Groomed!

It was past time to groom Frankie. My goal is to keep her touched up weekly, but that's been on hold due to the freezing weather.  Grooming her requires a bath, and it's just been too cold, even though I do that inside (the basement has been chilly).  To the casual eye, she seems fine. But her ears and tail had gotten over-grown, as had her neck -- and just about everywhere else.  While she is not on a regular heat cycle, she goes in about once every 8 - 9 months and we are at 8 months now. So, I want her lady-parts to be neat and easier for her to keep clean. I like to do a groom once a week, otherwise it is a two-to-three-hour session.

Our grooming table is on the back porch, which has been frigid.  Today we were near 30f, so it was ok. Having an electric heater mounted to the wall makes working back there possible -- but I won't run the hair dryer out there when it's on. She got her bath and blow in the basement utility sink.  A bath is a must, because it's not good to use her grooming shears on dirty fur.  The pile on the table was about 2/3 of what came off. First, I use a shedding tool, then clippers on her neck & rear assembly, finishing with scissoring on her ears and feathers.  She gets a good brushing once done, then I smooth it out with a chamois cloth.  For a show, it is much more involved!

Once I was done with her, I used the shears to trim my own hair! My nails/cuticles were attended to last night.  So, we are both well groomed.  As a side note, if you really want to do your grooming and hair cutting the right way, investing in quality shears is a must.  440c stainless steel -- made in either Japan or Germany is the way to go. They cut cleaner, easier, and with less fatigue.  They can also be sharpened.  Since I really only use them on me and Frankie, I will just sharpen them once a year.  If I was grooming more dogs or showing more, they would need it every three months.

This set has a 7.5 inch set of straight, curved, thinners, and chunkers. On sale, the set was $250, which was a deal (half price).  It's unusual to find these locally.  But there is a company near me that sells them, so that's where I go. I will be able to bring them there for sharpening.  Otherwise, I would have to have it done by a vendor at a show.  Just taking them to any old knife sharpening shop would ruin them.

The set was pricey, but worth it for the results.  I am not really good with them -- being a novice, but I can do a much better job than I'd been doing with a $25 set off of Amazon.  Before I groomed Frankie myself, my breeder took care of that and also handled her.  Now I am on my own.  While my results are far from perfect, the job gets done.  If I could find a groomer to do it (most won't do show cuts), it would be over $200.  My investment of about $1000 for the shears, table, and other supplies was a good investment. Whether she is in the show ring or not, I can do the job myself. And I haven't paid to have my hair cut since I don't know when!

UKC Ch, AKC Gch Ch Seabreeze's Don't Call Me Frances, JH / Call Name, Frankie