Feline and Canine Body Language

The process of grooming a dog is so much more involved than many people realize. Not only are we bathing, drying, cutting hair, and trimming nails to make pets sparkle, groomers are constantly watching for subtle body language signals from pets.

Every cat and dog give signals to how they are feeling about certain things. While we all know that a hissing cat is an unhappy or scared cat, did you know that a cat who is blinking their eyes slowly is a cat who trusts you? They feel safe in your presence. A cat who falls asleep on the couch beside you trusts you. A cat who falls asleep in your lap really trusts you. A cat who falls asleep in your lap and begins to dream trusts you with their very life! Head boops are a sign of deep affection. When a cat rubs their cheeks against you, they are claiming you as theirs.

While groomers will generally only see the alert, upset, and sometimes downright angry side of a cat, dogs show a much wider range of emotion during their visits. Groomers are constantly on watch for signs that a dog is becoming stressed. Things like turning their heads away, sideways glances, big yawns, and lip licking are all signs that a dog might be feeling a little too stressed out by their grooming. A stressed dog might try to sniff the table while turning away in an attempt to tell the groomer that they want to retreat in peace. Unfortunately, we can’t always allow the groom to end at that moment so it is up to the groomer to recognize these signals and change the dog’s mind! Something as simple as a scratch behind the ears and some kind words can make all the difference!

Groomers want to see a happy, relaxed dog. This is a dog who has

an overall “soft” appearance. They don’t appear tense or nervous. Their movements are wiggly. They might flop a little when moved around. Their tails might wag at a steady rate. If they are panting, their lips are loose and not tight against their teeth. They might suddenly burst into a wiggly play bow as the groomer walks around the table. The ultimate goal of any groomer is to convince every dog they see that this is how grooming should be!

Many dogs are not so sure though. They might show signs of being stressed or simply just nervous. They might be tense, shifting their weight from paw to paw. They might keep one paw slightly raised. Their ears might either be constantly moving or pinned back against their heads. A groomer needs to know the dogs they work so they remember if this is normal for the dog or not. During times of high stress such as around the holiday seasons, even the most mellow, relaxed dog might become more tense for their grooming sessions simply due to all the changes around them.

At times, groomers might use their own body language to “talk” to the dogs in a way the dogs are more likely to understand. They might half blink or do a small yawn to show they are relaxed. They might drop their shoulders and turn slightly to the side to be non-threatening. Or, if a dog is starting to act up, a groomer might stand taller and more square to show they are not going to put up with foolishness. A particularly rambunctious dog might even receive a hard, direct stare to show the groomer means business. As soon as the dog settles and looks away, the groomer will then relax, yawn a little, and continue on. Quite often “talking” to the dogs in their own language produces better results than trying to coo and calm them with human language!

“Talking” to dogs with their own body language goes beyond the grooming salon as well! If your dog is nervous around certain things such as blowing plastic bags while on a walk, putting on an aura of calm by being relaxed and yawning a little, can help to put your dog at ease! If it doesn’t bother you, maybe it isn’t so scary after all! You can even “talk” to your cat by slowly blinking at them or rubbing your cheek against theirs when they come to you for attention!

High Energy Dogs and the Importance of Mental Stimulation

Some dogs enjoy being couch potatoes. They are happy to lounge around all day long and require no more than a session of fetch or a short walk around the neighborhood to be happy and healthy. While these dogs might gladly join you on a hike in the wilderness or a run in the park, if they don’t get extra exercise, it isn’t a big deal.

Then there are high energy dogs, the super intelligent dogs, and the dogs who have been bred to work all day long. Quite often, you find all three characteristics in one single breed! These can include hounds, huskies, herders, bird dogs, and terriers to name a few. The innate desire to go go go means these dogs needs a lot of mental and physical stimulation each day.

