I am a failure at grooming!!

[Cynthia and Magic]

I don't know what I am doing wrong.

I spent 2 hours brushing, combing....got all kinds of fluff off him I didn't know he had. Read all the info, watched youtube videos.....and I thought I would ace this!

 

Set up the table....made a coffee...all smiles and all prepared. Crap.

I was hoping to get him down to about a 1" summer cut. He has really dense curly hair. After 2 hours of hacking away....I hardly got any hair off him! I thought, maybe my clippers are too cheap. Ran out mid-job and bought a more expensive Oster...but it just keeps jamming in his hair and pulling off the attachment!...and didn't do any better than my $40 clipper. It looks so easy in the video!!

I didn't bath him first because he had one a few days ago....how dirty could he be?? Could this be the problem??

 

I was really hoping to be able to do this....but after 4 hours, I have an exhausted pup....and I am ready for the nuthouse!!

...I hate to admit defeat - but do you think I should leave this up to the groomer? Maybe his hair just got too long.....or maybe I just suck as a groomer!!

 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Let me start by saying I'm not a groomer, but I have learned to groom my own two with a little success, mostly by trial and lots of error!  Hang in there, you will get it figured out.  It really isn't that hard once you figure out what works for you.  If you are tired, just stop and start again later.

 

Here are some thoughts that come to my mind when I read your post.  No bath shouldn't make a difference.  I clip pre-bath.  Don't try to do long stretches at one time like from front to back.  Maybe start at the rear end and just do a 4-6 inch strip, then stop and remove any hair sticking to the clippers and any under the guard as it can occasionally get clogged.   After you do that stretch across his back end, move forward and do another 6" or so.  If you have 2 speed clippers, clip on low, not high.  On my Sophie I can clip from front to back with no problems, but Lucy is thicker and I have to do smaller stretches.  I can start at the neck area, but I still have to do smaller stretches than with Sophie.

 

Hopefully some of the professional groomers will chime in here as well (and I certainly won't be offended if they tell you to do something different, as I said, I've just sort of learned by trial and error and reading many of their posts and then figuring out what works for me.  The good thing about the doodle coat, is it is a little hard to really mess it up because there is no set standard for what they should look like ..... everyone likes theirs a different way.  Best of luck.  Will look forward to pics when you get finished.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Don't be so critical of yourself.  It is not an easy job - but can be quite satisfying.  Take it in little sections at a time.  Decide what sections you want to use the clippers on and do that first.  Then wait a day and start the next section.  With his thick coat, you may do better to scissors cut rather than to shave with clippers.  Do you have some different attachments for your Oster clippers?   You may just be using an attachment that is too close of a cut.  Using clippers on very thick long hair is difficult to do.  But take your time and it really will be worthwhile.  About batheing, it is usually better to do that after the first cut.  THen you can blow dry and comb him out for the final cut.

[Cynthia and Magic]

OK....I won't give up. I was really enjoying it at first...but now that I know I have to do smaller sections and just be patient. But boy o boy.....he was being so patient, and I was the one that was an emotional mess LOL!!

 

I was using the attachment that said 1/2"...and now that I have 2 clippers I have lots of sizes!!! Gonna try this again tomorrow....for sure...not giving up!

thank you....

 

 

[Jennifer Tramell]

Oh boy, I feel your pain. My Webster has a lot of curly hair and I like his hair cut to 1 1/2 inches.  It's really hard to get the clippers through his hair without the guard getting stuck and I have access to some really good clippers which are used on horses :-).  Usually I end up cutting his hair with a pair of scissors and it works pretty well.  This time I am going to take down the length with scissors and then even it up with clippers.  It's all trial and error and personal preference. 

If I were you, I would take the length off then take a break.  Finish up a little later or even the next day.  I understand how you feel - it's trial and error with a backache at the end.  Sounds like you did way better than me - I lose interest in the brushing & combing and start hacking away (yes, I know that's the WRONG way to do it).  I also spend several days after noticing all the spots I missed and trimming a little here, a little there.  THAT will drive you crazy too!

[Cynthia and Magic]

yes.....I did start attacking with the scissors LOL....but I think that will help. Get rid of some length first (this is ALL hubbies fault...he wanted his hair to grow long....but he doesn't do any of the grooming!!!!)

[Ivy Bates]

I am a doodle groomer and reading your post I would say it's not the tools. Magic is going through his coat change and by bathing him and not getting the mats out first those mats turn into rocks, like wool shrinking after you wash it. You have to get under the mats in order to clipper through the coat. So that means you have to use a blade that will go under it. It also depends on how close the matting is to the skin. That's where the new coat is coming in and tangling with the puppy coat. Using a # 3 or #5 or #7, the higher the number the closer the shave down. #10 is too close, #7 is very close but doable if you have to. Try if you have the 3 first, if you can't get through it, you are in the mat and it won't work you must get under the mat.
I hope that helped you

Ivy
www.doodlestyle.com

[Cynthia and Magic]

...he just turned 2....so I was surprised at all the fluff! I will re-comb him tomorrow....I may have been getting tired and not noticing the matts....thanks for the info..this all helps so very much!!!!

[Jeanne, Tura and Dolly]

I just work about 1/2 hour or so at a time.  That way nobody gets too tired.  About 10 days ago I used my clippers to cut one side of Tura's body.  Then life intervened....friend had surgery, needed help etc.  Now I'm ready to do the other side but I can't tell which side I did.... The curly coat covers up everything so just do your best and keep trying.

[Cynthia and Magic]

Thanks Jeanne....I will keep trying - and doing it in shorter spurts....I think that will help, at least until I know what I'm doing!

 

Today I was.....'oh now I have started and have to get this done and it isn't working and I am useless and my dog will hate me' .....LOL!!!

 

I did learn one thing. Groomers are hard workers!!!!

[Jennifer Tramell]

On the plus side, dogs don't know that it's themselves when they see their reflection.  (Boy, I just used a lot of pronouns.....)  Magic will just feel sorry for "that poor dog in the mirror" but it won't affect his self esteem :-)

[Cynthia and Magic]

haha....funny Jennifer!

Ya...he sure doesn't seem to notice how lopsided he is!!

 :D

[Nancy Pyzynski]

Don't lose heart Cynthia!

Just try again another time.  We were quite intimidated at first but we managed to get our dog trimmed down for summer without taking her to the groomer.  There were two of us and that helped because I rubbed Coco's ears and talked to her while Andy trimmed and then we would switch off for a bit.  We bought the 1and 1/4 inch universal comb attachment for our Oster clippers.  The Clippers were about $40 and the set of 10 combs was $20.  I'm sure we won't even use most of them but we wanted some that would give a longer cut.  I have a feeling that the longer comb made it a bit easier.  The clippers are quiet and work very well.  Time will tell if they hold up to multiple uses.

Good luck to you!!