Peachie

I dont understand why it is good to fast dogs? I dont feel the need to fast for one day a week or fortnight, so why would the dogs? Yes, i realise in the wild they probably dont eat every day, but these are not wild dogs, they live in our homes with our routines and eat the food WE choose for them. We have a set routine for feeding time at this zoo, and i would hate to think what would be left in my shoes if i didnt feed a certain blonde greyhound one morning or night. This is not meant to be arguementative at all - i am certainly no nutritional expert. I am just curious as to the reasoning behind fasting dogs.

Ditto for Challenge Dog Supplies - their prices are pretty good too. I have wahl scissors from them. My straight ones last ages without sharpening - well they did till some bugger pinched them out of my trailer. I have some curved ones from challenge as well which are fantastic for tidying up. They are for both left and right handed people - depends on where you put the finger rest which just screws on. It works for me as i can use them curved out or in. I guess this is the same for most curved shears.

Perhaps further to my other suggestion (which was made thinking that the op's client in question was a regular, not a new one)... Why not (and i'm not saying i agree with pet shops selling dogs at all!!) make up a kind of 'fact sheet' about these types of coats and a description of how to really brush their dogs. The pet shops can hand these to people when they buy a dog. I wouldnt think this is actually supporting pet shops selling dogs, but it may sway some people from buying them if they read a sheet detailing what is actually involved in keeping their 'noodle' looking nice.

What about one of those amazing bullet things (as seen on tv). I got one on ebay last week and havent tried it yet but it could do the trick if it says it does what they say it does.

I get that too and i dont clip - just hydrobath and blow dry. If they are way to matted i will suggest they take them to a salon who can clip them short. Dont know if this will work or if it will be a great idea - for some owners anyway Why not have 'grooming lessons' once a week in your salons for 'noodle' owners (and similar coated breeds). For those people who bring their matted dogs in again and again. Mabey they do indeed brush them every day but just dont know how to do it properly... Teach them the correct way usign the correct tools. (can sell said tools as an extra) OF course, some owners wont be interested at all, but i'm sure there are some out there who want the best for their dogs and want them looking beautiful and fluffy between professional grooming sessions, and more importantly are willing to put in the time their dogs coats need.

I use lavender aromacare on mine when they get washed - but they dont really stink between times. They get bathed about every 3 months . Another product i have tried and love is the Squirts deodorant/detangler. They also have a shampoo. Available at most pet shops, and quite reasaonable as it lasts a while.

I have found, with my doggie wash clients, that mostly they will get used to it and eventually even enjoy it (hydrobath). I always try to make it as fun for them as i can (also makes my job more enjoyable). Just take it slow, and gentle, and lots of treats as has already been mentioned. Focus on the bits he isnt so worried about, make the drying part a big game of cuddles (with the towel) As far as brushing, i would get a very soft brush, wont do much good as far as actually grooming him, but use it often, with treats and praise, to get him used to what you are doing. He is so young that he probably doesnt know what the heck is going on. Best advice i can give is to try and make it fun for him Perhaps make it a routine to have a brush session just before feed time. Short sessions first, and gradually increase, as he gets used to it, then get a proper brush for his coat and introduce it gradually. He's only a baby, and boarders are smarties, he will 'get it' eventually. Have fun!!!

You can get leashes made to whatever length you want at Challenge Dog Supplies, in Brookvale, Sydney. They make collars and leashes at the shop (more a groomer supply place but anybody can go there), if you ask they will make whatever you want. Great prices too.

she looks fine to me, not that i have really had much to do with land sharks.... My little girl, maya, will be 2 next month and she tips the scales at about 23kg. she was 21 when we got her. She looks to be a good weight, can see the ribs and hip bones as you are supposed to with greyhounds. I used to think they were both (jefferson too) on the skinny side, but then i used to have labradors... I love the look of them now, seeing the muscle definition - they are such a graceful breed!

Most of my clients are monthly or fortnightly hydrobaths. I have a couple of weeklys... Not sure if they actually need it this often, but the owners want them done this often, and their skin is fine (i check each time) Basically, in my experience, every dog is different. Some definately need it more often than others. My greyhounds for example only need a wash about every 3 months... or if they get smelly. Some dogs i wash reek when i turn up for their fortnightly or monthly bath. Others are fine but owners like them fresh smelling. If you want your pup to be nice smelling, but dont want to wash as often, use a doggie deodorant after you have dried them off. Many are available at pet supply stores.

