Gomez the Norfolk

Personally, i hate it. I then write a note for them asking not to write me anymore notes. I don't need a note to remind me to do his nails and to instruct me to leave him long coz it's winter now. I tell them if they want the haircut to meet specific requirements then go somewhere where they let you stay with the dog so they can oversee every snip. Sorry, i'm really touchy about this. I basically think it inferr i'm an idiot. The last groomer I took my dog to must totally hate me as I made sure he followed the instructions given to me adding ' Please I would like you to follow these instructions and for her to look like this'. I had photos to show him as well. Hi tosca, for me your case would be understandable. An afghan isn't something a lot of groomers would do everyday. I'm more referring to being presented with lists like "face rounded about 1cm shorter graduating to 2cm around the ears, nails done but not dewclaws, don't make him look like a poodle" , (well he's a bloody schnauzer for starters!) THAT sort of thing. Or they come with a picture of a show bichon and want their westie cross to look like it!! Yeah, that's it, that's what I meant - most people have neer even seen a Norfolk, let alone groomed one - that's the kind of list I meant, i.e. no clippping or cutting the coat, etc... When I do find a good groomer, and they don't know how to do one, would it be obnoxious to print out the grooming guidelines for Norfolks from the club website and take them in?

This is slighty off topic, and if you want, gashmir, I'll start another thread... Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? Is it obnoxious? Helpful?

Thanks Shmoo, you're busy enough! Plus, your back... I couldn't do it to you... But we could come out on a social visit one day

So... just how far up the Northern beaches are you?!?!?!

Snoopy, I use the mars coat king now, and tidying up with that he needs less stripping, so I can handle that bit, it's the anal sacs, the nail clipping (he has very long quicks and dark nails) and the ear plucking that I need real help with - I would never trust myself with his nails!

I agree. Also a lot of dogs put on an act for mum and dads benefit. They shake and tremble and as soon as the door shuts as mum leaves you can see them thinking "well that didn't work" and they trot off to their beds or run straight to me for pats. Its funny to watch ;) I would have thought that also, but the fact that several other people have said something about it, makes me wonder - also the fact that I never actually met the groomer, they are always unavailable and will not come down to meet any customers is a bit odd to me, no? I have been told more specifically what the groomer at this place does now, and I'm really not happy... When I used to drop him off at the breeder's (in the UK) he would fly out of the car and into her grooming shed and sit by the tables, and it was always a drag trying to get him to come home with us... Even in Melbourne when I used to take him to Whoopsys, he was always fine and happy to stay.

So here is the situation, I thought I had found a very good groomer in Sydney who also does hand stripping - last time I took Gomez to the place, he threw a little tizzy fit when they were taking him to the grooming area, something he has never done before. When I collected him, he couldn't get away fast enough, which is odd - some poeple here have met him and have tried walking away with him, and he is more than happy to go with people he likes!! After I collected him, I took him to the park nearby where I ran into some locals, and in conversation it came out where I had just taken him - the consensus was that the place is not a good one and most dogs hate it there, get very stressed and are not treated in the best manner, which sort of explains the tizzy fit, hey? So, I think I need to find a very good, very nice groomer who will get him over his grooming trauma, until now, he would run into the groomers happily - if they do hand stripping, that would b a plus, but if not, just grooming, i.e. tidying up, nail clipping, etc... would be great - Any ideas, please? I don't mind if I have to travel, this one was not exactly local anyway...

Some dogs, like Gomez, don't tolerate the lactose in yogurt at all, so introduce that carefully...

Bella, Justin, Lilly and Kayla - our deepest condolences

Noodlenut, keep in mind that there is also dehydrated onion in stock cubes, so if you're using stock, use homem made without onion in order to completely avoid the stuff... I avoid it too, by the way, just in case. There is so much other crap everywhere else that he could inadvertently pick up, that I would rather control as much as I can!

The Queen Helene one is on this page: http://www.groomersproducts.com.au/framegroomingaids.htm Is this the one you're looking for? In Latin America women use it on their hair!

OK, that website basically analyses the ingredients that go into various foods, their amounts in each food and the quality of them- in a nutshell: The chaper brands have a lot of fillers and grains which may not be good for your dogs, the Hills, Eukanubas and Iams also have a lot of fillers and not always the best quality ingredients. When you buy the more premium brands, they cost a bit more, but you do feed less, as the nutrients are more densely packed, also you get less poo... Do you know what is available in the stores around you? Maybe we can help that way - are you near a Petstock, for example?

Have you looked at the website I posted above and compared the labels of Eukanuba and other brands using the information provided?

Actually, the Hills Science Diet is not great either... Maybe it's time do to some research on the food you want to feed your dogs? Thereis a lot of information in these forums, and a good starting place is www.dogfoodproject.com - it guides you through the best way to chose a food, read through the labels carefully and thoroughly and choose those foods that have ingredients you are happy feeding your dogs. It will also explain why grains and low quality ingredeints in food could harm your dog. When you feed the higher quality foods, such as Eagle Pack or Nutro, etc, they are more densely packed with nutrients, so you end up feeding less in the end...

Urine Off here also - great stuff

Gomez gets the same amount, twice a day - kibble and cooked mince or sardines, or chopped egg, etc...

I voted both the same in the sense that neither is very good - they are both full of fillers and grains which are not generally well digested by dogs

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/ This site won't tell you what food to buy, but it will tell you how to read the labels so you can make an informed decision for yourself - Have fun reading!

Sheridan, Gomez eats the Eagle Pack Holistic Anchovy, it's all fish and no chicken at all - great stuff

Yeah, Gomez still gets them at 3 years old, every once in a while, in his sleep...

Hi Moggy, Gomez had this problem a while ago, we think it turned out to be a wood chip he had eaten and it sat in his belly for a while, here is the original thread, it has some other info as well: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...0&hl=frothy

What about feedng BARF patties, then you don't have to "see" what is in them, you can get the frozen and you wouldn't even have to touch raw meat...

The sausage type roll is full of fillers and fat and water, even if you just fed her dry twice a day, that would be better - Have a look at the raw, if you don't want to do that, try and get the best dry food you can afford, the one with the least fillers and most natural ingredients, and then feed less than what the bag says - if you want to add some other food you can always cook up some minced turkey and add that to the dry food (I just bought 1kg for $5, so not too expensive) The good thing about feeding a higher quality dry food (i.e. not a supermarket brand) is that they are more densely packed with nutrients and less fillers, so you end up feeding less anyway, so the higher cost is off-set You can mix in some cooked pumpkin so that she fills up but not with many calories, and excercise as much as possible Portion control is going to be the key here - explain to your mum that she coulb be putting your dog's life at risk by overfeeding For an idea of what really good dry foods are, have a look through these forums, there is a lot of good information, also have a look here: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Absolutely right! The super-premium foods, such as EPH are very densely packed with nutrients, and have a lot less unnecessary fillers, so you will feed less and see much better results. Switch over gradually, over 2-3 weeks, slowly diminishing the amount of Advance and increasing the EPH and the switch over will be smooth.

I use a retractable lead with Gomez, it has worked very well for us, and it usually clipped into a locked position, I hate carrying excess lead in a nother hand, this makes it very easy and convenient. He is alos 8kgs and pulling is not much of an issue - also, it's not much of an effort for him to pull on the lead to extend it, it's very light. We live in the city and there are no paddocks available to run off leash, I wish! As for the bomb proof recall, well, Gomez is a terrier... When I do use a regular lead is of we're going to be at a cafe or somewhere where we need to tie up the leash, then the flexi is useless with the big plastic handle - but for walking, I'll take it anyday!