I’m stuck in self-isolation but my dog needs a trim, what can I do?
Was your dog due for his cut last week, or is it coming up soon? Eric was due in the groomers, where he goes religiously every 8 weeks to keep on top of his curly coat the day after lockdown.
Yes really! I had a strong feeling lockdown was coming and I even messaged my dog groomer on Monday morning, begging to get him in for a groom and trim. But she isn’t open on Mondays I soon found out.
Why was I so desperate? Keeping on top of his grooming is hard work, he is super curly, little ringlets. If you own a cavapoo, cockerpoo, labradoodle, poodle or any doodle you will know my pain.
My next thought was ‘How do I groom him properly to prevent matting?’ ‘How to trim his fringe so he can see?’
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Grooming, where are we at?
Currently, we are in the middle of lockdown, April 2020. Fuel prices have dropped, self-distancing rules are in place, tape on the floor at supermarkets, a limited number of people in shops, panic buying of toilet rolls, pasta and yeast. Concerts, festivals, weddings and celebrations all cancelled.
Schools are closed, no meeting up with friends, we are told to self isolate yourself at home, no socialising with anyone outside your home. We are washing our hands many times throughout the day and trying not to touch our faces. Non-essential shops and businesses closed – which includes our dog carers including our walkers, boarding and groomers are all shut.
There has been a lot of changes that we have had to adapt to in the current situation, which means our luxuries have gone for the time being.
I have noticed people worrying about when they can next get to see their hairdresser, so they fix their roots as their grey hair is showing.
Concerned that they won’t be seeing their beautician for while to make their nails pretty again.
For me, I can live without these things for the time being, after all, I am not going anywhere fast and no one apart from my family I live with will see me.
But what I can’t live without is my groomer and right now that is what has happened.
Not only does he have that super curly coat, but he also loves water, mud and we often walk in the countryside and woods which for his coat type isn’t ideal.
Eric is a cavapoo, a cavalier crossed with a poodle. You do get some poodle crosses with straighter fur or some wavier, not my Eric his hair is super curly, he even has ringlets – just like his owner and they do say your dogs look like their owners!
This means even if I brush him in the morning, he is likely to have a knot by mid-afternoon – which is why I like to keep him short as I find its more manageable- hence the booking every 8 weeks.
I am sure some of you out there are suffering the same problems, so I wanted to share with you where I have had help from.
This is a fab challenge I found on Facebook called In The Dog House – Lockdown in Leicestershire Grooming Challenge which a friend is running, which I have found super useful.
So I asked Anna if she would help you all and answer some questions that I keep seeing brought up and how to manage our dog’s fur whilst they cant go to the groomers, so whilst we are in lockdown we can keep on top of their coats until they can open up again.
What grooming tools do I need to groom at home?
For poodle cross and curly breeds, you need to be looking at getting a decent slicker brush and a comb. You need to use these together to get the most benefit. You might have a de-tangling spray too, there are lots out there on the market.
Your slicker for home grooming is best if it’s a flexible slicker with wire pins (avoid the pins with bobbles on the end as they can cause breakage) we use the Simpsons purple brush in the salon but there are alternatives out there such as this one click here and a comb isn’t an expensive addition something like this one will be fine.
I would avoid using a tangle teaser human brush on a curly-coated dog. This is something we see a lot and it only brushed through the top of the coat and we need to be getting down to the skin.
My dog doesn’t like being brushed, how can I make him enjoy it more?
It’s a case of making grooming into something really rewarding for your dog. It’s a great opportunity to build a bond and if you do a little bit at a time and do it regularly then in time you’ll both start to enjoy it.
I cannot recommend lickimats enough, they’re great for settling your dog and giving them something to focus on. Pop a high-value reward on the mat (such a primula cheese/dog-friendly peanut butter/Greek yoghurt). Also, it’s worth popping your dog up on a safe and stable surface such as a table or worktop.
This will make it easier on your back and your dog will then begin to learn the routine. Always make sure there’s a non-slip surface on the table such as a yoga mat or bath mat too. You can use lickimats with suckers of the back so you could stick them on the wall to help keep your dog standing such as these ones here.
Is there a way of brushing him to make it easier for me and less likely to catch knots, as I worry about hurting him
You need to be working in small sections and this will give you the chance to spot any knots before you catch them.
What I’d usually do is start at a foot, hold the bulk of the hair out of the way and gently brush down a section at a time so. This will allow you to spot any knots and tease them apart with your fingers, before brushing them through.
The idea of section brushing is that you get your brush and comb through the hair from the root to the tip. Remember that a matted coat is a damaged coat. The sooner you get knots and tangles out the better, once they turn into mats if becomes painful and this is where groomers need to shave dogs down. Prevention is better than cure! Here’s a demo video
Is there a part of a dog that needs grooming more and how often should I be grooming him?
It’s important to pay real attention to the friction areas – these are the ears, chest, around the collar/harness area, armpits, tail and feet!
