denali

You need some of these :) http://www.tuffietoys.com/

Love the photos! Happy birthday Chaos!!

you reverse clip them with a #10, completely unnecessary. I would only clip a double coated breed if it was too old to stand for proper grooming. who the hell would reverse clip ANY dog with a 10#!!! JC I have run my salon for 28 yrs now and NEVER have I rev 10# any dog! I would also never do a regular 10# on a dog unless it was a complete body cast. Most pelts come off with a 7#, not often I resort to a 10#. I clip a few lab types , and a SC Chi reverse 7#, and a few Labs rev 4#. It is completely owners choice after an informed discussion about all the options. In every case the owners have been thrilled and in every case they have returned for another go, or many more. For what ever reason it suits these owners, who am I to deny them a happy loved well cared for pet, even if it is a bit left of centre. Like I said before, it's a first world problem. the sun will rise & set just the same on a world with a few shaved Labradors. PS.... go to the link in my siggie below to see some of the crap that groomers deal with every day. A couple of well cared for but shaved down Labs is the least of our troubles! Pps....actually on second thoughts I have come to confess I lied earlier in this post. Although not a 10# I do reverse shave several dogs with a 40#. all of them are hairy hairless cresties! Glad im not the only one! Love that link too. SO great, and SO true!

how interesting! thanks for sharing :)

you reverse clip them with a #10, completely unnecessary. I would only clip a double coated breed if it was too old to stand for proper grooming. I do them with the grain and a #7. Other than one cocker, ive never used a 10 on the body of a dog. when working from home i refuse- unfortunately i am not in a position to turn down dogs at my other job.. I try and persuade the owners into a deshed. Even then my boss isnt ever happy about that ETA we have some exceptions to this that i dont mind clipping in that its clipping or rehoming of the dog due to an allergic partner. Id rather the have a naked hot dog whom they actively work to keep cool than a dog in a pound situation.

Its actually very easy. You'd be amazed how much hair comes off them when clipped Steph M! And their hair is longer than you'd think a shorthaired dog would be. Unlike a foxie or similar, their hairs are quite long.

There are definitely labs that get clipped. I have done a few this summer already. But if i owned a lab I would not. Maybe a cool coat would be worth looking into?

RIP Dash Koda had a close encounter with a small snake a few weeks ago while at a friends property. He was barking at it, and it was trying to get away but looked a bit like it tried to strike out. Thankfully he didnt get him but i watched him like a hawk for weeks after. Also thankfully ive never seen one around my house here in Brissy.

As an option, Nice vets do offer payment plans. I had, but no longer have pet insurance. SO just have the rainy day pet account. But before cancelling my policies I talked to my vet to make sure that If something were to happen and I didnt have the money upfront, they would allow me to pay it over a period of time. Maybe worth talking to your vet about something similar :) Also, to those relying solely on pet insurance and not having a dedicated account- you may want to make sure that it will cover ALL conditions. No use having it if you wont get anything back from an emergency surgery. Had a friend whos dog was hit by a car and wasnt covered by insurance- so they were paying premiums yearly but didnt get anything back from that. Though i dont know what cover or with whom she had it with.

I used to look after a poodle x (not sure what with) quite frequently, he was 16 when i first started looking after him, and each time i said goodbye thinking that would be the last time i saw him but he lived for years longer! Passed at the age of 19. I currently groom a 16 year old dog- tiny mixed breed. Who has some cataracts, but otherwise very spritely and active. I hope my dogs age as gracefully as he.

Christina makes a good point, doing my own home job dog got me into grooming in the first place. It didnt start out too pretty- but not long after people started asking where i got him done! :D Maybe give it a go yourself, plus then you get the ebenfit of being able to do what he can cope with and leave him to rest so hes not standing for so long.

hahah this is brilliant! They are all so happy :)

Definitely agree, Im a groomer here too and operate on the one dog at a time thing. You can do whatever you want, i've had some obscure requests- but always follow them. There is definietly more than 1 way to groom a dog!

