Home The DERMagic Blog 5 Things to Discuss with Your Groomer During DERMagic Treatment
June 25, 2020

5 Things to Discuss with Your Groomer During DERMagic Treatment

5 Things to Discuss with Your Groomer During DERMagic Treatment

The world has gone through some major changes over the past few months.

Coronavirus has changed the way we work, the way we care for our families, and even how we interact with our pets. In fact, our pets may need to grow accustomed to our return to work in the coming days!

As we learn to adapt to coronavirus being in our lives, most of us are probably thinking about how we can get our pets back into the vet’s office for their check ups; and their groomers for - well, some personal hygiene.

If you recently started your dogs on the DERMagic Skin Rescue program, there are some things you will need to discuss with the groomer.

5 things to discuss with your groomer while using DERMagic

1. Be Straightforward

If you’re taking your dog into the groomers for a bath, make sure you tell them what you need. If your dog is going through treatment with DERMagic Skin Rescue, tell the groomer that is all that is the only shampoo they should use.

Most groomers choose shampoos that contain parabens, preservatives and fragrances. This has the potential to set your pet’s treatment back weeks or more. Explain why you prefer they use only DERMagic products for now. 

2. Speak Their Language

Occasionally, a Shih Tzu will go into the groomers with long fur and come out with a cut usually reserved for an entirely different breed.

Not every groomer knows every breed. This is why you should take the time to clarify what you do and do not want.

Know what type of cut you want for your pet. Different groomers use different terminology. Be specific with the cut you want for your pet.

Carding: This process removes the dead undercoat of your dog using a blunt edged tool.
Cocker Cut: The back of the dog is clipped while leaving the legs and skirt full. Head is clipped short with dome over brows and ears clipped to leave fur toward the bottom
Dematting: Removal of matted fur.
Hand-stripping: This process uses fingers or stripping tool to remove the dead outer coat of wire-haired breeds.
Lamb Cut: Body is clipped to desired length, legs are scissored longer and blended into hair on body.
Lion Trim: Head, paws and tail or left with long fur while body is clipped short.
Pants: Referring to the long hair on the back of a dog's legs.
Pom-Pom or Poodle Cut: A stylistic cut often done on poodles and fluffy coated dogs resulting in “balls” of fur above clean paws and end of tail.
Potty Path or Sani-trim: Shave of belly and dog’s “behind” to keep the areas more sanitary.
Reverse Shaving: When the groomer shaves the dog against the grain of the fur. Try to avoid this - especially with dogs prone to yeast. 
Round Feet: Paws are trimmed to appear round and fluffy, without showing the nails.
Skirt: The longer hair that falls on either side of the dog to create a perfectly hemmed skirt look.
Schnauzer Cut: A pattern that uses clipping to leave fur on the front legs, knees, and down back legs.

3. Know Your Groomers' Blades

It’s important to know your groomer's blades! Here are a few of the more common types and their uses:

#40: Shortest blade and cust far too close to the skin. Should only be used to remove hair in pads of feet or inside ears (when requested.
#15: Typically used for sanitary care.
#10: Most commonly used blade. This is the shortest blade used for shave downs, and leaves hair about 1/16”. We suggest leaving the coat short during treatment with DERMagic, and slightly longer after treatment is complete. Just don’t do it. Please don’t. Shaving can create a number of problems for your pet.
#7: Often used for shave downs and longer patterns. This can be a dangerous blade if used improperly. While it’s intended to be used for a finishing cut, it’s often used for dematting.

4. Be Specific

When you’re talking to your groomer, it’s important to be specific. While many groomers are happy to take initiative, it’s better to tell them that you require specific things.

For example, rather than telling them you want a “short” cut, tell them you want the fur taken down to ½” (or use your fingers to explain).

Keeping your dog's longer fur trimmed down will help with the application of Hot Spot Salve or Skin Rescue Lotion. 

5. Explain Why Using DERMagic is Important

Every groomer has their favorite line of products. That's totally fine, but when it comes to treating your dog, it's important they use your preferred shampoo and conditioner.

Bring in your own products and explain the importance of them using them. Here is a phrase that works for most groomers: 

"It's very important to us that you use only these products on our dog. He is under treatment for [black skin disease, yeast, alopecia X, etc.] and for now, we prefer these products to be used." 

Remember, it's your dog - you get the final say in how they are groomed. 

By improving communication, you can ensure your pets have a calm, relaxing grooming experience. This is your groomer's ultimate goal and it should be yours as well!