About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Makeover Monday # 2

Today's Makeover is on a Pekinese that has not been groomed in six months.







 Before the bath.









His body is packed with undercoat.







His belly is full of knots, and his toenails are so long, they click loudly on the floor.






I start with a good bath.

I made up a mixture of:
 OatMella by DoubleK® 
 Bright White by Ring5®
 and a half of a capful of T*H*E Stuff® conditioner and detangler.

I was out of my Best Shot® shampoo that I normally use to remove undercoat.

T*H*E Stuff® works almost as well on undercoat.




 


 After the bath, blow dry and comb out.


The owner wants a short hair cut.

I thought that I would take the opportunity to show several different cuts on this dog before I cut all of his hair off.



First, I will show the cut that I would do on this dog if it were mine.



Yes, that is all that I would do, trim the feet, belly and rear, if he were my dog.
I love the long feathering.

The next cut is the cut that I like to recommend to my Peke owners.



I like this cut too, because it keeps most of the coat natural, but shortens up the feathering to keep the dog looking neat. 
It also helps keep them from dragging leaves and things into the house.


The next cut is what the owner asked for.
She wanted the hair on the body to be as short, or a little shorter than the top of the head.


 I tried a longer comb attachment first.

Even though I was pretty sure it was not going to take the coat short enough, I tried it first just to be on the safe side.

Remember....we can always take more hair off, but we can not put it back on if the comb attachment or blade takes it too short.

You only need one or two swipes to test.







 It was not short enough, so I moved on to the next shorter comb.

That comb attachment was the perfect length.








The comb attachment left a very nice finish that did not require a lot of scissoring to smooth out.


















The rear.







  I flagged and neatened the tail by trimming around 3/4 of an inch off.







A view of the finished Peke from behind.











Before and after of the chest.
 


Before and after of the finial cut.


 








Look how good he feels.

He has another appointment for 8 weeks. :)









✂ Happy Grooming, MFF ✂



8 comments:

  1. Aww, so cute! I hope they come back in 8 weeks as scheduled!

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  2. Beautiful job! Very informative. I love your transformation photo series!

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  3. I wish you were my groomer!! I took my Peke to PetSmart and they shaved him down too much, even though I didn't want him shaved in the first place, and now he looks like your first picture. Keep up the good work!

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  4. Well done! I love reading your blog... It totally sucks me in. I can see that you are a very kind and valuable groomer. You share a wealth of information that most would try to profit from, but you do it to educate and let us groomers know that we aren't alone in our day to day dealings! Much love from Nashville, TN!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Nashville!
      My Mom lives close to you. :)
      I am glad that you like my blog. I like writing about grooming. It actually helps me relax.
      I wish more groomers would work together and not judge each other so much. Grooming is an art. Each groomer has their on way of doing things. I write about my way and hope that it helps other groomers, but it does not mean that they have to groom my way. I don't always agree with how another groomers groom, but as long as the dog was groomed safely and looks nice that is what matters. :)
      Thanks for reading!
      Lisa, MFF

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