Tools for Home Grooming
Maintaining your pet’s coat in between professional grooming improves the experience of grooming for your pets and improves the health and appearance of their coats. It takes time and commitment to learn proper technique and outcomes, but it is much easier if you have the right tools for the job!
1. Flat slicker brush – This tool detangles and de-matts long haired and curly haired dog breeds. For your pet’s safety and comfort, make sure that you don’t use the brush directly on their skin. When detangling, start at the tips of the hair and work towards the base of their coat. If the brush is pulling their skin, you can pinch the base of the hair with your fingers as you de-matt.
2. Curved slicker brush – This tool works like a flat slicker brush but has the mechanical advantage of longer pins and a curve to power through stubborn mats. I choose this brush when dogs have very thick or long hair, or large areas of matting. Because it “digs in” more when you’re brushing, it is even more important to be vigilant about not making direct contact with your pet’s skin.
3. Curry brush – This is a tool that’s great for de-shedding short-haired dog breeds and is the only brush that works on a wet coat. It can really improve the quality a bath. Once your dog is wet, use the curry brush to massage the shampoo into the coat. You’ll notice loads of hair coming off as you massage, and the water and shampoo penetrating the coat! Rinse well, and you’ll have a much less hairy dog on your hands after a bath!
4. Greyhound comb – This is an essential tool for all long haired and curly coated dogs (and works great on cats!). No brush-out is complete until you can run your comb through your dog’s coat- from base to tip. It can be used to find hidden areas of matting and break up stubborn mats. Work back and forth between your slicker and your comb as you brush, and you’ll be doing professional-level de-matting in no time!
5. Double-sided flexible slicker – This slicker is great for big brush-outs, because it contours to your pet’s skin, making it more comfortable than traditional slicker brushes. Because it lacks rigidity, it doesn’t work as well on stubborn mats, but it is a great tool for long haired dogs or double coated dogs.
6. “The Furminator” (not pictured) – Nothing beats a Furminator for coaxing undercoat and shedding fur from a dog! It is a powerhouse of a tool and can cause injury to a dog if it is not used correctly, including causing cuts and brush “burn.” It should not be used on wet or damp hair. If you’re thinking of picking one up for home use, we suggest watching some tutorials online before you dig in!
Except for the Furminator tool, Club Pet Too sells all the tools described above for the convenience of our customers. We also carry a selection of shampoos and conditioners. Our experienced groomers and bathers are happy to make recommendations on products for your specific pets and demonstrate best practices for using the tools we recommend.
Get the Perfect Cut!
One of Club Pet Too’s most popular services is pet grooming. We have a full-service grooming department- which means we provide anything from a basic exit bath, to full haircuts for dogs (and cats) of any breed.
When it comes to delivering the perfect cut, we will work with you to get exactly what you envision for your pet. This requires communication, planning, and a basic understanding of the tools and process of grooming …
The first thing we consider is, in what condition is your pet’s coat? We use our fingers and a comb to see how matted (matts are thick, tangled hair that cannot be easily pulled apart with your fingers or combed through with a comb) your pet is. The more matted a dog’s hair is, the harder it is to brush and trim the hair. Groomers use very specialized sharp tools to saw through matts. Some hair is so matted that the only option is to shave it off. This is not the result we want, but de-matting with sharp tools close to the skin is dangerous, and is very painful for the dog, so we prefer to do as little of it as we can!
When we are doing a haircut for a dog breed that has a very specific look- like a skirt, a long beard, or a dramatic round head (think Cocker Spaniel, Schnauzer, Bichon Frise), we follow a “pattern” for the breed. This requires us to brush out long hair and clip and scissor with great detail. These pattern cuts require lots of skill and extra time, and cost more than an “all-over, or “puppy cut.”
What is a “puppy cut,” exactly? The term gets used a lot in grooming and means different things to different people. Here at Club Pet Too, a “puppy cut” is a style where we cut the hair on the body and legs all one length. We round out the feet, the ears, and the tail, and trim between the eyes and on the chin. It is a nice, basic cut for any sized dog, and for most breeds (and mixed breeds). The length can vary based on owner preference, but remember…the longer the cut, the more work you need to do at home to keep it free of matts.
Once we determine the condition of the coat, we can decide on a length for the haircut. Pet groomers use hair clippers with blades and combs of varying lengths. The shortest cuts are with blades, and leave just a fraction of an inch on the body. When we add a comb to the blade, we can leave the hair as long as 1 ½ inches. This is a nice, fluffy look.
But what if you would like your pet’s hair left longer than 1 ½ inches? In general, these longer cuts require a level of brushing and hand-scissoring that requires additional time and fees, but as long as your pet’s coat is not matted, it can be done. Most often, clients that are looking for this level of finish keep their dogs on a strict grooming schedule, even scheduling bath/brush-out’s between haircuts.
In addition to the coat, we look at the health of the pet’s skin. We ask about skin sensitivities and allergies. We choose a shampoo (and possibly conditioner) that is right for your pet.
With each grooming, there are services that we provide that are essential to maintaining your pet’s health- such as cleaning and plucking their ears, trimming the hair between their paw pads, cutting their nails, and trimming the sanitary areas. We also provide extras such as expressing the anal sacs and brushing teeth, which also contribute to your pet’s overall health. When you schedule your appointment or come in for your service, we will discuss all these services with you and help you decide what your pet needs.
Do you have a pet with short hair? Regular grooming is essential for these breeds, too! A good bath and a brush-out keeps their skin healthy & reduces shedding. Specialty shampoos can also reduce itching and soothe irritated skin.
Club Pet Too clients that provide their email addresses will receive email reminders based on our recommended grooming schedule. This could be every 2 weeks up to every 12 (we recommend grooming AT LEAST every 3 months for all pets). We strongly encourage you to make your appointment when you receive this email…not only will it allow us to maintain the haircut you like, it is worth 10% off (of full haircuts only)!