Best Grooming

Question: What would be the best kind of grooming tool for a German Shepherd? I'm getting a german shepherd soon! But I'mm getting the supplies before hand. And I need to know the best grooming tools for her? Also if you know some good shampoos and other toys and stuff PLEASE list that too! Thank yoou very mucch! : )

Answer: I am with Dutch on the Furminator. Expensive but works well. I also use a rake. I don't shampoo my Shepherd, so can't help you there. As for toys, you can never go wrong with a Kong. They have puppy ones. Also, both of my GSDs LOVE the Cuz. http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=324 They come in different sizes, so you can get small ones for a puppy and larger ones as he growns.

Question: Best grooming tools for a great pyrenees? We're adopting a great pyrenees tomorrow and I'd like to know from current or past pyr owners what grooming tools I need and what works best? I just don't want to buy all the unnecessary combs and brushes just to find out they don't work. I've owned a siberian husky so YES, I know they shed and it's everywhere - I just want to know what the best brushes/combs are for keeping up with it. Thanks!

Answer: Definitely get what they call a "rake". It is awesome for the undercoat! One of my favorite tools. And that is really awesome that you are adopting, that is one lucky dog! :)

Question: What are the best dog grooming clippers? Im a beginner in the dog grooming business what are the best clippers (for the price) to invest in?

Answer: I prefer Oster but there are a lot of new ones on the market.

Question: What grooming tools (make/model) are the best for guys to trim/shave their nuts? I want to find the best male grooming tools. My balls are hairy. Also tell me what stores to find them at.

Answer: hedge clippers HAHAHAHAHAHA

Question: What is the best grooming tool for a pet owner to remove mats? I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and the brush I have doesn't seem to work well enough to prevent mats from forming behind his ears and in his armpit areas. It also isn't very good at helping break up the ones that have formed. What is the best reasonably priced tool (<$100) that I could buy to keep a handle on his gorgeous coat? What are some tips on removing them?

Answer: No joke, that is the name of the gooming tool my groomer highly recommended to me and it really works. It sounds bad, but isn't. It has sharp parts up in the tines that cut the mats out, but won't hurt your dog. I have Aussies and they suffer from mats too, but this really does the trick. Amazon even sells them. Their website is below and it explains them much better than I can. It was AMAZING how much undercoat they get out of my dog! I mean, I couldn't even believe she had that much to shed. Watch the video on the website. It really does work just like that.

Question: What is the best kind of brush for miniature schnauzer grooming? I'm getting a miniature schnauzer and wanted to know what kind of brush is best for grooming them and preferably one I can get at a store not online and please give a link if possible THANK U

Answer: Universal slicker brush then follow with a comb to catch any small tangles that the brush may not grabbed. They are both available at any pet store & not expensive. The universal will remove undercoat & shedding hair & make it easier to break up mats & tangles.

Question: What are the best professional dog grooming clippers? I am looking to buy a real pair of clippers for doing my dogs and to possibly get into professional grooming as well. Experienced groomers, what are the best kind of clippers and any other tools (scissors, thinning shears, brushes, etc ) do you use and recommend on a daily basis. I have bought some from Petsmart for like 60 bucks and then after 5-6 haircuts they are junk! Also they heat up and make lines in the dog's coat. Advice is appreciated!

Answer: Osters, Wahls and Andis are the best brands out there. A variety of blades of different lengths. A good pair of 8 1/2" straight shears, a pair of fine thinning shears, and possibly a pair of curved shears are good for a beginning groomer. A variety of slicker brushes, rakes, combs of different sizes, Mar coat king, furminator, and a good quality pair of nail trimmers can make up the rest of your kit. The thing that you need most is the knowledge of using this equipment in an efficient and humane manner.

Question: What is the best grooming supplies to groom a Shiba Inu? I have an 8 month old Shiba Inu. Now that the weather has gotten warmer he is shedding a lot. What suggestions do you have???

Answer: Do a quick search on Google images with this keyword 'Oster Grooming rake wide 18 teeth coarse'. This is what we use at our groomers and it works magic with those dogs that have a second coat underneath! Saves so much work when we bathe them. I saw a girl use one on a husky and it literally pulled piles of hair off that dog. It's amazing. It's called a rake. And we only use it on the ones that have thick hair. Other simple tools help like the slicker and metal comb for basic grooming but this is really important for pulling the loose hair out that hides under the surface.

Question: Best grooming tools for a shih tzu? Please advise the best tools out there to groom my shih tzu myself. Thanks.

