Preparation

DOGS

Handling

Before any grooming procedure is carried out, it is important to understand the
correct way to handle a dog. Grooming should be a pleasurable and rewarding
experience for both dog and groomer, and should not be seen as some torturous
experience that the dog begins to dread! Body language is the key: the ability to
understand basic dog signs will make you a better handler.
Remember the five freedoms when working with dogs and cats:
• Freedom from fear and stress
• Freedom from pain, injury and disease
• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom to express most normal behaviour
In the salon the third freedom (freedom from hunger and thirst) may not apply,
except water must be available if required.
Introducing a dog to grooming and handling
A dog’s natural instinct is to protect its feet and belly. Dogs need good feet
to chase and catch prey to survive and an open belly usually means death. It
is therefore advisable to begin grooming other areas of the dog first. If any
unfamiliar animal goes for, or touches these areas, the dog will assume it is being
attacked.
In the case of pets, handling the dog all over its body on a daily basis of small
ten-minute sessions will increase its trust in you. Introduction of grooming tools
should be done with a steady approach and consideration. Figs 4.1–4.4 show how
to introduce a puppy to grooming. If the puppy tries to bite or scream, pause, but
continue to hold the puppy gently but firmly. If you immediately release the
puppy when it screams it will learn that this is the way to stop the process. This

 

 

 

could lead to the puppy becoming impossible to groom when an adult dog. Stay
calm during the process and hold the feet or beard – the screaming can continue
for a while! Begin grooming again in an easier area and gradually work towards
the problem area soothing and praising the dog when it is still and accepting
the process.

 

Human–dog interaction

Dogs’ behaviour towards people moves between three states:
• From being friendly and enjoying interactions
• Through to arousal when ready to defend themselves if need be
• To fearful, seeking to avoid interaction
Friendly dogs (Fig. 4.5) will be calm with soft eye contact and will move easily.
The tail is usually carried at medium height and often with a relaxed wag. If you
greet them, the tail will drop slightly and they may raise a paw. The ears are
relaxed and carried low and they may seek contact with you by leaning on you or
towards your stroking hand.
Fearful dogs (Fig. 4.6a, b) will seek to move away from the object of fear, in this
case the groomer or other dogs. The tail is carried low, often tucked hard between
the legs. Early signs of fear include lip licking and grimacing (showing teeth with
the lips pulled back) (Fig. 4.7). The ears are usually flat against the head with a low
or crouching body posture and the dog avoids eye contact. Its eyes will glance
around and hackles may be raised. Watch for slow, stiff movements and air
sniffing. Barking will be non-rhythmic and the anal glands may empty or the dog
may urinate.

 

 

 

Aroused dogs (Fig. 4.8) are ready to defend themselves. Their sniffing will be
intrusive – ‘full on’. Eye contact will be long and hard. They will move stiffly with
high tail carriage. There may be a stiff wag, typically just the tip. If you move too
close they may react and jump. Growling will be low and deep with bared teeth
and stiff, forward ear carriage. Other behaviours that may be seen are mounting,
flirting, licking genitals of other dogs and rapid vertical tail wagging (inappropriate
sexual posturing).
Both fearful and aroused dogs have dilated pupils – if you can get close enough
to see! There are a lot of grey areas with these behaviours. A fearful dog may want
to be social but lack the confidence to interact. Dogs may show a combination
of signals from all three stages on the behaviour scale described above. You
also have to bear in mind that breed type, age, sex and history will also have an
effect. Your observations will help you to interact with them and increase
their confidence.
Signs of stress include yawning, lip licking, ears carried back and close to the
head, dilated pupils, occasional grumbling, crouched posture, urination, tight
muzzle panting with the corners drawn back and large dilated pupils.
Beware of common misconceptions:
• Tail wagging does not always mean friendliness.
• Raised hackles does not always mean aggression.
• Jumping up does not always mean friendliness or dominance.
• Sitting on your lap is not always a sign of friendliness.
• Rolling on the back is not always a sign of submission.
Avoid thinking in terms of dominance with dogs. Truly dominant dogs are
rare. Pushy, confident and bullying dogs are common. These can be considered
as dogs with more opinions about certain things than other dogs. They are also
more likely to react if asked or made to do something that they don’t want to do or
don’t like.

