Need input on a "Summer haircut"

[StarFox]

Ok this question is for anyone who knows anything about grooming dogs. (HF, Cassie this post is mosty for you :wink: ) Becaue I know absolutly NOTHING about grooming. Zebra has long hair...and very thick hair around his neck. And since it seems that we are getting summer very early this year (it was sooo hot today!) I need advice on if I should get zebra's hair cut shorter for a cooler "summer cut". His hair is about 3 inches long and I was thinking about getting him groomed so his hair is about 1 1/2 inches long. Would that be ok? he would still have hair so he wouldn't get sun burned but he would be allot cooler. So would that be possible? Or is it just a bad idea?

And my second question is how in the world do I find a good groomer?!?! What do I need to look for? I'm tempted to take him to the Petsmart groomers but I dunno. He does get mouthy (he just puts his mouth on your arm but does NOT bite) when I try to brush him or cut his fur. I just don't want someone to put a muzzle on him thinking that he is an agressive dog, he would be soo scared if a muzzle was put on him. :(

So are there specific questions I should ask a groomer? Or things I should look for to recognize a good one?

[imported_Cassie]

I think HF will be able to answer this better than I can :wink: I just work as a bath blow dryer...but, as for cutting your dog to a shorter length, just one question; is Zebra a double coated dog? if so, what I would do is have a groomer get all the undercoat out leaving the out guard hairs...the guard hairs protect the dog from the sun ect. I have actually gotten most of the undercoat out of my Newfoundland dogs in the summer. I just find some times with a double coated dog...not always, but, some times the under coat can grow out before the outer coat and can makes for a different look.
What the groomer does with breeds like Collies, Shelties, Golden's etc. is she has us brush them in the bath tub when lathered; this gets alot of dead undercoat out, then we zap them with a high velocity dryer to get the rest of the undercoat out...once the dog is 100% dry the coat really starts blowing with the high velocity...then the groomer takes the dog and brushes it, then combs, rakes it once brushed out...then she will scissor the feet, rough, pants, & tail to give the dog a tidy appearance. She also has a few of these breeds which she will take short all over (as per the owner)
The best thing when looking for a good groomer is to ask for referrals from you Vet..or if you see a well groomed dog at a dog park ask who groomed it.

[Guest Anonymous]

Okay, I'm not trying to sound pushy or anything, but please be careful about taking your dog to Petsmart to be groomed. My dad took his GSD, Cody, there and he ended up with some type of skin infection. They've never really been able to get rid of it and to this day he has to stay on a dose of preventative antibiotic. The reason we suspect Petsmart is because that was the ONLY thing that varied from his normal routine. I may be completely off the mark about them but I felt I needed to express my concern.

[Guest Anonymous]

*Deleted*

[tammy123]

i used to be a groomer and if he is double coated would go with the suggestion to just have him bathed and all the undercoat & loose stuff out and maybe just thin out his coat, if you clip a double coated dog they look terrible :o and never reallys grows back right. You also need to remember that the coat can act as protection against heat so clipping him short COULD have the oposite effect.

[Horsefeathers!]

[quote name='SexxieRacerChik'] They can make sure your dogs are up-to-date on shots and the sort([b]if they don't ask then definately a no[/b]), [/quote]

Actually, I am one that does NOT require vacs to be "current." I don't believe in yearly vaccinations for my own dogs and I don't penalize my clients who do not, either. Everyone here mostly does yearly vaccinations, but I do not require it.


[quote](I would assume they have to atleast have a groomer's license..[b]if not then definately no[/b])[/quote]
Actually, in the US, there are no federal licensing requirements. In many states, there is a licensing requirement, but they are general licenses that cover boarding facilities, grooming shops, commercial kennels and pet stores. In Georgia, grooming shops are required to have a kennel license which is obtained from the Georgia Department Of Agriculture. Basically, you send in a licensing fee and they might show up once or twice a year to be sure you're keeping your towels in a sealed plastic container :roll:. There are no federal guidelines for groomer training. Basically, anyone can hang a shingle, pick up a clipper and call themselves a groomer. Certification is voluntary at this point. I've met several certified groomers I would not let near any of my dogs. Some were abusive... by no means am I labeling certified groomers as categorically abusive; just pointing out that certification mostly means that you know how to make a breed look like it's supposed to, but it doesn't automatically indicate care and compassion.