Yep, i am mobile, unfortunately tho, being a franchise i can only work on the northern beaches. If you are not after coat clipping (i imagine you arent, just brushing out, washing and blow drying?? Try Aussie Pooch, i'm sure there will be one out that way. Be very specific in what you want, we generally just wash, i have a few dogs i blow dry, but not many. Aussie pooch central number is 1300 369 369. It's a pager so you give your suburb, and they will send your number to the relevant operator who will call you back. Hope they can help Jodie

It's a 'high value' treat. Jefferson was the same when we got him. I could do anything with him when he was eating, chewing pig ears and the like, but we gave him a fresh roo tail a few days after we brought him home, and as my last dogs were trained so i could take anything out of their mouths whenever i chose, i tried to take the bone away.... well i got growled at, and a sort of semi lunge, but not a serious one, so my partner grabbed his collar and made him drop it and i took it away for about 10 mins and then gave it back to him. Havent tried it again, but i have walked past him very close on occasion when he has a meat bone with no problems. Dont know if it was a one off, havent tried to actually take one from him again, but i'm fairly sure that if he got something stuck he would let me get it out. Needless to say bone time is supervised, for both of them, tho theyve never shown any agression, but then theyve never had the chance to be too close at these times anyway. Come to think of it, a couple of times when some idiot has left chicken bones on their front nature strips, he has picked them up, and i have been able to get them out - mabey its just roo he loves. One school of thought (dont agree or disagree) is that you need to 'trade' one high value treat for another. Should be easy to do with a pup, mabey a little more difficult with an older wiser dog. Mabey try somethign he loves, a fave toy, liver treats or something, and praise him when he lets go the bone. Pick it up, and give it back to him a little later. I will be very interested in other replies and advice here, i have a few doggie clients with this issue.

One thing you might do is some separation training. I know you said your mum in law looks after him during the week, but what if you have to leave him home sometimes and she isnt available. It WILL happen. Great to hear somebody doing everything they can to train their pup and turn him into a GREAT dog.

Further to the other great advice you have, you metioned that you dont have time to implement the dog obedience training. You also said you have outside play time and she gets a good walk. I would incorporate her 'homework' into these sessions. When walking, practice your stop, heel, sit, down commands, and when playing in the yard, practice the downs, sits, settles, etc. (get the kids distracted first). Even just 5 mins a day will help. Another thing i would mention, is ALWAYS have a pocket with liver treats or something similar (that she LOVES) and have them at the ready when she does something good. Opportunity training - when she sits down on her own, or lays down on her own, and you happen to see her do it, shower her with 'good dog, good sit/stay/down/settle' and a treat. I think it will all help, she just needs to learn what she is supposed to be doing that is good. I have found that usually, with a dog that plays up, it has simply not been taught what is the right thing to do. A kong is a great idea for where you said you wanted her to be in the dining room with you when you eat. Make sure she knows where she is supposed to be and give her her kong. If she gets up, tell her no and lead her back to her spot. When she's being good, go over and give her a pat with a 'good girl, good stay'. Oh, NEVER feed her from the table whilst you are eating. You will never get her to settle whilst you are eating if you do (trust me on that one...) Good luck.

Yep, sounds like your Alpha is doing his thing - telling the new chick on the block that HE is boss. Welcome to the world of the Land Shark! They are adoreable and vile at the same time i'm told. Glad to hear youre confining her when youre out cos from all accounts she WOULD trash your place in your absence. Oh, the Greyhound Scream of Death? get used to that too.... Mine do it occasionally, for the smallest thing, then stand with one foot up till it gets kissed better then theyre fine... I would supervise their 'play', i feel that Jake is just teaching the babe who is the boss, and how the household works. You said that he hadnt hurt her as such, they seem to be warning 'attacks', and probably quite normal. This little psycho puppy thing has invaded their civilised household and disrupted their lives. It's up to them to teach her the ways... In the wild, the older dogs would teach the pups how things are done and how to behave, mabey its just this instinct coming out in Jake. If you havnt already, check out www.greytalk.com. It's an american site dedicated to retired racing greyhounds, but theres many on there who have or have had greys from 'land sharks'. Good luck. I am jealous that you have a greypup - but also thank god that it's you and not me..... know what i mean :rolleyes: ?

Darn right.... Except my partner doesnt believe that his little princess would do such a thing... she only does it in the morning, after he's gone to work and before i go.... Little brat!

Both my greys burp, not overly loud. Jefferson has his 'silent and deadly' farts. Maya does too - Maya's funny thing tho is, usually in the mornings when i go to the loo before putting them outside to go to work, she will walk in (cant do anything alone in this house), get her ears scratched, then do that greyhound stretch with the bum in the air type thing (playbow i think it's called), and let go the loudest farts i could ever imagine from such a dainty little princess. First time she really startled herself, now she just does it and (i swear) grinns.... Weird thing tho is that the noisy ones rarely reek - those silent ones tho....... look out!

Cheyenne, i saw the pics in the photo section straight after i posted - she sure is a cutie, as is her brother. I really hope you can work out what the problem is with this babe.

