my curved blades and going across the foot with scissors on an angel. HA, my own little goofy trick.

I use a Metro Air Force dryer -- but want to get some Shamwow's to see how they would work too. I brush up while drying, and scissor down to even up the legs. I like LONG scissors - but also love my bent shaft? scissors that are 7".

I use Crown Royale grooming spritz too. BUt sometimes I use "The Stuff" instead, on my black and tan and on the black poodle.

I use a Coat King and pull the upper leg fur (back legs) up and thin out underneath, to keep the top fur looking nice, but takes out that bulk, can do that with thinning sheers too.

Sometimes it all depends on the dog and their fur and skin. I don't go any shorter than a 7F on backs... mostly I like to do 5F on backs.

I think that's all I can think of for now. For most dogs (who aren't filthy dirty), I quick clip out a pattern, then bath, then finish.
 
KLADCkrs said:
I use two different kinds of clippers - both are cordless and lightweight. Wahl Bravura clippers (can be used with and without the cord), which have an adjustable blade. Laube Speed Feed clippers which are cordless, also with an adjustable blade.
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@KLADCkrs Do you know if the Bravura clippers work well with the attachment combs for full body pet clips? Rhett and Jude were shaved at some point before we got them and we'll be keeping them fairly short, but longer than they presently are. The description of the Bravura says that it's "excellent for feet, face and finish work", and several reviewers mention loving it for faces, feet, and sanitary trimming(?) - no mentions of backs, legs, or ears.

To the point... Do you consider the Bravura to be a good stand-alone clipper?
 
LOL, I am reading away and only realized I was on an older thread when I saw Karen's reference to Riley:eek:
 
Yes DJ.. this is a very old thread, and most of these members only visit our FB page now.
 
Polly said:
Yes DJ.. this is a very old thread, and most of these members only visit our FB page now.
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Dang it... I just saw how old it was. Sorry about that. Which FB page are you referring to??
 
Liz said:
Dang it... I just saw how old it was. Sorry about that. Which FB page are you referring to??
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We do have a private FB page liz send me a friend request and I'll add you. I'm Polly Bennett you will see the same avatar
 
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