Answer: Pin brush (no heads) Med/coarse comb (about 8 inches long, fine teeth on one side, wider on the other) Flea comb Spray bottle rubber bands scissor style cat nail clipper Okay, you'll want to dilute something like a capfull of conditioner in water in the spray bottle. Always mist your dog's coat before brushing, it will help reduce breakage. Start by brushing through the dogs coat with the pin brush (no heads on the brush is important, the heads don't penetrate the coat properly and they break the hair), don't forget under the front legs, insides of the thighs, behind/under the ears, under the chin, the chest, under the tail, ect. Nothing! :) It's best to hold the hair to one side with one hand and brush with the other. It is helpful if you can teach your dog to lay quietly on it's side while you brush. After going through the coat with the pin brush, go through it carefully with the comb. Make sure you always start at the bottom of the coat and work your way up. The flea comb is for daily maintinance of the facial hair. The hair there is very fine and often shih tzu eyes will weep and get boogered up in the corners, the flea comb is the best tool for removing this. When you find a matt in the coat, spray it well with some childs detangler (I use Suave, some double-dutch apple smelling stuff, it works) or work in some straight conditioner. Let that sit for a few minutes and then, starting at the bottom of the mat, start pulling it apart with your fingers. Once it is reasonably spread out, you can start brushing it carefully with your med/coarse comb, again, always start at the bottom so you don't lose too much hair. Rubber bands are for securing the topknot on your shih tzu, start by combing up the hair from the ouside corner of the eyes... you may have to experiment to find what looks best. Just always make sure it isn't too tight. Your dog's eyelids should not become distorted and the skin under the topknot shouldn't be rumpled or pulled into the topknot. Try and make sure the hair is completely dry before making your top-knot! Top-knots should be redone twice weekly, depending on the dog. Some can go longer, and some need it redone more often due to how much they rub on things. Just like any other dog, shih tzu must have their nails clipped regularly. Some shih tzu have white nails, some have black, but most have a mix of the two. Usually you can use your best judgement and clip the black nails as much as you clip the white nails, although sometimes the black nails will require additional clipping, as they are harder and stronger and do not wear as quickly as the white nails. You could also use a dremel tool if you wish - my dog's hair is long enough I can just pull it back and dremel away... if your dog struggles a lot, I reccomend poking the individual nails through an old sock or a plastic bag so as to avoid snagging and ripping out their hair with the dremel. You should also try and brush their teeth regularly, they can tend to get plaque buildup, especially on those very back molars. If you start a dog doing this early, they will get used to it. Always make sure to fully brush your dog before bathing it. It will save more hair, and more time after the bath. Depending on how dirty your dogs gets, you can give it a bath every 1-2 weeks without harming him.... but you must be sure you rinse out ALL the shampoo, otherwise his skin will become irritated and flaky. Always make sure to condition with a good conditioner (I like aussie and pantene products for my dogs). It is always a good idea to have a water bottle (squeeze kind) filled with diluted shampoo, this way, you can work the shampoo in the hair without having overly-concentrated sections of shampoo damaging the hair, also it keeps you from scrubbing it in and tangling the hair. After bath, take your pin brush and gently brush the hair downwards while using a hair dryer set on low to dry the hair. Try to avoid too much heat. You can use a commercial heat styling spray to help protect the coat. If you have any conditioning oils or finishing sprays, I like to add them before blow drying. Depending on how much hair you want your dog to grow out, brushing once a week is fine for most, except for bitches blowing their coat, or puppies changing to an adult coat... during this time they will lose more hair, which, in turn, will get tangled up in the healthy coat. They will probably need brushing 2-4 times a week during these periods. If you are going more for the show coat, hair should be carefully brushed 2-3 times a week. Careful -overbrushing can do in your coat, as most damage coats get is from brushing. Also, if you are really wanting to save the beard and keep your dog from getting a soppy wet face, get a LARGE rabbit water bottle, and teach your dog to drink from that. Bonus, it also keeps those water drips from shaggy faces off your floors.

Question: What clippers are best for grooming a Yorkshire Terrier? Is there any tips or websites you can recommend? Is there any dangers that I should know about? What brand of clippers is best? Also is there any accessories that I need? I am referring to dog hair groom .

Answer: You should try to buy from a good site like Petedge.com for equipment. A good brand like Andis or Oster will last you a long time. You will also need additional blades & coolant. The blades get hot fairly quick so you have to change blades & spray them with the coolant. You get what you pay for - so don't buy the cheap crappy set, they won't last at all. You will need scissors, nail clippers, hemostats for ear plucking & shampoo & dryer. There is a lot to grooming besides running clippers over the body. Do research before buying to ensure you will be able to do a decent job without injuring your pet. Yorkie is a small dog & not the easiest to groom.

