Dogsfevr

Pet Grooming Introduction 9 Week Course Commencing: 5th Feb or 29th April Tuesdays 6-9pm The course is designed to provide people wanting to work in the pet grooming industry with introductory skills and knowledge necessary to perform a variety of pet grooming and clipping activities. Course covers basic grooming techniques, equipment maintenance, common skin conditions, specific dog breed grooming and cat grooming. Students will need to purchase their own equipment. Equipment list supplied after enrolment. Equipment not required to be purchased until after the first class. As the course is largely practical, participants who fail to bring grooming equipment will not benefit fully from this course. Cost: $675.00 Plus equipment (minimum $400.00) 5 Day Course 21st – 25th April or 14th – 18th July or 29th Sept – 3rd Oct Monday – Friday 9am – 4pm The course is designed to provide people wanting to work in the pet grooming industry with introductory skills and knowledge necessary to perform a variety of pet grooming and clipping activities. Course covers basic grooming techniques, equipment maintenance, common skin conditions, specific dog breed grooming and cat grooming. Students will need to purchase their own equipment. Equipment list supplied after enrolment. Equipment will be required for the first class. As the course is largely practical, participants who fail to bring grooming equipment will not benefit fully from this course. Cost: $675.00 Plus equipment (minimum $400.00) One example(WA)

, don't wear any clothes when bathing LOL i just couldnt help myself funniest thing ive read all day

People attend university and study to become a teacher, Sorry not a good conparisn. They study fulltime for how many years?? They have a highly qualified/experienced person teaching them.They do exams,work experience etc etc. Tafe for grooming DOES NOT educate the novice for what the profession requires & many of us have seen the work of a tafe educated person.It wasnt there fault they just did what they where taught I am disappointed at the attitude towards TAFE courses by DOL members. Firstly there are a number of different types of courses available both short courses for the home groomer and more advanced for those wishing to start out in the industry Have you done either ?/Many on this list have after being advised what it would be like & where disappointed in the fact they wasted there money. We have a number of clients ( some new to showing peoplle) who have done the home course.You take your own dog & this person took her showdog & was told how to groom it(2 day course ).Thankgod she had the sense to walk out before the person ruined the dogs coat due having no clue themsleves.

The vet still didnt ask what you feed at present??? Even if you are taking it one step at a time there are some foods/treats that instantly ring alarm bells .

Harry is already seeing a Vet Specialist Dermatologist, he is taking Cephalexin 300mg as he has been compulsively licking his front feet. I had taken Harry to my normal Vet for over 18 months for treatment and he had given me the same low dose antibiotics and anti fungal tablet for 18 mths of time and it has got worse, so I asked for a referral. The specialist hasnt discussed diet issues regarding the dogs condition?? Foods to avoid etc etc. What has the specialist said causes the dogs issues that requires medications?? Dogs that lick there front feet can be due to anal glands being full & many seem to lick there feet as a self soothing thing.habit over many years.Contact with something on the ground(if feet only)& treats that arent for dogs that have food dyes etc overloading a sensitive system & creating discomfort for dogs. Is it thh front feet only & does the dog have bad ears(infections,yeasty etc etc)

My dogs are very very fussy eaters, always have been. There not fussy just have you well trained & you have pandered to what they decide not the other way around.

I am sure if some of you salon only groomers went mobile for a day you might actually enjoy it. No way . You couldnt pay me enough to give up the air con for me & the dogs comfort in summer.I like having the toilet close by,the shower close by(nothing like having a good shower after doing some gross dog),i like the fact i dont have to spend half my day driving & the other in a little space.. As for "Having" to bath the dogs in a hydrobath, well HELOO what else would you use ????????????????????????????????????? I am presuming not having the option to hydrobath or bath in a normal bath for which we use both depending on the dog . Our business number is our private number aswell & we get calls at all times but that simply comes down to the fact people dont take our industry serious & feel that we are so desperate for work we should be grateful for the calls whatever the time off day. Boxing day our phone rang hot too due to the 44 temp & the fact those overgrown fluffies all suddenly needed a groom now .

E-Z Groom whitening shampoo from Pets Network I have used this & found it great for major stains BUT after a longer use found it actually started to discolour the coat ,the OES people i now had the same problem.

. When we first took him home from my parents he was so much worse and used to stare at a wall in the daytime and bark as well as at night Where your parents night people?? There are meds the vet can give for senility,we have an old dog on them & it has helped her.Valium really isnt going to do much. What we find with our oldies is they sleep all day which is logical,although we work from home we are busy during business hrs & then at night its meal time & leisure time by which stage our oldies are coming to life. We go to bed & they dont get it so even look if you both work at activities to give her busy time.

