slings vs groomers helper (sort of)

[workingchihuahua]

we are very fortunate to have at our disposal such great grooming products that weren't available when most of us started. now while i don't use the groomers helper, it isn't because i don't think it's a good product. my clients have evolved from small land sharks to the big boys. the slings are better suited to my needs. grooming those 140 lb malamutes who feel no need to stand can be very hard on the shoulders. the slings used properly are no harder on a dog than the groomers helper would be on a neck of a dog who is bent on eating you or at least seeing what you taste like. the piont that i'm trying to make is that because a particular tool doesn't work for some, doesn't mean it doesn't work well for others.

[diamienono]

I have the starter GH

But I still want to get a couple of slings. There have been enough times I could have used them. I also have notices on some dogs that fight nail cutting when they are in the sling and just barely off the ground they don't seem to fight the nails. They are just confused as to what the heck is happening that they can't touch the ground and just hang there. I would like to give it a try. Unfortunately $ wise it is not on the priority list.

[toomuchfunbnme]

Slings

I think the grooming sling from blackdog grooming looks like it would work pretty good. I have seen a type of sling that is cloth and the dogs legs just stick out. I don't know how a groomer could use that. The blackdog slings seem to work along the lines of groomers helper and look great to me though!

[Helly]

I haven't found a dog yet that I think needs a sling. If I can't do them with the Groomer's Helper, they're too dangerous to be done without sedation.

And I'm serious about the discomfort you could be causing a dog by putting it in a sling. I've suffered a severe back injury AND a broken hip, and I know what it would feel like to be in a sling. NOT comfortable at all.

The only time I wouldn't use a GH on a dog's neck is if it has a collapsing trachea. But I still wouldn't put it in a sling. They just get in the way.

[plushpuppy]

I have the gh but I use a sling in special cases too

[furrybestjob]

I'd be very open to trying a sling on the bigger dogs just to help them stand up, and plan to get a grooming pole it will work on. I have the groomers helper and personally, working in a mobile grooming van, using the side bars, the foam padding and the noose really isn't too practical I've found, and definitely would not work on a big dog in my situation. I think that there are a variety of different slings and if you get the right one there shouldn't be a problem. I would imaginine using the sling to support the dog not lift it.

[RevWind]

I remember seeing at some point in a catalogue a metal arm that sits low and horizontal and on the end of it was a cushioned curved piece that would sit under the dog's stomach. I don't think it lifts the dog persay, but I'd imagine it would still keep the dog from sitting. Has anyone seen or used it?

[diamienono]

I remember seeing at some point in a catalogue a metal arm that sits low and horizontal and on the end of it was a cushioned curved piece that would sit under the dog's stomach. I don't think it lifts the dog persay, but I'd imagine it would still keep the dog from sitting. Has anyone seen or used it?

that is similar to the GH. It wont' work on my table. There is no room to the clamp on the side of the table.

[toomuchfunbnme]

grooming strap.

I still think I'll go with the blackdog grooming body strap. They're in austrailia. Looks really simple to use and not cumbersome.

[workingchihuahua]

dogs and people have different skeletal structures. a sling would be uncomfortable for us because we are upright, the slings are designed for dogs. i have never had a dog become uncomfortable in a sling. any vet i've spoken to thinks the slings are great for arthritic dogs.

[pamperedpups]

The only time I wouldn't use a GH on a dog's neck is if it has a collapsing trachea.

Collapsing tracheas are common in small breeds, so what do you do with these if they are naughty? Even a noose alone can start some dogs coughing.


toomuchfun, I love the look of the sling you posted about. Very simple and I don't think it'd get in the way too much or cause a dog to be too uncomfortable. (Obviously SOME discomfort is involved in slings as it makes it uncomfortable for the dog to try and sit or lay down.)


Funny, with all the dogs I've groomed I really never felt as though I NEEDED something like a Groomer's Helper OR a sling. I've done some nasty little ones that bit and some giants who couldn't stand for long periods of time (and visa versa), but always found a way to work with these with only the basics.

[workingchihuahua]

just to clarify. i don't use the slings to control naughty dogs. it is simply to help large arthritic dogs tolerate a grooming. in addition to keeping the 75lb plus dogs upright so that i can groom them w/o dislocating a shoulder. now don't anybody hate me, but i have NO naughty dogs in my schedule anymore. though i do have some playful big boys.

[Chicken]

I remember seeing at some point in a catalogue a metal arm that sits low and horizontal and on the end of it was a cushioned curved piece that would sit under the dog's stomach. I don't think it lifts the dog persay, but I'd imagine it would still keep the dog from sitting. Has anyone seen or used it?

PetEdge has this. It's $39 or $49, can't recall which.

[diamienono]

just to clarify. i don't use the slings to control naughty dogs. it is simply to help large arthritic dogs tolerate a grooming. in addition to keeping the 75lb plus dogs upright so that i can groom them w/o dislocating a shoulder. now don't anybody hate me, but i have NO naughty dogs in my schedule anymore. though i do have some playful big boys.

Ok, I hate you lol. I am teaching most of my "hyper" dogs how we do things in Lisa's world. Most of them are getting the hang of it quick. I respect them and they respect me.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

This is just my two cents. I think for a dog with arthritic BACK LEGS a sling could be helpful in holding the dog up, but if it has back problems, or hip problems, I think that a sling could cause some problems, depending.

I use the Groomers Helper myself, and that is all I've needed. Most of the dogs I have that are "sitters" are just fat, but if it were an arthritic dog, I'd let it sit. Arthritis isn't only in the back legs/hips area, the front legs and shoulder areas can be affected too, but the dog can't lay down with a loop around its neck. So if a dog is forced to stand up it has to use its front legs/shoulders to hold itself up, while its back end is in a sling.

These are just my thoughts, I am no vet and can't say if this is right or wrong, it just seems logical to me.

Tammy in Utah