The kind woman who trained me to groom taught me to count the toes out loud on each foot when I was learning to master claw care. "Look for at least five toes on every foot." Decades later, I still mutter "1,2,3,4…5?" under my breath when I lift every paw and check every leg to trim those claws. Beyond the four obvious claws on the toes, I always search for a dewclaw on every leg
My sister loves dogs. She has only owned two in her lifetime, so I feel it is safe to say she is a reasonably typical pet owner. Recently, she and I watched a large boat move from its trailer into a harbor. The boat owner had his dog on the trailer as the boat was slowly transported. My sister said, “Oh! That poor dog is so scared!” I said, “Look at his body language.
Here is a good grooming hack to share. Many dogs habitually lick specific areas of their body. More than typical self-grooming, this is probably an effort to soothe irritation. It is frequently related to some allergic reaction, injury, or infection, but sometimes, it is over a joint, suggesting the pet has arthritic aches that cause it to lick and chew.
Some call it a “button” or even a “booper,” but most people understand that the canine nose is extraordinary. Dogs tend to explore the world nose first, with good reason. Experts say that dogs have over 300 million scent receptors, while humans can only boast a measly 6 million.
Trimming a pet's claws is a fundamental and necessary part of grooming. In most cases, it is a pretty straightforward procedure, and once a groomer learns the skill, they can practically do it blindfolded. But then there are those times when there is a problem with a claw.
Moe is a kissable Pit Bull that comes to see us once a month for a bath. He's a very good boy but suffers from skin allergy problems. During his last visit, his owner came in and told us he was having some allergy-related hair loss on his tail. We popped him into the tub and got about the business of washing him, and sure enough, there was a bald patch about two inches long on the top of Moe's waggy, waggy tail. His owner was right about the hair loss, but her understanding of the cause was slightly off.
An internet search about dog breeds considered to be hypoallergenic will dish up a big old bowl of confusion. Many articles clearly state in their opening paragraphs that there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog breed. Then, they will go on to list hypoallergenic breeds. It's a real head-scratcher.
There you are, grooming away when something cool and damp drops on your hand. You look and are repulsed to find a small, squirmy white thing about the size of a grain of rice wriggling on your skin. It’s a tapeworm segment and has dropped from the dog's anus. After you fling it off, do a little dance of horror, and scrub your hands, you might wonder what to do next. I have seen many groomers ask in online forums if they should send the pet home. Here is some information to help you decide how to proceed.
Although not a common diagnosis, post-grooming furunculosis is a severe skin infection that has been widely publicized recently and frequently discussed in online grooming forums. Many groomers have never heard about it before or don't understand what it is.
Picture the following scenario. You have just washed, dried, and brushed the long-coated poodle mix on your table. You have thirty minutes to finish up the groom when suddenly the dog releases its anal sacs. A few moments ago, the pet on the table smelled like a rose, but now it smells very different. In an ideal world, you’d pop that pup back in the tub for a wash, but there is certainly no time for that. What can you do?
