Grooming Ceddie

Well, we've started the "winterization" process with all the animals, and one of the first things I do is give our Golden Retriever, Ceddie (short for Cedric) a good grooming. I do all the initial grooming on a grooming table. Get a table that's the right size for your dog. It can be some work to get your dog trained to get up on one, but I had a back injury in High School, and it saves my back tremendously, so it was worth it. We have a fold out plastic stair case that helps him get on and off. Use lots of tempting treats and it should be no problem. We practiced with him getting on and off without doing any grooming for a week or so before I had him up there for any amount of time. He's not a big fan of getting his rear end done, and the table keeps him still and in place so I can do what I gotta do without bending and straining and chasing him all over. The table has an "L" shaped pole that bends over the top you can hook their collar to this to keep them still and safe. They also have attachments available to put under their belly so they don't sit. You can't always find them at chain pet stores, I got mine at K-9 in Warren, Mi. but search the internet for a supplier in your area. Get everything you need first before putting a dog up on a table, and never leave them unattended.
I start by brushing him really well with a fine toothed comb to get out as much loose hair as I can. I also use a round belt shedding tool.

Then I trim his ears and feet with the electric clippers made for pets. Human clippers don't work well on fur, the teeth are too close together. I gently pull the hair away from his ear canal and trim carefully. Then I clean his ears with a solution specially designed for dogs ears. This cleans away wax, yeast and residue. I carefully place the nozzle tip into his ear canal and squeeze until it runs out. Then I clean his ear with a cotton swab. Don't ever stick anything down your dog's ear canal, this can cause hearing damage and pain.

Then I trim his feet. He gets these pom poms on the tops of his paws that look like fancy lady slippers. They're kind of cute, but he's a boy and I can't humiliate him like that- Ha!

I brush the hair backward with a soft brush, then trim against the hair in the front, by his nails, then I trim with the hair over the rest of his paw and it gives him a nice clean paw.

I pick a warm day in the fall so I can bathe him outside. He usually gets another couple baths inside, in the winter, but it's such a job because I have to scour everything afterward. So I take advantage of an Indian Summer day and drag out the hose. We have a laundry tub near the door inside so I attach the hose to the warm water and put an adjustable shower sprayer nozzle on the end, then run the warm water out to the driveway. I never bathe him on the table, as the soapy water may cause a slippery surface.

I soak him through and soap him up with an all natural deodorizing shampoo. Then rinse. Then I use an Oatmeal based creme rinse. This helps to soften his coat, moisturize his skin and helps loose hairs come out more easily when brushing.
The most important thing I do when grooming Ceddie is to blow dry him. I hear people complaining all the time about how much their dog sheds, blow drying not only makes sure he stays warm after his bath, but is the best way to get out his loose undercoat. I set the dryer to warm not hot, making sure to keep the dryer moving at all times as to not burn him, and I blow the fur in the wrong direction then I comb the fur with a fine tooth comb in the right direction. When the fur lays flat, and the comb moves through smoothly, you've removed all the hair that would have shed out all over your couch. It takes a while to do the whole dog, but it will save you all throughout the year on vacuuming and sweeping, and will keep him comfortable and matte free.