[Raindrops]

So I finally tried filming a grooming session with Misha. As I have stated many times, it takes me forever so this video is like 2.5 hours. But it does include blow drying with an HV dryer, clipping the body, and doing a head and tail trim. I didn't trim the legs because I tend to alternate months with trimming the head/tail and the legs. I also do the FFT on a more regular basis so that's not included.

The video does include HV & Fluff dry, body trim, topknot, ears, tail pompon. So hopefully it will be useful to people trying to figure out how to groom at home.

It's a first attempt filming, so it's not perfect. But it was reasonably successful.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I WAS LITERALLY JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS!! Ahhhh!!! Thank you!

I worked on Peggy for a few minutes today and my utter incompetence has been weighing on me ever since. It seems almost cruel to practise on her. And watching the pros work discourages me more.

I was seriously just thinking, "I sure hope @Raindrops has a chance to record something over Christmas break.... I urgently need some inspiration."

Going to watch now!

 

[Dechi]

Thank you, I enjoy watching grooming videos. I will watch as well !

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy has never barked at a static image of a dog before, but Misha just got one very loud "Hello!"

 

[Raindrops]

I WAS LITERALLY JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS!! Ahhhh!!! Thank you!

I worked on Peggy for a few minutes today and my utter incompetence has been weighing on me ever since. It seems almost cruel to practise on her. And watching the pros work discourages me more.

I was seriously just thinking, "I sure hope @Raindrops has a chance to record something over Christmas break.... I urgently need some inspiration."

Going to watch now!

Haha I'm glad my timing worked for you! I did discover that trying to save and upload a 2.5 hour video is a nightmare. It took 5 hours to save it in high quality and then 2-3 days to upload it to youtube. I was trying very hard to get it to you! I'm probably going to split things up next time lol.

 

[Raindrops]

Peggy has never barked at a static image of a dog before, but Misha just got one very loud "Hello!"

View attachment 471941

Hahaha! Love it! She says "Mom I need a brother just like that!"

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. I was admiring Misha's rounded top knot the other day. I will watch this later more in detail so I can practice on Basil after.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I'm 30 minutes in and loving every second. I appreciate this video (and you! and Misha!) so much. Thanks for not giving up on that ridiculously long upload!

 

[Raina]

Thanks for uploading this!! As a novice home groomer it's super helpful to see other grooming setups and techniques. I really like the head holder attachment you have, that seems super useful. Also Misha looks amazing

 

[Raindrops]

Thanks for uploading this!! As a novice home groomer it's super helpful to see other grooming setups and techniques. I really like the head holder attachment you have, that seems super useful. Also Misha looks amazing

Thank you! The one I use in the video is actually just the one that came with my table, though I've since purchased some that I like much better. There are plenty of styles of groom loops though.

 

[Newport]

Love this video, and Misha. You make holding the hose under your arm look easy. I find the idea simple, and the execution difficult, lol. My big learning this week is high speed dry with nozzle to 85%, then take the nozzle off, turn down the speed, add a bit of heat, and brush to fluff. I haven't been removing the nozzle or turning down the speed enough. Time to wash my dog and try again!

 

[Raindrops]

Love this video, and Misha. You make holding the hose under your arm look easy. I find the idea simple, and the execution difficult, lol. My big learning this week is high speed dry with nozzle to 85%, then take the nozzle off, turn down the speed, add a bit of heat, and brush to fluff. I haven't been removing the nozzle or turning down the speed enough. Time to wash my dog and try again!

Oh I agree it is far from easy! I have been working on this technique for a while and it does get easier over time.

When I fluff dry I have been using it at full speed just without the nozzle, and that's been working well for my needs. But I'm sure the technique differs based on hair length.

If you can get another person to aim the air hose it is really nice, but I make do.

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

I'm 40 minutes in. Keep in mind Basil's Dad (me) is still a beginners and learning. I'm already going to begin to stuff her ears when drying her to be more careful with her ears, it wasn't until you said why that it made sense. I'm super grateful.

Why do you brush before drying instead of drying and then brushing?

 

[Raindrops]

I'm 40 minutes in. Keep in mind Basil's Dad (me) is still a beginners and learning. I'm already going to begin to stuff her ears when drying her to be more careful with her ears, it wasn't until you said why that it made sense. I'm super grateful.

Why do you brush before drying instead of drying and then brushing?

