Groomers are trained professionals that are experienced in using tools such as, clippers, shears, brushes and other various products on your canine. When you try to do it yourself the outcome maybe different than you were expecting. Grooming your dog may not be as easy as you think.
I went under google and typed in "Do It Yourself Grooming" and many articles and youtube videos came up all teaching people on how to groom. Reading though these articles they all seemed very detailed but one thing was missing, and that was the negatives to grooming your canine by yourself.
Being that I am a groomer I can walk you through the steps and point out the negatives to each one step.
Step one is brushing your canine. Brushing is very important because it will get out those tangles and knots. You should brush before you bathe your dog to reduce the risk of creating more knots than what was originally there. Knots aka matts tend to tighten when wet and can create a larger problem. One negative to brushing your dog is not knowing how. Professional groomers use a slicker brush which is to help in breaking the knots apart. This brush has many tiny metal bristles that if you are not careful can cause brush burn. Brush burn is where the bristles scratch and irritate the skin and if severe enough can cause infection and severe bleeding. Another negative to brushing your canine is if you do not brush them often there will be a lot of knots and pulling them to get them out can cause the hair to be ripped out of the skin causing your dog pain and soreness. Matts are very dangerous also and in certain areas of the body like the tail and legs the matts can wrap around and cut off blood circulation.
If you are giving a haircut there is so many negative out comes. When using a clipper and a blade to cut the hair, you can cause serious damage and may have to make a trip to the vet. Blades are two pieces of metal rubbing together at a very fast speed. There is a space between the teeth of the blade that skin can get through and be cut resulting in bleeding and serious pain. The blades also get very hot and if not checked can cause 1st and 2nd degree burns on the skin. The last one that I will talk about but not last overall, is sometimes not with a gentle hand you can poke the blade points at the skin and cause punctures and/or red marks.
Cutting the hair with scissors is something that I recommend to be done by professionals. Groomers use scissors that are sharp enough to cut paper with grace. There is so many chances and potential to cut the skin of the dog. There are so many places on a dogs body that are "heavy bleeders". The ears and tail are the biggest, they take a lot of work to stop bleeding. Now that the subject is taken care of we can move on.
Step two is the bathing process. This seems easy enough, put the dog in the tub and just wash them like you would your own hair. It's not that simple though; a lot of people do not realize how detrimental a simple bath could be to their canine. When bathing you have to be consciously aware of the water temperature, is it ice cold, scolding hot, or just right. Canines do not have the ability to tell you when the water is too hot, and you could cause them burns to the skin. A good rule of thumb is; if you would not put your head under it than do not put your canines under it either. One very important negative and dangerous side of bathing your canine is that they do not have the ability to hold their breath under water. One of the first things that professional groomers learn about bathing is to be very careful not to get water up the dogs nose. If you get water up their nose they can end up inhaling it into their lungs and aspirate. An emergency visit to the vet is something that can be avoided.
Step three is now that your dog is wet you need to dry them off. Professional groomers use specifically made dryers to dry off the canines. Many people doing it themselves tend to use a regular house blow dryer. You need to be very careful
Step two is the bathing process. This seems easy enough, put the dog in the tub and just wash them like you would your own hair. It's not that simple though; a lot of people do not realize how detrimental a simple bath could be to their canine. When bathing you have to be consciously aware of the water temperature, is it ice cold, scolding hot, or just right. Canines do not have the ability to tell you when the water is too hot, and you could cause them burns to the skin. A good rule of thumb is; if you would not put your head under it than do not put your canines under it either. One very important negative and dangerous side of bathing your canine is that they do not have the ability to hold their breath under water. One of the first things that professional groomers learn about bathing is to be very careful not to get water up the dogs nose. If you get water up their nose they can end up inhaling it into their lungs and aspirate. An emergency visit to the vet is something that can be avoided.
Step three is now that your dog is wet you need to dry them off. Professional groomers use specifically made dryers to dry off the canines. Many people doing it themselves tend to use a regular house blow dryer. You need to be very careful
Not to burn your dog with a regular heat dryer. The "human" hairdryer can also dry out the dogs hair and cause it to become fragile enough to break.
I have so many people coming to me with their stories of the time they tried to groom their canine. Please if you don't know how to do it please seek a professional. I do not make video tutorials or specifically write instructions of how to groom because I know and have seen the horrors of self grooming. A client once told me that, " the money I didn't spend then I ended up paying more later".
Thank you for reading and my email is listed on my contact page for any concerns.
