imported_Cassie

Sounds like you have your self one hyper hound! :lol: One thing I have learned about the nothing is free in life policy...every one in the family has to be consistant with it...if the dog gets attention when they are rude...they learn to be pushy to get what they want. [quote]There's this other problem he has that's driving me to my witts end!! When he doesn't obay, if he's chasing the cat or just won't come when he's called and I try to grab him by the collar and lead him out of the situtation he rolls over on his back his teeth in a snarl and will bite at my arms [/quote] Coal has border collie in him...border collies have a strong predatory instinct...the instinct to chase has been enhanced in this breed. In this case I would not grab the dog by the collar...I would train coal a well-trained emergency down...many dogs will down even when they won't "come" because they can still watch the prey. Stopping the charge gives the dog's arousal level and adrenaline time to recede, and then you may be able to call her back from the "down" or calmly walk up to her and snap her leash on. It's never a good idea to just grab a dog which is intent on the chase...the dogs arousal level is still so high and can be frustrating...its the same thing as with my Rottie...when I first got her she was very easily aroused by passing skate boarders, dogs etc. IF I had tried to grab her collar and make her obey me and made her ignore the objects of interest she would go crazy and lunge and pretty near take a temper tantrum....I learned that its not a good idea to get between the dog and the prey object...the best thing is to try to redirect the dogs attention to you...or have the dog lay down....my Rottie used to grumble alot...but, she would go into a down. I have also seen some awful cases of when a person had more than 2 dogs out in a kennel...the dogs had a full view of the road way and would run up and down barking and fence fighting...one dog got in the way...the other dogs which had their adrenaline running high attacked the dog which got in the way...the dog had fallen to the ground and the other 2 dogs took out their frustration of not being able to get the object desired onto the dog which had fallen...it was quite a time breaking up that fight...after wards the dogs all carried on and played as usual. [quote]You see, he barks and growls and snaps at the weirdest things... the one that's freaked me out most lately is the filling cabnet beside the desk. He will crawl under the desk and start licking the cabnet and barking and growling at it To name a few other things he's taken to barking at for quite some time... the snow man in the front yard, the living room wall, the living room door, and Jared's PARKED Quad... Is my dog going CRAZY????!!! [/quote] Perhaps your dog is going through adolescence???? I have had many Newfoundland dogs which had been fine as pups...then they reach adolescence and they go through a fear stage....a simple garbage bag had one of my boys freaked out and barking and backing into a corner...it comes so naturally to me on how to handle these situations that I can't even really explain what I do...except that I always act confident around my dogs, I don't make them confront their fears...but, I will let them work it out on their own...my Newf had to pass the garbage bag quite a few times before he realized it would not harm him. A good vet check is always a good idea as well....have Coals eye sight tested etc. As you already know, border collies are extremely hyper dogs..they really need alot of exercise...I live in Canada as well and we have just gotten almost 30 cm of snow....I take my dogs walking on snowmobile trails...easy to walk on :wink: I throw objects for my Rottie and Dobie mix (my Newf's don't really like to chase things) and if they loose the object I really don't care...I use sticks or branches for them to chase...of course sticks can be dangerous so they are not for every dog to chase.... :oops: Is there any way you can arrange for Coal to have a playmate...I found alot of people with one dog families who ask if they can bring their dog out with mine...its a great way to meet new people and they dogs really wear each other out. My Rottie will actually stalk and chase the other dogs...at one time this used to freak me out...but, now that she does not take it any further than grab-bite I allow her to play this way with my other dogs...Rotties were orginally bred to drove cattle...my Rottie still has that drive to perform that job...and if she has to drove my other dogs..then I let her...they are all starting to understand its just a game. :wink: One more thing...I know you are very much into feeding BARF or whole fresh products to Coal...make sure any meats you feed are free range meats and organic foods...some times if a hyper hound has to deal with alot of additives it can make them that much more hyper...If you are feeding kibble make sure its a good quality low protein, non-allergenic additive free diet. Oh course you probably already know this... :wink: You might also want to do a few tests to see if your dog has ADHD...if you want I can type out the test for you to try at home.

Another seminar...that sounds wonderful. My boss hasnt mentioned it to us...she usually receives a brochure or booklet from the dog groomers assoc. regarding these seminars. If we do go, I'll let you know...it would be wonderful to meet you. I am really interested in attending any holistic seminars and or the aggression seminars (they had offered these at the Hershy, PA seminar) my boss told me they don't always offer these classes :-? My boss is a really wonderful groomer, I am sure the two of you would have lots to talk about. I think it would be great to watch you compete....will you be using one of your own dogs to compete with...I think my boss borrowed a dog for her competition...she had to get it a few months before the competition.