Physical stimulation is loosely defined as anything that gets the dog moving. Going for a walk around the block, hiking in the woods, playing fetch in the back yard, play dates with doggy friends, and running at the beach are a few examples. Physical stimulation expends a dogs energy, making them tired. Just like with exercise in humans, physical stimulation is a double edged sword. Not only does it drain energy but it also increases a dog’s endurance and strength over time, making it harder to keep them properly exercised as time goes by. A puppy who was once ready for a nap after a 15 minute session of fetch will eventually grow into a dog who will be able to fetch for hours on end without wearing down. They no longer seem to calm down after their usual walk. Instead, sometimes they seem much more hyper. Often, a dog who can no longer expend all of their energy through physical means will become destructive or obnoxious. They might chew on doors, walls, and windowsills. They might begin to pace the house or dig holes in the back yard. They might even develop the habit of barking constantly and for seemingly no reason. Many owners become frustrated at this point. No matter how much time they spend walking their dog or playing fetch, the dog never calms down. This is where mental stimulation comes into play!

Mental stimulation works a dog’s mind. While every dog needs mental stimulation, it is vitally important with dogs bred to work in some capacity or another all day long. These dogs were specifically bred to work tirelessly for hours on end. They literally can never get enough physical exercise to wear them out to the point where they are “proper” house pets. By providing mental stimulation, you lessen the chances of destructive or obnoxious behaviors. In fact, just 15 minutes of mental activity drains just as much energy from a dog as 30 minutes of physical exercise!

Providing daily mental stimulation is actually surprisingly easy! You may be providing quite a bit without even thinking about it yourself. Obedience training is the most common source of mental stimulation people provide for their pets. By teaching commands, you are making the dog use their brain to remember what each word means. Practicing simple commands like sit, stay, and down keeps your dog on their toes, making them think and work for rewards. Combined mental and physical activity by practicing heel work and focus on a walk does double duty, draining both physical and mental energy. Teaching tricks and then using them in various combinations makes a dog think quickly. There are also many, many puzzle toys on the market today. These toys are designed to make a dog figure out how to get food out of the toy. They can be as simple as a ball that dispenses treats as it rolls or as complicated as puzzles where the dogs have to move pegs in order to lift tabs to find the toys underneath.

Puzzle toys can be a life saver during bad weather. Being in Missouri, we are definitely no strangers to weeks of rain, ice, or heat on end! Sometimes, we get all three in the same week! Simple puzzle toys that hold a higher volume of kibble can be used in place of a dog’s food bowl. One toy might hold a cup or two of food. If you have only smaller toys, they can be spread across the house. Most dogs have a blast finding the toys and then getting the treats out! As your dog gets better and better at emptying the toys, new ones can be added to the rotation. Some toys can even be frozen, adding an additional layer of challenge to the puzzle!

For many dogs with behavioral problems, adding additional mental stimulation to their day will help them release enough energy for other training methods to be effective. A dog who has spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get a few carrots out of a Kong will be much more capable of learning other commands afterwards. A dog who will not be deterred from digging in the back yard might find that need met and satisfied by being fed from a snuffle mat. They would likely excel at the sport of Barn Hunt too! A dog who runs endless laps around the fence line will likely benefit from energetic organized games such as Rally Obedience or Agility. Nearly all huskies will be overjoyed at the chance to participate in mushing or -joring activities!

If you are considering purchasing or adopting a dog who is or has high energy breeds in their mix, be sure to research ways to provide plenty of mental stimulation. For the extremely intelligent breeds, be prepared to provide a variety of different types of mental stimulation. While some dogs might be challenged by a puzzle toy every time they use it, many will figure out the fastest way to empty it every time. These canine Einsteins will need a wide rotation of toys or toys with a gradually increasing level of difficulty. (Ask Jess about Shaak Ti’s toy cupboard at her house if you want to hear about one of those types of dogs!)

Don’t be afraid to experiment! Providing mental stimulation can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. Whether you are stuffing your dog’s dinner into a few toilet paper tubes for them to shred or signing up for an agility class, your dog will thank you for providing them with a source of fun and enrichment!

