Grooming Cordelia

m. here.  Yesterday I took on the task of grooming cordelia.  If I could get myself to do it more often, it wouldn’t be nearly as big of a job as it was.  She is a double-coated Pomeranian which means she has A LOT of fur and should be brushed daily, but she isn’t.  A day of grooming is a good motivator for me to do better in the future.

Here is my process:

I started by spreading an old sheet on the bed and grabbing an old towel.  I also made sure Cordelia had recently gone outside and gone to the bathroom, grooming always makes her a bit nervous, which often leads to an accidental puddle.  I covered my lap with the towel and started the long process.

Here are my tools (minus the small pair of scissors I use to trim the hedge that is her fur):

grooming supplies

First, I cleaned around her eyes using a wet, warm cloth and the Ark Naturals Eyes so Bright. Sometimes, if there is hardened gunk, I hold the cloth against it to let it soften before I attempt to remove it.

Second, I trimmed her nails and, what I call, dragon toes.  This is when the hair on her feet and in between her pads grows long.  Don’t ask me why I call it dragon toes, but the after results look more like cute puppy paws.  Take a look.

puppy paws

Next, came the brushing.  I start with the slicker brush gently brushing through, looking for any knots and then slowly working those out.  I occasionally have to cut knots out of her fur, mostly behind the ears, where it gets matted. When I am done getting rid of any major knots, I use the furminator, which removes the massive amounts of loose undercoat fur. When using the furminator, which is a great tool, be sure not to overdue it.  You can brush the fur clean-off if you get too excited. To finish I go back to the slicker, which picks up any loose hairs left behind and leaves her goat looking glossy.

silkly & shiny

Lastly she gets a little hair trimming.  I don’t do anything major, not after reading that the glossy top coat sometimes won’t grow back, leaving only the coarse undercoat. And, more importantly, I read that they need that double coated system to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Basically, I trim anything unruly, like fur near the ground, and her bottom and around her girl bits.  I am not sure the later is necessary for most dogs, but Cordelia has had several ascending urinary tract infections (ascending meaning coming from the outside in, not diet related from the inside) and keeping things clean and trim down there is essential to keeping infection away.  After two surgeries to remove massive crystals we don’t mess around.

trim

Finally, we do a quick once over on her teeth with the finger toothbrush (although, for the real magic behind Cordelia’s white smile, see my previous post about raw bones).

Ta DAAA! The grooming session is over, Cordelia is relieved and ready for a treat, freeze-dried turkey heart in this case.

My advice is to stay positive during the process, praise your pet for good behavior.  Also, take your time, it isn’t a race and you need time to be gentle.  Grooming can and should be a great experience for everyone! (treats help to 😉 )

What about you?  Do you groom your pet yourself?  Get it done by a professional?  Have any tricks of the trade?