A Day in the Life....

Here is a great depiction of a day in the life of a dog groomer, played out by the grooming staff at Furry Tales Doggy Day Spa:

The Importance of Puppy Grooming

Puppies...
             .....their cuteness is their savior in the early stages of life. Let's be real, puppies are little terrors. They chew on things they shouldn't, they whine and cry when they should be quiet, and they pee and poo on the floor instead of outside where they should: the beginning stages of life with a puppy can be a burden, and often times the only reason they do not find themselves in a new home is because they are just so darn cute!
                                                      ...My advice:
                                                          .....puppy training!!!
   
If you are unsure of how to properly train your puppy reach out to your local animal shelter, pet store, or grooming salon; they will be able to point you in the direction of knowledgeable and reputable trainers who can help make living with a puppy much more enjoyable.

In addition to obedience training, grooming training is also very important. The grooming process is a vital component in the care of your new puppy. Although not all dogs require haircuts, they do need their nails, and often anal glands, maintained, and just as the veterinary clinic can be a scary place for dogs, so can the grooming salon if a dog is not introduced early.

Puppies should be introduced to their groomer at an early age so that he or she can become familiar and comfortable with the process. Remember, the groomer's tools are sharp and potentially dangerous, therefore it is important that dogs learn how to be groomed to reduce any chances of injury.

 What is the difference between a dog who gets groomed every 2 months

 and a dog who gets groomed every 6 months?

The dog who gets groomed every 6 months thinks it is being tortured

and the dog who gets groomed every 2 months thinks grooming is a part of life.

What is the "DESHED?"

What is the "DESHED?

This is a frequent question in our salon and once explained, many desperate pet owners are relieved to find that there is an answer to their shedding perils; answers that don't include shaving the beautiful coats off of their furry friends, which is a hot topic and debate for another day.

Although differing salons find differing means to adequately "deshed," in the end most methods usually follow similar suit.

So, how do we go from THIS.... to THIS?????

                                                      

Often times (although not every time), we find it best to use the HV (high velocity) dryer to blow out the coat prior to the bath. This cuts our time down drastically because we have already rid the pet of a ton of excess coat that we now no longer have to wash and dry [see top left photo]. This blow-out includes brushing as well.

Then, we head to the tub; a fun filled corner of the shop where everyone who enters is graced with the splash and overspray of dirty and clean pups. The dog is then soaped, lathered, rinsed, and then repeated until the coat is clean of all residues and particles. This is then followed by the use of the Furminator [brand] Solution that must sit and penetrate into the coat for 10 minutes. For heavy coated dogs we use another HV dryer to push the solution deep into the roots of the coat.

            

               What does the dog do for that 10 minutes of letting the Solution sit on the coat?

                                        Enjoys a massage..... OF COURSE!!!

After the 10 minutes are up, we rinse, towel dry, and then head back to the "Deshed Room" that has been cleaned back up by another staff member while Mr. Pooch was in the tub. Then, commence DRYING...

Once Mr. Pooch is COMPLETELY bone-dry, the real fun begins....

                                             Bathers or groomers (whoever is performing the task) is now in for a whirlwind of flying hair fun! The loose hair spins through the room like a Hurricane Booth at the mall. What fun, right!!???!!

But don't be fooled, this is no easy task, nor is it quick. You can often expect this process, from start to finish, to take up to 4 hours...or more if you own an Alaskan Malamute or Caucasian Shepherd, I dare you to Google the Caucasian Shepherd. ;)

                             .....but in the end, the results are worth it [see bottom 2 photos].

Who Am I?

Who is Nikki Jones?

I am just a someone who cares deeply for the animals I get the honor of blessing. That is me, in a nutshell, that is who I am.

http://nikkijones.webstarts.com/about.html

The Importance of Nail Trims

Clickety, clickety, clickety, click...

Is Fluffy tap-dancing across the kitchen floor?

...or is Rufus hobbling around like his whole body aches with arthritis?

Have you ever worn shoes that were too small?

or better..

Have your toe nails ever been so long that they hit the end of your shoes?

OUCH!!!

Now, take a look at your pup's toes...

Truth: this HURTS

Often we (groomers) hear "I'm just afraid of making [her] bleed"
or
"the last groomer quicked her[him]"
or
"[she] hates getting her nails trimmed, [she] is so afraid."

In the end, those are just excuses...

Truth: dogs frequently get "quicked" during a nail trim and
very often it is so slight that the dog does not notice. A prepared groomer
will always have styptic powder near for such case; although we try our very best for this not to happen.

Truth: a dog will heal quickly from a quicked nail,
but hobbling on long toe nails can have negative long-term physical affects.

...and please don't ever worry that dropping into the grooming salon for a quick nail trim is an inconvenience for the groomers and bathers. We are glad to offer that service and happy to help.

Owner or Groomer?

Are you a pet owner or a pet groomer? Either way, you've landed on a blog designed to be both amusing and informative for owners and groomers alike. After all, as groomers we want to better the pet grooming industry, if this means that I am teaching the groomer down the road my secrets to be better competition, as well as teaching my clients to groom their pets so that they no longer need my services, then I am bettering the life of the fur babies and, therefore, I WIN.

I'll say it again,

                                I WIN!!!

No offense, but I'm not in the game for You! I'm not in the game for Me... Well, making a living doing what I love is an absolute bonus, but I digress...

                    I'm in it for the pets.... 'nuff said.