HF, excellent suggestions...thank you. As for the listerine, I know my boss keeps a bottle of it around the shop...I wasnt sure what she was using it for...I'm sure she is not using it in the dogs ears...but, I think she mentioned some thing about it neutralizing skunk odors...at certain times of the year it seems we have thousands of dogs which have been skunked. :o [quote]Have you ever added a capful or two of plain mouthwash to your bath (I'm not sure what kind of bathing system you use)? I use it sometimes on dogs with smelly allergy skin (Devin gets it twice a week) and it's also great on those crusty, smelly Cocker feet. Not good, of course, for raw, open sores (at least, I'm too chicken to try it). This is debatable, but I've also used it to help flush out raw (but not oozing) ears, followed, of course, by traditional ear cleaning.[/quote] This is very interesting and I will let my boss read your post...it's too bad she hates computers and refuses to own one! :lol: I do remember my boss telling me about a Standard Poodle she owned a few years ago...it had horrible ear problems. The vet she was going to was running around in circles trying to help get rid of the ear problems with little success...she finally advised her about a old time remedy of pouring sugar or some thing in the dogs ears...this I will find out from my boss on Tuesday (never thought about this til now...and I can't fully remember what it was they used...but, it was some thing very weird) any way, my boss was desperate...tried it...and presto...no more ear infection! [quote]The popular alternative is citrus products, but I've read of too many problems small dogs have had with citrus[/quote] Interesting, I will also pass this along to my boss as well...she has used the citrus shampoo on small dogs...its good to be aware of these hazzards. We do not have capstar on hand at the shop...we usually depend on our customers to bring in their advantage for us to apply...most of our customers have their dogs on flea prevention programs....at the vet clinic upstairs they will use capstar when a dog comes in polluted with fleas...it kills them so quickly. [quote]I've heard wonderful things about Eqyss products and am currently using them. I like that the company is forthcoming with their ingredients and that it's a clean rinsing, no residue product.[/quote] This sounds wonderful....its amazing how many shampoos will leave a residue..we just had a horrible experience with a shampoo we were using...made by top performance the austrialian shampoo...great on small dogs, it has a built in conditioner in it...we loved the product and the results...until we used it on 4 Newfoundland dogs...all 4 of the dogs broke out within one week after we used this product....my boss had only used #1 all systems on these dogs prior to this or alexanders own shampoo...it has been a horrible experience for us...the owner of the dogs is not upset (she breeds the dogs and shows them) she is the one who got this shampoo for us in the first place....but, it has been a learning experience...the dogs had to be redone in the proper shampoo and they are clearing up...this is another case of our thinking that perhaps we had left shampoo in the dogs coat...which could very easily happen with a big coated Newfoundland dog....but, there are 3 of us, my boss bathed 2, I bathed 1, and the other girl bathed the other....so, it would be a rather BIG coinsidence that all 3 of us left soap in the coat...we realize now that it was the shampoo and the residue from it caused problems for the dogs coats....not a great learning experience. :-?

Here is some information on Atopica. [url]http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&cat=1275&articleid=3069[/url]

Kiwi, we have alot of soft-coated wheatens in for grooming...they seem to be getting very popular. I am not a groomer myself, but, I am sure HF will give you some grooming tips...I do know one thing....they have to be blown out straight...we have some that come in which have pretty wavy coats...to being almost curly. The groomer scissors alot with these dogs...she said the face is not hard to do. She keeps a few of the Wheatens in show trim (these dogs are shown, not just pets)...she always swears she will not do "show dogs"...but, she keeps on getting breeders begging her to keep their dogs in show trim. :-? she stated that if the dog does not win....its the groomer who is blamed.... :-? Good luck with your new interest...what my boss will do for people who want to learn how to keep their dogs in a certain trim...she will have them come in and she shows them how to groom their own dog...for most pet owners, they try to groom their own dogs a couple of times then end up coming back to having the dog done :lol:

Yep, I do believe that as a survey on this board all of our dogs can see through glass..... :lol: and HF, very cute picture... :lol: Now, the question is how many of us humans can detect glass doorways???? I cannot count the number of times I have been at a BBQ and tried to walk through the glass door! now, perhaps if these people did have a dog which left nose prints I would have know the sliding glass door was shut and not open when I tried to pass through! one of the biggest bonuses of owning a dog...! this is one of the reasons I encourage my dogs to drool on the sliding glass door way at my home and push their faces up against it and leave some signs that there is a window there....I am in fact human proofing my home. :wink:

Kiwi, The groomer I work for used to use Bio-groom products at one time...she no longer uses them. I am not sure if its due to them not being a Canadian shampoo and the cost of getting American shampoo over the border is outrageous...I'll have to ask her on Tuesday what she thought of the product...or HF will be able to tell you what she thinks. Currently we use groomers edge, top performance, A-1 all systems....we used to use e-z groom products as well... One more thing I meant to mention about our home made shampoo...well, not really "ours" :lol: we found it kills fleas....we ran out of a citrus shampoo for fleas (the company had it on back order) so we were using the home made shampoo (we use this for a first shampoo) my boss left it on for a few minutes while she drank her coffee..the fleas were dropping off this dog :o (we had advantage to put on the dog after the groom...the owner always brings it in for us to apply :wink: ) we found it gets rid of bad odors on the dog without leaving a perfume smell behind...alot of customers are very scent sensitive...and, if you add baking soda to the home made shampoo you have instant skunk shampoo! :wink: of course, don't add the baking soda to the shampoo until just before putting it on the dog...the shampoo has a long shelf life...but, if baking soda is added the remaining shampoo must be thrown out.

