Lowchenlove

Too funny. Mind you I started to get worried when I heard my husband talking to our maltese and saying "who is my princess - yes - you are - you are a good looking woman" Tragedy is I agree.

Remember to check weird areas - a dog here recently died and the tick was inside its mouth. Also on top of eyelids - you think they would be easy to spot but have had a few dogs with ticks there and very hard to spot. Between toes and pads. Very bad paralysis season in Qld this year be very vigilant.

As above. Also look at puppies feet when standing on the ground if the nail is not touching the ground then you can leave it alone. Another handy tip is when looking at the underneath of the nail there is a circle in the middle, if it is white you can trim a little at a time as soon as the circle turns black stop because you are approaching the quick. With practice (I cut about 1000 nails a month ;) ) you get a feel for the shape and area to cut without even looking under. Black nails are the hardest. If the quick is very long - and one of my dogs has this then it is sometimes advisable to get the vet to cut if the dog is under for an op etc and the quick will shrink back - don`t do this yourself though. Also I use cat nail clippers - very small and versatile and I find them so much easier than guillotines. Cost about $5 from pet shops and are scissor shaped.

Thanks for posting Mita, I was only wondering last week when the k9 capers would be on. Probably go to the gap as it was quite nice there a couple of years back.

Thank you everybody for your kind words. They have really helped me come to terms with Billys death. The hardest thing for me to get my head around was that his deafness and blindness were completely preventable and caused by a lack of treatment for chronic long term infections. I despise people who can do this to animals. Far from being cranky he was the most placid boy who was just in so much constant pain. His teeth were hanging out from the roots and wrapped with fur he had desperately tried to remove. He truly was so very special. RuralPug I have pmed you.

I am a dog groomer and 15 months ago a little toy poodle was brought into the salon for a clip. I have honestly never seen a dog so neglected and poorly. This gorgeous little boy was covered in faeces and urine. His coat was so matted that the hair was ripped clean away from the skin in places. He had worms/maggots and fleas. It took 4 days to clean the gunk out of his ears and his eyes were coated in inch thick discharge. When you pulled his skin up it stayed inplace he was so dehydrated. The salon stank for days afterwards and it took 2 hours just to remove the matting. The owner had wanted to "put the cranky little shit down" and her friend brought him in hoping to clean him up and rehome him. They knew he was blind but were surprised when I told them he was deaf also. I immediately knew that I wasn`t going to allow this little boy to leave my side. I took him home with me that night. A trip to the vet and $1500 later and all of his teeth bar one were removed due to chronic decay. The vet told me he and the nurse took turns going outside for fresh air the smell was so bad. The specialist told me that his sight/hearing was irreversible. We guessed that he was at least 13 but really had no idea. So now Blind Billy was deaf/blind/toothless and bald with ears that stuck up from the side of his head due to thickened skin. I just wanted to give this old boy a fabulous last home filled with love and kindness. My other 4 dogs accepted him straight away and looked after him at the park- nudging him in the right direction if he strayed too far. He came to work with me every day and had his own little area in the salon and he very quickly learnt the layout of the house and his routines. I cried the first time he rolled over on his back for a tummy rub - how trusting in me he became. I fell in love with this little wonder and laughed when he frolicked in the grass and jumped up to play. He was with me for too short a time but I know I gave him 15 months of happiness and contentment and he was loved so much. My gorgeous boy passed away on Friday night completely unexpectedly. He died in his sleep after playing with me that evening. Some 6th sense made me put him next to me in bed that night although he normally slept in his bed on the floor. When I woke up he was gone. I am grief stricken and devastated and miss him so much because we were together basically 24/7 but I also feel so proud of him for his courage and loving nature after so much abuse and neglect in his life. Please spare a minute to think of my boy wherever he may be now and give your dogs an extra cuddle of appreciation tonight. Thank you for listening.

you know you are a crazy dog person when.... you prefer looking at leashes in pet stores to clothes for yourself you remember the dogs birthdays before your childrens you look at houses but reject or accept them based on the dogs needs ie Ted could never manage the stairs so that house is out. you find yourself saying `sit` when you get to the road and then remember the dogs aren`t actually with you. you buy expensive steak and find yourself saving a huge slab as a special treat for the dogs much to the disgust of the teenagers you don`t mind picking up poo, mopping up sick, cleaning gunk out of eyes or anything else yucky if it is for the dogs. you rip out thousands of dollars worth of plants from the garden that cause allergic reactions to your dogs skin your eyes glaze over when a friend talks about her newborn but come alive when she mentions her terrier you give up your professional career in order to work with dogs. and finally you know you are a crazy dog person......when people start to call you ....a crazy dog person

Hi there, I hate the guillotine nail clippers - perhaps being left handed doesn`t help. I use scissor nail clippers. My favourites for large dogs are I think made by wahl, they have a guiding arm to prevent you putting the clippers too far up the nail - although I don`t use it, but for small dogs ie maltese etc I actually use $5 cat nail clippers - mine have lasted for over 3 years and are really easy to use.

I saw the owner of the company being interviewed on t.v and thought I would try it. Not overly impressed - I didn`t like the smell of it and my dogs weren`t overly impressed either - and then read the ingredients and didn`t like how much was fillers. It was okay and would use it again in an emergency but have decided to stick with what has worked for me before.

Thanks - NSW here I come

I am contemplating a move to NSW at the end of next year but before selling up need to confirm what I believe the rules are for dog ownership beacause there is noooo way I am going to put my dogs in jeapordy. I am thinking of the Hunter Valley - around Newcastle/Maitland. From looking at the council websites it seems as if there is no limit to the number of dogs you can own - is that true? and also that each dog is registered once for its lifetime (unlike Brisbane which is every year). Any info from people familiar with these areas and the coucil regs would be very gratefully received. Thanks.

I recently rescued an old poodle who is completely blind and deaf and only has one tooth - he is thriving, I make sure he has a routine so he knows when bed time is etc. I spray essential oil on a few posts that he keeps forgetting about so he knows they are there and I soak his kibble so he can eat it but he is wonderful and manages incredibly well. He doesn`t have a lot of muscle tone - but that is more due to the conditions he was being kept in and I am working with a therapist to build his muscle stength up.

I love my jaguars - nice and small for feet (think they were $60 and are worth their weight in gold)- also love my Kenchis (although at $300 perhaps a bit too expensive to use on feet) For clipping out the fur between the pads I use a set of wahl palm clippers $20 - hope this helps.

I am a groomer and really think that you should probably find a different groomer. To suggest that a bath and blow dry will get rid of all of the dead/moulting coat is ridiculous. Also cutting off the whiskers is a bit of a no no to me. I think that a lot of groomers actually do not have great animal handling skills and a lot that I speak to are not very comfortable grooming large or powerful dogs. Of course the dog picks up on this and behaviour that is manageable becomes worse. At the salon I work at we would have invited you to stay with your dog for at least the first 15-20 minutes especially if it was his first time at the grooming salon. I agree that perhaps a mobile groomer would be a good idea but also remember to ask questions before booking ie, do you hand strip, use a coat king, how do you handle difficult dogs etc, etc. Don`t be disheartened as it can be very easy to turn around disruptive behaviour and I honestly think that in this particular case that the groomer was probably not as experienced as he/she should have been.

Always use with a #30 blade, they are specifically designed for this and other blades won`t allow the hair to be fed correctly. I mainly use clip on combs for dogs that need a longer finish than a #3 gives. You can get creative and adapt looks to suit the dog using this and clever shearing technique. Always make sure the coat is completely knot free before using clip ons.

I clip a few long haired chis. Personally I would prefer not to but the owners want it. An alternative is to get the groomer to use a coat king to lessen the bulk, get any minimal knotting removed and then trim up the hocks etc. You keep the wonderful long coat but basically neaten it. All the long haired chis I have clipped have grown back perfectly okay.

good on you for starting now so that by the time he gets to the groomers he will be used to it and not freak out. As the others say place the dog on a higher surface and always go to that place initially. This allows the dog to know that this is not play time and grooming will happen. Stay calm yourself. Don`t rush things and never ever get cross. Perhaps try a softer brush on his hind legs. Were there matts there. Could it have been possible that his skin was being pulled? If so look at breaking down the matting before brushing. Be patiennt and you will end up with a dog that loves being groomed.

never ever use a cotton bud. Only clean what you can see of the ear. Use cotton wool with a very mild detergent to clean area you can see - always ensure ear is dried afterwards and detergent removed. Barring any ear infections - which need a vet to diagnose - simply use a ear cleaning solution in the canal - 1-2 drops. . Yes, this breed does require ear plucking. You can use haemostats or simply use your fingers. When the dog is nice and relaxed - say on your lap in the evening look into the ear. Gently remove a few hairs at a time working from the outer edges towards the centre. Only pluck hair actually on the inside of the ear - the hair on the outside part is very very sensitive to plucking. Some groomers use a powder to get a better grip. Personally I don`t feel the need. Some dogs love having this done and others create merry hell. If your dog hates it be persistant but patient - only do a small amount each evening so as to avoid stressing the dog out - eventually it will get used to it. It always reminds me of plucking your eyebrows for the first time. It does get easier and easier. Good luck. If all else fails just take him to a groomer for a ear pluck - they do it every single day.

I use the vip rolls. With 4 dogs and 5 kids the shopping bill just gets ridiculous. I probably give them it 2-3 times per week. A small slice with their kibble. On other days they get chicken neck, fresh meat and veggies. No problems with it but wouldn`t want to give it every single day.

Chloe is allergic but it tends to be the grass seed rather than the grass itself, I keep the lawn mowed - sometimes do it 3 times per week in the Summer - god I must love my dogs.

I buy them very occasionally as a treat. They are not dangerous at all, very flaky and soft. My dogs love them. Never had a problem with them going off - but do tend to remove from packaging once opened and store in a sealed plastic box.

My youngest dog Tyke is this cross breed and he was almost a year old before I clipped him short. Saying that I did brush him every second day so he was completely knot free and even now I prefer him long haired. He doesn`t seem to suffer in the heat from his fur - although now even when long I still do a hygiene clip around his groin and lower tummy. As long as he is well looked after and has shade and water during the day he should be fine.

The salon I work at is Northside Brisbane and we have a great reputation with Westies -we get a lot of referrals from a West Highland dogs club. pm me if you want contact details.

Lilli beat me to it. When Tyke was a pup and started trying this behaviour on I would walk away from him or just completely ignore him by turning away. By dragging him to a different room etc etc he is getting attention albeit negative. Tyke very quickly learnt that mouthing = lack of attention and he soon settled down. I am not a trainer so there may be a better way but this method works for me. Keep your "aura" very calm and controlled, you are the alpha after all. Good luck

We clip Bcs - usually on a #5 or #7 depending on the dogs coat but we also do a "speedy shed" which is a complete misnomer as it can take forever. We blow out the coat using a pressure dryer and then bath and blow dry. We then brush/dematt. Next we use varying size mars coat kings to remove old shedding coat and thin out the undercoat. The difference is amazing. You get to keep the lovely coat but remove loads of hair and the dog looks better. We usually #10 the tummy and then neaten up the hocks etc with scissors. I reckon it is a great option if you don`t want to remove the coat.