Andis 2 speed won't cut my doodles hair..suggestions please?

[Emily]

I bought a Professional Andis 2 speed from Petsmart. Even bought the 3/4 in clipper blade as suggested since I prefer her not to be buzzed.  I am sad to say that It will not go through her hair. The lady at the grooming salon told me to get this model for best results, but I'm disappointed. It cost a lot of money. Do I need the combs to put over top?Why won't it cut her hair?

I did try to scissor her. It took 4 hours and when I was done, I had huge blisters on my fingers which turned into big open wounds. It was awful. I never thought it would be so difficult to cut her hair. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Emily]

Yes Thanks you! That is really sweet of you to ask! I had some luck!   Once I got started I realized she had some Mats. I felt so bad. Under her ears was the worst. So I talked to a really great guy locally and he told me what to do and all is much better. The clippers worked well and did not get hot. They were quiet too. I changed to a different length and I realized I have to cut her on a diagonal or really pay attention to the way the hair is laying. It's tough on those tight tight curls but once I realized that, it was much easier!  The longest blade I could get was a 4fc and that was going to 3 pet stores. She looks ok. I put her on her leash and wrap it around my foot to hold in her place. She is really good, but always sits down! It is really hard to cut her when she is spinning and laying. So I broke up the sessions and I'd say she is done, but her legs don't look nice. I just saw the recent post on legs and it was informative. I think next time I'll do better.  I went to a store that had a groomer and she chewed me out and said I should leave grooming to a professional because it was obvious by the questions I asked, I knew nothing! How rude. I asked about a purchasing a grooming table locally and she said I will end up buying a table and then  realize grooming was harder than I thought and then it will collect dust and I will end up wasting my money. As I try to groom Mabel I get a tad frustrated because I don't have all the proper tools but I wonder if she is right? Petsmart wants 85$ to groom her and another place said never more than $45. Also she has soo much hair, I can't really do it outside because the neighbors would be " what the ?" and if I do it inside the hair is all over. What do you do? Where do you do it?

[Cynthia and Magic]

omg...the arrogance of some groomers is so annoying! Not like the groomers here which are so supportive! Keep doing what you are doing....of course they want your money!

 

My hubby made me a grooming table  - and I ordered one of those 'no-sit' harness things to keep him from sitting. I only use it when I need him to stand....otherwise I just let him sit and work around it. I have it set up in the garage - but when it's nice out, I wheel it onto the patio. It's not like the hair is flying into the neighbours flower beds!!! Sheesh!! I don't do him all at once....because now everytime I pet him I notice parts that need fixing ....so back up he goes! Lots of treats for those 'squiggly' moments - plus I have hubby distract him when I get to those touchy spots he doesn't like me to be bothering!!! Sometimes I do it sitting on the living room floor in front of the TV LOL.....I just lay an old sheet down first...

 

It's the frustration with groomers that have most of us here doing our own grooming. If Magic doesn't look like he has the perfect cut, I just act like that is how I want him to look!!! It isn't always easy - but a lot more satisfying than being made to feel like you are a bad mom! I keep treating myself to new tools....they pay for themselves in the long run!!!

[Emily]

A few of the groomers here were really awful. Ya know, it seems like the hair stylist are kinda the same way. When I asked them about teaching me to cut my sons hair the response was " it is too hard to teach, I went to school a long time to learn". It's not like it's brain surgery!  :) 

 

I thought about getting creative and making a grooming table. When I cut her hair this past weekend, I had enough hair to fill up my 13 gallon kitchen trash can! It was insane.  I treated myself to a few tools. I just can NOT get her to let me cut her toe nails but she is really great when I use the clippers so that is a wonderful start!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

have you tried a dremel?

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

If you decide that DIY grooming isn't for you, promise me that you won't go and use that groomer...ugh!!  I would totally keep doing it yourself if it is something that you are interested in.  I decided that I wanted to do it just to prove to myself that I could.  I really enjoy spending time with my doods and figured that in addition to saving some money (in the long run) it would also give me some one on one time with each of my dogs.  I have learned a lot by reading DK and am glad that I decided to give it a shot.  Plus it gives me an excuse to buy more dog stuff.  I can just tell my DH "honey I am saving us money by doing it at home rather than paying the groomer to do it and so far he hasn't said a word (although if too many more boxes arrive here he might start to question my "cost effective" theory.  hehe

I got my table on ebay but petedge has a couple decently priced options too.  Mine is foldable but I pretty much always just leave it set up in our office/grooming parlor :)  I have kinda taken over the office with all my grooming stuff.  I trimmed Cubbie on our screened in porch and tried to trim Ollie outside but it was too hot and humid so I ended up trimming him in our office (I put a piece of plastic on the floor).  Make sure you wear shoes when grooming or you will end up with doodle socks like i did (take a look at the picture on my page in the grooming album)

[Emily]

No, I'd never go to that place! They were awfully condescending. I would go to the guy who showed me how to get the mats out, He showed me which tool to use and how to use it. He was so sweet and encouraging and told me if I needed help to come by and he would show me or take care of the problem. He even talked to me about brushes and shampoo. Then we talked about dog food for a while! He got me started on something new for Mabel after I told him she just refuses to eat her kibble! I respected him. Maybe I will take her there occasionally. I feel he would listen to what I wanted.  When he said her legs "should be full like a pillar & not scrawny", I had a good feeling.

