becks

Just to give another view, my friend had this problem with her border terrier, he was desexed at 10 months old, the undescended testicle was showing signs of cancerous changes at that time and had shrivelled up.

I brush as I blow dry (check for knots prior to bath) and then finish with a comb through to make sure there are no tangles left in the coat.

Good luck with the next grooming session, don't forget the after pictures!

I would go in maybe mid morning or mid afternoon, by then the dogs should all be in and the mad rush to get them all finished before pick up time hasn't started. Also in some salons, the owners tend to arrive late and leave early!

Simpsons? That is an 'average' decent dryer LOL the one I use is much better but I doubt the brand is available in Oz

Don't forget to add in the look-a-like toy dog so you can get used to seeing a dog in the pen!!

With toilet training, it is so easy to think the puppy 'gets it' and you relax being so vigilent, then find out the puppy is making mistakes again, so keep going and she will get there. It may help to make a diary of when she goes/has an accident and when she eats, so you know when she is more likely to need to 'go'

You can get a trimmer that fits into the palm of your hand, battery opperated, though not very good. Sounds like it is the collar, harness causing mats around the neck and the top of the head is often down the people stroking them in that area forming a chunky matt in the process.

probably the start of spay incontinence.

I split the meals into equal sizes, saves over loading the stomach for one meal.

I#ve been using my Doggyman slickers in the salon for ages, no sign of wear on them yet. Do you use a grooming spray on her to make the coat easier to groom? Are you a little heavy handed with the brush (I've noticed a lot of people who have dogs who aren't keen on the slicker tend to be a bit heavy) or tug at the knots without keeping the skin tight? Bichons are a bit wimpy about being brushed though

I find with my grooming clients, the ones who have trouble like this with their dog, tend to be somewhat heavy handed with the brush. Try using the same force as you would on the dog, but do this on your arm. section the hair into small squares (like your hairdresser does when blow drying your hair) and brush each section from root to tip, working loose any knots, bit by bit. The brush is there to brush the hair, not the skin. Make sure you are calm and happy about the task at hand, if you are not in the mood, then your dog won't relax either.

yes, i use the Pro-Kolin for dogs when they have diarhoea, it looks a bit to greasy to work but it is pretty effective and good for young pups up to OAP.

I was going to suggest Vetzyme but maybe you don't have that over there?

I wouldn't say that 20 minutes for a 5 month old puppy is doing to much! Do you ask if this is all on lead pounding the pavements exercise or off lead in a safe area, going at own pace, run, stop, sniff type exercise.

Normally I would think a standard would be around 8- 10 months before switching. With giants it is about 10 - 12 months and with minis about 6 - 8 months. It depends on the dog and whether they are keeping the weight on properly if you switch to early

Make sure the puppy is relaxed and sleepy when you put him into the pen. If he has just had an exciting time and you end it then put him in the pen, he is going to create as he wants the fun to continue. Playpens are for quiet time. A pup from most breeders will be used to spending time in a play pen.

Glad he is on the mend and lucky you have found out about the prostate as well. don't envy you the yard clean up though!

My giants are crated in the car, safest way for them to travel. As pups especially they tend to get car sick, so containing the mess is also an advantage!

My girl had surgery on her stomach to remove the object. After a couple of days in the vet hospital she was allowed home and had a really good recovery. Aged me when I found she had gone into the garden and discovered another rubber toy and was starting to break that up! That got removed and no more toys like that are around when she is! Em, I'm sure your boy will be fine, he's in the best place to find out for sure what the problem is.

One of mine did that when she had a piece of rubber from a toy trapped in her stomach

My stand dryer has a directional nozzel so it can reach the hard to reach areas with ease and without having to move the dog about to much.

me too, neither! But that is just me! i don't like seeing dogs dressed up in silly outfits or being pushed around in little prams but it is cute to some people and dogs may like the attention but it doesn't make it a good thing to do IMO.

Monah, sorry, I always thought that was a poodle! June, have a look at the britmor schnauzer site, it has really good grooming info, it is for minis, but the same principle applies. Rolling the coat is something you have to learn if you are going to show, itmeans you work on the coat weekly taking out the longest hairs, so there is always new coat growing in at different lengths. If you just strip out the dog every few months, you have a very limited show time when the coat is looking good. With a p/s colour it is harder as you have to work evenly over the coat to get the right look, otherwise it can look a bit patchy. TB, I hope you get that poor dog finished soon or the new coat is going to have a patchy look of long and shorter hair! Best to not leave more then a week between stripping in sections.

top tip for the face - watch where the whiskers are, the ones on the cheeks may need pulling out separatly to stripping the face. With the ears I put on some chalk, either onto the hair or onto my fingers, then finger and thumb the ears. With the face, either do it the same way or you can use a curved stripping knife which gets around the shape of the face easier. Make sure you pull just a few hairs at a time and in a quick motion while keeping the skin tight. Tatelina, yes, this is done for show dogs and on some pets. How long it takes depends on what the coat is like to begin with and whether you are rolling to coat on a weekly basis or letting it 'blow' to the point of it almost falling out. A blown coat can be removed in a relatively short time, rolling my mini schnauzers coat can take 1/2 hour a couple of times a week. Poor Gomez being seen in his undies, no wonder he has to leave the country!