DIY Grooming

Would you like to add dog grooming to your skills resume? Some people like to learn to groom their own dog to save money or to be able to do it on their own time schedule. Others enjoy the time with their dog. If you are thinking of adding this skill to your tool belt, here are some tips to get started.

A Few Tips...

I don't recommend learning to groom on a new puppy. It's a great time to learn maintenance like bathing and brushing and nail trims, but not a great time to pull the clippers and scissors out. Puppies are really wiggly as they learn manners for grooming. It's best to find an experienced groomer to start out to make sure grooming is a good experience. Give your puppy six months to a year and then ease in.
Start with a clean up groom. Trim their face, feet, belly. and base of their tail in between full grooms to start getting the hang of it.
Next, you can do the full grooming every other time. This allows you to be able to follow or see the pattern a groomer uses and helps in the learning process.
Make your grooming intervals shorter while you are learning. For example if you like to have your dog groomed every 6-8 weeks, go for every 4-6 weeks as you are learning.
Be patient with yourself and have a good sense of humor. Remember, hair grows back. 😉

Starter Supplies

It would be really easy to give you a massive list of a supplies and tell you to spend a thousand dollars, but I recommend you start simple until you know you are on board. Here's what I would consider the minimum to give it a shot:

Table. Grooming tables are really nice to have, but you can actually use a lot of table surfaces. The key is to have it high enough that you aren't bending and hurting your back and making sure that the surface is not slippery for the dog. You want your dog to feel safe and secure while they are standing on it. I've seen non-slip rubber door mats on chest freezers or work tables in the garage that work just as good as an official grooming table. Start here until you know DIY grooming is the right fit for you.
Clippers. I recommend NOT going cheap on clippers. If you go cheap, you'll probably wish you had put that money towards a good set of clippers the first time. A quality set of clippers will also increase the likelihood that you'll feel more confident in the learning process. I recommend cordless. The Andis Emerge clipper is a quality clipper for a reasonable price. See the link below.
Scissors/Shears. Truth be told, I used just a normal pair of scissors on my first Standard Poodle for many years. However, when I discovered curved shears, I wish I would have found them much sooner! Kenchii is a well-known brand for grooming tools. I listed 3 options below.
Blades. Clippers come standard with a 10 blade, I'd also get a 4FC and a 30 blade. The 4FC leaves the hair at 3/8." It's a nice velvet length. Remember with clipper blades that the smaller the number, the longer the cut. The larger the number, the shorter the cut. 4FC is your longest blade to use for the body. 10 is what I use on the belly and base of tail. The 30 blade is for paws and face (for a traditional Poodle groom). If you'd like to save money at first, you could skip the 30 blade and use the 10 blade. Or, if you like a longer cut on the face and feet (more like a teddy bear face), then skip the 30 blade.

Assuming that you already have a slicker brush and a metal comb, you can do a very simple groom with just these supplies. Start here and then add as you go.

Bare Minimum Starter Supplies:

Andis Emerge Clippers

The Andis Emerge is a cordless clipper and has a detachable blade that is easy to change. They come in purple or blue right now.

Blades

I use 3 main blades:

4FC on the body.
30 on the face and feet.
10 on the belly and base of the tail (this one comes standard on clippers).

Shears

If you want to start cheap, these off brand 7" curved shears are a start.

You will notice a massive difference in quality stepping up to a Kenchii brand. The 6.5" ball tip is beginner friendly.

If you have a little experience, the Kenchii 8" curved shears are what I use and the best shears I've ever touched. They cut so well!

Bath & Blow Dry

Every groom starts with a good bath. You want a clean coat to work with. Dirt will dull your clipper blades and make it difficult to clip the coat evenly.

Here are some bathing tips I've learned from professional groomers:

Let the shampoo sit for at least 5 minutes before rinsing. Shampoos need time to loosen dirt, oils, and buildup from the skin. If you rub it on and immediately rinse it out, you won't get them as clean as you could.
If your dog is real dirty, rinse and repeat the shampoo. I was hesitant to spend the time when I first read this tip... but I've tried it... and I can tell a difference.
Use lukewarm water (not hot).

Drying your dog:

Always use a towel to dry your dog first. If possible use a high velocity dryer to blow them dry. The reason this is helpful is because when their coat air-dries... the hairs stick together. Hair that sticks together is the beginning of a mat. If you blow their coat dry, the hairs dry separated. High velocity dryers are an investment, but worthwhile if you can make the investment. You can start DIY grooming before you get a blower, but if you think you are going to keep it up, I'd recommend fitting it into your budget. You'll be glad you did. A blower really decreases a lot of brushing AND it leaves them so soft and fluffy!

Plum Silky Shampoo

There are a lot of good shampoos out there. My "go-to" is Plum Silky, which is made by Nature's Specialties. It's concentrated, so you want the mixing bottle to dilute it.

High Velocity Blower

The best blower I've found for a balance of cost and quality is the Flying Pig brand. It has variable speed to adjust for puppies and around ears and eyes. It also has temperature control. I don't use this feature as much, but it's there if you want it.

KONG ZoomGroom

This is a rubber scrubber for bath time. It helps get a good lather and scrub down to the skin and it’s soft enough to scrub their legs. It’s especially handy for adventure dogs who get particularly dirty.

More Tools & Supplies

Once you have gotten started with grooming your own dog, here are some more tools and supplies you can add to your collection. I gathered these slowly as I learned and practiced.

Grooming Table

I have a 46" grooming table. This is the bigger size. If you'd like something a little smaller to fit in your space, the 36" table is also a good choice and will fit most Standard Poodles.

Hydra Spray

I love this detangling and finishing spray for brushing. It’s made by Hydra, which is a line of grooming products. It smells good and really helps in the brushing process. It leaves their coat feeling soft. I wouldn’t consider it inexpensive, but it does last a long time and it’s worth it in my book.

Grooming Tutorials

With the tools and supplies that you need, here is a collection of tutorials on different styles of haircuts for Poodles:

Mini Groom

This is what I do in between full grooms on my dogs. It's basically a "clean-up" groom. Trim the face, feet, and tail/sanitary.

Basic Puppy Cut

This groom is probably the simplest to start with. I'll show you a couple of variations.

Miami Cut

I like this one on my girls. I never thought I'd have pom poms on my Poodles, but my daughters begged me a couple years ago... and then I decided I liked it. It's a mixture of easy maintenance with a short cut on the body, with fun bracelets for a taste of a little fancy.

German Cut

I like this one on my boys. It's a little more sharp and dignified and masculine in my opinion.