Aging and Bumps

We all love our pets dearly. During trying times, they make us laugh, snuggle away our tears and fears, and just generally keep our spirits up. They give us something to look forward to every day.

Almost in a blink of an eye, our pets go from super energetic youngsters to enthusiastic adults. Their baby fuzz grows into their adult coats. Their feet no longer seem huge and awkward. Their attention span grows even if treats are not involved.

Our dearly departed master of the lumps and bumps, Commander

Cody Honey Badger (mayherestinpeace).

The progression for adult to senior seems to happen more slowly. Sometimes so slowly it is almost unnoticeable. Generally speaking, 7 years old is considered to be senior age for dogs. Depending on the individual breeds, large dogs can be considered a senior as early as 5 while small dogs might not be seniors until they are 10 to 12. 7 is a middle-of-the-road type generalization. Cats are a little different in that they usually don’t show any signs of age until they are very old. 9 is usually considered the beginning of old age for cats though some don’t show actual signs of aging until they are around 12. Some cats never seem to age at all! Around senior age mark, animal professionals (groomers, vets, dog walkers, etc) start to keep an eye open for behavioral and physical changes. Owners might start to notice a few things as well. Muzzles might start to get a hint of silver. Eyes might start to develop a slight clouding.

While keeping a close eye on your pet’s health is important for their entire lives, it is more important than ever to watch them in their golden years. It is not uncommon for pets to develop stiff joints, bad hips, hearing trouble, or vision problems. They are much more likely to begin popping out lumps and bumps on their skin as well. These bumps can be anything from old-age warts to benign cysts and fatty tumors to more concerning cancerous growths such as melanomas and carcinomas.

Any time you find a new bump on your pet, it is important to note a few things about it. Pay attention to the size and placement of the bump along with the surface texture and color. Have your vet check out any new bumps as they crop up, especially if they are in areas that could present problems later on. Areas such as the face and ears, paws, and near any joints can cause secondary medical concerns down the road. By knowing where the bump was and what it looked like when you first noticed it, you can help your vet figure out if the lump is growing and changing or if it has stayed the same. This will assist your vet in deciding if this bump is something that needs to be further investigated or if it is simply an old age lump that is nothing to worry about. Most of the time, the vet will preform a needle biopsy, a quick, simple procedure where they take a small sample of material with a fine needle to look at under a microscope. If the bump ends up being something concerning, the smaller it is, the easier it is to remove and generally the better the outcome will be!

Of course, knowing about new lumps and bumps and their diagnosis helps your groomers as well! We can be extra sure to keep an eye on any bumps and let you know if we notice any changes. Sometimes changes happen so slowly they go virtually unnoticed until there is a drastic difference. There are innumerable cases where a groomer noticed something an owner did not and ended up saving a pet’s life! Knowing will also mean we can keep your pet as comfortable as possible. Some lumps might be tender to the touch. Some surgical sights can remain sensitive long after the wound has healed. Or, if the pet is generally not sensitive but suddenly is, we can alert owners to a change in behavior which can then be brought to the vet’s attention.

Lumps, bumps, and warts can happen to any pet of any age but are much more likely to pop up on an older animal. Finding them early is so important for proper treatment if treatment is needed. While you are stuck home with your buddies of all ages, give them a good once over at least a couple times a week. Pet them slowly to feel for bumps. Check their paws and nail beds for anything that looks weird. Check their gums as well if they will let you! Be as proactive with your pet’s health as you are with your own! And as always, call your vet if you have any concerns at all. Their phones are pretty busy these days, but they will always be there to help you out!

Infestation Prevention

Spring has finally arrived! We think anyway. We are definitely somewhere between winter and summer. Sometimes it seems like we have all three seasons in one 24 hour period! Even though us humans are all stuck inside our homes, outside, the flea and tick populations are exploding! This time of the year, it is not uncommon for groomers to see a vast increase in the number of dogs needing baths due to flea infestations. Unfortunately, this year, we are not available to help at the start of the season!

