A Dog Groomer Visits My Farm
Grooming is such an important part of good pet keeping.
I have always been a firm believer in regular bathing and brushing for all my furred friends. This is true especially for my Chow Chows, Empress Qin and Emperor Han who have dense double coats. Their coats need to be groomed regularly to prevent them from becoming matted and tangled. Last week, champion show dog groomer, Carrie DeJan, came to my Bedford, New York farm to bathe and groom Qin and Han. Grooming is always a time consuming task, but one that's well worth the effort.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Han is first. My dogs are very accustomed to being bathed. They’ve had many baths, but always keep an eye on any dog who is getting washed – just in case they want to make a quick move. Han is secured to our custom made Scenic Road wheelbarrow – it has a drain.
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- Once Han feels the lukewarm water, he starts to relax. Han is five-years-old and such a good boy. It is very important to get all the shampoo out – a rule of thumb is to keep rinsing until there are no visible bubbles on the coat – and then rinse a little more. Carrie also applies conditioner and then rinses Han thoroughly again.
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- Next, Carrie puts Han on the grooming table and starts the long task of drying him. The coats must be blown completely dry.
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- Here, Carrie dries Han’s hind quarters and “pants,” or the long hair on the dog’s hind legs. These specially made dog hair dryers are essential. They do not really dry a dog’s coat by heat, but instead blast the water out of the fur. The high speeds also help remove the loose fur in their undercoat, which lessens shedding.
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- Carrie also dries between the folds of skin under Han’s chin. Drying in these places is crucial. Otherwise, the hair closest to the skin will pack down, retain dirt and moisture, and cause skin irritations. Han does not mind this at all.
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- Next, Carrie trims Han’s nails with a pet nail clipper. Han’s nails are dark, so the quick cannot be seen, so Carrie just trims off the tip of the nail. The “quick” is a soft cuticle that contains the blood vessel and nerves that run through a dog’s nail – one does not want to get too close to the quick.
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- Carrie trims the fur under Han’s feet. Doing this gives a dog better footing. The hair can grow quickly between and under the pads. She does this very carefully with the electric grooming clipper.
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- Then she uses professional shears to get harder to reach hairs.
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- She also takes this time to shape the foot, so it looks neat and tidy.
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- Carrie uses a pin brush to gently remove any tangles that may be in Han’s coat.
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- She also uses this time to inspect Han for any ticks, fleas, or possible skin irritations. She looks at the skin closely as she brushes his coat.
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- And then she goes over him again with a pin comb to make sure she didn’t miss any small burs or knots.
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- Finally, a good ear cleaning. My Chows are in perfect condition – in part because they are groomed and checked frequently and regularly.
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- And here is my handsome Emperor Han – what a good boy. According to the breed standard, Chows must have a lovely thick mane, with small rounded ears, giving it the appearance of a lion when all grown up.
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- Here is Empress Qin after her bath already on the table getting dried. If one chooses to use a hair dryer for humans, always put it to the no-heat setting. Never use high heat on a dog’s coat. Dogs are much more sensitive to external heat than humans are and have a far more difficult time dissipating heat.
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- Qin is a champion show dog, so she is very used to lengthy grooming sessions. There are two types of coat on a Chow Chow – rough and smooth. Both are double-coated. Qin is a rough-coated Chow. The outer coat is abundant and straight. The undercoat is soft and woolly. Chows should be sturdy and squarely built. Its body should be compact, and heavy-boned – Qin has a perfect body.
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- Here, Carrie uses a special brush by Les Poochs for removing any tangles. It is designed with long, flexible pins that glide smoothly from roots to tip.
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- Just like she did for Han, Carrie trims Qin’s nails – again, not too close, so the quick is not touched.
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- She also files her nails using a Dremel, so they are smooth. Some dogs may be afraid of the filing sounds, so be sure to always properly introduce any grooming tool slowly with lots of encouragement and praise. The sound of the Dremel doesn’t bother Qin at all.
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- Qin’s feet are also clipped just a bit to get the hair out from under and between the pads.
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- And a quick ear cleaning – both my dogs have healthy, clean ears.
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- You look marvelous, my sweet Empress Qin! Thank you, Carrie DeJan. I think I will also send my my Frenchies, Crème Brulée and Bête Noire, down for a quick nail trim, so they don’t feel as if they were left out from a day at the spa.
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