GROOMING TIPS

Dog Grooming 101
by Michelle Cicarella of Lucky Dog Grooming, LLC

There are certain breed-specific cuts, but there are also some general services performed during each grooming. Starting with a #15 blade on the clipper, groomers start each dog with the “basics.” The order they perform these “basics” is simply a personal preference, but I have a certain routine I like to follow.

I like to start with the paws. I use a #15 blade on my clipper to shave between the pads of the feet to remove any excess hair or mats. I then move on to the dog’s private area and anus, once again removing excess hair and clearing those sanitary areas to prevent infections. An infection can occur in these parts of the body because urine and fecal matter collects on the excess hair, leaving dangerous bacteria. Next, I clip hair that may be in the dog’s eyes, and then I move onto the nails. Groomers should always cut the nails before the dog gets a bath, just in case they cut the quick (the vein in the nail) and the nail bleeds. If you bathe the dog before you cut the nails and clip the quick, blood can get on the paw of a nice, clean dog. This is a fairly common occurrence, especially with dogs with dark nails, as the quick can be difficult to see. You should not be concerned if your groomer cuts the quick, as it is relatively painless. If your groomer does cut the nail too short and hits the quick, they will apply something called “quick stop” (a styptic powder or gel with a minor anesthetic) to quell the bleeding. This will completely stop or shorten the time the nail will bleed.

The last step is to clean the ears. This can either be done with a liquid cleaner and cotton balls to remove dirt and debris, or with an ear powder. The ear powder is only used on certain breeds that have hair growing inside their ear canals. These breeds must get the hair pulled from inside the ear to keep the canal clear and help prevent infection.

After the ears are cleaned, the dog is ready to get its preparatory haircut. This can include shaving the dog with a number of blades ranging from a #5/8 (longest) to a #7 (shortest), or simply trimming a little hair off with scissors. The reason for performing a preparatory haircut before the bath is to make drying time significantly quicker. The less hair on the dog, the faster he or she will dry. When the prep cut is done, the dog gets a warm bath and is then blown dry with a high-velocity hand-held air dryer. Grooming parlors will typically use the high-velocity dryer only to remove the excess water and then place a dog in a crate with a dryer against it to let the dog completely dry. Since I am a mobile groomer, I use the high-velocity hand-held air dryer. I finish the groom by trimming any flyaway or unruly hair to make the dog look neat and clean.

Cat Fact: Cats have five toes on each front paw, but only four toes on each back paw. A cat can be either right-pawed or left-pawed.