HF, The groomer I work for really liked this article!!! it does validate what she has thought for years...she is also very anal about working around the dogs eyes...she has had a couple of bad experiences herself with tearless shampoo's and had to rush the dog up to the vet upstairs to have the eyes flushed (the dogs eyes where squinty etc.) she mentioned to me that when she trained to be a groomer about 20 years ago they used to put mineral oil in the dogs eyes...she is not comfortable with this as she feels that too many dogs suffer from allergies now a days and she doesnt want to put any foreign materials in the dogs eyes which may cause a problem. Perhaps you have some more information on this...? Court, the recipe for our home made shampoo is: 1/3 cup Glycerin 1 cup Palmolive (or whichever dish soap you perfer) 1 cup white vinegar 1 quart of water. science_doc, when I am rinsing dogs at the shop...I rinse and rinse...and then rinse once again! :wink: I rinse until the water runs clear...no bubbles..then I go from head to tail just one more time before taking the dog out of the tub. With the Newfoundland dogs I go over the ruff and areas of the dog where there is alot more coat. If you go over the dog after the bath and they feel greasy then this could indicate you have left shampoo in the dogs coat...of course with some dogs they have a larger amount of oils in their coat...so its hard to judge that way. One more thing...make sure you rinse the arm pits (commonly missed spot) the front of the legs (also some times missed) I put cotton balls in the dogs ears so when I am rinsing the head I am not as worried about water getting in the ears...of course you always cover up the ear canal with your fingers to prevent any water from going in...some times dogs with floppy ears the underside of the ear gets missed in the rinse.

I would definately contact them and let them know of the "problems" these dogs have. Where she is a backyard breeder there will be no contracts...so basically its buyer beware...but, call her up and let her know. I know I have said this a thousand times before. :wink: but, many purebred breeders are experiencing simular problems. Reputable breeders "trying" to better the breed and do all of the proper health tests are also having this problem...playing with genetics is like playing russian roulette...the smaller the gene pool gets for a breed the more hereditary problems are going to start popping up. It's time for "purebred" breeders to open up the stud books and bring in new blood. For example, a line of Newfoundland dogs...not one of the sires or dams ever had HD...3 out of 7 of the pups ended up with HD before the age of 2 years. I also am not gauranteed that my Newfoundlands will not become dysplasitc later in life...even if they had certified for hips at 2. It's a game humans are not playing very well...and when you are breeding for "looks' and "cuteness" instead of sound character...then you are also increasing problems for the breed.

Great article....this is some thing we have been debating at the grooming shop for quite some time. We are finding that our own "home made" shampoo (yes, the one we make from palmolive dish soap) works alot better on sensitive skin for dogs than most of the expensive shampoo's we buy! :wink: We have one customer with a sheltie which had HORRIBLE skin problems...at first the groomer thought we were not getting the shampoo out, so she bathed the dog herself...no improvement...she then switched from an oatmeal shampoo to furstaid shampoo...no good...the owner is the one who brought us in the home made recipe...and we only use this on her sheltie; and what wonderful results...the dogs skin is improving...and does not break out after a groom. :wink: I only use the home made shampoo on all of my dogs....and they have wonderful skin and coats. The groomer I work for is beginning to loose faith in dog shampoo's...I'll give this to her. :wink: Thanks HF

science_doc As for bathing and how often...for the Newf's I bath them once a month...for most dogs we recommend every 3 months. If you are going to bath more often pick up a nice gentle shampoo...perhaps at your vet clinic...or ask a groomer if you could buy some nice oatmeal shampoo off them. The shampoo we use at the shop is ordered in...we don't sell the products...but, some groomers do. Now, with my Rottweiler, I bathe her once a year wheather she needs it or not! :lol: she is a very clean dog. As for a high velocity dryer...when we are using them on the dogs we have them on a grooming table...so they are more concerned about being on top of a table than the fact there is a dryer on them, they also have a noose around their neck... :lol: we do get dogs which are very nervous of the dryer...for them, I usually hold the nozzle of the hose facing the floor then slowly bring it up under the dogs chest...and work from the bottom up..I use one hand to hold the nozzle of the dryer and the other to tickle the dogs chest..once they calm down and seem to be alright with the dryer on their chest and belly I work up to their back etc. for the dogs feet, I hold each paw up individually...or if they are really dancing on the table, I will hold them around the neck and hug them so I can get the feet done... If we have a dog which is really really bad for the dryer we have a big dryer we can set up in front of their kennel and put it on...this will help dry them...but, it won't blow out the under coat....so then a good brushing after ward is required. We also have alot of dogs which are very sensitive around their feet...for them we ask the owners to work on this with us by desensitizing the dog to humans handling their feet. A dogs paws are very important to them...it's basically instinct to protect their paws...if we start grooming a dog while it is young we usually do not have any problems with the feet as the dogs get used to having them handled. What I would do if I were you is to start handling your dogs paws often...start by massaging the dogs back and neck...work down to the tail...then slowly massage down each leg, not touching the paws at first...if your dog shows discomfort as you work down the legs...work back up them and to the back again...then once again start down the legs...do this each evening until your dogs starts looking forward to it...soon you will be able to work down the legs, massage the paws...and massage each toe. Dont leave this on a bad note the first few times...if your dog gets upset due to a touchy area...move to an area he enjoys. This will also get your dog used to your touching its paws for nail trimming...I did this with my Rottie and Dobie when I first took them in....they both would almost tear you apart when you tried to touch their feet...it worked like a charm. Now both will lay down for me and I massage them then while I am massaging the paws I snip a nail, massage, snip, massage.... :lol: At the grooming facility we don't have time to get a dog desensitized for nail trimming....some times we will hold the dog in a hug and the groomer will trim each nail...or if its a small dogs we hold it on our lap like a baby...and hold its head away from the person clipping....or some times you can blow in the dogs nose...this is if your by your self...blow in the nose then clip, I don't know if the dog is reacting to our bad breath...or if it just distracts them for a split second...but, it works for us. Some times with a black nail, you can either look at the under side of the nail for the hollow part...or you can view it from a side angle...the part that curls down is the part you want to clip...just under where it starts to curl..where it gets slimmer...does that make sense... :lol: when I am clipping nails I come across all kinds of different nail types... [quote]I don't understand why, but most of the odor seems to come from her head?[/quote] science_doc, have you checked her ears and teeth..some times dirty ears can smell like dirty socks...if so, they are possibly infected. [quote]Hailey HATES the blow drying part, but the shop only provides 2 towels, so she is pretty wet following the bath[/quote] correct me if I'm wrong...but, isnt Hailey a husky??? if so, alot of huskys give us a hard time. :wink: they sound like you are torturing them as you are bathing and blow drying. Where HF is a groomer she will be able to suggest some better ideas to you...I'm just a lowly bath/blow dryer...

