BarbV
Forums Celebrity
He's pretty thick for 4 months, but alot can change. He can either be late losing his puppy coat or early getting his adult coat.
So basic grooming tools....
First piece of advice, invest in the best that your pocketbook allows. When I brought Bacca home, I went to Petsmart and just bought one of each of what I thought I needed. I quickly found out the difference. One, the brushes don't last (the pins get all pushed in). Two, the scissors/clippers are inadequate (don't stay sharp and they pull and pinch)
Your tool box will expand as you get more comfortable with grooming, but here is a basic kit bag:
1) Good quality pin brush. 20 mm is a good starter size but I've a 35mm which is great on Indy's fat pants
2) Slicker brush. Look for one that has a soft pad, and fairly soft bristles. If the brush is too stiff, you will not be able to get the matts out efficiently. Don't get one too large (go for medium), so you can get into the smaller areas. You'll use the slicker on ears, feet, hocks, thinning out the pants, long hair on front legs.
3) Scissors - start with the best quality you can find at the drugstore. You'll want straight scissors, thinning shears, and probably small round tip for those tight areas. These are poop chute, ears, feet and sometimes thinning the pants.
4) An inexpensive clipper. I use a cordless ladies bikini shaver (advice I got on this forum). Its lightweight and small. It allows me to get into tight spots. And its not so powerful that I'm going to slip and take out huge hunks. I use it on the poop chute and feet (sometimes easier than scissors)
5) A rake or furminator when shedding season hits.
6) And now the nails! I'm a huge dremmel (nail grinder) fan. I used to try to clip myself but was always nervous and never trimmed close enough. So the nails always got too long. I started with a Peticure. Skip it and go straight to a the Dremmel Stylus 1100. Otherwise, if you are going to clip, invest in a good pair of clippers and keep them sharp. Otherwise, you are going to tug on their nails when you clip and noone will be happy.
7) And finally the cosmetics: I use Show-off dry shampoo for quick fix ups. Ice on Ice Conditioner when I'm grooming (I dilute it some to make it go further. Don't need full strenght for every day). And I've recently discovered baby powder. It's great for helping to work out matts before you start working through them with the slicker. And I like to rubb some into their ruffs to fluff them up abit. A little bit like chalk, but does not leave behind a residue that requires washing out.
I've got more, but those are my basics.
So basic grooming tools....
First piece of advice, invest in the best that your pocketbook allows. When I brought Bacca home, I went to Petsmart and just bought one of each of what I thought I needed. I quickly found out the difference. One, the brushes don't last (the pins get all pushed in). Two, the scissors/clippers are inadequate (don't stay sharp and they pull and pinch)
Your tool box will expand as you get more comfortable with grooming, but here is a basic kit bag:
1) Good quality pin brush. 20 mm is a good starter size but I've a 35mm which is great on Indy's fat pants
2) Slicker brush. Look for one that has a soft pad, and fairly soft bristles. If the brush is too stiff, you will not be able to get the matts out efficiently. Don't get one too large (go for medium), so you can get into the smaller areas. You'll use the slicker on ears, feet, hocks, thinning out the pants, long hair on front legs.
3) Scissors - start with the best quality you can find at the drugstore. You'll want straight scissors, thinning shears, and probably small round tip for those tight areas. These are poop chute, ears, feet and sometimes thinning the pants.
4) An inexpensive clipper. I use a cordless ladies bikini shaver (advice I got on this forum). Its lightweight and small. It allows me to get into tight spots. And its not so powerful that I'm going to slip and take out huge hunks. I use it on the poop chute and feet (sometimes easier than scissors)
5) A rake or furminator when shedding season hits.
6) And now the nails! I'm a huge dremmel (nail grinder) fan. I used to try to clip myself but was always nervous and never trimmed close enough. So the nails always got too long. I started with a Peticure. Skip it and go straight to a the Dremmel Stylus 1100. Otherwise, if you are going to clip, invest in a good pair of clippers and keep them sharp. Otherwise, you are going to tug on their nails when you clip and noone will be happy.
7) And finally the cosmetics: I use Show-off dry shampoo for quick fix ups. Ice on Ice Conditioner when I'm grooming (I dilute it some to make it go further. Don't need full strenght for every day). And I've recently discovered baby powder. It's great for helping to work out matts before you start working through them with the slicker. And I like to rubb some into their ruffs to fluff them up abit. A little bit like chalk, but does not leave behind a residue that requires washing out.
I've got more, but those are my basics.