Help with home grooming,..........due to economy

I will be keeping an eye on responses to your post as I am in the same boat! I'm scared to death to do their nails, I have to have my step-daughter come over and do that for me, one of my boys I have just let grow out and the other gets the kitchen scissors to his thick coat. I have looked at the grooming kits at Target, the more expensive ones (about $40-$50) look like they might work better, but I haven't had the extra money to buy one yet.

I bought shears at the pet store and started trimmimg my yorkie and its going great. I get the trim I want and he doesnt have to spend hours in a strange place. I take him to the vet to do his nails, I am too scared! He is even letting me do his paws. Dont be afraid believe me I do a better job then the pet groomers were doing.

just do it. we cut back on $ too. my little one has never complained of a bad hair cut yet! and actually i think he likes it now!! better than paying some stranger that will never love him like i do!! dont forget between his pads on the paws though..

I haven't purchased a grooming kit yet, does anyone have suggestions for a brand that will work well with different coats? One is VERY cottony (I keep him pretty short due to matting) and the other is longer straighter kinda fine fur. Also, I'm sure whatever I get will have an "instructional video", but I would love suggestions about the between the paws thing.

so i just use a tiny "snipper" (actually made for thread but the small size works well) and cut the hair between the pads-can be hard to hold him still but i usually just do one snip at a time. if that hair gets too long it will matte and he will slide allover- quite funny to watch however!

I'm new to this forum, my Yorkie is 13 weeks old and needs trimmed, how do you all get them to be still enough.

Is grooming a 2 person job? If not, how do you get him to hold still?

I do all of my grooming of my 14 Yorkies myself. I am self taught and if I can do it anyone can. Grooming is not all that hard if you pay attention to the directionality of clippers. Wal-mart has a kit for grooming from Walh for about $50.00 that includes a dvd on how to. The dvd just gives you a quick overview. The rest you learn on your own by trail and error. But the dogs don't mind a bad hair cut and the hair grows back so you can try again. After a few groomings you will get better at it.

If you are not clipper savvy, then let them grow out. It is an old wives tale that they need to be cut close for summer. The fur actually serves as insulation to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. "To the floor" coats are actually AKC standard. You can trim their bangs and bridge of nose with a scissors, or allow growth of this area and do a top knot. I take mine to the local Petsmart to have the anal gland squeezed, ears tipped and nails done. This runs around $15, but compared to $50, it's a steal. If you choose a clipper, buy one for humans at a local beauty supply store. I suggest Wahl or Andis. Also, if you have a grooming school in your area, they groom for practically nothing in order to have dogs for the students to work on. This practice is highly supervised by the professionals teaching the classes. The nails are tough and the problem is that the vein in some Yorkies does not permit close clipping, making bleed outs common. I bathe both of mine with an oatmeal and tea tree oil shampoo for sensitive skin once per month, as to not strip too many oils from their coat and skin. Wait an hour or so to let the skin dry and then administer the flea drops. I also purchased a product called Groom-Aid (check on Amazon). The company is Evsco. It's a miracle spray. It is great for comb outs, detangles, deters matting and breakage, and it's even better on damp hair after bathing and before blowing out. It makes them smell like they just came from the groomer. It's also important to keep their little coolies free from excess hair as to deter hitchhikers. This can be clipped or scissored, but be careful not to cut too close. If too close, your dog will butt-skooch around the floor as if on wheels, and is very irritating. YouTube.com also has several videos on how groom Yorkies. This helps as well. We all need to cut back. I know this too well, in that I was laid off in January and haven't found gainful employment yet. I am fearing the worst, and have investigated all areas that I can save, grooming being one of them. Good luck with your babies.

My little guy will not let me near his face (eye area) with the sissors, any suggestions
Thanks
Pamela