What do I need to groom my dog at home.

What you need to groom your dog at home will depend on what type of dog you have. As well as how much you want to do at home. Do you want to just do touch ups and baths while taking fluffy in to the groomer to have the full haircut done? Do you want to do it all your self? I will lay out a general guide line of products that are useful. If you want to you can leave a comment and tell me your dogs breed and what you want to accomplish with his groom and I can give you a more detailed list.

For basic bathing you will need a good shampoo an oatmeal is a good choice, conditioner maybe used if the dog needs it.  (if you have a dog that has "Hair" ie. shihtzu you will want to be cautious of conditioners they can weigh down the coat and leave your puppy oily) Most dogs will do fine with just a oatmeal shampoo, but if your dog has yeast issues go for a hypo allergenic type shampoo. Oatmeal will have sugars that will feed the yeast and may lead to a yeast bloom. When to use a conditioner, if you need to loosen a dogs coat (double coated breeds) or if your dogs coat is very dry. If your dog has dry skin you need to get to the source of the dry skin, using shampoos and conditioners won't do much to fix the problem.  It will be helpful to get some tub restraints like the ones pictured below. 

The suction cup can be used on any tub. You can use any grooming loop or a kennel lead ( you see these at vet clinics for your use if you have no leash) the advantage to the ones above is that they don't get wet, they are durable and they are easy you just slip over Fluffy's neck and clip on the suction cup.
Have your towels ready and with in reach there is no need to have special mirco fiber towels a few old ones will do the job. If you dont have a double coated dog you can get away with drying them with your hair dryer or a small pet dryer Like the one on the left below. If you have a double coated dog or one that sheds like crazy you will need to invest in a good forced air/high velocity dryer like the blue one in the center. They are pricy at $300-$400 but so worth it. If you have a Samoyed, Husky or other equally hairy breed you will spend anywhere from $50-$120 on a single groom. This dryer will pay for it self in no time.  That is it for bathing. After bath will come in the next post.

Les Pooches Brushes

These are very pricey brushes they start at around $50 all the way up to $100. If you are a groomer you can get the whole sale price and a discount for ordering multiples ( contacted the company about pricing I talked to Marie she is super nice and informative). I found out about this brush from a co-groomer during a competition. He said that they are worth every penny. They cut his brush out time in half and they last longer then regular slicker brushes(so they end up being around the same price). I have found that they do cut your brush out time significantly and with little effort on your part. I used them to brush out a newfie and it was amazing how fast it went and he looked beautiful after. He looked so fluffy I have never gotten him to look so nice after his groom. I also was impressed by the matt-zapper. I used it on a matted tail I didn't have to split the mats I just brushed them out. Normally I would have split them and taking my thinning shears to this type of mat and then still had to brush out a ton of hair. I have four different types. They each work for different coat types.
The company suggests these brushes: 1 emergency matt brush ( for matts only), 1 pro-brush (f/f) for the wiery and doubble coated breeds, 1 pro-brush (m/ms) for the whimpy dogs, and 1 finishing brush firm, for "spider matts" on shitzu type coats , deshedding all breeds, and pulling coats straight on poodles and bishons.
If I were you I would spend the money on the wide brushes. I got two wides and two regulars now I wish I would have gotten all wides. The regulars are so small I would normally use this small of a brush on a super tiny dog or on faces. It is well worth the extra $10-$15 to get the wide ones. 

JW Slicker Brushes and Combs

When I first started grooming I bought all JW products. They had a different design back then, The handles were not molded into the hold brush. They had a rubber cover over the handle. Which did fall off after a few years. Over all they are a good product and I still have a comb that I started out with. The slicker brushes also lasted quite a while. They start out at around $5-$6 and the price goes up slightly depending on your size and comb or brush choice. I feel this is a ok brush for the professional ( Better brushed do exist ) and a good choice for a non professional just looking for a good brush for fluffy.

Master Grooming Tools Ergonomic Slicker Brush

• Ergonomic handles that keep your hand in a natural position to prevent fatigue and repetitive motion injury
• Handles molded and double-coated with rubber to fit your hand perfectly and provide greater control
• Strong and durable construction, yet light enough to glide through tough grooming jobs

• Ideal for brush-outs and mat removal                

These Brushes are priced around $4-$6.  They are nice while they work, for getting out mats and under coat. I find that they break pretty fast, the plastic piece where the pins are pulls out from the casing. You also have to be cautious of brush burn the pins are scratchy/sharp. They do have a life time Guarantee but that just covers defects, so I am not sure if the problems that this brush has would be covered.

