Do you wash a matted dog before the haircut?

[soapy scissors]

I absolutely agree with "onion". If the owner isn't going to bring the pet in for regular grooming, why should I reward them for their abuse? All I'd be doing is showing the owner that they can indeed neglect their pet, bring it in for it's annual groom, and get a pet with a cute cut. Sometimes, when the owner sees their pet in a really short cut, the light goes on and they start bringing the pet in more often. Charging a hefty matted fee helps too. I'm just not going to enable them to be abusive and neglectful. If it's a truly valid reason for the matting, I'd try to make an exception. But we know how often that happens!

The maltipoo that I saved length on was groomed 12 weeks earlier, which isn't too bad. 6 weeks would be better. This dog was matted from the owners trying to upkeep the grooming by washing the dog at home and not brushing. Or at least that is my guess. I do know that they weren't neglecting the dog. Sometimes the coats do get matted during seasons changing and unforseen mishaps. I want to make the dog feel beautiful. I think they hold their head a little higher when they look exceptional.

[Helly]

I shave 'em first. I don't feel that I can get a matted dog clean to the skin. Plus I don't wanna wash and dry all that hair that I am going to shave off anyway...and I hate wet shaving, what a mess. Plus, I don't feel that it's all that necessary to try to save hair on a dog that the owner has let get in that condition anyway.

Well, I agree that you can't get a severely matted dog clean to the skin, which is why they get a quickie bath, wet shave, and another bath. I understand that some people don't like working on wet coat, and prefer not to. But it is easier on you, the dog, and your equipment. I don't exactly look forward to wet shaves either, but it's a trade off. I'll take easy any day. To me, dirty pelted coats are just as messy and smelly as wet anyway.

I don't try to save coat for the owner's sake. I do it for the dog. They're more comfortable, and less prone to sun burn, if they have a little bit of coat on them. And if I can make 'em cute, they're more likely to get some sort of affection from someone, at least for a while.

[rapuzzled]

I shave 'em first. I don't feel that I can get a matted dog clean to the skin. Plus I don't wanna wash and dry all that hair that I am going to shave off anyway...and I hate wet shaving, what a mess. Plus, I don't feel that it's all that necessary to try to save hair on a dog that the owner has let get in that condition anyway.

[Helly]

Doing a wet shave isn't really about saving more coat. It's about making the job easier for me and the dog. Face it, clipping down a severely matted, filthy dog is hard work. It's hard on you, it's hard on the dog, and it's hard on your equipment.

Clean hair, even when it's wet, is easier to clip than dirty, matted hair. Clean hair is easier to brush out. And it's much more pleasant, to boot. Don't fool yourself into thinking that a severely matted coat is cleaner close to the skin. It may not have as much visible filth as the outer coat, but there's plenty of dirt, dander and grime to dull your clipper blades.

Worn out equipment can be replaced. Worn out joints can be replaced too, but it's painful, expensive, and it probably puts an end to your grooming career anyway. Worn out spines are painful, and can't really be replaced. Not yet anyway. We only get on body. It's up to us not to abuse it when we don't have to. And clipping/brushing dirty dogs is one of those "I don't have to" things.

[SiberianLover]

Every dog I groom goes straight to the tub. My sharpener has commented on how well taken care of my equipment is, and I don't need a ton of sharpening. I credit it to the fact that my equipment NEVER touches a dirty dog. Blades that I use for wet shaving are blown out and oiled immediately.

I don't wetshave or wash dogs to save on coat so much (owners can't really tell a difference between a 7, 4 or 5 when it was super long dreadlocks before...lol) but to save on the equipment. Also, I believe that wetshaving saves on the dogs skin and increases their comfort level.

Also, when I get super matted cases, I take pictures and save pelts, and it is always easier to see in the pics when the hair is wet! lol

[Helly]

I don't really understand what's so bad about dealing with a little dirt. I mean, I would never care for someone that way unless it was my own newborn or an elderly relative. We sqeeze the extra **** out of their sphincters, we clean their ears, we clip their toenails. Ugh. All those bodily functions are kind of gross, so why be scared to get your hands dirty? We like dirt in the garden, we deal with it when we sweep our floors, so why are dirty dogs just too nasty to groom? Just my two cents.

Several answers come to mind. But the biggest is the fact that dirt will dull your blades faster than anything else. That means you have to sharpen them more often, which leads to having to replace them more often. Pushing a blade through dirty coat also causes your clipper to work harder, which in turn means it will either need repair sooner, and/or need to be replaced sooner.

[Ali Kat]

I absolutely agree with "onion". If the owner isn't going to bring the pet in for regular grooming, why should I reward them for their abuse? All I'd be doing is showing the owner that they can indeed neglect their pet, bring it in for it's annual groom, and get a pet with a cute cut. Sometimes, when the owner sees their pet in a really short cut, the light goes on and they start bringing the pet in more often. Charging a hefty matted fee helps too. I'm just not going to enable them to be abusive and neglectful. If it's a truly valid reason for the matting, I'd try to make an exception. But we know how often that happens!

[3corgis4me]

Pre wash for me

I used to work in a shop where all we did was pre-strip before the bath and let me tell you; we went through blades like crazy. It was not until I left that shop and started working on my own did I find the need to research and see if there truly were better/"smarter" ways out there to do things.