Prevention is more important than ever this year. If you are one of the many people who only treat their dog with preventatives during the warmer months, it is time to start! Even if you planned to start next month or even the month after, start now. Vet offices and pet stores can still take orders for flea collars, chews, or drops. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

While we cannot currently take our dogs to the dog park or even out to the city parks, fleas and ticks can abound everywhere. Squirrels, deer, fox, raccoon, and coyotes can all live in suburban and urban areas. Wildlife quite often carry fleas and ticks. If a deer has crossed the road just before you walk your dog through the area, there is a chance that they could have dropped fleas. Those fleas could then jump onto the next living thing that passes by: you and your dog!

It only takes a single flea to start an infestation in your home. You will likely never see the first one too. By the time you start to see actual, live fleas, your home and your pets are already infested. Once your home in infested, it can be an extremely long and difficult process to completely eliminate all the fleas. No one wants strangers coming into their homes right now. However, complete eradication of a flea problem will often require the services of an exterminator.

Ticks are harder to get rid of since they tend to live in long grasses, brush, and on certain types of trees. While they are not likely to cause an infestation like fleas do, they can still carry some pretty serious diseases. With veterinarian offices also on lock down procedures, it might take a while for them to see a dog suffering from a tick borne illness. So the best thing to do is to get all of your pets on a reliable preventative! Also, keep up with your yard work, especially if your home backs up to an open field or a wooded area. By keeping the grass in the areas your dog frequents short, it is much less likely that ticks will be present. Try to keep your pet out of longer grasses, weeds, and dense brush as well. If you do suspect your pet has been bitten by an infected tick, be sure to call your vet right away so you can get into to see them as soon as possible. For many tick borne illnesses, the faster your pet receives treatment, the less likely they are to suffer from life-long complications!

Not sure what preventative is the best to use in your area? Give your vet a call or send them an email! Even though they are busy sanitizing their offices multiple times a day, they will still be happy to offer suggestions of what products to use and where to get them!

PIck-up and Communication: A Reminder

As spring gets into full swing, grooming salons become a busy place! The increase of muddy yards means a lot of dogs need frequent baths. Dogs who are left a little longer for the winter will start to come in for those short spring hair cuts.  As soon as the stay-at-home orders lift, everyone will want to get their pets in for a good clean up! Groomers might be stretched a little thinner than normal trying to accommodate owners and pets alike.

Since we run a very small salon, we have a very limited space to hold onto pets after their grooming has been completed. We just wanted to take a brief moment to remind you that we ask you to be here within one hour of receiving the call letting you know your pet is ready to go home. Our day is a tight dance. We are counting on Fluffy going home so we can clean her kennel and use it for Bob who is expected to arrive shortly after Fluffy leaves. If Fluffy is still here when Bob arrives, we might not have a place for Bob to hang out!

If you know you might be a little late picking Fluffy up, just let us know! Let us know when you make the appointment so we can have an extra kennel available just in case. We do have crates at our homes for our own dogs we are happy to bring in if needed. If something comes up after you have made your appointment, give us a call or shoot us a text message to let us know. We will do our best to accommodate or we will let you know if it would be best to reschedule for another day.

The same goes for dropping off early. We ask that you arrive no more than 10 minutes early for your appointment so we have time to check Fluffy out and clean her kennel. If Bob arrives too early, we might not quite be ready for him! Again, communicate your needs and we will let you know how we can best accommodate them!

We understand things come up. You might not know until the day of your appointment that you need to drop off early or pick up a little later. Just let us know a soon as you can so we can figure something out! Communicating also eliminates the worry factor as well. We do genuinely worry about our clients when they do not show up on time! Was there an accident? Is there a traffic jam? Did someone suddenly become ill? Did the doctor appointment not go well and someone now has to be rushed to St. Louis for specific testing with a specialist? Your groomers are definitely two “Worst Case Scenario” worriers! Let us know what is going on so we don’t stress your pup out!