[quote]but I would find a groomer that has been a groomer for many years...not someone who is just starting out (which is what I suspect the groomers at Petco would be...kinda like hairdresser's who start out at Head Start (local chain of hair/barber shops)).[/quote]
I'm not being argumentative; I swear, but some of the top rated schools are turning out competition quality graduates. These people are ready for the competition ring the day they graduate school (California School of Dog Grooming is one of the best, I hear). By the same token, I've seen some really burned out 30something year veteran groomers who were sloppy and abusive.:-?


Just my opinion, but I think one great way to find a groomer is to hang out in areas known to be frequented by dogs and ask the owners of the really nicely groomed ones where they had them done :wink: . I would also feel more comfortable with someone who actively attends seminars, competitions (not necessarily to compete... just attending is educational), classes and basically continuing education. Don't be afraid to ask your potential new groomer if s/he attends classes and seminars, if they've had any first aid training, handling classes, or are at least part of the growing network of groomers' lists. What would turn me off is a groomer who "doesn't have time for that sort of thing," or "don't need that stuff... I've been grooming 23784938742 years and know all I need to know." Styles and equipment change all the time. No one can ever know everything there is to know about grooming. IMO a groomer should be eager or at least willing to continue their education.

Certification is gravy. Most groomers who care enough to become certified are genuinely concerned with maintaining a certain level of professionalism. It just doesn't guarantee it :wink: .

I agree with Cassie's and others' advice above on double coats. It's a hotly debated subject on many groomers' groups (to clip or not to clip), but my personal preference is to dethatch/deshed using pretty much the same method Cassie described above. :)

[Guest Anonymous]

i always herd that keeping them longer int he summer kept them cooler? lol who knows just somethign i herd. good luck Mel!

[Guest Anonymous]

*Deleted*

[gooeydog]

Even vaccinated dogs can get kennel cough, anyone who works in a kennel environment can tell you that, in fact, many people don't even bother with the kennel cough vacc anymroe unless they're doing something with the dog where it is required (boarding, training, etc where the establishment requires it). Vaccines are not 100%, and there is mounting evidence that yearly vaccinations are not necessary for dogs because the vaccines last much longer than that. Ever wonder why the one year and three year rabies vaccines were the exact same thing, same amount, everything?

[Horsefeathers!]

[quote name='SexxieRacerChik'][quote name='Horsefeathers!'] [quote name='SexxieRacerChik'] They can make sure your dogs are up-to-date on shots and the sort([b]if they don't ask then definately a no[/b]), [/quote]
Actually, I am one that does NOT require vacs to be "current." I don't believe in yearly vaccinations for my own dogs and I don't penalize my clients who do not, either. Everyone here mostly does yearly vaccinations, but I do not require it. [/quote]

So you verify by documentation that the dogs have been vaccinated? For parvo, kennel cough, rabies? Just because you don't give them to your dogs doesn't mean that they shouldn't have them. [/quote]
Actually, that's wrong. It's not just a personal feeling I have; it's been proven in independent studies that overvaccination is not only NOT protecting animals, but in many cases, it's compromising their immune systems, making them ill and in some cases killing them. It is why I do not vaccinate yearly and do not require vaccinations to be what is considered the norm for "current." My vet supports me in this. He has to be comfortable with it because I groom inside HIS clinic.

Type "overvaccination" in a google search and see what you come up with. :wink:

[quote]Kennel Cough spreads fast and sometimes undectected in it's first stages for 2-14 days.[/quote]

Actually, there are so many strains of kennel cough that I do not rely on the vaccine. I used to keep all of my dogs current on bordatella. Every year, there were some of my dogs who got kennel cough still and the rest didn't. I haven't given it in over two years now and so far, no one has gotten kennel cough... not even the two who used to get it yearly. I am so comfortable in my decision that my own dogs accompany me to work every single day and are in the same room as my groom clients. I've never had one of my dogs contract an illness from work.

