How to Groom your Schnauzer

Grooming one of the three types of Schnauzers the miniature, standard, or giant are all done basically the same. It depends on will the dog be a show dog or just a companion. Show dogs are not allowed to be clipped they must be hand stripped which is a laborous process.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clipper with a #10 blade
• Blunt Scissors
• Regular Scissors
• Pin Brush
• Comb
• Dog Shampoo
• Towel
• Grooming Table
• Good lighting

1. 
    
   Bath Time

   Start by bathing the dog and use a shampoo that correlates with the dogs skin type. Allergic type dogs would do good with an oatmeal type shampoo, dogs that have skin bumps I would recommend a tar like shampoo which will help to dry out the skin bumps. If the skin is dry use a moisturising shampoo read the shampoo bottle' s recommendations concerning skin types and choose one that will benefit the dog.

2. 
    
   Anatomy of the ear

   After the dog is bathed dry the hair with either a standard hair dryer for humans or one that is specially made for dogs. The ears need attention by plucking the hair out of the ear canals. Use a drying type powder made for this procedure. Shake out some powder in the ear canal then spread it out and begin to pluck the hair out. After that's done the ear can be flushed with a liquid ear cleaner made for dogs.

3. The next step to take is to clip the dog with a moderately good clipper. Also decide on how close you want the dogs hair to be after trimming it. A number 10 blade is what I would recommend. Another thing to take in consideration is to decide whether you want to keep the leg furnishings or shave them off. It all depends on what works for you. Always clip the hair against the grain to get an even look. After the dog is clipped then the nails can be done with a nail clipper that you feel comfortable using. If the dog resists getting its nails done then you might want to have a professional groomer do them or take the dog to a veterinarian.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to work through mats with a comb if they're to far gone then use a scissor to separate the mat by cutting it in the middle
• Be careful around the ear area so as to not nick the tip of the ear or accidentally cut it
• Avoid getting shampoo in the dogs eyes
• Be careful if cutting the nails don't cut to far down as you will cut the quick. Cut only the tips of the nails
• Make sure your clipper isn't getting to hot if it does it could burn the dogs skin, use a clipper spray that cools the blades
• Never leave your dog unattended while on the grooming table
• Use blunt tipped scissors to cut around the ears and eye area
• Never leave the dog in the tub unattended
• Be careful with scissors especially in sensitive areas