Question: What are some of the best tips for grooming one's eyebrows? I suppose my eyebrows aren't bad, but I think they could be better. What's the best way to groom them?

Answer: I recomend going to a salon and ask to have them shaped. You won't end up with pencil thin brows but it will clean up strey heirs. Tweezing works too:)

Question: What clippers are best for grooming a Westie? I have two westies and would like to buy some good quality dog clippers. I have'nt groomed them before so if you have any grooming tips that would be helpful!!! Have looked at Andis clippers and reviews seem ok

Answer: I have a 7 year-old model of the Andis AG single speed: http://grooming.petedge.com/Andis-AG-Single-Speed-Clipper-AD21730.pro?parentCategoryId=190&categoryId=330&subCategoryId=397 We use these on our Scotties, so our needs would be similar. This model comes in a 2-speed and Andis offers a more deluxe AGC model in both single and 2-speed. A similarly priced Oster model would also be a good choice. You will also need to purchase blades. With the Andis model the smaller the blade number the longer the hair will be. The blades we use the most are a 5 (cold weather), and 7 (summer) on the back. We use a 10 for the head, face and neck. I know a Westie head is quite different though. Check with Westie rescue for information about grooming. I got so much help from our breed rescue groups (via email) when I contacted them about grooming supplies and "how-to's" with our fearful rescue. You can also pick up an inexpensive grooming book on e-bay. I also recommend a really good set of dog grooming shears. Be prepared, the shears are very expensive. We have a pair of thinning shears, but honestly don't use them much. Realize my dogs are pet Scots, not show dogs that would need hand stripping of the coat. Good luck, and remember hair grows back!

Question: Whats the best way to clean grooming brushes? Well, I'm just wondering what the BEST way is to clean my brushes. They're filthy and they need to be cleaned but whenever I clean them it never seems to be effective. So whats the best way in your experience to clean my grooming stuff? Particularly dandy and curry comb. Thanks so much!

Answer: to tell you the truth, i put them in the washing machine! actually, my mom did it without my knowing...but it worked and didn't harm my brushes so that's what i do now. it worked really well, they got completely clean. put them in when you have a load though so they don't clank around.

Question: Who has the best dog grooming school? I am looking for a dog grooming school to get training to be a dog groomer with certification.

Answer: 'The Paragon School of Pet Grooming' in Grandville Mich. You didnt mention what area you are in though...

Question: What are the best grooming tools for a pug and how to use them properly? websites appreciated, I pass this info on to other pug owners as well. :o) Thanks!

Answer: I'm going to go ahead and assume that you do NOT want to cut your dog's hair. If this is the case, I'd recommend a Zoom Groom (made by Kong...you can get this at any Pet store). It's a thick rubber brush that works fabulously on shorter haired dogs. You can also check out The Furminator - it's expensive, but is awesome at removing undercoat. These two tools are both brushes that are very easy to use, and that work really well on shorter haired dogs, like Boston Terriers, labs, pugs, etc. If you bathe your dog, I'd stick to hypo-allergenic shampoos that are more gentle on their skin, and bathe only on an as-need basis. If you're comfortable with nail trimming, I'd definitely recommend getting nail clippers too. You can get grooming nail trimmers at any pet store - they're angled a bit differently and the blades are sharper than typical human nail trimmers. You may also want to get styptic powder just in case you cut the nail too short (if you cut into the "quick")- it stops bleeding instantly. That's really all you'd need! A weekly/daily brushing will keep your dog's coat healthy, and also to keep him cooler in this hotter weather. If you're thinking about giving your dog a haircut, I'd highly recommend taking him to a professional groomer, if anything just to have them recommend which clippers to purchase.

Question: What are the best grooming supplies used for pomeranians?

Answer: Poms normally don't need a lot of trimming. I would start out with a good shampoo, ask at the pet store, then dilute it 1/2 with water. This makes it spread out on the dog faster, and is easier to rinse. do the same with conditioner, you can not RINSE too much. Then towel dry. I you have a lot of shedding use this trick. take a shop vac, clean it out well, and change the filter, then use it as a blower to dry the dog. put the hose right next to the skin, the cool air will dry the dog, and push the dead hair out, and make your dog fluffy ! Yes it is loud, but is very similar to what they use in a grooming shop. Next get a clipper, a cheap human clipper will be find, as you will really only need to clip around, NOT on the anus, and clean up the pee pee area, then clipper the under paws of the feet. Take shears and round the feet hair. If you really feel you need to clip down the dog, you can use a 1/2 inch comb over the hind end to round the legs. so shampoo, conditioner, shop vac, clipper, shears, nail clippers, and you should be good to go.