With whites it is trial & error. Some coats just absorb the shampoo & sends them badly blue even if diluted correctly. The plush puppy on my boy i found to harsh,dried the coat out & was near impossible to get a make up that didnt turn him blue. For dirty feet/hocks i use animal house & for the body plum white but for a whippy i would try the simple sunlight soap . You can also mix Blue o or what ever its called now ,

Gives our dogs the runs & we never use it & advise our puppy owners to not feed it. I have many human friends who cannot eat pork either

Also make the most of the dog show folk.Yiu wil find many breeders out there more than happy to share grooming tips on there breed,we certainly are if it means the breed,s are done more correctly.(even if competitionto us )

I do now of a dobe breeder in WA who had a dog with Tetanus & after alot of ups n downs believe the dog is now doing very well .It really depends on the vet aswell.

The TAFESA course seems to have what I need to prepare myself in starting a business as a groomer Unfortunately they dont teach what is needed to be a successful groomer who gets repeat customers. You can not learn the skills in that set time plus understand breed trims. Do you have any experience in grooming/dog handling or a showdog background?? Going to dogshows gives a groomer a good eye for what the breeds should look like & then adapting a practicle pet trim comprimise.It isnt about clipping everything off ,it also understanding how to strips the coat out of clients that dont want top coats clipped but strip etc etc .These are things tafe dont teach ,they just seem to teach one trim fits all. The reality is it isnt cheap to set up if you dont have a good customer base. I too would never do mobile .couldnt stand it in hot weather plus the price of petrol & driving around not for me. We do run a full time grooming salon & thankfully are in a position to pick & choice clients plus we have a great referral base from the showdog world. What we tell any person planning to become a groomer is do a how much list. *advertising(business cards etc etc *insurance/public liability *hydrobath *hairdryers *clippers *blades/clip on blades *table *scissors *product range for bathing *trailer cost or salon/rent *what sort of client base for your area & who already has a good established set up(competition what do they offer,prices,services etc etc) *stripping knifes,stones *ear pluckers * disinfectant for blades etc etc. Some people havea good ideaof what these things will cost others are blown away with the expense of setting up. We are very lucky as all these thing we already need for the showdogs . For example our clippers are over $1000 & we have 2 of those plus smaller models.

Yep very normal & the hair is different in those areas & thats why even with GSD for example you see great big patches of dead hair there but not so much on the body

Schnauzers, cockers, setters, westies as you point out are hand stripped to differing degrees for the show ring are they not?? Im not talking about showdogs,im talking about these breeds as pet where the owners go to a groomer & expect the dog to be groomed So you would not clip a schnauzer till 12 months??(pets are clipped,westies are clipped)Cockers you handstrip but that depends on the groomer but again something that must ne started before 12 months. Im just curios if you got a schnauzers what sort of groom you would do prior to 12 months?? Working on my own and running a busy salon I dont have the luxury to muck around with alot of scissoring and long clips, so no I wont "clip" young ones!! It not about luxury but about grooming the way a breed needs to be . Although i have o say if there groomed regularly & they come back on a schedule then you can apply your time better,I cant understand why you would want to wait till there older & it be a more traumatic & longer job to groom. Lets face it who would want to clip off poodles at 12 months & even if grooming in between(face,feet & bum) if you didnt clip you would have to hand scissor the shape etc etc. Same as bichons,kerry blues,bedlingtons .Doesnt matter whether there showdogs they just need to be groomed before 12 months

Shih tzus are probaly the worst breed around for doing feet. Hav ethey been groomed before is this there first time?? To be honest getting them done professionally for there first few grooms makes a world of difference as the wrong handling can create so many more issues. What blades are you using?? How do you want the face to loo?/Do you want a bit off breed character or short??QWith the face i groom them to the amount of hair on the body & to what the owners want,I use a combo of scissoring.clipping & thinning scissors to get the final blended look. The feet you normally scissor .With the dog standing lift up each foot brush the hair down & scissor around the foot & inside the pad. The dogs that have a tainty usually arent always afriad of the clippers but object more to having to stand still & not do what they want & this is why its crucial for you to groom on a table & be confidient & in control ,The dogs must respect you & trust you & then grooming will be accepted.