So far, in the five years I have worked there, there has not been a single reported case of transmittable illness from my salon. Most of my clients are also clients of my vet, so I would be the first to know if there were a problem.

[quote]When I groomed years ago(and when I say years I mean like close to 8) I had to pay $500 and take a 2 month class before the vet I went to work for could hire me as a "groomer". I was only allowed to bath/dry the dogs up until I received the certification. They compared it to a hairstylist/manacurist and their license.[/quote]

Could you tell me the certifying organization in which you were certified and what your certification title was (MPS, NCMG, etc.)? I'm only aware of a few. I think we are talking about different kinds of certification. There is a huge difference between certification and licensing. Again, some states do require a form of licensing which basically covers sanitation and such, but that is not the same as certification which covers knowledge of breed standards and profiles and, in some organizations, skin and coat care.

[Guest Anonymous]

*Deleted*

[Horsefeathers!]

[quote name='SexxieRacerChik']As far as I can remember it said something about being ppsec registered.[/quote]

Ok, I had to check. It has nothing to do with groomer certification. They recognize trade schools and such, but have nothing to do with groomer certification. No big deal. I was just curious.



[quote]I understand about the vaccinations but you said you don't require them be vaccinated yearly...what I'm asking is do you make sure they've been vaccinated at all? [/quote]

To answer the question directly, as long as they've had their puppy shots and first adult set, I'm happy.



[quote]Some poor dogs probably haven't been vaccinated since puppyhood.[/quote]
That's not necessarily a bad thing. :wink:

[quote]I'm not trying to argue with you though...if you don't and your vet doesn't then that's all you can go by. I trust my vet and you obviously trust yours. Mine does yearly vaccinations for kennel cough and parvo and rabies because seems alot of dogs around here come down with that. Different strokes for different folks I guess.[/quote]

Ask your vet if s/he is aware that suggested vaccination protocols have changed... the AVMA, the council on biologic and therapeutic agents, Texas A&M University, Cornell University, Colorado State University, the AAHA have all changed their vaccination guidelines. It's not just speculation. Overvaccination ruins immune systems, creates all sorts of problems and even kills. I don't mean this in any ugly way, but I've seen that you seem to trust your vet implicitly. I like my vet, too. Actually, he's also a personal friend. However, we've butted heads many times over how I want things handled with my dogs. He DOES still vaccinate yearly... just not MY dogs and he doesn't require it of my groom clients (it's my business, his building). He does recognize that protocol has changed and has met me somewhere in the middle on it. He's also perfectly willing to let my dogs board there if they ever need to without boosters. The reason he still vaccinates yearly, he says, is because people will not bring in their animals for yearly checkups without it. He's not a materialistic, money motivated type of guy, so I do tend to believe him (then again, I trust no one implicitly :wink: ).

Seriously, don't take my word for it. You should never take anyone at their word, me, your vet, anybody. Do a google search on "overvaccination." Read through some of it. Take what you can use and leave the rest behind, but it's at least worth reading and then deciding for yourself whether or not it's something you believe. :)

[StarFox]

Ummmm....I don't know is Zebra has a double coat. :oops: I don't think he does. :-?

Another reason I want to get him groomed is that he gets allot of mats on the hair under his ear, no matter how much I brush him he is always getting a little mat there. And my mom wants to "groom" him....and ummm well lets just say that she isn't the best when given a pair of scissors. :-?

[quote]Okay, I'm not trying to sound pushy or anything, but please be careful about taking your dog to Petsmart to be groomed. My dad took his GSD, Cody, there and he ended up with some type of skin infection.[/quote]

This is the reason I don't want to take him to petsmart to get groomed. I've heard too many horror stories about something going wrong.


I know that at my vets they do basic grooming so I was thinking about taking him there. The vets and vet techs LOVE Zebra and Zebra feels very comfortable there, so maybe I will take him there.