 

In the salon

Remember safety of staff and yourself and take precautions with very fearful or
reactive dogs. A dog in a holding enclosure may sometimes become protective of
its environment and therefore it is a good idea to keep a lead on the dog, with its
end outside the crate to avoid you risking being bitten. Take hold of the lead first
then encourage the dog to come out. Avoid direct eye-to-eye contact with new
dogs until you have assessed their body signals.
Experience in handling can only be built up with time, but a confident handling
technique will enable a better relationship between you and the dog. If you show
nervousness in your approach the dog will react to this.
Dog–dog interaction
Awareness of dog-to-dog interaction is important. The same signals will be given
to other dogs in the salon.
• Avoid putting reactive dogs in places where there will be a lot of passing
activity by people or dogs.
• Timid, fearful dogs should be kept near quiet but friendly dogs and away from
busy areas.
Always be aware of the dogs in your care to avoid any conflicts. Place yourself
between two dogs if they need to pass by each other.

 

Grooming out

Whatever the coat type, with the exception of smooth coats, the grooming out
procedure is the same. The choice of equipment will vary, depending on whether
the dog being groomed is a pet or a show dog. Before any finishing procedures
can be carried out it is important that the dog’s coat is clean and free of knots.

Always assess the coat for condition, type and skin problems before beginning grooming.

With the exception of hand-stripping, it is always preferable to trim a freshly
bathed coat. Wire coats must be hand-stripped before bathing as bathing softens
the texture of the coat, which makes stripping more difficult.
Dogs may not require brushing before the bath if their coat is maintained regularly
between trims. In fact sometimes it is much easier to remove dead undercoat
and knots after bathing, using the correct drying techniques. A good generalpurpose
brush for pet and commercial use is the slicker brush, and this brush and
a medium-width toothcomb should suffice for grooming out. However, if the coat
is matted then a de-matter, scissors or clippers may be necessary (Fig. 4.9).
For show dogs, particularly for silk coats and some double coats, a pin or bristle
brush should be used to prevent breakage of the coat. These brushes will not

remove mats, and if the coat gets into a matted state then a slicker brush may have
to be used. However, in this book we are not dealing with show grooming and we
therefore suggest that you seek advice from breed specialists for specific show
grooming techniques.

Whichever process you are carrying out, whether it is grooming out, bathing, drying or
trimming, it is always best to work to a routine. This will ensure that all the areas of the dog
are dealt with.

Start at the foot of one of the rear legs of the dog (Fig. 4.10), lift the coat up and
brush from the bottom of the coat outwards. Try to keep tension on the skin, as
this will prevent unnecessary pulling. Ensure that you are brushing to the skin
and not just skimming over the top – be aware of brush burn.
Work your way up the leg and into the body (Fig. 4.11) and continue along the
side of the body and into the shoulder (Fig. 4.12).
Move on to the foot of the front leg and meet up with the shoulder (Fig. 4.13).
Remember the armpit! Brush out the chest and throat (Fig. 4.14) working your
way round to the back of the neck (Fig. 4.15). Brush one side of the head, the ear
and beard and then do the other side (Fig. 4.16).
Repeat the whole process on the other side of the dog, finishing by brushing
the tail (Fig. 4.17).
Comb through the coat only when the brushing is complete. A comb will not
glide through a dirty coat but will help you to find any major knots that you may
have missed before. Different coat types require different combing techniques.