WHERE ARE THE PICTURES!!!!! You cant say you have a greyhound puppy and NOT POST PICTURES!!!!!! Sheesh!!!!! Seriously, congrats on the new babe, and i hope she picks up soon. I would go with the above advice, re the puppy milk. Mabey she just isnt ready for 'big dog food' yet. If it was me i would be putting her kibble in the puppy milk - at room temp or mabey a smidge warmer, and let it all get mushy. At least if she's drinking the puppy milk she is getting some goodness. Oh, did i mention... WHERE ARE THE PICTURES?????

Eza, what's the worst thing that can happen? The absolute worst is they will think you are shy, which you are. If when you start your first classes alone, or even these 10 min sessions, tell them you are new to this, and to please bear with you as you are a little nervous. Or mabey ask them to ask you questions relevent to the topic. A good group conversation starter. When i have a situation like this (remember i mentioned in the post before that i am quite shy around groups of people i dont know), i think of the absolute worst thing. I'm not going to be physically hurt, i'm not going to die on the spot, and i'm probably not going to be hit by a bolt of lightning. At worst, i might be a little embarassed for stumbling over what i'm saying. That's the worst! I reinterate, you KNOW what you're talking about, obviously, or the group wouldnt have you there doing a session, Right? Once you've done a couple, it will be second nature. Great idea to practice on your other half. Then mabey get a few friends with dogs around and do the same. again, good luck, i've got faith in ya!

Agree with poodlefan - prepare, know your stuff and you'll do fine. I am quite a shy person, but get me talking about greyhounds or dogs in general, and you wont shut me up!!! Just remember, that YOU know more than THEY do, for the most part. They re there to learn from you how to best look after and train their dogs. If they should ask something you arent quite sure of, just ask them to see you after class, that you need to double check your information, and ask another instructor. Good luck. I hope you can get past your jitters.

Its a bit more than 20 grand here in sydney for a new area, even more for an established one. (the way to go tho i feel, if you can, as you have a good list of clients/goodwill to start off with). The income guarantee for the first 10 weeks is good tho. Work hard on the marketing and by the end you will be making that amount, which is the idea. At the last franchise expo i went to (last year) hydrodog was about the same as an APM. They also have these awesome trailers now shaped like a dog, although i am a bit dubious of the size of the tub. Good grooming setup tho. And enclosed trailer, so i guess you could get air con to deal with humidity. Not sure a giant breed would fit in - however i stand to be corrected. Yes, the APM system works well, i have been an APM franchisee for over 5 years and i love it. We dont do clipping, tho do other general grooming - brushing out, coat stripping, face/feet trimming, nails, etc. Stargazer, sounds like you would be more into the grooming side of it. Why not, if a franchise is too exy, set up somethign and work from home? I know there are a few home groomers around my area, and they seem to do quite well. If it takes off as you want it to, then you could move up to a salon. If i was going into full grooming, i wouldnt do it mobile - the weather is too much of a factor. I know how hard it is to blow dry a dog completely dry on a rainy or even a humid day - pretty much impossible. Dali, 25-30 dogs a day - wow, if you're doing that then kudos to you! I'd be absolutely buggered doing that 5-6 days a week! How do you manage? i average about half hour per dog, some take longer, and some are less. But add in drive time, thats a pretty good average. 30 dogs would be a 15 hour day! Mark and Chris must LOVE you!!! I adore my job, very flexible hours, great clients, and i play with doggies all day. Very rewarding too, when you start off with a dog terrified of the bath, and after a few baths they start getting used to it and even enjoying it. The owners love that i treat their pups as i would my own. Anyway, getting back to OP topic, Stargazer, if you are going to go it alone, then i would recommend doing some 'voluntary' work experience at a salon but not in the area you want to work - they will see you as competition. Find somewhere where your client areas wont clash, tell them what you want to do, and see what happens. You will get a good idea of what is required to start up. IF you choose to go with a franchise, read the contract then read it again. OF course a franchise would be more expensive to set up, however you have the advantage of a proven system (depending on who you choose) and great support, national advertising etc. Good luck with it.

Do these keep the flies away as well as heal the wounds? I have a red cattle dog client who i wash weekly, and his ears are black when i get there from fly dirt and blood. Damn things jump back on him as soon as i put him back in the yard. Owners put betadine and a cream they got from a pet supply several times daily but the little ba$tards keep coming back! I will stop by Petbarn tomorrow morning and see if one of these products is available. Actually, i just remembered a malamute i wash only occasionally who has trouble with fly bits on his feet and nose. Good excuse to give them a call - thanks for reminding me! Thanks for the info, and thanks to the OP who posed the question. Will let you know how poor little Jethro does next week. He is an adorable little thing, and doesnt make a peep when i'm cleaning off his ears, even tho it HAS to hurt!