We anticipate being busier than usual once we are able to reopen.  If you can, please schedule your pet's grooming appointment on a day and at a time where you are not likely to be busy during their service.  This way, you can be ready to come get them as soon as we call.  It is looking like we will be completely booked for at least a few weeks when this is all over.  Help us keep things running extra smoothly so everyone can get the services they need as quickly as possible! Thanks! 

The Grooming Process: What People Think vs Reality

Have you ever wondered what, exactly, it takes to get a dog groomed? Or a cat? It must be such a fun thing to do! Playing with puppies and kittens all day long must be so easy!

The reality is that grooming is an extremely taxing process. Many groomers end up suffering from joint problems, specifically in the knee, hip, and lower back areas due to the long hours bending, twisting, lifting, and standing. Carpal Tunnel and Tennis Elbow are almost a guarantee from the repetitive motions. “Groomer’s Lung” can develop over time, leading to lung infections, chronic bronchitis, and difficulty breathing. It is caused by breathing in the dust, dirt, chemicals, and debris associated with grooming.

At any time, numerous injuries can occur such as bites, scratches, bruises, cuts, sprains, strains, and falls. Plenty of groomers have had their careers ended by accidents. It is far, far more common for the groomer to become injured than the pets! Some of these injuries can be caused by the pets the groomer is working with. Others can be caused by the environment. Still others can be caused by just a moment of inattention. Just about every groomer out there has cut their own fingers and hands with their shears! Many will laugh as they show you the scars and tell you the story!

Compassion fatigue is another huge, potentially deadly, problem in the industry. Most groomers care so deeply for the pets they are trusted with that seeing pelted, once-a-year grooms, dogs with poor skin and over grown nails, and cats so matted they cannot move begins to take a mental toll. Owners who do not properly care for their pets, make impossible demands, and then berate a groomer for doing what is necessary to keep the pet happy and comfortable can make groomers feel like they are worthless. They can’t do anything right. Depression and hopelessness can begin to set in. Compassion fatigue is a problem across the entire animal industry and beyond. Each year, many professionals take their own lives as a result.

So what actually happens in the salon? What makes it so demanding? For a normal, regularly scheduled maintenance groom, the process can seem daunting with all the brushing, clipping, bathing, and drying. For a pet that is not on a regular schedule, it can be even more challenging!

The typical groom will start one of two ways. After we give your pet a quick evaluation, we will either clip their nails or head straight to the bath tub. Long nails must be clipped prior to the bath as they could pose a safety issue, potentially getting caught on kennel grates or doors. If your pet’s nails are in good shape, the bath is started immediately.

A bath is a lot more than just soap and water! Very often, a dog will be washed two, possibly even three times. The first wash with a basic shampoo will remove the bulk of the dirt and grime. Their anal glands will be checked during this first shampoo and emptied if needed. Occasionally, if the pet is excessively dirty, they might get another shampooing with the basic formula but typically, we don’t need to. The second shampoo will either be another round of the basic shampoo or a specific formula picked for the needs of your pet. We might use Avacado for dry or itchy skin, hypoallergenic for pets who might be a little more sensitive, or whitening for those who’s coats could use a little extra help to shine. While the second shampoo is on the dog’s coat, they are often brushed with a rubber curry or a brushing glove to make sure they are clean down to their skin across every single inch of their body from the ears back. The shampoo is then rinsed completely from the dog’s coat and skin. But it doesn’t end there! Next, a high quality conditioner is applied to the dog. It is brushed in with the rubber curry or brushing glove. While it sits, the dog’s face will be washed with either a hypoallergenic or lightly scented face wash or a blueberry facial treatment. This face wash is then rinsed away. The conditioner is rinsed though we quite frequently do not rinse it away completely as a good conditioner is designed to keep a dog’s skin in tip-top shape.

