Difficult dogs and how to groom them

As a groomer you are always going to come across difficult dogs to groom, these dogs may not be groomed regularly enough so they get used to it, they may have had a bad experience at a groomers before, they may be in pain/ sick or quite simply they just don't like being groomed. 

These types of dogs require a lot of patience and time to groom them in the safest way possible both for the dog and the groomer. 

A dog that is difficult to groom requires a lot more visits to a groomer then a easy dog to groom. A majority of the time the difficult to groom dogs are the dogs that see a groomer 3-4 times a year and are always a matted mess. Removal of matts hurts, there is always a risk of the dog being accidentally cut as well. Of course your dog is not going to enjoy getting groomed if every time it has been to a groomer he has had to have half a years worth of matted fur removed from him. I try to take my time and be careful but when your trying to wrestle with a dog that just doesn't want to be groomed and your using sharp objects you would expect an accident to happen. I always request that these type of dogs come in as often as weekly or fortnightly for a bath and brush just to get them used to being groomed again, so they associate the grooming experience with pampering and care and not just pain! 

Some dogs may of had a bad experience at a groomer and certain breeds (like terriers!) never forget! It could be something as simple as cutting a nail too short and in turn, the dog will freak out at the sight of nail clippers! This takes a lot of time and practice to get that dog out of that mind frame and is usually a 2 person job. 

If the dog is not matted and its previously been a good dog to be groomed, your dog might just be having a bad day. No one wants to go out and do stuff when they are feeling sick or in pain and dogs are much the same. Always keep an eye on your dog on the days leading up to your grooming appointment. If your dog looks as though it's not feeling well or is in pain then best to reschedule for another day so you don't put your dog through the stress.

Finally; you do get dogs that no matter what you do they just hate being groomed. These dogs are the worst and in most cases they will need sedating. I always like to give the benefit of the doubt and prefer to try grooming un sedated and most of the time I have succeeded where other groomers have failed, but I will not put myself or the dog in harms way. A bite even from a little dog is enough to damage a nerve and tendon- if I can't use my hands, then I can't work. A $45 groom is not worth it! 

Thank fully since being in Gracemere a majority of the dogs have been very nice and in good condition. I do have a couple of temperamental dogs, but if I go slow I can usually work with them and get a nice groom done. 

Puppies first groom!

Here at The Pink Pooch I like to say I "specialize" in puppies first groom. 

It is important to start off your new puppy in the grooming procedures from as young as 3-4 months. This does not have to be a full groom, just a basic tidy up is all you need. It gives your puppy just a small experience of everything that is going to be done to them through out their life! A tidy basically involves a sanitary clip (between eyes, bum, privates/belly and paw pads) to get them used to the clippers, a brush and comb, a bath, a blow dry with the high velocity dryer (usually the scariest part of the groom) and a tidy up of the face (fringe, ears and beard) and tidy up of the feet and a nail clip. 

Puppies are hypochondriacs and it's important to know that I would never intentionally hurt your dog, they just carry on like they are being murdered because it is a new experience for them. You do have to be firm, being firm does not mean that I yell or hit your dog, it just means that any little scream or yelp your puppy makes I am not going to stop what I am doing and comfort the dog. This makes them learn that what ever they try will not get me to stop grooming them so they just learn to deal with it! 

Puppies should be groomed quite regularly for the first year, especially between 6-9 months when they start loosing the cute, fluffy puppy coat and develop their adult coat. This is when you will notice the hair will matt and it will suddenly appear like it's happened over night! I would like to see a puppy every two weeks at least for a bath and brush but that's not always going to happen, they should be coming to see a groomer at least every month even if it's just for a tidy. I reccomend a puppy get their first full groom at 6 months and the most common length I like to go is about half length or 16mm. It leaves them cute and fluffy, but still manageable for the owners.

Here are some photos of some cute puppy clips:

Tinka the Poodle puppy was 22 weeks when she had her first full groom.

I did the best I could with Bella but her mum had tried to have a go at home grooming!

Ruby had a true puppy style, obviously the groom is not going to be perfect because puppies like to wriggle but I was quite proud with how Ruby turned out.

These are some puppy tidies for the first timers:

Indie the Maltese

Enzo the Maltese

It's not just little dogs that need puppy grooming but big dogs do as well! It's important even to get your staffy or fox terrier used to being groomed as you will more then likely want them to be professionally bathed and blow dried at some stage in their life. 

I am currently grooming a puppy golden retriever and a puppy malamute. Both were bought to me at around the 12-14 week mark. Stella the golden retriever has a bath and tidy and she coped fairly well on her first visit except for the dryer. She eventually learnt that the dryer is not going to hurt her and that she receives lots of cuddles upon being dried! 