Frequency depends on the length of your dog’s coat, their lifestyle and how tight the curl is. However, a dog that is running through puddles and rolling in mud will need to the same about of brushing as a dog who wears lots of coats and jumpers as they cause friction.
I’d say best practise is 3 times a week. If you’re not able to brush that frequently then it’s worth having a discussion with your groomer about a more regular grooming schedule, professional baths and brush outs in between grooms or even keeping your dogs coat shorter.
It’s always important to remember that your dog’s welfare is paramount, just because you think they look pretty long and shaggy, your dog could be very uncomfortable and matted. Ironically a long shaggy coat is much high maintenance than a shorter coat.
His fringe is covering his eyes should I trim it for him? And if so how best to trim it? I worry about the scissors being close to his eyes.
This is a great question. If your dog is not used to having your hands around their face then I wouldn’t recommend even trying this – just pop their fringe in a bobble if it’s getting too long.
A good test is to hold the fur under your dog’s chin gently and with an index finger from your other handwork up towards their eye stroking down from the bridge of their nose towards their cheek.
If your dog is fine with this then the best way is to comb his fringe forward and scissor round in a semi-circle from one side of your dogs face to the other.
He is very fluffy around his paws which is collecting water and dirt in my house, how should I trim this for him?
Paws are also places which get very knotty. This is usually due to them coming in from a wet walk and having their paws rubbed vigorously with a towel. The best practise it to pat dry and then brush through to avoid any tangles. As your dog stands upright you can trim around the outer edge of the foot to get rid of any excess hair
His nails need doing, can I just wait or do they need trimming now?
Nails are always up for discussion! Again if your dog hates having their paws touched or you have to take them to the vets then I would avoid trimming their nails at home. Also black nails you can’t easily see the quick on are also challenging.
I would only take off the tiny amount at a time. The longer the nail the longer the quick (blood vessel) You can get grinders which some dogs do prefer, I personally have tried this grinder on my dogs but my friends have this one here.
I was tempted to buy clippers and try and do it myself, or am I best to just keep on top of the grooming?
We’ve been asked this a lot – if your home grooming is going very well and you’re managing to maintain the coat to a high standard, I’d keep at it. If you have itchy fingers, then I would make sure you have a decent pair of clippers that come with comb guards.
I can’t stress enough that comb guards are needed if you do it without you’ll end up with a very short dog and possibly cause some skin irritation. Whichever comb guard you think you want to use, go one longer!
There are also a lot of people out there with new puppies who are unsure what to do about grooming. I asked Anna to give some advice for you all on how to groom your puppy.
I have a new puppy, shall I just wait till all the lockdown is lifted to take him to a groomer?
There’s so much you can be doing with a puppy to get him ready for being groomed, you can get him used to be brushed at home regularly.
They will love to jump all over you but try to encourage them to have all 4 paws on the ground. Make it really high value and rewarding for them. They’re like little sponges and will learn very quickly.
Break the brushing up into lots of little sessions and give them breaks. You can get their face used to being held and desensitise them to the salon sounds such as the hairdryer and clippers.
Always make sure there’s lots of distance between your dog and the new sound and work up to getting it closer to them whilst they’re relaxing with a kong or a lickimat. This does take time and patience.
What age do I start grooming my puppy?
Puppies can be groomed as soon as you get them home and they should certainly be visiting the groomers a few times before they go for a groom. Any groomer should be happy to arrange some desensitisation sessions for your puppy before they go for a big groom.
Likewise, they should be happy for you to pop in and take a look around their salon. If you have a poodle from a reputable breeder the chances are that their breeder will have already started desensitisation work with clipping their face and feet.
What grooming tools do I use for a puppy at home?
Puppy fur is much softer so you could look at using a softer slicker brush such as this one here and a comb still. Puppy fur also dries super fast so once they’ve started to become happy with the hairdryer you could try bathing them.
It’s important to note that puppies do go through coat change anywhere between 6 and 8 months where they begin to develop their adult coat. It’s really important that regular brushing is kept on top of else the coat will mat.
I was due my first puppy full trim when we went into lockdown – what can I do
Keep on top of the brushing and handling and desensitisation. I would really avoid trying to clip them at home because if their first experience is a bad one then you may end up working with your groomer for longer with desensitising after lockdown is lifted.
If you’d be interested in learning more about home grooming and what we have covered in our grooming challenge then we have a FREE webinar tomorrow (10th April) at 1 pm. If you want to reserve a space then just drop me an email before 5 pm today on contact@thedoghouseleicester.co.uk and I’ll send you the link and also a FREE bathing video and guide!
I hope that has helped with your grooming queries, I know I am now set up to keep onto of Eric’s grooming until he can next see his groomer!
If you need advice on your new puppy during this pandemic, I am here to help and guide you along your journey with them with tips and advice from grooming your new puppy to socialisation and training advice – drop me an email here to step off on the right paw with your new pup info@carriescanines.co.uk