Top Performance Professional Shear Case

Material:
      Custom-designed Aluminum
      Padded Interior with Elasticized Holders
Size: Measures 12"L x 8 3/4"W x 2"H

I would save your money on this one. I have had it for around a year and really have not used it that much. It started to fall apart about four months in. The elastic pieces will not hold up to regular use. It is priced around $16 so once again you get what you pay for. 

B-Air Bear Power Pet Grooming Dryer

Air Volume 131 CFM
Air Speed: 24,500/30,000 FPM
Heat: No (room temperature)
Motor: 2 HP (2-Speed)
Amps: 7.4
Watts: 850
Volts: 115
Dimensions: 12"L x 7"W x 9 1/2"H
Product Weight: This dryer weighs approximately 10 lbs.

This is a great little dryer for touch ups or small single coated dogs. If you have a double coated dog this will not work for blowing coat. I use this mostly for Shih-tzus type dogs and it works well for that. I have had this for around three or four years and its still working great. It is a great price at $99. 

Oster Blue Titanium 26 Tooth Blender Shear

I have had no luck with this type of shear. This brand was my first attempt at using them. I got them at a show for half price($100 or $150 I cant remember). They caught right away I think I got three or four strokes in before it happened. I asked my friend who had a pair just like it (and liked them) if it happened to her. She said yes but her sharpener claimed he could fix this problem for good. I never got around to sending them to him and decided to sell them. Another friend bought them for $50 and had the same trouble even after they were "fixed". She did send them in to Ryan's Pet Supplies sharping guys to give it one last try and low and behold they fixed them for her! They just replaced the screw. She has reported that she loves them now.

Geib Black Pearl 21 Tooth Sculpting & Finishing Shear

Ugh! This is a sore subject right now. I purchased these with the other Black Pearl shears at a convention. I had asked the Owner of the company If these shears would catch. This is a big problem with this type of shear. I didn't want to get stuck with a shear I could never use. He stated " I guarantee this shear will not catch" his words exactly. I was super excited to get these home and try them. They first cut I went to do they caught. It was a very sad day. I contacted the company and after many days and many attempts  to get help I finally had to send a angry email which was answered. The company will not return the shears and will not pay to ship them to their sharpening center. They did however say that they would fix them for me for free even if I "unmeaningly" (not a real word BTW) broke them. They said it was really impossible for them to be defective because they check everyone before it ships. They also did not seem to care what was promised to me at the convention. Or that it took over a week to get any information out of them. I have shipped them to the company ($15 later plus $11.50 for return shipping). I can not say anything good about these yet. I can not say anything good about the company's customer service either.

Geib Black Pearl 10" curves

This shear is made of cobalt and has a tension adjuster. The appeal is that they are a very high quality shear at a low cost. ($150) I just got these at a grooming convention. I have never owned this long of a curved shear and really thought I needed them to make topknot trimming easier. I am defiantly not use to them yet. I know this will take some time. The first topknot I used them on I had to go back over it with my shorter curves. I do not know how long the edge will last and I feel that is a very important factor in picking out shears. I don't think I can give these a fair review yet.

Paw Brothers Shear (old style)

The Paw Brothers shear from Ryan's Pet Supply was my first shear. They are priced around $50 to $80, they are a budget shear. Generally you get what you pay for the cheaper the shear the lower the quality. My Paw Brothers are nine years old now and are still in working order. I use them when my others are getting sharpened or when I just need to chop hair off. They are not a good finishing shear. They are also pretty heavy. Now that was nine years ago and the new version of these are different. I have not gotten to use them on a dog but I did handle them at a show and they are much much lighter.

Geib Crocodile Shears

I have been using these shears for two and a half years with no troubles. They are reasonable priced and have keep their edge well. I have sharpened them two or three times. All Geib shears have a lifetime guarantee as long as you send them in to the company to be sharpened. Turn around time is usually two weeks. It is hard to find out what this life time guarantee covers but I'm sure the company can tell you. It is expensive to send them in at $12-$20 per shear but they come back in like new shape. I like thIe finish that is left with these shears. They are light weight and well balanced. I feel that its a great deal. Now if you have problems with theses shears the customer service at the company is not that helpful. They also have no return policy.

