shears

[Bobbi]

Hi,

I'm new to this. I'm takinga course home study--much of the stuff I already knew. However its the certain cuts that are a little scary and I know it will take practice. I decided to take this course since I have 3 Great Pyrs and to help the less fortunate dogs waiting for adoption.

My question is what are the shears that I need for different breeds? I have a big one that was sent to me and over the years have gotten a few.

Also I took this course, last year my pyr had very bad allergies. I brought her to an groomer to be shaved down. However on her hips and neck the hair never grew back the vet said the groomer damaged the layer of skin. So also with this information I decided to do my own. They all look great except for the one with the bald spots. She now has to wear a coat since she is 14 and bald in the hips and neck.

How could this have been prevented. All my pyrs have excellent coats no matts.

Thanks

[pamperedpups]

Hi, Bobbi. Welcome to the forum! To do the basics on most shelter dogs, you'll probably want at least one straight shear, one curved shear and one thinning shear as well as a professional quality 2-speed animal clipper with a small collection of clipper blades (#10 or #15, #30 or #40, #7, #5, #4, #3 and a set of snap on combs). There are many different brands of supplies available and places to order your supplies from that you can research starting here on this website.

About your Pyr, unless the groomer gouged out or severely burned areas of your dog's skin, I seriously doubt your Pyr's coat problems are the result of a bad grooming experience. More often than not, coats that do not grow back properly after shaving are a sign of an underlying health condition (including, but not limited to diabetes, Cushing's disease, thyroid problems, etc.) or poor diet, etc. If this were my dog and I knew there were no signs of injury immediately after the grooming, I would begin working with a qualified veterinarian to discover the actual cause of my dog's coat issues. Good luck!

[diamienono]

my first thought about the baldie is diet. That can and will make a HUGE difference. Try switching that dog to a raw diet and also add some flax seed oil in there. That does wonders for the coat

[sheilabgroomer]

I agree w/both Pampered and Diamone. For some reason some vets are quick to "blame the groomer", when we didn't cause a problem, but rather uncovered it! If your GP is still baldie I would get blood tests done to find the source. If your hair didn't grow back after a haircut would blame the hairdresser/barber???
I would get the equipt that Pampered already menitoned, and add a good Greyhound style comb, a couple slicker brushes and a can of KoolLube unless if you have enough blades to switch out when they get hot. If you use the KoolLube, read the directions and precautions and follow them!!!! Luck to you it is a great thing to groom the shelter babies so they have a better chance of finding a home!

[azoci]

Yes, I agree, there is probably an underlaying health issue for the bald issue.

As for shears, like mentioned straight, curve, and blenders/thinners. Now as to getting those shears...you need to make sure they fit your particular hand...difficult to do if you can "try them on". It's like a shoe, you wouldn't wear shoes that don't fit, same as shears. That's why we have so many choices! What I use probably wouldn't work for you.
I have my students start with a 3 fingered pair to get the right habit formed from the get-go. (I prefer Image-Tech, and the Aussie line, as the shears are goo (not super great) and are affordable. Aussie had a show special of 3 pair for $100, at Burbank, as a for instance. I can get you the contact info, if you pm me.

I also like to have my students practice building up hand muscles, in particular your muscle. Place your hand on the table, hold shear properly and comfortably open and close the shear. Do this for the length of a TV commercial. Then stop. You will start of feel that muscle working after just a few moments. The goal is to be able to work the shears for the length of the commercial with out feeling it working. Same as any athlete, start slow (shorter time period) and build up. Some new groomers can't get to 30 seconds with out feeling that muscle working, think what would happen if it were hours! Muscle strain is one of our biggest problems. And no one ever thinks about it.

[pamperedpups]

Edited.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

Yes, isn't it wonderful when the vet blames the groomer? How about a blood test? No? Ok, let's just blame the groomer.

For crying out loud.

Shears, straights, curves thinners, and if you do a lot of larger dogs a nice long 9-10" pair of shears is great.

Make sure you have a greyhound comb with fine-medium teeth.

I could go on forever, I think the basics have been covered here.

Tammy in Utah