# grooming tip of the day, also a question



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Okay, today's tip....

do NOT accidentally blow the hair dryer into the garbage can right after you have finished dumping about 5 pounds of golden fur into the garbage...:doh:

and a question...how do I get rid of the waves that run right down the center of his spine? I swear they look WORSE after I got done. SHEESH.


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## Doolin (Jun 23, 2008)

Conditioner... Making sure you blow the coat completely dry is very important if you want to control the waves. Some coats you cannot blow straight. Personally I think there should be some wave to the coat. Make a golden look more natural and less like a collie coat!


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Doolin said:


> Conditioner... Making sure you blow the coat completely dry is very important if you want to control the waves. Some coats you cannot blow straight. Personally I think there should be some wave to the coat. Make a golden look more natural and less like a collie coat!


I don't mind wave but not over he topline. When stacked it give the appearance of dips, and that it is soft.

A very wavy coat _can _be blown straight, but it takes time and patience. You need to have a dryer that can be adjusted, such as a Kool Dry, and use a medium-low setting. Keep a mister bottle handy, with good water and only a couple of drops of a conditioner, or, use a spray straightener (Isle of Dogs makes a great one.) Blow downward from a "part" down the spine, using a comb as you do this. Mist lightly periodically as needed. 

Doolin is right that conditioner will work, but you have to be careful because it can leave the coat looking greasy and separated.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Conditioner, blow dryer, thinning shears.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

He's not REAL wavy, just some waves, but unfortunately ONLY over the topline, nowhere else. 
Silly question...when you say blow downward, do you mean from his withers toward his rump, or do you mean from his spine bone to the ground???




Pointgold said:


> A very wavy coat _can _be blown straight, but it takes time and patience. You need to have a dryer that can be adjusted, such as a Kool Dry, and use a medium-low setting. Keep a mister bottle handy, with good water and only a couple of drops of a conditioner, or, use a spray straightener (Isle of Dogs makes a great one.) Blow downward from a "part" down the spine, using a comb as you do this. Mist lightly periodically as needed.
> 
> Doolin is right that conditioner will work, but you have to be careful because it can leave the coat looking greasy and separated.


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## Doolin (Jun 23, 2008)

I believe she means a little of both. The tip should be angled down and towards the rear of the dog. Do you have a diffuser for your dryer? This I have found helps significantly with properly blowing the dog dry. I actually move the blower from the rear of the dog to the withers when blowing the coat(angled towards the rear).


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

hotel4dogs said:


> He's not REAL wavy, just some waves, but unfortunately ONLY over the topline, nowhere else.
> Silly question...when you say blow downward, do you mean from his withers toward his rump, or do you mean from his spine bone to the ground???


Both. Downward from the spine, slightly toward the rump.

Anney is right about thinning shears, but you really need someone sho is good at doing toplines to help you or it can actually be worse.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Wow, you guys have SOME committment and patience to do all that work!!!


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks, yes, I do have a diffuser so I will try that next time. Last time my daughter did this, and his coat was straight as could be and he looked just glorious. Now I tried it, and I did NOT do a good job. 
Good thing this is just practice!!! There's always next week's bath to try to get it right, LOL.




Doolin said:


> I believe she means a little of both. The tip should be angled down and towards the rear of the dog. Do you have a diffuser for your dryer? This I have found helps significantly with properly blowing the dog dry. I actually move the blower from the rear of the dog to the withers when blowing the coat(angled towards the rear).


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Ok, I see what I did wrong, I was blowing it more straight back rather than down. 
Thinning shears? In MY hands? You gotta be kidding me! I wouldn't DARE.



Pointgold said:


> Both. Downward from the spine, slightly toward the rump.
> 
> Anney is right about thinning shears, but you really need someone sho is good at doing toplines to help you or it can actually be worse.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

no, not me....I try to convince my daughter to do it, but she was all cranky butt today so I got elected....



Debles said:


> Wow, you guys have SOME committment and patience to do all that work!!!


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## Kohanagold (Nov 5, 2008)

Okay, probably a stupid question, but what is a "diffuser"?


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

fits over the end so that it spreads the air out, rather than concentrating it all in one small area. 
Not a stupid question.




Kohanagold said:


> Okay, probably a stupid question, but what is a "diffuser"?


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

You want to do my hair next?


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

only if it takes less than 2 hours to dry it......



paula bedard said:


> You want to do my hair next?


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Ha  I actually cannot blow dry my hair. The heat, even on low, causes me to have hot flashes. I'm wash and wear, very easy.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Kohanagold said:


> Okay, probably a stupid question, but what is a "diffuser"?


 









This one is for a Kool-Dry, which is my favorite dryer. It doesn't blow heat, so doesn't damage the coat. Yes, it may take a little longer than warm/hot air, but the results are absolutely worth it. You can also adjust from a whisper to strong enough to blow a dog half-way off the table!


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

hotel4dogs said:


> Ok, I see what I did wrong, I was blowing it more straight back rather than down.
> Thinning shears? In MY hands? You gotta be kidding me! I wouldn't DARE.


 
Barb, I think I've found the perfect scissors for you - even you couldn't mess up the dogs:


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

oh, I'd still find a way....



Pointgold said:


> Barb, I think I've found the perfect scissors for you - even you couldn't mess up the dogs:


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