 

Matted coats

A mat is formed by the dead undercoat clumping together or by a longer coat
becoming twisted. If a matted coat becomes wet then the mats will tighten and
almost become solid. Figs 4.20 and 4.21 show how mats can tighten together.
A de-matter should be used in conjunction with a brush. Brush the knot or mat
to open it first (Fig. 4.22) and then carefully use the de-matter (Fig. 4.23) to break
open the coat. Brush again to release the mat. Do not pull the mat out with the

 

 

de-matter as this will be most uncomfortable for the dog. Keep the skin taut during
this procedure.
Unfortunately the use of a de-matter does result in loss of coat, as the teeth are
blades. Use of a brush would reduce the loss, and our experience shows that
brushes can remove most mats if used correctly. If a coat is so severely matted that
grooming out would cause the dog distress and discomfort, removal of the coat
with clippers or scissors will be necessary. When using scissors on matted, knotty
coats remember not to use your best pair as working through knots will blunt the
cutting edge. Always cut through the knots away from the skin (Fig. 4.24).

 

After this, brush the two split areas or use a de-matter to separate further. When
using a clipper to remove mats remember that the machine has to work hard so
you may need to oil the blades as you are working. The most important point to
remember is not to force the blade through the knots but to work underneath
them. (Figs 4.25–4.27). Be very aware of the temperature of the blade to avoid
clipper rash.

 

The selection of blade size depends on the severity of matting but generally a 7F
for body and a no. 10 for finer areas would work well. Be careful of loose skin,
lumps and bumps (Fig. 4.28) entangled in the mat. Danger areas are armpits,
flanks and ears. (Fig. 4.29).
If you are working in a commercial salon, always inform the owner of a dog
with a matted coat before any clipping off is carried out. Explain the reason why
this is necessary and that the dog will be less stressed with this option. Suggest a
regular grooming programme to prevent re-occurrence. Always try to leave the
dog a little dignity, i.e. a little hair on the tail if a long tail and a little around the
eyes (Fig. 4.30).
There are some breeds where it is totally unacceptable to clip off, such as Rough
Collie (Pa–Dc1), Samoyed (Pa–Dc1) and Chow Chow (Ut–Dc1). Note that these
breeds are all heavy double coated, and a clip off not only looks dreadful but is
also totally degrading for the dog. Thus it should be avoided at all costs unless the
vet advises it for medical reasons. A slicker brush, a wide toothcomb and a blaster
will all help to remove dead undercoat.

 

Rough trimming

Some dogs may require some coat removal prior to bathing; usually we will
only suggest this if the coat is quite over-grown. Clip the excess body coat
according to the breed styling required and carefully scissor excessive leg coat
(Fig. 4.31). Remember not to go too short as the coat is dirty and will not be
finished correctly.

Cat grooming is a job that should not be taken lightly. Cats can be difficult to
groom if they are not accustomed to it. Early introduction to grooming tools and
equipment will help to ease the task and get the cat used to procedures and routines.
Figs 4.32–4.35 show some cats being groomed.
A cat’s temperament is totally different from that of a dog. One cannot communicate
with cats in the same way as with dogs or as easily and cats will not respond
to commands. A cat cannot be fastened by a lead so it may be advantageous to
have a second person to help in difficult areas such as armpits and groins. Cats do
not like loud or sudden noises, so a quiet area is best when grooming a cat.

 

 

CATS

 

 

Cutting the cat’s nails first can be an advantage. Hold the foot firmly putting
your finger on the underside of the pad to extend the claw (Fig. 4.36) and cut
the nail (Fig. 4.37) taking care to avoid the quick (see Chapter 3). Use a mediumlength
toothcomb and a soft slicker brush and pin or bristle brush to finish. Use
the comb to groom all areas of the cat (Fig. 4.38). The slicker can be used on the
legs and head on thick long coated breeds (Fig. 4.39).

If the cat is knotty be very careful not to split the skin if using a de-matter. In the
most severe cases, clipping off may be the only option (Fig. 4.40). Remember that
a cat’s skin is very thin and tears or cuts easily.
Use a fine blade for delicate areas such as armpits and groin. A fine blade
would be usually a size 10–50 depending on the severity of matting (Fig. 4.41).

 

 

Remember to check the blade frequently so that it does not get hot. Be aware of
your limitations and when it is advisable to refer the cat to the vet for sedated
grooming.
In all instances of cat grooming, work for short periods of time, guided by the
cat’s temperament, and allow the cat to rest in between each session (Fig. 4.42).
And so to the bath!