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Do you take your cavalier to the groomer?

Erin2854

Well-known member
I always read that a cavalier should never be trimmed/cut etc (except between the pads of the feet) but I was wondering who takes their non-show dogs into the groomer and what you have done? I take Polly in about every 3 months or so and have her kinda cleaned up a bit. I have her feathering just neatened up and only trimmed slightly, her feet I have cleaned and evened up so they aren't so shaggy looking and the hair on her belly just evened out. Oh and they trim a bit around her rear end to sanitary issues. She still has all her cavalier traits but just looks neater and more well kept when she gets groomed. She is very petite and I feel all that hair just overwhelms her! I am suprised how many people seem to have bad grooming experiences (the groomer not doing what was asked, etc) as I have been to 3 diff groomers and have been lucky enough that they all did exactly as i asked the first time with no suprises :)yikes LOL )Phew!
 
I do all my dogs myself. You can't go wrong with thinning scissors, they give such a natural finish. I really love grooming my three.
 
I take Leo to the groomers about every 8 weeks. They just tidy him up, especially around the feet and ears.
They do a really nice trim and he always looks lovely when he comes out.
I think it's a personal thing on how you want your cav to look.
 
I've had Bentley since the end of Jan and took him to the groomer about 10 days ago. She said she just did minimal stuff so as not to scare him first time around. She gave him a bath (he smelled wonderful) cleaned & trimmed around his toes and clipped his toenails. That was a big help because I was afraid he was going to scratch furniture. I don't think he'll need it done very frequently unless he gets extra dirty/matted when he's outside with us this summer.
 
I do my two myself. I only clip under their belly to keep them cool and under their pads not between the toes because I think their feathers look lovely, especially Holly's being a ruby they are lighter. I tidy behind the ears and under arms to stop any knots. I used to clip my last dog all over but have decided to keep these two with their coats because they look so beautiful. And I believe their coats are like their natural air conditioner.
 
I groom all 3 of mine myself. Never have trusted groomers. Working in the pet industry for many years and you hear too many rummers. (Although my best friend is a retired dog groomer. She ended up giving me tips to get them looking nice.) Agreed that thinning scissors work great. Also out of all the brushes I have tried I seem to stick to the metal Dog Grooming Combs. Not sure what they are called but I love they way they straighten out the ears and featherings.
 
I try to alternate between a home bath and groomer bath. I can shave her pads and clean ears and do everything myself, but I like to take her in simply for socialization to the dryers, new people, and to work on having her accept strangers handle her. We are preparing for the CGC!
 
So far I haven't really 'groomed' Claire other than a bath, a little trimming behind the ears of some knots and of course, combing/brushing, oh and trimming around her tush (rear end). I made a big goof with her nail trimming at Christmas, and so the last time I took her to a local groomer to trim her nails.

I'm a bit scared to do the nail trimming after the fiasco at the Holidays. But, I do now have septic powder. I've always groomed my Cocker (and wow does he have a LOT of hair), and never had issues with his nails, geez, and he's 12!

Claire has long nails, and it's hard to get them trimmed to a nice length without hitting the cuticle. *sigh*........
 
Claire has long nails, and it's hard to get them trimmed to a nice length without hitting the cuticle. *sigh*........

If you run out of septic powder or have an emergency, a tip my vet gave when when trimming my rabbit's nails that also worked on my Cav is to keep a box of matches nearby. If you clip the cuticle, light a match for a few seconds, blow out and immediately press into the nail bed to cauterise the wound. It really works.

Of course, septic powder is an easier solution for both dog and owner but the match works if you're in a bind. In out case, it didn't seem to hurt Lucy at all as she didn't even give the smallest of yelps.
 
I used to work at a groomers and now do my own dog, Rosie has an awful coat so I clip her body short apart from her ears and a small amount of feathering on legs and underneath which gets tidied up. She's a new dog after a clip, hurtles around as though her coat has been weighing her down!! Whether clipping or tidying with scissors, it's easy enough to do your own dog, generally won't look quite as tidy as a professional job but if you're not showing the dog, who cares? I think clipping her at home is less stressful anyway. They need to be bathed and fully dried before an actual clip though, or you'll get a rough finish and ruin your clippers.
 
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