First time grooming! And a question...

jdleggans · 04-05-2008, 09:43 PM

So, I finally did it. I bought a pair of clippers and cut my Shih Tzu's hair for the first time. I had planned on taking her to the groomer, then found out how expensive it is, and decided I would just learn to do it myself at home. Needless to say... I now know why going to the groomers is so expensive! It took me about two hours start to finish. She didn't mind the clippers, she just thought they were a new (expensive!) toy and tried to play the entire time. Also, being a puppy she can only sit still for about 30 seconds, which definitely didn't help either.

Anyway, I guess my question is this: Is there anything I can do next time to make this process easier? I tried giving treats, and that just made her more excited. I was thinking more along the lines of... is there anything I could give her (Benedryl, or some other puppy drug) to calm her down a bit while I'm clipping her? I want to make it clear I would NEVER do anything to jeopardize her health, which is why I am asking here first before trying anything. I just wondered if any of you had successfully used anything in the past. Or, if there is no safe drug, is there some other method I could possibly try?

I'm attaching "before" and "after" pictures just for fun... I'm pretty proud of my work, especially since its my first real DIY haircut!

briteday · 04-05-2008, 10:25 PM

You did a great job! Sometimes when I have a foster or one of mine gets antsy I smear a spoonful of peanut butter on the counter where they can lick it as I work. Or you can smuch a fingerful of peanut butter int he roof of their mouth. 'Keeps them busy for a while anyway. I also have high value treats at the end of the grooming session, treats that are only given out after grooming.

dane&cockermom · 04-05-2008, 11:20 PM

i think she looks pretty good! that's how i got into grooming. i was a poor college student and i couldn't afford to take buddy to a grooomer, so i got crappy $20 clippers from walmart and had at it. he looked pretty bad the first couple times. lol.

was this her very first haircut all together, or just by you?

i second trying the peanut butter. but the only other advice i have is that she's still young. and shhe knows you're mom, and mom probably spoils her (and there's nothing wrong with that!) just make sure when it comes time for grooming, she knows it has to be done.

Durbkat · 04-05-2008, 11:56 PM

Wow, you did a better job than the professional groomer I take Snoopy to. Are you up for hire?

I like what you did with the tail, for some reason the groomer has never touched Snoopy's tail. It has never been trimmed down his whole life. It looked super weird when they shaved him down but left his tail,

jdleggans · 04-06-2008, 10:51 AM

Thanks guys!

I actually did give her peanut butter, haha. I smeared it all over her face (she was getting a bath later anyway!) to keep her busy for a few minutes. It didn't last very long though!

dane: It was her first real haircut by anyone. Before this I had only ever trimmed the hair out of her eyes and from around her bum with scissors, this was her first time with the clippers.

Durbkat: If you lived near me, perhaps we could work something out, haha.

I actually didn't do anything with her tail. She is only 6 months old, so the hair on her tail hasn't had time to grow real long yet! I haven't decided yet if I'll try to clip it when she's older... I might play that one by ear.

Durbkat · 04-06-2008, 10:56 AM

Thats weird because by 6 months Snoopy had a full fluffy tail.

jdleggans · 04-06-2008, 10:58 AM

Haha, well he was lucky... When I got Chloe she just had a little rat tail!

dane&cockermom · 04-06-2008, 02:12 PM

something else to think about is you will get a much smoother cut if you bathe her first. i use to bathe buddy after thinking that's how it was done so i could get all the shavings off of him, but he turns out a lot better with a bath first. also, if you give a bath first, you're not damaging your clippers by cutting dirty hair.

Durbkat · 04-06-2008, 02:48 PM

My teacher's shih tzu, the one who dog sits Snoopy, her shih tzu has short hair on her tail as well but has long hair on her body. Snoopy had some hair on his tail at 9 weeks even,

jdleggans · 04-06-2008, 03:17 PM

dane: I never thought of that! Thanks for the tip, I will make sure and bathe her first next time. I was thinking the same thing - I figured she would have clippings all over her, so I would bathe her after the haircut. I also couldn't rationalize washing all that hair when I was just going to cut it off anyway!

If you bathe first, is it ok to use the clippers on damp hair? Or does the hair need to be completely dry before clipping?

Durbkat: That is how Chloe was when I got her as well. She was almost three months old, and had longer hair all over her body except her little tail! It was kind of pathetic, I'm glad it's filled in a bit! haha

P.S. Baby Snoopy was such a cutie! And he has grown into such a handsome dog!

Love's_Sophie · 04-06-2008, 06:04 PM

Good job on her...now you need a decent pair of shears, so you can round her paws, and trim her head better. I would probably leave her tail long, just trim it so it looks like a nicer more even 'flag tail'.

As far as bathing first...it varies for me; I PREFER to work with clean hair, but if the dog is real matted, it just has to come off before the bath. However, if your dog doesn't get matted before you groom her, she should be able to have her bath first hand; It is best to go over the dog twice, with your clippers anyway... even after she's been bathed.

Clip, refluff the coat with your slicker, and go back over to get the remaining 'straggling hairs' which there will be more than you would think, even if it looks smooth.

Haidden · 04-09-2008, 10:05 PM

Few of my shihtzu

k9's · 04-16-2008, 04:27 PM

your dog looks lovely you should be proud of it

jdleggans · 04-16-2008, 05:09 PM

Thank you K9s!

poodleholic · 04-17-2008, 07:06 AM

You did a great job!

Bathing and drying first will help a lot when clipping and scissoring. For finishing the rounded head, I use a thinning shears. I brush the hair forward and trim, then use the thinning shears on the ends.

I groom my Standard Poodles with no problem, but when I got the little Shih Tzu, man oh man! LOL No muzzle to hold onto and use to move his head around like the Poodles! And those short stubby legs! He's wiggly, too, unlike the Poodles (who often just lay there and snooze while I do privates, belly, and feet). I gave up trying to bevel the Tzu's feet with scissors, so just brushed the hair, then held it down with one hand, and used the clipper to bevel!

jdleggans · 04-17-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poodleholic

You did a great job!

Bathing and drying first will help a lot when clipping and scissoring. For finishing the rounded head, I use a thinning shears. I brush the hair forward and trim, then use the thinning shears on the ends.

I groom my Standard Poodles with no problem, but when I got the little Shih Tzu, man oh man! LOL No muzzle to hold onto and use to move his head around like the Poodles! And those short stubby legs! He's wiggly, too, unlike the Poodles (who often just lay there and snooze while I do privates, belly, and feet). I gave up trying to bevel the Tzu's feet with scissors, so just brushed the hair, then held it down with one hand, and used the clipper to bevel!

Thank you!

I will definitely bathe her and dry her before the next haircut. I don't have thinning shears, but I did finally end up using scissors to trim her face and finishing her head. It was much easier than trying to hold her still to use the clippers!

LOL, I'm glad I am not the only person with a wiggly Shih Tzu!

Its funny you say that about your Shih Tzu's feet, thats what I did too! After a good bit of wrestling her, I finally ended up just holding her leg down and clipping around the bottom of her foot. It worked and I'm happy with the result, so why not? haha