Types of Grooming Equipment for Dogs

Taking your dog to the groomers on a regular basis is part of being a responsible pet owner. Groomers are important because not only do they make your furry friend smell nice, they improve your dog's quality of life by removing mats from the fur, cleaning out the ears and clipping the nails. Not all dogs, however, enjoy being groomed. For this reason, many pet owners choose to take their pet to a professional groomer who has the right equipment to deal with a difficult dog.

  1. Scissors and Clippers

    • Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, with different lengths and types of fur or hair. To cut these various styles, groomers use scissors and clippers to trim the dog's fur and style it in a breed-specific way. Clippers are used to shave dogs, and are adjusted to meet the length requirements for each dog. Scissors are used to make the finishing touches, or to trim fur and hair out of delicate areas such as the eye area.

    Grooming Arm and Table

    • The grooming arm is essentially a "third arm" for the groomer that helps them keep the dog in place while they complete the grooming process. The grooming arm has a grooming noose attached to it that goes around the dog's neck, holding the dog in position---the noose is not harmful to the dog and actually helps keep the dog from moving and being cut by a nail clipper or scissors. The grooming table is an essential professional grooming tool because it raises the dog to eye level and lets the groomer get a clear view of all sides and angles of the dog, making sure they are properly groomed.

    Shampoo and Dryers

    • When dogs are groomed, shampoo is used to remove any dirt or smells from their coat and leave them smelling great. Shampoo is more of an aesthetic element to grooming---dogs have natural oils in their coats and using shampoo can remove the oil. Shampoos that do not contain glycerin are better for the dog because they do not dry out the coat as much. When the dog is shampooed, a hand dryer is used to dry the coat.

    Brushes and Combs

    • There are many different types of brushes such as a de-matting brush that is designed to remove mats from tangled fur, or finishing combs that are used to make the dog sleek and shiny after the bathing process. Short-coated dogs can be brushed with a grooming mitt or a de-shedding tool to remove excess fur. Longer-haired dogs are brushed with a pincushion brush and a solid comb. Different types of dogs require different brush types. For example, terriers need to have their coat stripped down with a stripping brush.