Poor Bentley, he seems to be going through a rough time lately.... :( Keep us updated... :wink: my Rottie was getting stiff in her front legs...I found out it was calified deposits which were causing secondary arthritis to develop. If you do need to give Bentley a long term anti-inflammatory try Yucca root...it works wonders...and it's natural. I didn't even bother picking up any anti-inflammatories from the vet...rimadyl and metacam used over a long period can ruin your dogs liver...and it masks the pain...so, most times the dog will feel so good he will keep doing what harmful activities. Yucca root actually helps the liver and absorbtion of nutrients from food. :wink:

HF, it is very upsetting when you think of how other groomers treat dogs...I as an owner would be horrified if I thought for a second that I left my beloved dog with an abusive groomer. The worst thing about this groomer who submerged the little dogs head is that she really comes across as being sweet, she is also a small lady... :-? its scary really. We also have the same problem here...the groomer I work for charges alot more than the other groomers in town and people are cheap..they have left our shop to go to another one which is cheaper...then they find their dog is acting abnormally after the groom (fearful) and the grooming job is not what they wanted...they always come back to us :wink: some times it has taken us quite awhile to bring a dog back around which has been through a bad groom...also, we are the only groomers who will take on big dogs. My boss explained to me that if she did all little dogs she would certainly make a whole lot more money as you can fit more in...but, she perfers the big dogs :lol: some of the other groomers in our area are booking alot more dogs than we could ever imagine...they have an assembly line...I know one groomer who duct tapes the dogs muzzles closed as well...he is an abusive person...the groomer I work for had set up with him for awhile, until she found out how rough he was with the dogs...she left and set up on her own. We tried to have get togethers with the other groomers in our area...there are only about 4 that actually are very nice and are in it for the love of dogs...not just trying to make as much money as possible. My boss has started the other groomers atttending grooming seminars...we missed the seminar in...was it Hershy, PA?...the brochure sounded wonderful. HF, you sound like you have a wonderful facility and I think you will go far with your business and competing. It's nice to be proud of the work that you do..and from seeing the pictures of you Poodles...you have a natural talent for grooming. Regarding the classes you mentioned about shampoo chemistry courses, that sounds very interesting...as we go along we have learned from trial and error about some shampoo's :oops: we use top performance and groomers edge...some times A1 all systems...what shampoos are you currently using?...living in Canada it cost us a fortune to get shampoo up here from the states...your so lucky you live down there as they have the best in grooming supplies. :wink:

[quote]In fact, I could probably send you guys into a rant about people like my girlfriend and I, LOL. We are the type who dont want our dogs out of our sight at the vet. In fact, my girlfriend and I insist on being with my dogs under ANY circumstances UNLESS we believe that our presence would be too stressful for the dog[/quote] drjeffrock, in most cases I would have to say...no, we don't like the owner to stay with the dog...in alot of cases the dog will act badly and hyper and goof off... :lol: it just takes longer to do...but, we do have a few people who will stay with their dogs and the dogs are as good as gold...the owners are really nice and have a great chat with us :wink: In some cases the groomer I work for insists the owner come in...it may be due to behaviour problems (this is when the local behaviorist refers clients to us as she will not let these dogs go to any other groomer) or if its a Chow Chow and its the dogs first time...the groomer I work for will not let myself or the other bather/blow dryer touch a chow...she states they can be unpredictable as they are hard to read...they do not lay their ears back or put their tail down etc....she will do the groom on a chow from start to finish herself as she can read them where we can't...I don't know if I should be insulted or relieved. [quote]for those of you who work at groomers or vet clinics, so I know how you feel about nervouse poopers - what about barkers. [/quote] As for the grooming facility...where we have appointments only we don't have to deal with alot of barking dogs...but, you really get used to it after awhile. Oh, this is one of the reasons my boss will not take American eskimo dogs...they have the shrillest, ear shattering bark of all the dog breeds...we do not do any spitz breeds... :lol: At the boarding facility...I have barking dogs all day long while I am working...I will give them a few quite times during the day where I close up their runs and shut off the lights. Courtnek, as for your dog laurel...she is fearful...with a fearful dog you can forgive them any thing... :angel: [quote]The passion died quickly when I learned that she was a hack and, worse, abusive. She didn't get the dogs clean, her work sucked, but I fired her for mishandling a dog. I will never forget watching in horror as she yanked a first time Cocker puppy up off the table by a leash (off his feet!) and shook the crap out of him because he wouldn't be still and (her justification) she felt bad that day and didn't like the table she was working on and, oh, she didn't have time to coddle every dog and I'd feel differently about it when I'd been doing it as long as SHE has (or so she said... if I EVER find I have to abuse dogs to get them done, I think I'll take an early retirement)[/quote] HF, it is sad when a groomer gets to this point in their career. The groomer I work for has been grooming for over 20 years...she still has the patience of a saint...if a dog is behaving badly, she will put it away and give it a time out before putting it back on the table. There are quite a few "bad" groomers in our area as well...one groomer took a small Lhasa and submerged its head under water while she was bathing it....not only did she do this..but, she told the owner of the dog!!!! she explained the dog was unruly and needed to be calmed down...the dog now has mental problems including uncordinated movements, tongue lolling out the side of its mouth...very very fearful. This is one dog that the groomer I work for has the owner stay with it....If I were the owner I would have sued the groomer who did this to my dog!!!!! we have alot of nasty mean groomers in our area....but, they can sell themselves to the customers. My boss mentioned to me that groomers can get burnt out after a decade or two... [quote]my favorite part of the groom has to be drying[/quote] :lol: this is what I do...all day long... :wink: I enjoy it as well...I love getting those curly coats straight....and I even enjoy getting all of that dead undercoat out...I have walked out of the shop covered in hair...especially when drying a husky!!!! now, the Newfoundland dogs...they seem to take forever to dry...but, you can go over your grocery list, things you need to pick up... :wink: we do alot of Newfoundland dogs...we keep 3 kennels in show condition....you should see the day before a show!!!! :roll: one day we had 9 Newfoundland dogs to groom!!! we bathed all of them first then put a few under a big dryer which only blows room temp. air, and then we each (3 of us) had a Newf on the table drying them. One thing about the Newf's...you never had to worry about them in the shop...we only put them in the kennels when they were drying...other than that they all were loose in the shop...they are great dogs...actually we specialize in Newfoundland dogs...and many large breeds... what breed do you specialize in HF???

I agree with you...I see alot of over weight dogs at the vet clinic I work at...and at the grooming/boarding shop. It seems to be the norm for our society...and when people see a dog which is the correct weight they usually think its starving to death!!! :lol: One thing to keep in mind...for alot of breeds there are certain weight standards...this is by no means written in stone. You can certainly have over sized Rotties and Shepherds which weigh alot but are still perfectly porportioned. To tell if your dog is the coorect weight; there should be a layer of subcutaneous fat over the ribs, thick enough to provide some padding and insulation, but not too thick. You should be able to feel the ribs as individual structures. Over weight dogs are subject to alot of diseases including hypothyroidism, diabetes, and the extra weight is very hard on the joints. I find that about 75% of the dogs we have come in for grooming are much too over weight...I think you would need a detective to find ribs in the dog...some of them remind me of little round balls :lol: It's called..."killing them with kindness"

It's really hard to keep a "purebred" with the same physical conformation and colors...odd colors will pop up...when you think about it...our purebreds are the result of crossbreeding in the first place...if any breed or race or dog used to make the current breed had different colors...then it can pop out later. I have seen all kinds of odd colored purebreds...its really difficult to keep our crossbred purebreds in the same physical conformation and try to keep the same colors for along time...when man was orginally creating a breed..he choose colors which best suited the breed at that time...any other colored dogs where killed...breeders up until about 15 years ago used to destroy odd colored dogs..."reputable" breeders can be very anal at times...I have heard of breeders killing cream or brown or grey Newfoundland dogs, killing blue merle Great Danes, patchy dalmations, all white boxers (of course they do come with alot of health issues) ... Recently the AKC has started to allow these different colors for the Newf's in the show ring...they still are not recognised colors in Canada and you cannot show them...so, if Newf's come in gray...why not Lab's.... I agree with RottnPit...although to a certain extent most of our purebred dogs do have alot of inbreeding in them...when you start out with a small gene pool theres really no other way to go but to inbreed...then when you have breeders all wanting to breed to the champion dogs inbreeding takes place that much faster. I would guess that if the silver Lab's keep appearing they will become a recognised color. I don't think its right to label them as being "rare" and charge a big price for them...now, that is silly.

