Dante’s new ‘do
Posted: May 24, 2010 Filed under: FFT Lhasa Apsos, Lotsa Lhasa Info 24 CommentsBy Vickie…
First cut … a locket for Mom to keep … no going back now!!
Undercoat that was stripped out *after* the cut down …
I could have made a puppy out of what came off him!
I need to get more photos of him now that everything has settled in …
he really is cute!
Kunza at FleetFire Timbers 
Oh my, Dante is beautiful. The puppy cut shows his handsome little body off much better than the show do did….
It’s interesting, though, that I’m leaning towards the opposite combination of cuts: long on the body and shorter around the face (to avoid foody ears and beards)….
I just ordered the Greyhound comb from Cherrybrook, and I have to share that when I asked them politely if they could ship it to me for cheaper than the automatic shipping charge,(for example by putting it in a USPS flat rate envelope) they agreed that they could do it for less than quoted (if not as low as I suggested). Now that’s my idea of good customer service !!!!! I will definitely go back to them….
Talk to me about grooming tables.
It’s summer time and it’s time to take the kids out on the back porch for grooming.
In the house I use an old bureau. The height is good. It’s against a wall which restricts getting to the “other” side, but there is also a mirror on that wall, so I can often do the kids while watching in the mirror. (For some reason they only like to stand in one direction….)
Anyway, I am wondering what you think the basic requirements are for a table I can use outside in the really really good light.
Oh, and while we are at it, the indoor table needs a better light. Anyone got a light on a stand that moves around????
Yup….I’m back in fret mode….
Susan the wannabe groomer….
>>> Anyway, I am wondering what you think the basic requirements are for a table I can use outside in the really really good light.
My choice is an adjustable height, 36×24″ table from PetEdge, which gives me the option of sitting or standing … http://www.petedge.com/product/Master-Equipment-Adjustable-Height-Grooming-Tables/46234.uts. I also love this little caddy which keeps my equpment handy … https://tableworksusa.com/tw_caddy_cart.htm.
Hi Susan,
Look on Vickie’s website under Categories/Grooming
http://apsorescuecolorado.wordpress.com/
Nice photo of her set up and discussion. For brush outs and trims here, I use a very sturdy folding table from an office supply store and just add a towel or bathmat to keep the dogs from slipping. The table height gives me the option of standing or sitting plus I can fold it up and put it away like an ironing board…but who irons anymore!
Thanks Vicki and Kathy. Yesterday at Costco I saw a very nice folding table that I am going to go back and get. It was only $32, I unfolded it and it was very sturdy. 4″ long seems like a good size, and it has a handle for carrying it about. The molded plastic top also impressed me. I meant to go back and get it before I left, but….being as old as I am I totally forgot it when I had finished the rest of my shopping.
Which leads me to my next question. I’ve never had an “arm” and I’m wondering what it’s range of functions is. Sammy continues to be a problem on the grooming table. I can get him to stop biting me (three cheers for the muzzle), but he still hurls himself around like a little (very strong) he-devil and makes all aspects of grooming him a challenge. Does that arm help keep unruly dogs under control, or does it just keep them from throwing themselves off the table….???
Sheesh, no one told me this was going to be a full time job…..
So, Vicki, if you were going to do it again, would you still get the Master Table Grooming Arm?
I may have to get one from Pet Edge to make up my minimum order, but I figured this was the best time to ask.
And, anyone Do you really both sit and stand to groom? Will any rolling chair work?
Right….Susan doesn’t have a life. All she does is worry about grooming….and for good reason….they are all in varying states if disrepair….
Susan (who’s sorry she hijacked this thread)
>>> So, Vicki, if you were going to do it again, would you still get the Master Table Grooming Arm?
Yes, I’d still get a grooming arm. But I prefer the fold-away grooming arm from Tableworksusa.com with the caddy equipment caddy.
My personal dogs do not require the use of a grooming arm as they’ve been trained to lay on their sides. The fosters, however, are a different story (as well as my Dad’s Tzu that I inherited). Until I know their grooming behavior, they are on a noose, which controls some movement and keeps them on the table. If you get the molded plastic table, I would suggest the use of a rubber mat.
Dad’s dog is miserable to groom even with a noose [she’s evidently related to Sammy] and I gladly pay someone else to do it!! She simply will not stand still on the table, moving constantly (I hear that’s a common trait of blind dogs). If you hold her at the base of the tail to brush or clip the legs, she draws the legs up under her body like a little turtle, leaving you with nothing but air. Place a hand under the belly to make her stand — she’s flipping her tail right where you’re brushing or scissoring. All the while moving some other part of her body.
I’ve done both sitting and standing with the grooming; and often re-adjusted the height when doing out Dante. I have a chair that rolls for when I’m sitting. If I’m clippering/scissoring, I’m standing.
Stand still? Stand still? Sheesh, Pony’s the only one I’ve got who stands still. Raji just keeps walking right off the table; I have to body block her the whole time. Rinchen is much the same, although he doesn’t weigh as much and doesn’t take as much to keep on the table, but he’s always ducking his head, picking up his feet, etc. Sammy — well you know about him. So the whole idea of a dog who would either lie or stand still while being groomed would be just a total dream to me…..except that Pony does just that….Thank you Debbie.
And, so, I guess a grooming arm is in my future too; just maybe it will make the grooming process a bit less of a contact sport.
Susan
So, it looks like a Master Equipment Adjustable Table and a Table Works Arm and Tool Caddy are next on my list of things I seem to have to have….
Thanks all
>>> So, it looks like a Master Equipment Adjustable Table and a Table Works Arm and Tool Caddy are next on my list of things I seem to have to have….
