luckypup

thought id put this photo of my dog into the Feb collection just for fun...

I actually have both Canine Cooler mat and the Cooling Champions mat for my dog. He doesnt really seem to like the Champions one, especially when it is freshly watered down, in fact he did everything he could to avoid it! (including actually jumping over it so as not to touch it!) he is only now starting to sit on the Canine Cooler mat when he is hot. I personally perfer this one, as i can feel it actually being cooler rather than wet, as opposed to the Champions one that feels like your feet are being drenched when you step onto it (even thought it has been squeezed out as much as possible), so i wouldnt like lying on it either! Having said that, the Champions Cooling jackets are fantastic though! they keep my dog cool for about an hour or so (depending how hot it is), but again, needs to be well squeezed out, and also needs to be kept an eye on, as if it starts to dry out it just becomes a normal jacket like winter ones! I guess my final vote would have to be the Canine Cooler Bed. Its soft and good for the joints, and i think its worth the money you pay, as it does cool! good luck with your choice...till you figure it out, stick your water bowl in the freezer with a little water in it, then in the morning, fill it up with normal water! your dog will thank you hehe

I used to train there until another dog jumped on my dog to try and play, my dog turned around to play and the instructor (who i still swear had something against me) saw it and said he was being aggressive (he didnt even growl) so she filed an incident report against him (the other dogs owner kept actually telling her nothing happened but she wouldnt listen), then i was told to do more training with my dog to learn to control him (he is a very well behaved dog who goes to training every week!!)...then a few weeks later recieved a form in the mail saying my dog had to be muzzled when he was there, which i refuse to do as hes not agressive! so needless to say, i havent been back there since! Nytewynd - it doesnt really surprise me your son was attacked by an instructors dog! it is not a controlled environment at all! Missymoo - if you're serious about being a member, i would suggest going down there for a couple of weeks to make sure you can suss out the environment and see if your dog can handle the very closed environment with alot of dogs! yes it is a good club, but dont get on the instructors bad side!! if they dont like you or your dog for any reason, you have no hope in succeeding at this club! good luck tho

the only people i would ever reccommend would be Dog Listeners trained by Jan Fennell. I only know people in Victoria, but i could ask them (i work with 2 of them) if there is anyone in Tassie if you'd like me to. These are people that have been trained by Jan Fennell herself, who is someone that has studied wolf packs in the wild and transferred everything she learns into our own companion dogs! let me know if you're interested!

i have Petsecure. its pretty good, same as any other pet insurance i guess... do your research. there are HEAPS out there. i know my vet reccommends Petplan (i think its called). but you need to be carefull your pet doesnt have a condition before you take on the pet insurance, or they wont cover any treatment from vets relatable to that condition. (eg: my dog sometimes has back pain, so because i have been with Petsecure all his life they cant say its an illness he had before i joined with them so they need to cover me. however, if i decided i wanted to change companies, they could say this is a pre determined illness and therefore they wouldnt cover me for any vet bills to do with his backpain.) So all im saying is DO YOUR RESEARCH into all the different companies, what they cover and what they cost you per month and year. good luck!

we bought the whole set of rakes and all of them seem to cut the coat no matter what size or breed of dog, they still seem to cut both layers of coat. and yes, we are using them correctly. the older coat kings just putt out the undercoat but these dont. i dont know if they changed them or something, maybe they put a different angle on them or something that im not noticing (even though i checked), something is definately different about these ones. and even though we are being very careful we are scared to use them too much as we obviously dont want to make the dogs bald! :D

Just wondering if anyone knows where to get the coat kings that DONT cut the guard coat and only take out the undercoat? clipperworld has ones that cut both coats that are new with lighter colour handles. i need ones that only take out undercoat and dont cut top coat (darker handles). Anyone know where to get them these days or are the lighter ones all you can get now? thanks

washing dogs more than once a week WILL damage their coat. it strips all the oils from the coat which gives them the "dandruff". It can cause skin irritation and you will find your dog will scratch alot more and possibly be more prone to getting ear infections (from getting water in its ears). It is best to wash your dog as less as possible. and always ensure you are using a good quality DOG shampoo, NOT human shampoo, as human shampoo is the wrong pH balance for dogs and will also ruin the coat and give the dog bad skin conditions. if you do decide to wash your dog more often (still not more than once a week), try putting a little bit of a sensitive shampoo mixed in with your normal dog shampoo (like epi-soothe or ruddoks sensitive shampoo i find smell nice and do a really good job). dont use malaseb for this purpose as this is a very strong shampoo for fungal skin conditions.

what brand of dog food is it? im just curious!

Challenge Dog Grooming Supplies have it and i think Wooferwares also sell it. i think they are both cheaper than Pet Network!! They are generally more expensive for almost everything than alot of other places. Id be trying Clipperworld too.

My dogs always been on Eagle Pack. its a very high quality food and he does really well on it!

With mobile groomers you very much get what you pay for! if you ask for a bath and dry that is generally all they will do! (sometimes they dont even dry properly which is very bad for the skin and coat). Next time tell them to brush the dog after also, as otherwise they wont and you will keep having the issue of the tangles, as the dryer is moving the hair very quickly and every dog will knot up from being dried! i guess thats the difference between mobile and salon...

shear magics are rubbish! any scissors by them last about 3 weeks then even sharpeners say they're not even worth re-sharpening! wouldnt waste your money...stick to oster or whal blades...at least they can be resharpened!

any decent groomer should know how to groom a Schnauzer! its not a hard groom at all! has the puppy got a wiry coat likey they are meant to have? This can mean you can try and find a groomer that will handstrip the dog for you like they are meant to be done properly. There arent many out there but if you find a good one they may charge a little extra for handstripping as it is harder on the hands and takes longer but if you're willing to pay its DEFINITELY worth a try as it will bring out the coat beautifully natural with a nice shine (if done properly). (id say come to me but im in Melbourne...sorry...hehe) Check the PIAA site (piaa.net.au i think) (Pet Industry Association of Australia) as this site is where members are that have to adhere to a certain level of conduct so you know you will be getting a high standard at least. If worried, look up photos of Schnauzer grooms on the net and take one in that you like the look of. Hopefully this helps, good luck

I work in Melbourne (Victoria) and im wondering if there is anyone out there interested in taking up a grooming traineeship or who is already experienced in grooming who is by any chance looking for a job?! I work in a busy salon in Elwood (near Brighton) and we are desperately seeking a groomer! currently im the only one grooming, which, as you can imagine is very tiring at Xmas time! Its a fun, fantastic, energetic environment, all the staff are hilarious and freat to get along with! Gentle handling VERY important! Plllleeeaasse, if you have any sugestions (besides advertising on websites like careerone etc) please let me know! or if you think you can help, please let me know! thank you! any help is greatly appreciated!