HF, the groomer I work for also attends seminars...and years ago she used to compete. She also strives to create a nice relaxed atmosphere for the dogs coming in for grooming...and we are able to achieve this...most of our regular dogs are very happy and excited when they come in to our shop...barging through the doors as if they own the shop :lol: and the groomer I work for is a stylist...not just a shave down groomer :lol: the other groomers in our area will shave down any thing that comes in their door...we would be alot busier, but, my boss is turning down some new clients...she is getting picky. :lol: she will not take any new Yorkies, or toy poodles...she chooses not to do any American Eskimo dogs either. The groomer I work for also teaches obedience classes, has taken alot of behaviour courses, animal care tech course etc. and is a certified National Master Groomer. All the other groomers in our area either took correspondence courses :o or attended a local grooming school which still has prehistoric grooming techniques, and the students are not taught to use the high velocity dryers, they are taught to put the dog under a stand dryer...now, try getting a standard poodle straight this way! :o HF, do you have a bather/blow dryer...or are you alone...? Regarding biters; for any one who thinks this is a part of a groomers job...it isn't...and being an obedience traininer for your dog is not one of our jobs either..and there is a big difference to a dog which is a little snappy out of fear, and a biter who will nail you when you do some thing it doesnt like...and as for the dogs which are matted solid...how uncomfortable for that poor dog...and here is one last thing we hate to hear...we can't groom him at home...he won 't let us touch him...we then know we have a spoiled rotten dog which has never had to do any thing and rules the roost at home and will try to do the same at the shop. As for bitersl..one local groomer had her finger bitten off by a minature poodle...this women had worked with dogs for over 30 years and had never been bitten...let your gaurd down for one minute and this can happen. The most scary ones are the breeds like alaskan malamutes, chow chow's etc. they can cause a groomer alot of harm if they are biters....we had an alaskan malamute in a couple of months ago which tore the whole rail inside the tub off (we have a noose in the tub to keep dogs from climbing over the side) the dog went balistic as soon as the water was turned on and he scratched the groomer and the other girl up pretty bad as once her tore the railing off in the bathtub he tried to climb on top of the girls..they could not groom this dog and called the owner of the dog...this dog wrecked the shop and it cost the groomer money to restore the ruined items....the owner of the dog was mad that his dog did not get done! he still has not been able to get any one to go near this dog. One last thing...people do not appreciate how much time we spend on their dogs...we have one standard poodle which comes in every 3 months for a groom....the owner ALWAYS dickered about the price saying the price was outlandish etc. the owner of the poodle ended up bed bound at home and could not bring the dog in...so he asked my boss if she could do the groom from his home...she did and charged extra for gas....when she got there the owner stayed with my boss from start to finish...at the end of the groom he gave my boss an extra $20.00...he stated that he did not realize how much work was put into the upkeep of his dog....he has never aurgued over grooming cost again. :wink:

Oh, HF...if only we could charge the extra amount for clean up...that would be wonderful. These dogs are not suffering any stress...they have been coming to us for years and years...most since they were pups...when a dog is stressed or its the dogs first time we take that into consideration and would not be upset at the owner with such a mistake...but, most of these little dogs are just thrown in the car first thing in the morning and brought directly to us...and it is only our first appointment dogs which do this...so we can conclude that it is in fact the dogs are not exercised...we can book the same dogs for a later appointment in the day and there are no problems at all. :wink: We would love to be able to take all of these dogs out for a walk before the groom...but, we really expect the owner should do this....and it doesnt happen to us all the time either...but, when it does....boy, its maddening...and when the weather is bad...such as it was today...it's very cold...the owners don't want to walk their little angels before coming in...it makes it uncomfortable for us...if we had to walk each of our morning dogs when it comes in..and we are wet from bathing another dog...I would first have to change back into my regular clothes...cause even the best smocks don't have enough protection from a Newfoundland dog shaking all over you...I get wet from head to toe...then to have to get changed and still have wet hair and walk out side freezing to death just doesnt sound like a good idea. If the dog has been there for a little while then...yes, we will take the poor little thing out to go to the bathroom...it's just when you are working on appointments...and then if you had to walk each dog before putting it in the tub...and you have 10 -15 dogs booked...that takes about an hour out of your day. We do not have people drop off their dogs first thing in the morning and pick them up after work...each dog has their own appointment...for example today we had a Newfoundland booked for 7:00 am (we like to get them started early as they can take up to 4 hours to finish) then we had 2 small dogs come in at 8am..then at 9am we had a Golden..then at 10am we had 2 small dogs, at 11 we had an Irish setter....the owners are called as soon as their dogs are done and they pick them up...we usually have about 10 -15 dogs to groom a day and we do not have the space to keep them at the shop all day... This is mainly a winter problem...its rare we have dogs pooping during a groom in milder weather. [quote]It's amazing the things some people expect you to put up with as "part of the job," aye (biting, chronic poopers, picking off ticks, playing vet and diagnosing conditions... NONE of these are part of my job!)? Come to think of it, that may be why my clients are so diligent about making sure Fluffy took her morning constitution before coming in. [/quote] [b]Quote by HF[/b] I just love the part of diagnosing different conditions on a dog...isnt that wild...we have actually had people stop in with their dog to have my boss take a look at some thing before making an expensive trip to the vet...just to make sure its worth spending the money... :roll: and the ticks...in the summer we have had some dogs polluted with ticks...and picking poop off dogs bottoms...this is some thing that makes me wonder :o I find this is mainly with the Shelties and Pom's...big globs of poop hanging from their bottoms...and most of these dogs sleep in bed with the owner...yuk! :o Oh, and the one thing we hate the most....is when an owner comes to pick up their dog (new cleint) and they laugh and say..."oh, I see you still have all your limbs still attached...?) WTF... :-? Any way...thanks for being a sounding board....I do enjoy working with the dogs...and I wouldn't trade my jobs for the world...and at the shop we are always very considerate of our dogs which come in for grooming...its just we get mad at the owners every once in awhile :wink:

Why can't people exercise their dogs before bringing them in to be groomed???? so far today I had 2 dogs poop in the bath tub and 2 poop on the table...the dogs which pooped on the table just happened to step back into it before I got a chance to grab a cloth to clean it...this resulted in the dog having to go back in the tub to have it's feet rinsed off... I mean really...its not the groomer or the other employee's responsibility to get the dogs out for their pee & poop in the morning before being groomed...it's a completely different story if the dog were there for over 3 hours...then we will take the dogs out for a quick pee/poop...but, when they only have a 2 1/2 hour appointment?? and they poop as soon as you put them in the tub...that is a dog that hadn't been taken out before coming in... it would be very nice if the owner just took their little darling for a little stroll before coming in... Sorry to rant...just had to get this off my chest...we would never say this to a customer... :wink: to the customer we just tell them what an angel their little dog is... :angel: It's funny, but, it seems to be only the small dogs which do this...we have alot of Golden's, Newf's, husky's, malamutes and pyr's coming in...we never have the big dogs having accidents as the owners are probably more consious of taking them for a little walk before coming in. Just had to rant a little.... :lol:

SexxieRacerChik, I really understand what you are going through...I have been working in the dog related feild for about 20 years...I have seen alot worse than the situation your Aunt is in...there are alot of people also who have very old very sick dogs who "love" their dogs too much but are too selfess to put the dogs down...I swear at times they leave them at the boarding facility I also work at hoping they will die there so they won't have to deal with it...I have had 3 dogs die...not at the boarding facility but either on the way to the vets or when they have gotten to the vets. I have also helped out at the vet clinic I work at and have helped put a few dogs down...not that I am a tech...I am just the receptionist there...but, as I mentioned earlier some of those dogs stank, some of them had a horrible rotting smell...and yes, I couldn't imagine bringing them in in any thing but an open backed pick up truck. I don't think think your Aunt is a bad person....perhaps just trying to ignore the truth or the horrible situation the dog is in...she is not the only person who has done this. Is there any way you can get a hold of a crate...line the bottom with garbage bags and old blankets...put the dog inside the crate and cover the entire crate with a blanket...this may keep some of the odors down...and I would rent the car... :wink: before you return the car clean it with a good enzyme cleaner which will obsorb the odors.

This is not really some thing I would ordinarily suggest to any one...but, it sounds like your in a real big bind...I can also emphasize with you...when an animal is in that much agony...death would be a welcome relief. Now in the old days what they used to do...and this is only if you can borrow a car for a few awhile...put the dog in a garbage bag and let the car engine run...put the opening of the garbage bag on the tail pipe of the car and seal it some how so the air cannot escape...this is just like euthanizing and animal and is a painless easy way to go. This is the way alot of people back in the day before vets used to handle euthanizing their pets...at least the owners who cared enough and didn't want the dog to suffer. Others just put the animals in a bag and threw them into a lake weighted down with rocks...now that is cruel. I know I will get flamed for what I just suggested...but, the pain of suffering as that poor dog is suffering...it's just isnt worth letting the dog go through any more agony...if its that stinky and dirty and has been out side for a few years now...the poor dog is probably infested with maggots...this is some thing I really hate seeing...at the vet clinic we put down quite a few out door dogs which had not been groomed in years....after they were euthanized the maggots started falling out of their butts...very very sad...can you imagine the pain the poor dog was going through being eaten alive by maggots. :cry: well, SexxieRacerChik...I wish you the best and I hope you make the right decision for this poor dog..its a hard difficult thing to go through with...even if it isnt your own dog.

Thats a good idea to get the blood tests done...some times hot spots are caused by some thing other than diet alone...its a good idea to find out the under lying reason for this skin problem. With my Newfoundland dog I had to use the Vet's brand of hypo allerginic dog food...I have all of my other dogs on the wellness and solid gold and give it to her on occasion...but, I am sticking with the hypo allerginic food as it seems to be the only food item which keeps her hot spot free. I would perhaps check out the available hypo allerginic foods your vet sells and perhaps start with that...feed that to Bentley for a month or so to see if that helps...it does not work over night...keep treating the hot spots them selves as well. I don't like the way alot of vets treat the symptoms with out finding out the cause...at the clinic I work at the vets will some times advise the owner to feed a home made diet and give recipes for the owner to prepare at home. Hot spots seem to a big problem with alot of dogs right now...perhaps iour dogs are dealing with too many toxins in their environment as well as their foods and their systems just get over loaded... As for the food you are feeding Nutro Lamb & Rice...I am not familiar with this food...but, I have heard of other people using it with great success. Maybe you could try a food with a different source of protien...the hypo allerginic food I am currently feeding has duck as its main protein.

