One of the less desirable Cockapoo characteristics is that they need grooming about every six weeks. At $65 -$75 dollars a dog, taking our two Cockapoo puppies to a groomer is too costly. It would cost $565 - $650 a year, depending on the type of groomer (mobile dog groomer or at groomer's workplace).
So we bought a nail clipper and an electric trimmer kit containing scissors and a DVD showing a groomer in action. Then came the hard part - using them!
At 7 months, Alvin is (sometimes) calm AND he's been groomed twice by a professional. After a thorough brushing, we set him up on a bench at the right level for grooming. As long as I hold his head, he's lulled into a trance by the sound of the clippers.
Alvin is a Bichon Frise/Cockapoo mix and looks the best when he's groomed with a modified poodle cut.
Simon, a 14-week-old, may look cute, but he's a little monster. Grooming him is not easy. Besides that he has a short attention span, the only way we can use the trimmer is if someone is feeding him treats at the same time.
The real bad news is that during a recent grooming session he ate too many treats mixed in with a few hair balls and barfed them up an hour later. He also has 2 bare patches when he moved unexpectedly. He's good for about 2 - 5 minutes; then, he loses focus and starts moving.
The good news - over the last 3 times we've groomed him, we found a puppy underneath all that hair. And he should associate grooming and the treats. Eventually, his grooming will get easier.
Right now, we groom Simon fairly short all over. Also, with both dogs, we pay attention to the hair around the eyes. The dogs need to see, and short eye hair minimizes Simon's tear stains. Be careful to angle the scissors flat in front of the eyes.
It's easy to understand why you would not want to groom your dog on your own, especially if you have a Simon-like dog. But here's a plan that might work for you. Try these dog grooming tips:
1. Get a pair of clippers, scissors, brush, and a nail trimmer. Some dog grooming packages come with a DVD showing you how to groom. A must-do: Watch the dog grooming DVD!
2. Get your dog groomed professionally at least once. Take pictures so you know what he's supposed to look like.
3. Once you're ready to clip your dog for the first time, get someone to help you. He/she can hold the dog's head so you can clip.
4. Have plenty of treats and have your assistant feed the dog treats if he's not cooperating.
5. Clip in short increments of time - no more than a few minutes. Stop when he moves too much or starts biting.
6. Clip his nails after you've clipped his hair/fur. Be careful how much you clip. If you clip the "quick," the dog will bleed. Check out remedies online before you run into this situation. It's a good idea to clip a little at a time to avoid cutting the "quick."
Best of luck with your do it yourself dog grooming!
So we bought a nail clipper and an electric trimmer kit containing scissors and a DVD showing a groomer in action. Then came the hard part - using them!
Prince Alvin, the Do It Yourself Dog Groomer's Dream
At 7 months, Alvin is (sometimes) calm AND he's been groomed twice by a professional. After a thorough brushing, we set him up on a bench at the right level for grooming. As long as I hold his head, he's lulled into a trance by the sound of the clippers.
Alvin is a Bichon Frise/Cockapoo mix and looks the best when he's groomed with a modified poodle cut.
Sir Simon, the Do It Yourself Dog Groomer's Nightmare
Simon, a 14-week-old, may look cute, but he's a little monster. Grooming him is not easy. Besides that he has a short attention span, the only way we can use the trimmer is if someone is feeding him treats at the same time.
The real bad news is that during a recent grooming session he ate too many treats mixed in with a few hair balls and barfed them up an hour later. He also has 2 bare patches when he moved unexpectedly. He's good for about 2 - 5 minutes; then, he loses focus and starts moving.
The good news - over the last 3 times we've groomed him, we found a puppy underneath all that hair. And he should associate grooming and the treats. Eventually, his grooming will get easier.
Right now, we groom Simon fairly short all over. Also, with both dogs, we pay attention to the hair around the eyes. The dogs need to see, and short eye hair minimizes Simon's tear stains. Be careful to angle the scissors flat in front of the eyes.
Do IT Yourself Dog Grooming Tips
It's easy to understand why you would not want to groom your dog on your own, especially if you have a Simon-like dog. But here's a plan that might work for you. Try these dog grooming tips:
1. Get a pair of clippers, scissors, brush, and a nail trimmer. Some dog grooming packages come with a DVD showing you how to groom. A must-do: Watch the dog grooming DVD!
2. Get your dog groomed professionally at least once. Take pictures so you know what he's supposed to look like.
3. Once you're ready to clip your dog for the first time, get someone to help you. He/she can hold the dog's head so you can clip.
4. Have plenty of treats and have your assistant feed the dog treats if he's not cooperating.
5. Clip in short increments of time - no more than a few minutes. Stop when he moves too much or starts biting.
6. Clip his nails after you've clipped his hair/fur. Be careful how much you clip. If you clip the "quick," the dog will bleed. Check out remedies online before you run into this situation. It's a good idea to clip a little at a time to avoid cutting the "quick."
Best of luck with your do it yourself dog grooming!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Valerie Mills is a copywriter/designer and the author of alvin and simon's blog - Everything you wanted to know about getting and raising designer dogs, featuring Alvin and Simon, Cockapoo pups.
You can download two free ebooks from the blog's right column:
Are YOU Training Your Dog Or Is HE Training You? and Bringing Your New Puppy Home - Are You Ready?
Valerie Mills is a copywriter/designer and the author of alvin and simon's blog - Everything you wanted to know about getting and raising designer dogs, featuring Alvin and Simon, Cockapoo pups.
You can download two free ebooks from the blog's right column:
Are YOU Training Your Dog Or Is HE Training You? and Bringing Your New Puppy Home - Are You Ready?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Mills
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