Puppy Grooming

COOPER BEFORE

Our first quest was to trim up the pup so we could actually see his little face. His hair being about 3 inches long made him look like a little bum. With a budget we are trying to stick to this year, we figured it would be more cost effective to groom him ourselves. A grooming kit costs about $30.00 and a grooming session is comparable in price per session. We decided we would save hundreds grooming him at home...

Cooper had other plans. He doesn't seem to care that we are trying to save money, and we quickly found out that groomers earn their paycheck with the little pups. But we were determined so through the wiggles and squirms we trimmed him up....puppy cut. We hope to master the skill soon.....within the year would be nice :o)

Day 1. The first attempt at trimming was an hour long endeavor in the kitchen. *Kitchen floor: bad idea #1 due to the large room for him to run away*. Micah was holding the little guy while i would trim here and there attempting not to cut micah's fingers off in the process. Coopers heart was beating so fast and i was afraid Micah would hold him too tight, so we stopped for the day. His body was looking much better but his legs and head were still a bit too fluffy. This is also when we discovered Coopers love for eating his own hair. Clean up was interesting.

Day 2. I was off work and Micah was gone so we tried a new method and new location. On the bathroom floor, with me holding him AND cutting his hair. Solution to first bad idea is the smaller room. Definite plus! *Holding puppy and trimming at the same time: Bad idea #2 due to the excessive amount of hair i inhaled and the furry coat covering my clothes* This method still seemed to work better, however his head was still not touchable, but his body came out more even. I gave up after about 30 minutes.

Day 3. So i was finally sick of looking at his little mop head so I figured 3rd time is the charm. This time I kept the bathroom idea but moved from my lap to the counter. Not as much fur on me, Puppy could not run away, and the mirror helped me trim the side he would not turn towards me. *Bad Idea #3, Puppy doesn't realize there is a far drop from counter to floor and falls off counter twice.* This is the best method thus far as I was able to trim his head a bit and his legs some.

Future plans: Continue with counter top in bathroom and have someone hold puppy leash so he cannot drop off counter.

Coopers looks more like a little puppy now and his hair is not as tangled. Don't judge the 'beard' he still possess as it is quite difficult to trim while he is trying to eat the clippers.

Bathing the little guy is the easiest part of the whole grooming process. Cooper is quite timid in the tub which is helpful. Basically i just put a few inches of warm water in the tub, throw on some old shorts and a t-shirt and hop on in with him (or sit on the edge but he seems to prefer the tub company :o) A hand-held shower piece is so helpful for completely wetting down his hair. Then suds up and rinse. He was such a little trooper! *Note to anyone else to tries to bathe Cooper....he is crazy after bath*

COOPER AFTER