Dogs with long coats often come in to be groomed with lots of thick hair growing between theunderside of their paw pads. Trimming this fur neatly is an integral part of a complete pet groom. Untrimmed hair coming from the underside of the foot not only looks messy, but it can alsocollect dirt, sand, salt, snow, sticky things, and icky things and track them into the house.
This blog post might stir up a little controversy, but sometimes we work on pets that need to wear a muzzle for some of the grooming visit. With four decades of grooming experience and a reputation for safely grooming pets that have been turned away from other groomers, I rarely use a muzzle on any pet, but once in a while, I am glad to have a set stored away.
Sometimes, dogs come in to be groomed and make strange mouth movements, repeatedly licking their lips, shaking their heads, or smacking their mouths in an unusual way. Experienced stylists know to take a peek to see if the dog is bothered by fur growing over its lips and getting into its mouth.
An adorable Pug came to see you for grooming. She snorts and wiggles, and you pop her into the bathtub and get to work. Like most smooth-coated breeds, it can feel like grooming this breed is a walk in the park. But wait! There's more to it than a simple wash and dry.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are popular pets and generally delightful to groom. Show dogs are not supposed to be trimmed at all except for the hair that grows between the pads on the underside of the foot, but many pet owners request shorter, more practical trims
Nico is a toy poodle, and I have groomed him every five weeks since he was a puppy. He is now a doddering old man, nearly blind from cataracts, riddled with arthritis, and missing most of his teeth.
Dogs and people seem to agree on many things. We both like some of the same tasty treats, enjoy walks, and think a good snuggle is fun. Do you know what dogs and people don’t seem to agree on? The topic of what smells good. I’ve had a dog roll exuberantly in a decomposing animal and seem overjoyed to smell of corpse.
When I was training to be a pet groomer, my mentor used to tell me, "You don't have to be the best groomer in the world. If you send home clean dogs that are tangle-free, have a cute face, and a tidy potty area, your customers will be happy." While I strive always to do my best, I realize there is some truth to my mentor's words.
You have brushed, you have combed, you have fretted, but still, there are strange little wispy, fuzzy patches on the dog you are grooming. You know the ones I mean; you have seen them on Golden Retrievers, some Spaniels, Setters, or mixes with similar coats. They are the patches of unusually textured, soft, dull fur that show up on the fronts of the legs, the sides of the thighs, or the ears and maybe cheeks of some of these breeds.
If you live in a climate that experiences winter weather, your phone may be starting to ring now that warmer weather is here with frantic pleas for help with pets that have met a skunk. In cold climates, skunks spend the winter in a sleepy state called torpor. In the spring, they awaken and search for food and a mate.