LOL … with four dogs, you’ll quickly recoup your investment, Susan! After grooming Dante again last night (he’s down to an inch now), I’m finding I need a really long pair of scissors for his legs.
One caveat … the MasterTable isn’t the most portable of choices. It is a very solid table. If you’re only moving it 2-4 times a year, fine. In-and-out frequently… probably a little heavy. The specs should give you weights on any particular table.
The table is going to live out on the back deck for the warm months of the year. If I find that that isn’t really working, it will come in and live in the office where I am currently grooming them anyway. It won’t need to be packed up and moved around. I did, however, want to be able to change the height, and I did decide that the Costco table was going to be too low for regular grooming use.
Also, I contacted the folks who make the grooming arm and caddy and they suggested that since I am only grooming the Gompa Lhasas that the Small Arm would be a good choice for me, that it is the arm that they use on their 14-20# Pugs.
So….how long is a “really long pair of scissors”.
I am sure you can tell by now that I am obsessed by tools and equipment.
>>> Also, I contacted the folks who make the grooming arm and caddy and they suggested that since I am only grooming the Gompa Lhasas that the Small Arm would be a good choice for me, that it is the arm that they use on their 14-20# Pugs.
The question is … does the caddy fit on the small arm!
>>> So….how long is a “really long pair of scissors”.
Good question … let me consult with my expert. Yo, Deb!!
I’m thinking at least 8.5″or 9″. Hmmm, guess I should measure what I have for comparison.
Yeah, I suspect that it doesn’t. I emailed “them” at Tableworks to get an answer before I push the button. I think that the shaft of the Small is an octagonal rod, whereas the caddy’s are designed to fit either a 3/4″ square rod or a 1″ square rod….
So, I may well be in for a Medium arm after all.
Oh well….
Spend it here, spend it there…..
Susan
>>> Spend it here, spend it there…..
I hear ya … can’t take it with you, girl!
BTW … the folks from Tableworks are good people. They’re based on the Western Slope of Colorado and I see them every year at the big Denver shows. Quality products and built in the USA. They raffle off a table every year and donate the proceeds to breast cancer research.
I just got an email from TableWorks explaining that we are correct that the Caddy is designed for the larger arms, but that they will/can adapt it with an insert for the small arm. I’m going to order one today.
My adjustable leg table came yesterday, and is set up on the back deck. I now can see the wisdom of the cushioned flooring stuff, since the table is slightly wonky (or the deck isn’t perfectly flat, which is certainly a fact), and probably would be more stable with something under the feet to let each leg seek it’s own perfect level.
Details details details….
Susan
Yo, Vickie! In response to:
Good question … let me consult with my expert. Yo, Deb!!
I’m thinking at least 8.5″or 9″. Hmmm, guess I should measure what I have for comparison.
The really long scissors I used on Dante were 10″ Monks, available through Groomer’s Choice: http://www.groomerschoice.com/Monk-10-Straight-Shear/productinfo/MK10S/
What about scissors for around the nose and eyes? I have given up on the “grow it out long enough to hang down” idea. I really got tired of looking at the place where their beautiful big eyes used to be. So…….any pointers on trimming around the eyes would be welcome. I’ve got the top part….it’s the between the eyes and nose that I’m curious about….I know my previous groomer used to use the electric trimmers for the part right between the eyes, but….what do the rest of you do?
I use my handy dandy thinning shears. While I prefer to let the hair grow, which eliminates hidden eyes once and for all, there are cases where that doesn’t work…for whatever reason. Thinning shears will leave a softer look than a quick buzz with the clippers.
“I use my handy dandy thinning shears”
The same 44/20 ones from Pet Edge? Or are there other thinning shears particularly useful for the nose area?
Susan
I use 44/20s.
>>> The really long scissors I used on Dante were 10″ Monks, available through Groomer’s Choice: http://www.groomerschoice.com/Monk-10-Straight-Shear/productinfo/MK10S/
Just my luck, they’re out of stock!
Wow, I just measured my Double Duck curved scissors, and they are 6 1/2″….10″ seems like a whole lot of long pointy dangerous metal…..
I was just watching a video of a woman using what looked like 10″ straight shears to do a face, and feeling empowered I went out back and put Raji on the grooming table, and fiddledeedee. Of course the model pooch in the video just stood there and let the groomer wave those sharp things in her face. Raji, on the other hand, does the duck and roll and head-butt thingies that makes sharp things seem at least twice as dangerous.
My doggies get funnier looking every day that I work on this grooming-at-home-stuff. If you wonder why there are no pictures, it’s because I have agreed not to publish really goofy pictures of them. It’s the deal: I can practice on them as long as I don’t go public….:-))))))
Strange as it sounds, I was thinking of you, Susan, as I was having my hair done today!! I’ve been going to my own “groomer” for over 13 years now. I’ve seen her through the graduation of two boys and at least three greyhound rescues (they lost the last grey late last week at age 11); she’s been there with me through five dogs now (not counting the rescues) and the death of both parents. I have a rescue coming in on a transport from Kansas later this week and, if he’s as nice as the vet clinic says he is, he’d be a perfect fit for her family.
Anyhoo, to shorten this up a bit, she started asking questions about grooming as they’ve always had “shedders.” If she can cut hair, she can groom dogs! And if *I* can groom dogs, so can anyone else. With multiple dogs in residence, we get lots of practice lol.
… maybe Deb will post Dante’s latest haircut 🙂
Hey, there’s a good reason I spend so much time here: everyone gives me the go ahead, information, and support. I luvs every bit of it !!!!
THANK YOU.