Glad it is helpful! It does make a huge difference. I sometimes use silicone earplugs as well. They take longer to apply, but may eliminate noise better than cotton. Misha for sure tolerates better with his ears plugged.

I brush before drying because it allows the hair to straighten more during drying and also dries much faster because it isn't clumped together holding onto moisture. But when the hair is very short it doesn't really matter. Also if you have tangles and then HV dry them, I think it is probably not good for the hair and might cause matting.

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

Glad it is helpful! It does make a huge difference. I sometimes use silicone earplugs as well. They take longer to apply, but may eliminate noise better than cotton. Misha for sure tolerates better with his ears plugged.

I brush before drying because it allows the hair to straighten more during drying and also dries much faster because it isn't clumped together holding onto moisture. But when the hair is very short it doesn't really matter. Also if you have tangles and then HV dry them, I think it is probably not good for the hair and might cause matting.

What's your process for drying Misha off after you turn off the water and are ready to bring him over to the table?

For example, do you ring out the coat by just squeezing his hair from the head down then towel him off? Do you let him zoom and shake and wiggle around before you come over to the table?

 

[Raindrops]

What's your process for drying Misha off after you turn off the water and are ready to bring him over to the table?

For example, do you ring out the coat by just squeezing his hair from the head down then towel him off? Do you let him zoom and shake and wiggle around before you come over to the table?

Since he's small, I tend to just squeeze all the water out with my hands and then pick him up and take him to the grooming table where I towel him off. But you could towel first. I tend to not let him run around like a madman because he is liable to hurt himself with the crazy slippery zooms.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Loved the couch aka the grand finale!

This is such a realistic look at how much work goes into keeping Misha so dapper. Had you ever groomed a poodle before him?

 

[Raindrops]

Loved the couch aka the grand finale!

This is such a realistic look at how much work goes into keeping Misha so dapper. Had you ever groomed a poodle before him?

Haha nope, but I had enjoyed watching grooming videos for a couple years so I sort of knew what I was doing. I was looking forward to having a dog of my own to work with. I feel like grooming a poodle is like sculpture but so much harder because they move and the hair constantly rearranges itself. It drives my inner perfectionist insane.

But also I started with more simple grooming that involved minimal scissoring. You can do most things with just a trimmer (and clipper if needed). Even the topknot. Scissoring a topknot is really hard.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I just brushed Peggy and felt much more confident. Less coddling. Fewer treats. A firmer touch. Success!

I even had a little laugh, recalling Misha's pawing. Every poodle has their thing. Peggy lowers her chin onto my hand with increasing pressure while I'm trying to work on her front legs. Instead of feeling bad for her, I thought, "If Misha can manage 2.5 hours on the grooming table, you can survive five minutes on the ottoman!!"

 

[Raindrops]

I just brushed Peggy and felt much more confident. Less coddling. Fewer treats. A firmer touch. Success!

I even had a little laugh, recalling Misha's pawing. Every poodle has their thing. Peggy lowers her chin onto my hand with increasing pressure while I'm trying to work on her front legs. Instead of feeling bad for her, I thought, "If Misha can manage 2.5 hours on the grooming table, you can survive five minutes on the ottoman!!"

Hahaha! Misha uses that move all the time as well when I'm trying to work on his front feet. He used to be bad about brushing the legs but he has become better, especially since I've started using the very gentle slicker. Very slow improvement though. I really only started using treats while grooming recently when I started putting in real effort to work on the front feet. He used to be a nightmare with them. Now I have finally taught him that if he holds still for one swipe of the clipper blade, he will get a treat in return. It just means he gets a lot of treats. Very slow process, but it allowed me to actually get the front feet completely done rather than trying to get in a few swipes at them each week. Since his surgery I cannot use the grooming hammock until his incision heals, and I had to do the feet using only groom loops. That was a lot harder, but I'm proud of us that we actually got it done. Several months ago it would have been impossible. He looks so well behaved in that video, but I think he has been relatively difficult to groom for a poodle. It's just been a lot of very slow improvement. Sometimes you don't even notice they're getting better until you reflect on the past.

Another thing I started doing when I started the treats was being a bit harsher with him when he would squirm. A firm "NO" for squirms contrasted with a treat and praise for stillness seemed necessary to get the point across to him. I used to try simply rewarding for stillness and he never seemed to realize why I was giving him a treat. He is a dog that reacts really well to verbal correction and I think I just need to use it more. I've been rethinking a lot of my training lately given the persistence of some of his issues. Have to take "Train the dog in front of you" to heart.