 

I saw petedge has a walk in warehouse in Boston. I am going to call them to see if they sell tables at that warehouse. I will be in the area next weekend. It said you can call ahead and order anything from the catalog and pick it up. Maybe they won't  charge an extra fee.  Otherwise they wanted $40 to be sent to our home. My friend shows dogs professionally and she loves 'Cherrybrook' and highly recommends them. In case you wanted to peek at the fun stuff there.

 

I've loved reading posts on this site. People are very encouraging and that is refreshing. Mabel is almost one! I wonder if he is going to get bigger!

[Dori & Rua]

I have been slowly working on grooming Rua, too.  First time, did a scissor cut because I had just gotten my Andis 2-speed and was not ready to try it out and end up with a shaved Doodle.  But after reading everyone's grooming posts, I finally got up the nerve yesterday.  I first did a scissor cut on her body and then go the trimmers out.  Took me a few times before I could got the hang of it.  It is hard to do her legs.  She freaked when I tried her chest and front legs...so I stopped.  She is a work in progress right now.  Her front legs are twice as fluffy as the rest of her! LOL

 

Reading your more recent post is encouraging.  I think that, like anything, it takes practice and confidence to get the job done.  I think I am going to get one of those no-sit harnesses...Rua kept wanting to lie down when I needed her to stand.

[Emily]

Ha ha. My kids never want me to trim Mabels legs! They love them long and fluffy and they especially love it when her feet look like huge sugar cookies because of the long hair! I bet Rua looks adorable with her fluffy legs!  As soon as I make or buy a table, I'm going to get a no sit harness too. That way I don't have to work up such a sweat trying to trim her.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Mine always lay down on the job. Since I scissor cut, I just keep going. At least with scissors I really don't get freaking out, just a huge desire on the doodles parts to get out of Dodge.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Emily, even when you think they are combed out and mat free it's usually not the case. I use the Andis clipper but I bought a #40 blade (not to be used by itself ) and use a 1 inch comb attachment. I could not get the #10 blade through Quincy's coat. Even now after combing there are little mats that keep the clippers from going through and I have to comb and comb some more. I have only ever clipped with a comb attachment and not just a blade. The first time I clipped him that comb attachment kept popping off because he wasn't combed out enough, I probably would have given up but a half clipped doodle wasn't an option.

[Emily]

Yes, I just realized that when I was attempting to finish the grooming. Tiny little mats all over near those tight curls. Apparently the brush I had just did the surface and wasn't efficient at all . I ordered a new brush and will have it Tuesday! Then I'll be able to stay on top of things better. Thanks for your input. I'll be sure to brush, brush and brush some more! Your Doodle is so huge! Cute!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I am reading all of this with great interest and everyone has great comments and suggestions. I went thru the same process as Emily with frustration with groomers, spending money to get all the stuff I needed to do it myself, mostly from Petedge and had difficulty when trying to use clippers, etc. I eventually figured out to groom my doodles after much trial and error, but still have a lot to learn. I agree with the combing all the way down to the skin before you can even start to clip. I would add that the only comb attachments you should buy to go onto the clippers are steel one. They sell plastic combs, but the plastic is not as smooth and tends to catch on the hair, adding to the difficulty of getting the blade through. Once I switched to metal comb attachments, it went much easier.

I also have a blade that cuts the hair 5/8 of an inch long without a comb and that blade is very easy to use. Also, after you have run the clipper thru the hair a few times, brush the hair up away from the dog (for example, brush the hair at the tail towards the head) and then put the clipper thru it when it is brushed up--you will get a more even cut.

Once i got pretty good at doing my own dogs, I started grooming a few other doodles in my area and now I have a tiny business --it is a lot of work but I love it when they come in looking like a mess and go out the door all clean and lovely.

Another suggestion: Go on to Youtube! There are tons of videos of grooming techniques, icluding a series on grooming a doodle.

Oh, and I probably shouldn't admit this, but I comb out and clip my doodles first and then bathe them last. That is because i do not have a dryer yet, so they go home damp. Once I can afford a dryer, I will take the very good advice of bathing first--can anyone suggest a good dryer?