821 Litening Laube clipper corded/cordless

•	Cool & Quiet
•	4,000 - 10,000 S.P.M.
•	2,000 - 5,000 R.P.M.
•	Smooth Clip / No tracking Patents & Patents Pending
•	Weighs only 9oz.
•	Only 6.5" short
	This is said to be the king of clippers. You have many different options in cords. It has a two speed cord pack, a variable speed cord pack or you could go cordless. The cords are very long at 18 feet and the battery has a good run time. I have the older version now they have a lithium ion one out that charges faster, is lighter weight and lasts a little longer. That is not to say that the older version is heavy or takes a long time to charge. I would suggest getting two batteries if you want to work cordless all day. Going cordless is not cheap but it may be worth it. It can be annoying to work around cords an can cause more stress on your wrists. This is a very powerful clipper it will go through anything! That said that much power is not necessary for every groomer and it is a very expensive clipper at over $300 and then you have to add on the cordless pack and charger which will cost you over $150. You will have to decide if it is worth it to you. I like all the specs of this clipper and its light weight.That being said I don't use it much. There are many different reasons for this. One is that I only have one battery pack so I have to switch out to a plug in cord. That has nothing to do with the clipper it self I just didn't have the money at the time to get the extra battery pack. It is very loud compared to my Andis clippers. If I need to talk to someone I have to turn it off. ( this may be because of the speed?? I don't know). I also have trouble getting all my blades to work on it. The company does say that you should be able to use any clip on blade. The Laube blades work a lot better then my Andis or Oster blades. When I use this for a long time with no breaks I find that the vibration of it makes my hand go a little numb. Finally the light went out shortly after I got it, I did get it fixed by the company when I went to a convention but by the time I was back home it went out again. It is just a loose wire so I'm sure I could fix this my self.

Andis UltraEdge 2 Speed

• Lightweight, ergonomic nylon-injected plastic housing
• Low maintenance — no oiling or greasing of internal parts
• Extremely quiet operation
• Extra long 16’ cord 
•  Motor Type: Permanent Magnetic Rotary 
• Strokes Per Minute: 3,400/4,400 
• Handpiece with Blade:
         Weight – 17.6 oz.
         Length – 7" 

• Cord Length: 16 feet

This is much like the Andis Super 2 Speed clipper, the difference being the shape, the cord length ( cord length is important ) and the fun colors of course. I personally did not like the shape of this clipper. I found that it was hard on my wrists. I could not tell you if this is because I am use to the square model or it is just the round shape. I used this one for about a month and decided it was not for me. So I called the company I got it from to return it but they would not help me since I had been using it for a month. I called the Andis company and they replaced it with the Super 2 Speed with no problem.

Andis Super 2 speed

• Extremely quiet, powerful rotary motor is maintenance free and designed for heavy-duty use
• Lightweight, shatter-proof housing, contoured to fit your hand
• Designed and manufactured for years of reliable use
• Blades are detachable for ease of changing and cleaning
• Features 14’ cord
•  Motor Type: Permanent Magnetic Rotary   
• Strokes Per Minute: 3,400/4,400 
• Handpiece with Blade:
         Weight – 1.1 lbs
         Length – 6 3/4"
• Cord Length: 14 feet 

This is my go to clipper. At just over a pound it is light weight.  It's also super quiet and it cuts fast. It is a little bit more expensive then the 2 speed but not much. It's not necessary to have that much speed for most at home one dog groom jobs. So if you are looking for a clipper do just trim up fluffy at home I would go with the 2 speed. For professionals its nice to have the speed. I have owned mine for about 6years and its still going strong. I will also say that Andis has great customer service and I have found that they stand behind their products so if you do have a problem and can't get help from the place you purchased it call the company directly. This does come in the round casing too the cord is a bit shorter but its the same clipper it is called AGC Super 2 Speed.

Andis 2 speed

•  A powerful motor clipper designed for heavy-duty use
• Extremely cool and quiet operation
• Lightweight handpiece reduces hand fatigue
• Maintenance free—no oiling or greasing of internal parts
• Detachable blades for ease of changing and cleaning
• Shatter-proof break resistant housing contoured to fit your hand
• 12’ heavy-duty cord
•  Motor Type: AG2 Rotary
• Handpiece with Blade:
         Weight – 17.6 oz.
         Length – 6 3/4" 
• Cord Length: 12 feet
• Strokes Per Minute: 2,700/3,400

This was the very first clipper I owned. I picked it mostly because my grooming instructor suggested it.
It is very quiet which is important when dealing with puppies or nervous dogs. It weighs just over a pound. It's powerful enough to get through any coat. This is a good choice for an inexpensive clipper. It works for professional use but is cheap enough to be used for people who are just interested in grooming their family pets. You do have to maintenance it but really its only a matter of changing out the blade drive assembly. This is very simple to do. If you don't feel comfortable doing it your self most blade sharpeners can do it for you or you could send it in to one of the many Andis  authorized service stations around the country. I am lucky enough to live in the same state that the company is located in so I send mine straight to them. They get sent in every year to get worked on. This is not because they break every year I just like to give them a tune up and keep them in great shape. I also want to prevent them from breaking during a busy grooming day. As far as the Andis company goes I have nothing but good things to say about them. I have never had to pay more then twenty dollars when I have sent in my clippers(that is with shipping). When they come back they are like a whole new clipper they replace any parts that need it (my case usually is cracked from dropping them).