If you are super worried about the coat- they do come in a shorthaired version ;) There is a family of 5 collies that comes to the dog park once a week or so, and they are just divine! Apparently, according to their owner, the grooming isn't too demanding, and even so- its a labour of love :)

I frequently go to lennox head where there is a dog section and a horse section. People know they only cross if the horse/dog are fine with dogs/horses. I however never go there. Kokoda is a nut bag when it comes to horses and I think he could easily land himself in trouble. I have no clue what he'd do given the chance to chase a horse offlead but also dont want to find out. Just a horse trailer driving past will sent him into a whining, lunging, crazed mess. Its so odd. The other two have met, and dont give a damn about horses. We have a horse that walks around our street here in Brissy about once a fortnight, it once came past and was waiting at the traffic lights while we we were across the road at a cafe and Koda tried eating through his lead to get to it! Thankfully i noticed before he got through it. I would love to own a horse. I dream :laugh:

There was a definite period in which the dog stood and assessed his likelihood of escape, and she just stood there staring at him. What an idiot.

Happy birthday Tibor! Such a handsome man :)

Oh my gosh, he is just divine!

I totally understand the visual appeal of dogs and having specific types. And it is something you have to look at for a good 12+ years so you want a dog thats nice looking! So even though i own 3, i wont further suggest Cavs. Cockers would suit but do need frequent grooming. Either professional clipping every 6 weeks to shave all the hair (or learning to DIY), or frequent brushing of the skirt and ears. They are very thick so do tend to knot quickly in my experience with cockers. Sheltis and Daschunds bark. A lot. Or the ones i know of- however maybe with more frequent training that could be discouraged? Would definitely agree with the choice of a corgi, such wonderful little dogs. Just need a good brush now and again.

oh no. So now people actually will have their 'purebred' labradoodles, groodles or whatever. I already want to enough at work.

I would not say they are yappy at all, in the 4 i have owned only one of them really barks, and thats at the postman and his dinner bowl while im carrying it haha They are happy to sleep if thats what you are doing, but they pretty much just follow you around, up when you are, sleeping when you're busy. Then always ready to go for walks haha And i have never had an issue with seperation anxiety in my boys, yes i have 3 now, but i had two who were single dogs. Anzac was an only dog his entire life- alone 9/10-3 most days and he was fine. Kokoda was an only dog for 2.5 years and the same- no issues. Henry did have issues at first (he was a rescue dog) but now he has settled in to having canine friends and doesn't cry about me anymore :laugh: That sounds like the perfect plan re. rooms and carpet. And i got rid of my gym membership too :D Mind you, i didn't use it that much to begin with Also post underneath said they shed like crazy, only one of mine really sheds. I brush them once a week, and some loose hairs ocme out but that keeps vacuuming down to virtually never. Feeidng a good food high in omega oils also helps with this. My heavier shedder, Henry, I keep clipped, but even then my cat sheds more than my three dogs and he's shorthaired :laugh:

its definitely doable. I don't know what people are on about when they are saying that its a pain to take them out to the toilet. They would need that in a house anyways. So thats not an issue. I have 3 cavaliers, they would fit perfectly into this situation. Mine do not really go outside. We have a yard, and they do not use it at all. They are inside when we are home, and on the deck sleeping when we are out! Just a few steps onto the grass to toilet but even then its always close to the steps haha Also, do not let their small size deter you. They are still dogs. Mine go hiking often, swimming in the pool, beaches and lakes, one comes jogging, i do agility with 2 etc. All that a working dog can do. BUT they wont destroy the house if i cant walk them for a day or two. Its pushing it leaving it longer, but has been done and with some indoor fetching and tug we survived happily- All smiles and wags! Cocker spaniels are larger and slightly more of the working type dog. However i have met some downright lazy cockers (usually the chubbier side of the scale though so maybe why :laugh: ) You can always pen off an area indoors when you go out to prevent furniture eating etc. Leave with food interactive toys and cardboard to shred instead. ( I only read the first page, so if others have covered this, sorry. ) ETA: There will always be different opinions. In the end it comes down to what you are comfortable with doing and how committed you are to dog ownership :) Greyhounds, though large are very content with lazing around all day.

Same as me OSO. And drinking, for this reason the only waterbowls we have are outside. I know its bad but i just can't deal with the noise :laugh:

Very true. Something even i am guilty of overlooking and not checking at times.

From what i just googled: "The colour should be whole or smut (that is, a whole colour with a black mask or muzzle). The only colours (which should be brilliant and pure of their sort) are whole colours - viz., brindles, reds, with their varieties, fawns, fallows etc., white and also pied (i.e. a combination of white with any other of the foregoing colours). Dudley, black and black with tan are extremely undesirable colours." No mention of blue, so i am assuming part of the fad now. So thats sad