I refuse to "clip" before 12 months of age, give or take because as I was always taught and others in the industry I have spoken to all agree if you cut puppy coat it can cause irreversable damage. I have had quite a few that others have done too early and their coats have turned to crap So you would never suggest to a schnauzer,poodle,cocker spaniel,american cocker spaniel.portuguese water dog or any of there other breeds that require grooming to be done before 12 months ?? All our pups leave at 8 weeks fully clipped so that there first groom is done by us & they have time to settle into there home before heading off to a groomer.the greater majority return to us but many dont. All the setters i have had as babies are clipped at 8 weeks on for the show ring. As far as poor coats I mean the texture. As in always staying like puppy coat and not changing into adult coat exactly right." Depends on the breed but if your grooming it correctly whether that be clipping,handstripping then all this is still done for a baby coat. In my breeds heavon forbid if you waited to 12 months to do something. Most cockers end up like hairy yacks because some groomers just do top n tail but never work on the top coat & then the coat gets more & more feral & it either becomes hardwork to strip out & both parties give up or groomers just clip it off. We luv having the owners come as pup because we can show them what to do & encourgae them to do the work that will get them result whenthe dog is 12 months & it is much easier to start young than do a whole lot latter . They should all be assesed on an individual basis. Exactly every dog that turns up is an individual with different needs,coats,quality etc etc & each one is done according to the owners needs & what the dog has to offer. Although i have to admit with being a groomer & seeing the works off other groomers my breed the schnauzer is being massacred by many Its more frustrating that many groomers wont be honest a say they cant clip that breed or dont even own a good grooming book to look up.The numbers of groomers that trim there beards off,chisel the hair under the eyes & above all groom them to look like scotties is just amazing

Boilded eggs area waste,you give them raw. and he really loves kangaroo meat, it comes preminced with lamb he gets this as a treat. Unfortunately this part of the diet shouldnt be a treat but a much needed part of healthy growing. Chicken necks & disease is all about hygiene & the same applies to your roo,mutton or beef. Many dogs can have a healthy looking coat on the worst diets but in your case the diet is more important for growing correctly.If the dog doesnt have the right diet it can affect its growth etc etc & then long term you increase the risk of vet bills etc etc. You dont have to spend a fortune but the current diet has no nutriental value at the most crucial stage of its life . Puppy milk is also a waste & what you spend on the puppy milk would be better spent on meats or a better quality dry. What you have to look at is with chciken necks you get natural calcium so you dont need to use supplements. If you add sardines tuna again there your fish supplement. Puppy milk gives you nothing but it costs around $5-6 .Thats a bag of necks that would last a awhile or frames chopped into halves to last awhile aswell. Thats the way you look at what you feed & what you spend

have a nearly 4 month old doberman pup. im feeding wheet bix with a mix of puppy milk and water for breakfast a bit of vegimite toast somedays for a treat a little bit of puppy can food with puppy supercoat for dinner and either puppy milk,water and brown rice for supper or a commercial puppy porrige Problem not one part of this diet is suitable for a large breed puppy nor any pup really & the diet plays the most important part for the first 12 months. What did the breeder suggest?? I too am not a fan of supercoat but you can most certainly add more meat to the diet,chicken necks,frames & flaps,natural yoghurt,tuna. Bonnie working dog puppy dry would be a better quality for the cheaper side & should set you back about $35 for 20kg,the bonnie working dog (adult) is also better than supercoat for $36 for 20 kg. We use this in the kennels as many dogs are not use to a premiun dry but we do have premiun here as my own dogs are feed it plus raw.

Fussy ones here dont get a banquet.They learn very quickly that i set there diet not them. They have you well trained.

Ingredients are an individual dog thing.Just because you think its better doesnt mean the dog will thrive on it ,it also doesnt mean its always successful for certain breeds

I suggest you have a good look in the backyard. I Washing powders,carpert powder & many of the things we apply can react to dogs. Personally owouldnt bath in baby shampoo as it isnt soothing. If you want to try something then look at selsum blue or heads n shoulders .There are many dogs ones about never have used them. Also consider if the diet is the exact same are you giving any treats(schmackos,pig ears etc etc) There are many natural creams you can use to soooth red/hot areas(baby creams/psoriias creams/exzcmea type creams) Have you applied any spot ons.Wear a flea collar?

I had a look at the wound earlier and they have only taken his testicles, his scrotum is still there - is this normal Some vets do it this way just keep a good eye down there that fluid doesnt build up. Personally we ask for the full job . Frends had there old boy done the same way as yours & it had no end of problems with fluid build up etc etc.

I will say all dogs are suspectable especially those not relaxed in there environment.Added stress & it doesnt take long for the heat or cold to become an issue