I now find that bathing first and wet shaving saves me both time and length in coat which is important to some clients. I can agree that not all clients are "worthy" of my time and effort to save coat. Now a days if you want me to save coat or a job takes longer because the dog is matted -- the client pays for it.

I always saw to it that the client was charged more for dogs that were pre-stripped or matted in my old shop (especially the OAYers).

This board has been a God send...they only problem is now I spend too much time trying to learn new stuff LOL

[soapy scissors]

"Nice job you did!"

Thanks Debbiedogs. You're right about the skip tooth 7. I haven't used one in a long time, but I remember them being excellent for nasty matted big dogs. They scare me on little dogs, afraid of hurting them. I will purchase some skip tooths maybe a 4 or 5 so I can leave the coat even longer.

[soapy scissors]

" so why are dirty dogs just too nasty to groom? Just my two cents."

Running your blades or scissors through dirt is like cutting sand paper. I went against my better judgement once and started shaving a dirty dog with my 7f blade. Within minutes my blade was dull. Now the blade is useless until I get in touch with my sharpener. I'm not afraid of a little dirt. I want sanitary equipment and sharp equipment. I like to leave a bit of length on my dogs even if they are suppose to be short I'll use a 5f or 4f before I use a 7f. If you wash a matted dog before cutting the hair, usually you can leave the length longer.

[SharPeiMom]

I usually bathe first but if it is pelted I will take off the pelts before bathing. I don't have a bathing system and I don't feel that I can get the dog adequately cleaned with big thick mats to the skin. I hate to use my equipment on a dirty dog because it does dull your blades and I DO NOT use my good shears on a dirty dog but I do have a cheap pair that I only use if necessary on a dirty dog. JMO

[Makere]

i will usually bathe first unless they are getting something super short or are sedated(not my favorite thing to do in the world) but i have blades that only touch dirty dogs and even a small pair of cheap shears just in case i need them. One thing i almost will always clip before i put them in the tub after nails are the pads of their feet. i can not stand dirty feet and mats in them *shiver*

[Debbiedogs]

I shave first - and you need....

Nice job you did!

Since you like to save hair, you owe it to yourself to get some Show Seasons Detangle Spray. Just spray on after the bath (you could have saturated that Maltese tail), and then brush out easier and save more hair with less breakage! I still split some, but the tail hair will look SO much better! Also ears, long body hair, etc. Very nice stuff that I was shown just last year.

I shave/cut first if much coat is coming off. I just don't like handling extra hair!

I rarely get really dirty dogs, so I am not so worried about wrecking blades. Besides, I use skip blades for most precuts, and they are NOT prone to wimping out with a bit of dirty coat as F blades seem to be.

Also, I have shears for "roughing" and shears for finishing, so my good shears don't have to do anything on a less-than-clean coat.

For some reason, I learned to be able to shave/cut down matted dogs and leave hair. That's because I LIKE fuzzy, I guess. So I rarely end up with a 7F length dog, even if it is matted.

[mylady]

I don't really understand what's so bad about dealing with a little dirt. I mean, I would never care for someone that way unless it was my own newborn or an elderly relative. We sqeeze the extra **** out of their sphincters, we clean their ears, we clip their toenails. Ugh. All those bodily functions are kind of gross, so why be scared to get your hands dirty? We like dirt in the garden, we deal with it when we sweep our floors, so why are dirty dogs just too nasty to groom? Just my two cents.

It's not about not wanting to deal with the dirt, it's the fact that a dirty coat will dull your blades and shears a lot faster. It's also not about saving coat for those who don't take care of their pet, it's about saving time and equipment from wear and tear. I would rather clip once than twice. When you wet shave you eliminate the risk of clipper irritation and can see the matts and skin better making it safer and it won't dull your blades the way a dirty coat will. Yes, you can leave the coat a little longer, but that's not really the point. And then you have a clean coat to work on and you don 't have to dry all the extra fur.

[scrubapup]

I calculate whether washing first will save me any grooming time.

Me too. Usually dogs go straight to my tub, but if I get a dog that the owners wants "as short as you can get him" I sometimes shave down first. (it's rare though) I would rather spend the 10 minutes pre-shaving and spend less time drying, then washing 4 inches of hair that I'm going to spend 1/2 hour drying before shaving off. And it REALLY saves time if the dog hates the HV

As for matted dogs - that all depends. I find wet shaving badly matted dogs much easier then trying to get the dirt and grime off the dog, attempting to get the mats dry and then shaving them off only to find the dog is still dirty under those matts and I have to bathe again.

However - on the rare occasion I do pre-clip, I have certain blades I use. My shears? No way. They only touch clean suckers.

As for those body cast dogs - those days are over for me. I have neither the time nor the desire to mess with those. If I can't get a #10 blade under those matts the dog needs to go elsewhere. Preferably a vet groomer, because most likely there are going to be skin issues under those casts. I guess over the years I've lost the desire to perform miracles on dogs that will just come back a year later in the same condition. I use to find it challenging and gratifying, but now I just get the uncontrollable urge to stick my matt zapper in the owners eyes and twist, so it's probably better to hand the dog back and say, "Sorry... can't do it".