By Deborah Walker
November 6, 2015
Braiding is a new and exciting way of adding creativity to your grooming. adding this technique to your extra service will set you besides the competition. any pet dog that has at least a 4 inch coat can have braiding done as an enhancement to their finished look. Braiding is the next up and coming phenomenon that is crossing the grooming nation; from one braid to braiding the whole dog. So get on the braid wagon and let’s get started.

To start braiding, you need to condition the hair properly. To accomplish your goals the coat need to not be too oily or too dry. Some coats may require medium to heavy conditioner to help weigh the coat down. Gel or mousse can be used to help control the direction in which you are setting the coat, or you can braid the hair when wet.

The coat must be at least 4 inches or longer to braid; the longer the hair, the much easier it is to braid. Braiding coat can help with hair growth and secure the hair shafts from breakage. but keep in mind, the animal has moving parts so don’t set the braids too tight to the skin that they would restrict the dogs movement. When the pet dog gets off of your table and the braids are too tight, it may cause the pet dog to scratch the braids out. Don’t make them too loose because the braids may not hold.

There is single braiding and French braiding, as well as bead stacking. These different types of braiding can enhance appeal and help secure the coat from matting and breakage as the hair grows. Beading and bows are also a fun way to add style and color to your dog.
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Basic Braiding 

Once the coat is appropriately prepared, comb the hair straight. then begin dividing the hair into 3 parts. Hold the parts in both hands, the thumbs hold the center part. start with the left section of hair and over lay the hair across the center section. The left section becomes the center part and the center part becomes the left section of the braid.

Next, take the ideal section and lay it over the center part, making the ideal section the center and making the center the ideal section.  Repeat this over and over until you get the length of braid you desire. tie it off with a small rubber band, a baby hair clip, or a bead at the end.

Beads 

Adding beads is a snap. All you need is a crochet hook and different color beads. The opening of the bead need to be large enough to get a crochet hook and hair though the hole of the bead.  place the bead on the crochet hook, wrap the hairs around the crochet hook then pull the hair through the hole in the bead. If you miss some hair, don’t panic, just place the crochet hook back through the hole and gather the rest of the hair.

Push the bead in place and step to your next step. You can place as lots of beads as you wish or braid between beads. allow enough hair at the end to rethread or tie off with a rubber band or clips.

To tie the bead back into the coat without using rubber bands, you take the section of hair that is hanging down below the bead and bring it back up to top of the bead, then wrap it around the crochet hook and pull it through the bead again.

French Braiding

For French braiding you start out the same way as the single braid; comb and divide the hair into 3 parts. Hold the parts in both hands, the thumbs hold the center part. start with the left section of hair and over lay the hair across the center part.

The left section becomes the center part and the center part becomes the left section of the braid. Next, take the ideal section and lay it over the center part, making the ideal section the center and making the center the ideal section. At this point you have completed the first cycle of braiding.

Continue braiding until you are ready to start adding hair to the braid. We recommend braiding a few times and then start adding hair.

Starting with the left section, lay it over the center part, then with your little finger pick up a few hairs and then place those few hairs over the center also. The center now has become the left section and the left section has become the center.

At this point, take the ideal section and lay it over the center. using your little finger, get hold of a few a lot more hairs and place it over the center with the other hairs. Repeat these steps as you go down the direction you want the braid to go.

French braiding looks good going down the back of the dog, starting from the head to tail. You can split the braid from the rump and travel the braids down both back legs as well.

A bead stack can be used for the topknot to secure breakage of coat and is great to look at. To start, divide the topknot into 3 sections. Next, place a bead in each section, then gather all three sections into one and add another bead.  You do not need to braid the hair to get the same affect. You may also choose to split the hair into a lot more sections depending on the length of hair you have to work with.

Practice makes perfectnull