How I groom my dogs (in English)
Lumi here young and in a nice coat – too short for adults, but excellent quality. You must start early to pull – to get the best coat coming
It is my experience that a PBGV is not too pleased about being groomed.
So soon after you get your sweet puppy home, start to brush gently with a soft brush and say nice words: “good boy/ girl” and put your fingers into his ears and between his toes and tell him how wonderful this is ! Sit on the floor and do it a couple of times.
Pull a bit from the age of 9 – 10 weeks – only the longest baby coat – one hair at a time, and give goodies / treats ! so your PBGV gets used to it.
Some breeds – loves to be at the grooming table and have a good brush and grooming – but I have never had a PBGV who loved it !
Our Golden Retrievers loved to be brushed, and came running to me whenever I touched the brush !
PBGV’s can learn to be good and you have to have good treats and to be patient and say a lot of sweet words – and if it does not help sometimes you have to be strict and tell him who’s in charge !
He does not like to have his nails clipped – not to have his front legs brushed – and if you hit a felt – be careful, use a “thinning scissor” or use only 1 tooth on the coamb to deal with the matt.
Do this very very often. In the beginning every day and hopefully he will learn that this is good quality time with you !
If you do not have a trim – table, you can use your table in the utility room – take a rubber mat and fasten the collar to something so your dog stands safe. NEVER EVER leave your dog alone on the table ! take your phone etc with you before you lift him up !
You trim / pull your PBGV with your fingers – best – but you can use different tools which makes it more easy – and with a lot of practice it can be done nicely !
I am using the blue metal trim-knife mostly and the thin metal “trim stone“.
There are very many opinions to how a perfect PBGV should look, differences from country to country – and for which purpose.
You can groom and trim your PBGV as you like it !
The more you pull the hair out the better coat quality you will get !
some like it short all over – hunting people – some like it formed for shows – to hide the faults and make the nice parts more visible.
When I start grooming my dogs, it can take me 2-3 hours before I am finished – its not a quick “left hand” job 🙂
My Brushes
My scissors: one for under the paws, the thinner scissor around the paws and under the ears, a normal good scissor (under paws) the baby nail scissor for under and between the pads
Coamb, thinning scissors, goodies, babys nail scissor.
chalk to dip your fingers in before you trim – pull hair out.
Pull with your fingers (or a trim – knife) dip your fingers in the chalk or put a bit in the coat to get the grip.
the lengths - and it all depends on the type of the coat, some are not totally flat and look much more heavy and can therefor be shorter
You can trim as short or long as you like it. Its a matter of taste and function. But to show the good parts its good to trim/pull according to my drawing or text below.
1) Eyebrow long, 2) skull not so long. 3) Beard long, scissor the beard under jaw (use the thinner scissor). 4) Throat rather short 3-4 cm. 5)Chest a bit longer – like body 6 cm. 6) Legs rather short – bit longer than the rest 5-7 cm. 7) feet I use the thinner scissor around the paws. Under the paws a normal scissor and between the toes a baby nail scissor – be careful and watch carefully what you are doing !!!
The PBGV is NOT a terrier, and should not be sculptured, it is a bit long haired all over, but we trim a bit more some places, sides of skull around the ear set, to see the set of the ear, the sides of the face should not be too long haired – and the edges of the ears are very short ! and under the jaw – the throat – to make it less heavy. It is my experience, that the coat on the shoulders – and top of the shoulders grow more than the rest of the coat – so that needs to be pulled extra and more often….
8) back rather short (5 – 6 cm) when new pulled/groomed !
9) tail: NO long hairs under the tail and tip of the tail must be totally short. 10) clean short haired butt. 11) belly rather short, thinning scissor is OK (bc it hurts) no skirts on a PBGV. 12) sides like the back, rather short. 13)Upper arm and shoulders rather short, or he will look too heavy.
How to begin
Brush in the growth direction
take the hair up in the air against growth direction
hair stands up in the air
Put a bit chalk on your fingers or a bit in the coat to get the grip. And ALWAYS PULL WITH the growth direction !!
here I am using the blue metal knife
the little trim-stone of metal – always pull with the growth direction
Lumi trimmed / groomed nicely
Front legs before grooming, BRUSH and chalck on your fingers.
Pull very few hairs at a time – and over and over again.
paw after grooming
Paws / pads :
Between the pads you will often find matts – seeds stick into them, and can cause wounds and infection ! feel with your fingers if there are matts between the pads!! Scissor between the toes.
If there are matts between the pads – try to take it a bit out with your fingers. Turn the paw up side down, have a sharp light on the matt, use the baby nail scissor on the matt – and scissor carefully ! DO NOT hit the skin !
always look carefully what you are doing, a good light is necessary ! also scissor between the toes from the upper site, again look carefully !
The ears:
look at the color at the picture ! this is how they should always be. Next picture the ear chalk ( a little bit on the hairs – no chalk down into the ear) and the trim knife I use to get a grip of the hair. First I “fish” the hair up from the ear ! Be careful not to have skin between the knife and your thumb, only the hairs from deep down.
Teeth:
I clean my dogs teeth every 2nd months, Lumi is good and let me, I have a special tool, bought on the internet, like the one dentists are using. Be careful not to push the tooth-stone up, lift the gums a bit and make sure the tool is above the tooth stone and press a bit and take if off – down-words at the upper gum.
Ottos are cleaned in full anesthetic at the vet.
Clean Beard:
At the next 2 photos, you see how dirty Lumis beard is after all our walks !! I take a plastic coamb and take the saliva and dirt off – before she shakes her head inside the house ! Lumi wants me to take it away, before she drinks water – good girl !
trim beard: Use the thinner scissor on the lower beard (under jaw) brush the upper beard up in the air and pull the longest !
About bathing:
If you want to bath your PBGV, use a shampoo for rough/wired haired coats. Most shampoos must be added with 5 times water.
Use a lot of water after to get all the soap out.
I blow dry my dogs – only if we have a heat wave I do not. A so called ”water tail” can happen if your dog has a wet cold tail. Not funny the day before a show.
A “water-tail” is a paralysed tail, hanging down – and it can hurt the dog and make him in a BAD mood – and it will not be OK before 1-3 days !
Some PBGVs loves to swim and take a bath, other dont like it.
I am not educated as a groomer, but 25 years of experience and grooming my own and PBGVs for other people have given me some experience.
My husband has made me a nice tall wooden table I use in the shower in the guest bath room – when I bath my dogs.
above my most used tools now: brushes, trim-knives (only to pull), comb, scissors, goodies, ear-powder, ear-trim-knife, Oto clean, and Oto-max (medication if your dog get an infected ear).
If your dog has a lot of underwool, you can use a CoatKing, to thin it. Be careful it can cut the skin. I make it a bit blunt by “cutting” a lot of newspapers.
Top a CoatKing, the lower an underwool knife – can be used for trimming /pulling.
Jette Vind Ramvad, 2022
Otto don’t like to be groomed
But we try to make it a good time
Always happy after
A prof groomer at work 🙂 ENJOY