Fist thing I would suggest is to have a CBC blood test done and a full Thyroid panel...some times hot spots are a sign of a thyroid problem or other auto-immune problems. Hot spots are caused by so many different things including allergies, flea bites, mange, anal gland disease, poor grooming, ear infections, plant awns or burrs and arthritis. I experienced this problem with one of my Newfoundland dogs...but, instead of going the normal route of antibiotics and steriods I choose to change her diet...this worked for her. I put her on a hypo allerginic food which cleared her skin problem up. You can try switching to a good quality holistic food if you are not currently feeding one already. Brands to consider to start with are Wellness and Solid Gold. There are other brands that have even more bioavailable protein but that might be an overload for your dog to start with and you'd see some serious detox (better to take it slow). Some other reasons for a dog to start having hot spots is dogs which have a double coat getting wet and not drying properly ecpecially if they have alot of dead under coat...the dead coat underneath can cause hot spots as it gets trapped next to the skin...I make sure my Newf's are brushed out daily to remove dead coat and after bathing they are dried 100% and by using a high velocity dryer specially made for dogs I am able to get more of the dead undercoat out. Bathing too much especially in the winter when the air is dry can cause skin problems as well...and I have found that using a shampoo with a built in conditioner on a double coated breed can cause problems...the residue from the conditioner can stay in the coat and cause skin problems. Brushing a double coated breed is a requirement. I have used medicated gold bond on hot spots with alot of success...this powder helps dry up the area....some people have used tea tree oil on the hot spots after cleaning them with Nolvasan with success as well. I would also put Bentley on a good quality supplement (Missing Link would be the one to use in this situation) to help out. I would also add a good quality fish oil supplement or as I have done...I added canned sardines and wild canned salmon to my dogs food, I also add organic flax seeds to my dogs food ( I buy the whole seeds and grind them in my coffee grinder and then sprinkle on the dogs food) or you can buy organic flax seed oil at a holistic food store, I would also add vit. C. You can also start throwing in an egg or tablespoon of plain yogurt or cottage cheese. These steps will do so much to help the condition of your doggies skin and also overall health...I would definatley add natural organic bio-yogurt to your dogs diet as after antibiotics your dog needs to have the friendly bacteria replenished in his gut...or you can buy probiotics at a health food store. Another thing which can cause hot spots is under lying stress...if there are any stressful situations in your dogs life I would try to eliminate them. So first, get a CBC done (full blood panel), have the thyroid checked...then once this is clear then start making some changes to your dogs diet....of course I don't know what Bentley is eating... :lol: so the food may be fine....add natural foods to your dogs diet as well. Treat this as if it may be allergies and start taking some foods out of the diet and adding new ones to see if this may clear it up...my Newf's problem was Beef. Good luck:wink: OK, I'm going to stop now... :lol:

There are alot of Rottweiler's which are dog aggressive...and there are alot of Rotties which would easily mistake a small fast moving dog as prey. My Rottweiler would, and a few of my friends who own Rottweilers have actually had the same problem. One friend has all of her obedience titles on her Rottie's, participates in agility and has a Canine good citizen on each of her Rotties..she still has to be very careful around quick moving small dogs...if they are slow moving etc. the dogs are fine...but, let that little dog dart past and the Rottie goes into stalk mode...it's a whole different ball game. My Rottie does the same thing...when I have to walk past a small yipping dog she does not act the same with them as with a larger dog...she actually starts salivating and her head goes slightly down...she is going into stalk mode...this is a behaviour I am very familiar with when it comes to my Rottie...unfortunately. Even with my other dogs in my house hold...when I take my dogs for hikes (we go to remote areas) I am able to let my dogs run off lead. My dogs all play well together...until one of the dogs gets too far away and has to gallop back to me...my Rottie will stand there, put her head down slightly and then go into attack mode while the other dog is running...it really freaks my other dogs out and they usually come to a dead stop and freeze when they see her go into eye stalk mode. She has never seriously hurt the other dog...but, she will jump them and grab them by the legs or neck and put them to the ground...my older Newf's really didn't know how to handle this behaviour and it still makes them uneasy at times...now, with my youngest female Newf which I took in at only 8 months old (youngest dog I've had for awhile! :lol: ) she learned this awful behaviour from my Rottie and she will eye stalk and chase the other dogs and even the Rottie when they are running around...when she does it to my Rottie it's quite funny as they both start eye stalking each other across the beach...then run towards each other and attack...I'm not worried about them and after these displays (they are mainly done in fun) they play well with each other...but, if this was a strange dog that my Rottie happened to stalk and attack...then it would be a whole different story...if the dog tried to run away from her...I believe some serious harm would come to that other dog.....it's not a bad behaviour...it is a behaviour which would have served the Rottweiler very well when it was orginally bred to drove cattle....they had to be much more aggressive than a border collie or other herding dogs to keep the cattle going....they were also bred to bite at the hocks of the cattle....this drive is poorly misunderstood by many pet owners....and it is a drive which can be slight in some Rotties and very deeply ingrained in others.

[b]Quote by Black GSD[/b] [quote]I personally don't like this approach. Reason being that you are REWARDING the dog for having something he shouldn't. And if he is very smart, (which I'm SURE he is.) Chances are that he will LEARN that he gets a treat for having something he shouldn't. So when he want's a treat, he will just grab something he shouldn't have. (My mother has a Pom that does this EXACT thing. He will grab something he KNOWS he shouldn't, then look at her and wait for a treat.) [/quote] Now Black GSD perhaps you feel the advice I gave was completely wrong...but, if you read the orginal post by Taurus and Jada...which is... [quote]Taurus has always been very protective of his food/bones, but mostly with other dogs not usually with us. Lately though, he has been growling when we go near him when he