About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Finishing Spray

Finishing Sprays.

I don't use them very much.
I have tried a few and not liked them.
They were either very perfumy, or they would leave a residue on the coat.

I watch a lot of groomers in competitions using sprays when they are scissoring up their dogs in the competion ring.
But, don't try to ask them what is in that spray bottle.
They all seem to use something different, or they have made up their own concoction, and they do not want to share their secrets.

Today I had a Wheaton come in for his third grooming.
He is about 10 months old.

Let me just stop to say that I am so impressed with this owner so far.
Every time this dog has come in, it has been completely combed out.







Well he did have a mat behind one ear, but I'll let that slide because they are dealing with an ear infection in that ear.  :)



 Other than that small mat, this dog was mat free.

There weren't even any tiny pin mats.
No mats in the armpits.
No mats around the rectum.
No mats inside the legs.
No mats between the toes.
No mats in the ears.
No mats in the beard.

This owner does a great job keeping this dog brushed out.

A Wheaton for goodness sake!



 Anyway, after the bath and blow dry, I was having trouble running the comb through his coat, even though he was mat free.

I like the comb to glide through a dogs coat before I put it away.

Even on double coated dogs like Shelties and Pomeranians, I want that comb to glide through the hair without stopping, all of the way down to the skin.






 He looked nice and clean and fluffy, but that comb kept getting suck in his hair.

It was driving me crazy.

So I stood there thinking about what I could do to fix this problem.

I looked around to see what I might have to use on this dogs coat, and then I saw it...



 I bought this finishing spray on impulse about a year ago when I ordered the Hot Oil Treatment and De-Grease shampoo (I love both of them) from the same company.

I have had such great results from their other products that I decided to try their Finishing Spray also.

The only thing is that I have a bad habit of buying things to try and then I forget to use them.


I will admit that I did stand there staring at the bottle, debating on whether to try it on this dog.




I was so worried that I would put this spray on the dog, and it would leave a residue and make the coat look awful.
Then I would have to re-bathe a Wheaton.

Yes, you read that right.

I would have re-bathed this dog if that spray had left and oily residue.
Yes, the whole dog.

I did it today with a Shih/poo that I tried a de-mat spray on.
Needless to say the de-mat spray did not do squat, except to leave the coat tacky and oily.

Yes, I put that dog back in the tub after it had already been bathed and blow dried.

I can't express how much I hate clipping and scissoring a tacky coat.
I even had my husband call the owner to tell him that I would need an extra half an hour to finish the dog.
You better believe he went out nice and fluffy.

Okay, back to the Finishing Spray.



 I was so worried about this spray leaving a residue that I sprayed the Finishing Spray on my comb instead of directly on the dogs coat.

I also put it on a small section of the dog first, and waited for it to dry, to make sure it would not be oily.

It dried without leaving any residue. :)







So I proceeded to comb it through the rest of his coat.










This is what his coat looked like before I combed the spray through the coat.






This is what it looked like after.

Wow.

The comb just glided through the coat.

It also left the coat feeling very soft.









 So far I have loved everything that I have tried from this company.



I usually buy straight from their website because it is so hard to find someone who carries their product.




I hope that this owner keeps up with the brushing.

When she came to pick up her dog I asked my husband to ask her how often she brushed the dog.

Imagine my surprise when the owner said that she only brushes him once a week.

We will see what happens when it snows this winter.

I hope she will be able to keep up with his coat.

She is doing a great job so far.


If only all of our customers were like this owner.



Happy Grooming, MFF

2 comments:

  1. What a beauty! I always use a conditioning spray afterwards, it's a habit and I love the smell :) I had my first Bearded Collie the other day, and my boss took the dog in before I could look over him and talk to the owner >__< He was a matted mess and the owner wanted him dematted -cry-. I dematted him and he looked like your wheatie except different color and much longer coat when I was done 3 hours later...

    I talked to the owner afterwards, hopefully she realizes I won't demat her dog again, but I really have trouble saying no to dematting :( I don't want to shave them pie bald!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Zhitong,
      I have always had a hard time telling people 'no' to dematting, but I am getting better. I don't mind dematting the first time, and if the owner listens to me and comes in as often as I tell them to maintain the coat, AND I can see that they have at least been trying to brush their dog, I will continue to work with them and save the coat if I can. BUT, if I did all of that dematting and they ignored my suggestions for maintaining the coat, and waited months to bring the dog back, I will NOT demat the dog again.
      They MUST show that they are at least trying to work with you.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete