FGM

I am only starting in the grooming business and have seen some shocking things.Not as bad as what other people on here have seen but I'm sure there will be a time that I will.It is frustrating when clients blame you for things they should be doing. i hate it when the dogs come in with fleas then as your washing them they start jumping onto you(the fleas).Totally matted dogs and the owner says"I don't want to go to short". "I want the schnauzer cut so don't touch the feathers and moustache"(which is totally matted). I guess you just have to keep trying to inform people about what they are suppose to be doing and encourage them to come back more often.I can totally see how frustrating it can be though.At least you can come on here and vent.

I would be very angry at the kennel for not grooming my dog.How sad and unprofessional,isn't that what you paid them to do.I use pantene leave in conditioner for my dogs coat when I don't have any doggy stuff.She gets knots under her armpits.Good luck with the dematting.

Thank you so much for your replies.I will check out both links and go from there.I just love spending time with her and training.All my friends dogs get a work out when they come over,I can't help myself.lol

I was wanting some input about obedience,I live on the border of brisbane/Ipswich area and thinking about doing obedience with my dog.We are already doing agility and she is loving it.In the past I have had bad experiences with obedience with my last dog,I would come home crying as I felt I had to be cruel to my dog to get it to do what they wanted.eg,checking with the choker chain(hard) which my dog did not respond to. I gave up and then RIP my last dog passed away.Now I would love to do obedience but not sure where to go for training and wondering if things have changed at all with how they train for obedience? Would it confuse my dog as she is use to training via clicker/reward? Thanks for your input in advance

wow I love these videos.Koas is a cutie! Ness is so smart and a beautiful border collie. would love to do this with my Josie,must put it on the to do list.

My Josie had and still does have a foot fetish like Barkly.I tried everything but the suggestions made are fine.I found I had to walk around with long pants and shoes on for a week and totally ignore the biting etc that she did.Josie now doesn't do it to me but loves doing it to my husband and daughter because she gets a reaction out of them.Like them screaming or "JOOOOOSSSIEEEE".I found ignoring it seemed to work the best.Good luck but I'm in agreement I wouldn't be able to tell that face off at all,great photo!

Thanks guys for all the advice and suggestions.I got my boss to have a lok at her foot for me while I held her under some lighting and we found that she has a small flaky section between her toes.Have got some cram to put on it but I am going to wait until tonight when I give her something to chew to keep her mind off it.I could only see the skin problem when it was dry though so I'm glad I looked again. I also use distractions but hoping that it will clear up quickly.Josie recently had some tummy problems so maybe it has to do with that as that was a sort of allergy reaction.Thanks again everyone!!

My dog Josie has just started licking her left front paw.I can't see anything wrong there but don't want her to turn into one of these dogs that constantly licks their paws.Is there anything I can put on it to stop her and break the habit before it turns into one?Any suggestions?

My Josie also does an autopilot thing with all her tricks she does.I think you are doing the right thing by ignoring the autopilot and rewarding what "you" want not what she is offering you.Its actually good that she is offering you behaviours,means she has the drive to please you!Also as above it does help you build up your rapport and relationship with your dog.

Thanks shell,I'm sure with time and love your dog will begin to trust again.Good on you for taking him/her on.

Hi Shell,I am training instore and my boss and I are looking at the best option other than this.I personally wouldn't do the cengage course as it isn't particularly about grooming.I think it is very close to the tafe course offered here in queensland that doesn't actually cover much on the practical grooming side.It would be a good start for someone though to get into the industry if there was no other option.There are grooming schools around but I don't know what your options would be in your region.Most grooming courses are very costly too.

Hi,I am currently training to be a groomer and need some practice with breed clips.We don't often get purebreeds in my work and my boss thought it would be good to do some non paying practice.A qualified groomer would be with me giving me step by step instructions for the clip and of course it would be free of charge.I would be doing this on my day off so time would not be a problem and no need to rush.I need to get some schnauzers,poodles,spaniels etc. If you live in the brisbane/ipswich area and are interested or would like some more info please contact me via pm or post here. I do live closer to ipswich area and my days that I would want to do the haircuts are monday,tuesday and wednesday.

I am going to try this with my little Josie next.I have a question though.Do you think that actually holding the dumbell in your hand at the start helps to teach them to put it in there at the end? Also if you try a retrieve and they don't bring it to your hand,can you reward for them picking it up or would you go back to holding the dumbell in your hand again?Thanks

Awww Benny is such a handsome boy! and this one where she put her hands right up.........

That is awesome,what a great act and you can realy see how the dog just adores her owner.