Mannie the Malamute however did not like his first groom, but I am very glad the owners bought him in early. He is going to be a very big dog and did not like the bath or dryer one bit. He was easy to control as a puppy but trying to wrestle with a fully grown 50kg malamute is not something I want to do anytime soon! I am hoping that every groom will become easier as he gets used to it and realise he is not getting hurt! 

Your puppies and dogs are always in good hands with me, I am well trained and will look after each dog as if they are my own. You will notice that your puppy may seem tired after their grooming experience and this is because it such a stimulating thing for them. 

Remember- the earlier you start getting your dog groomed the better they will be at getting groomed. They will eventually love getting groomed and pampered and it makes my job so much easier and the dog is happier as well. It is often the dogs who are groomed every 6 months that seem to think that going to a groomer is punishment and these are the dogs that bite, wriggle and squirm, because of this the owners don't want to traumatise the dog further and bring the dog less and less. If you have a difficult dog to groom, it needs to be brought in to me very regularly and I will try to set up a good schedule usually every 2-3 weeks just for something weather a bath or tidy or even just a brush or nail clip. I will cover more in depth with this topic at another time. 

The importance of winter grooming

ThisMost dog owners are under the impression that their dogs don't need grooming during the cooler months, I quite often hear excuses like "I don't want fluffy to get cold" etc. Winter time grooms are perhaps the most important grooms your dog will need. In reality, Queensland winter months are really not that cold and there are several options available to keep your dog warm like jumpers, heated pet beds or simply just keeping your dog inside. 

As a dog groomer, the winter months are so quiet for me and then as soon as it starts to warm up abit everyone brings in their dogs who are usually matted to the skin due to 4 months without even as much as a brush touching them. This is so easy to prevent and for that reason I will be starting to charge an extreme matting fee. 

Your dog does not have to be shaved in the winter! I offer a variety of different lengths providing your dog is in good condition and has no matting. Fortnightly (at the minimum) baths and brushes are $15 so if you don't have the time let me brush your dog. Winter tidies will be $35, this will include a bath, dry, brush, sanitary shave, ears, nails and a tidy of the face and feet. 

Always make sure that if your dog wears a jumper in the winter to take it off and brush the hair everyday or your dog will become matted in a matter of days. DO NOT bath a matted dog, it makes the matts worse. As soon as you start noticing some matts, bring your dog to see me and I will get them out before they get worse! 

Grooming is a year round necessity for dogs, matting is very painful and the removal of the matts is even worse (compare it to a full body wax) 

This is Charlie the Shih-tzu and he is a prime example of a winter hair cut. As long as your dog is in good condition I can leave as much length on the coat as you want. 

The Grooming Process

In this blog I will be describing the whole grooming process using model dog R.J (Rex JNR.)

Before Photo: RJ is a 8 weekly regular. His ears are matted so will need to be shaved off.

The first step is the preparation work. The nose, bum, privates and paw pads are shaved. The bulk of the coat is shaved off roughly so that I am not washing and drying un wanted fur. In RJ's case his ears needed to be shaved due to matting. Ears are cleaned and plucked and nails are clipped. The tail was fairly matted so I tried to dematt as much as I could. 

Next is the bath. RJ was bathed in everyday chocolate scented shampoo as he has no skin conditions. His tail was soaked in conditioner to help remove the remainder of the matts. All dogs receive a massage whilst the shampoo soaks in. Then rinse making sure all the shampoo is out.

Next is blow drying. RJ doesn't like the dryer around his face much. Different coats have a different style of drying. RJ is just having a basic summer short hair cut so nothing special is needed. I had to use a hand held hair dryer to dry the remainder of his head and face. The dog has to be 100% dry before I can use my clippers on it again or I risk electrocution. 

Next is the finishing clip. RJ has a #5 blade which is a nice practical length for summer without being shaved to the skin. 

Finally the scissor work. I started with his feet and legs. 

Finished up with his head and face. Making sure that his face is in proportion to his body. He had a short blade on his body so I used a #3 blade which is two lengths longer then what is on his body for the top of his head. I trimmed his face up nice and short and keep it rounded to maintain the "teddy bear" look. 

Next step is to brush the tail out. Because it was soaked in my special conditioner the matts were easy to remove. I then trim the ends.

The most important part of the groom- I put RJ on the ground for the all important shake to pull out any loose or messy ends. I trim up all the stray hairs, place a bow and spray with cologne. RJ is now finished and ready to be picked up! 

The Pink Pooch Dog a Grooming Resident Pets

There is nothing more I like talking about then my Pets! I decided to dedicate today's blog to all SEVEN of my pets and a special tribute to the ones who had recently passed to Rainbow Bridge.

First up is the oldest pack member Cooper.

Cooper is a Westhighland Terrier x Fox Terrier. He is 9 years old and I rescued him when he was 2 years old when I was volunteering at other RSPCA. I was looking for a companion for my Belgium Shepherd but was looking for another large dog. After trailing over 5 dogs I came across Cooper who was this shivering, scared, skinny little dog hiding at the back of his shelter. He looked at me with his big brown eyes and I was hooked. Cooper came from a horrible background, his elderly owner was an animal hoarder and had lost control of all the animals she had (apparently over 50 dogs and cats) Cooper had no socialization skills, he did not trust people and the vets and behaviourist at the RSPCA said that he should be humanely euthanized. He was also heart worm positive. I decided I would give him a go as we both instantly connected the first time we sore each other. He had to be muzzled the first few days. I introduced him to Jessie, my shepherd and they were a match made in heaven. Jessie taught him how to enjoy life, she taught him how to enjoy affection and to really be a dog again. Once I saw that he was making progress I paid for the treatment of his heart worm. Cooper still has his issues, but he has come a long way from the scared little dog that he was before. He is primarily my dog. He does occasionally have dominance issues with other male or bigger dogs so he is usually kept separate when grooming. He is starting to age a bit and has arthritis in his toes. 

The next dog is my gorgeous little princess and my pride and joy, Lulu.

Lulu is a toy "Cavoodle" (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x Poodle) she is not a rescue but simply came into my possession at 9 months old due to her owner not being able to take care of her anymore. She is now just short of 2 years old. Lulu was your usual naughty puppy, but as she has grown up she has become an amazing dog and salon mascot. Lulu is the friendliest dog you will ever meet and makes all visiting dogs feel very welcome! I hope to be able to enter her into a salon freestyle competition at GroomQuest in the near future. 

Lewis or Lewey is the newest member of my pack.

Lewis is a Cavoodle just like Lulu but is about twice her height. He is approximately 18 months old and got surrendered to me after his owner admitted that she could not care for him anymore due to her lack of understanding of the breed. Cavoodles are high energy dogs and require both mental and physical stimulation daily. Lewis was very matted so he does not have the prettiest hairstyle at the moment and he needs to gain a bit of weight. He has the similar personality of Lulu but has about 100x more energy then her. He still needs a lot of training so won't be allowed to join Cooper and Lulu in the salon until he learns his manners, oh and also gets neutered! 

You have probably seen two little kittens hanging around while your dropping off or picking up your dog/s.

The grey tabby kitten is called Penny and she is about 5 months old and the black and white kitten is called Mia and she is about 4 months old. Penny was given to me as a Christmas present. She was very shy at first and scared of the dogs and other cats but she soon warmed up to everyone. She is quite an observant little kitten and will sit on her pedestal in the salon and watch everything. I acquired Mia about 2 weeks before Penny and she was not very well looked after. She was about 4 weeks old and was not eating solids. The person I got her from said that she was a stray and was living in their shed with her brother and mum. She had already found a home for mum and brother but poor little Mia was left by herself. The original caregivers knew nothing about cats but had to get rid of them due to having dogs. Mia was infested with fleas, I had to bath her in the laundry sink to get rid of all the fleas, she must have enjoyed it because ever since she joins in on bath day every Friday with the dogs! Mia loves to think she is helping out with the grooming, and will often join the dogs on the table and comfort them. Please let me know if your dogs are not cat friendly!

My eldest cat, and my fluffy princess is Daisy. She is 6 years old and I hand raised her from 2 weeks old. 

Daisy has had no end of health problems in her short life and vets always told me not to expect her to live past 2 years old. She has FIV (feline Aids) that she got from her mother via her milk, she has also battled with feline leukemia which cost me near $2000 to get her into remission. She also has stress induced asthma and just recently she came in contact with a paralysis tick and nearly lost her life. I have put a lot of money into Daisy and I have a huge connection with her. I can't tell you why but I would trade anything in the world (except my kids of course) to protect her. Daisy is extremely well looked after, she eats a special food specially formulated for her, and she is not allowed to step foot outside (1 because she has FIV and if she gets in contact with a non vaccinated cat she can pass it on and 2 she is quite happy being inside) 

Kittie is a 5 year old Bengal x DSH. It is suspected that she received some brain trauma as a young kitten and now suffers from quite a lot of psychological problems. I bought Kittie for $500 from a breeder who said the mother cat who was the Bengal got outside and came back pregnant. I had always wanted a Bengal but they came with a huge price tag. Kittie was unusually small for a 10 week old kitten and the lady just handed her to me in a wire bird cage. I asked to see the mother cat and the other kittens as I originally wanted a boy and she became offensive and said all the other kittens had died and she couldn't find the mother cat. I was very suspicious, paid the lady the money and drove straight to the vet. The vet said that Kittie was fine, just a little on the small side and dehydrated. Kittie was never a kitten. It was so sad to see that she just didn't understand the concept of playing. She didn't really get along with my other cats Daisy and Poppy at the time either. It's been a hard journey with Kittie, she is a very anxious cat, she will pluck her fur out when she becomes stressed or if something changes in the house. She almost has split personalities, she will quite calmly walk past another cat and then 2 seconds later she will be chasing them down going for the kill. You cannot contain her, she is the only cat that I allow outside as Kittie is always happier when she is allowed to do what she wants. It is not my ideal situation, but it works. Occasionally she will come and sit on my lap for a cuddle, but most of the time she will just run away. I have since had a baby and that has really affected her to the point where she needs Valium to calm down. I have decided that it is best to find her a new home as I have another baby on the way. She would suit an elderly couple with no other cats who are able to cater for her special needs.

And last we have Puss (Puss in Boots) this is my husbands cat. He is the only male cat we have. He is a shy but sweet boy and mostly likes to cuddle up on the bed at night. He is a big boy, weighing in at a whopping 7kg but he is in no way overweight! Puss prefers to keep to himself and likes to hide out under the bed or in a cupboard during the day. I swear he doesn't like me as he always bites my toes at night time and then creeps around my husband acting all innocent. 

This is Jessie. She was a Belgium Shepherd x Kelpie. She lived a happy and healthy life until her sudden death at 13 years old towards the end of last year. Jessie had been battling with Kidney Failure for a long time and eventually lost her battle. RIP

Sophie was a Westhighland Terrier x Silky Terrier. She passed Feburay 2013 at 12 years old from a suspected heart attack. Poor old girl did not age gracefully and battled with extreme skin infections and mange all her life. She is a lot happier now with Jessie in Rainbow Bridge. RIP.

My grooming service and prices are non negotiable.

This is a topic that frustrates me quite a bit. If your easily offended or have ever tried to haggle down a professional service I reccomend you don't read any further.

I have been getting a lot of enquiries recently via Facebook, email, phone and text and although a lot of those people proceed to make a booking I still have those few people that whinge and try to haggle on the price. My prices are FIRM unless otherwise agreed upon. Small dog 10kg and under is $45, medium dog 10- 20kg is $55, large dog 20-35kg is $65 and extra large dog 35kg+ is $75. This price is for 'the Works' which includes a bath, blowdry, ear cleaning and plucking, nail clipping and the hair cut. 

I offer multiple dog discounts so save yourself $5 and bring along a friends dog and also a $5 discount for pensioners. I have just recently brought in some loyalty cards which have some amazing discounts on them including on your 5th visit you get a half price groom and 10th visit you get the groom for free! 

It really makes me quite upset when people try to haggle with me. I am very flexible and will try to work with you the best I can but I have to make a living myself! My shampoo, tools and utilities are not cheap, but I like to use the best so my customers are guaranteed a great quality groom and at an affordable price. I am a young, work from home mum and the dog grooming is my main income. I know that money is an issue for a lot of people, but to be brutally honest, if you can't scrape up the money every 2-3 months to get your dog groomed, then perhaps you need to reconsider your finances. I know stuff happens and quite often our four legged, furry friends are often the ones who get neglected but please just speak to me and we may be able to work something out- you may have something that I need, or even a nice, home cooked meal (I am a terrible cook!) 

Here is a list of stuff that I need and I am willing to swap grooming services for:

- Dog cages

- Dog leads 

- Baby girl nursery furniture

- Baby clothes for a boy size 1 and a newborn girl

- Hairdressing and beauty treatments for myself

- Household cleaning. 

My prices are some of the cheapest you will get around  and I am probably the best groomer around. I was charging $73 just for a small dog on the Gold Coast. People were willing to pay that price. I simply cannot charge that much here. I have all my qualifications which are compulsory if you own a dog grooming business (always ask your groomer what qualifications they have, and if they have none, walk away!) I have been trained by some of the best groomers in Queensland, and even though my grooms are still not 100% perfect, you are still getting an absolute bargain at $45 a dog! 

I am a professional service, just like your hairdresser, plumber, electrician etc. Do you try to haggle down their prices? No. Please don't treat me any differently. 

Thank you and I hope I have not upset anyone with this blog.