The bathing process will usually take only around 15 to 20 minutes per dog. However, if a deshedding treatment is what they need, there are extra steps of brushing, combing, raking, and blowing that take place. A thorough deshedding process can take up to an hour to complete!

The drying process is the next step. The dogs are wiped down with super absorbent cooling towels. These wick a surprising amount of water out of the fur! So much so that we often don’t even need to use a regular towel afterwards! While in the tub, the high velocity dryer will be used to blow the bulk of the remaining water off the dog. Depending on the size of the dog, they will either be dried further in the tub or they may be moved to our drying table. How dry the dogs get at this point depends on how they feel about the drying process. Some dogs will not tolerate the high velocity dryer. It is pretty loud after all! We don’t blame them! A dog who tolerates the dryer will be dried until they are just a little damp. After this dryer, the damp pet will be placed in a kennel. Using either a kennel dryer or a regular fan, they will take a break while they continue to dry. We will then either work on another dog or take a brief break to fill out paperwork, return phone calls/text messages, or, if we are lucky, scarf down a little bit of lunch!

Dogs may receive another dry on the grooming table using our small, heated, Flying Pig dryer affectionately known as Dumbo. This little dryer is great for taking the last bit of dampness from a dog’s coat or for drying feet and faces. Some dogs will need this last dry, some won’t. Some dogs will need a sanitary shave which is generally done before brushing just in case there are any tangles in sensitive places. Paw pads will usually be shaved at this time if needed and the nails also trimmed and filed. After any prep-work, dogs will be brushed at this point. Longer hair is brushed with slicker brushes and medium and fine toothed combs. The dog is brushed from head to tail, paying special attention to legs, feet, ears, and tail. Small tangles are carefully worked out. Larger mats are brushed around and noted for removal. Shorter haired dogs might still get brushed with a slicker and comb but are more likely to be brushed with a rubber curry, deshedding rake, and a Sleek Ez to remove excess undercoat. No matter the hair length, this brush out process can take 15 minutes or longer. If a dog is getting a deshed treatment, this brush out can take even longer as we need to remove as much of the shedding hair as possible.

For bath dogs, this is pretty much where the process ends. They get to go hang out in their crates until their owners can come pick them up. For dogs getting a haircut, they are only halfway there!

Using clippers, blades of various lengths, comb attachments, and very sharp shears, fur is clipped down to the desired length. This is frequently the longest part of the process. The first pass over the dog’s body is to take off the bulk of the fur being cut. We don’t worry about getting perfect results on the first pass though it is nice when it happens! Using a brush or comb, the fur is fluffed up again for a second pass. This is a more careful clip intended to bring the coat almost to the final state. There will still be finish work to be done though. The fur is carefully combed and fluffed. Longer spots are trimmed down with shears. The tail is trimmed up. The feet are rounded off. The head and face are saved for last. Ears and faces are carefully combed. Cheeks are fluffed up. Fur is carefully clipped and trimmed to make the dog as cute as possible! All in all, the haircut can take up to an hour to complete. If the dog is at all fidgety or uncooperative, it can take even longer!

All in all, a groom can go as quickly as one hour for a very cooperative dog that doesn’t mind being bathed, dried, and groomed straight through or it could take three to four hours if the dog requires frequent breaks.

Cat grooms are a little different. Generally, a cat’s nails are clipped as soon as we take them out of their carriers. They get their brush and/or haircut before they get a bath simply because most cats do not like baths! Cats are immediately dried as much as possible with absorbing towels, regular towels, and our friend Dumbo. If they are resistant to the bath and dry, nothing is forced upon them. Cats can hang out in the kennels with a fan if they need to, however, we prefer to get them in and out as fast as we can. Cats are very prone to stress-induced illness. The longer they spend in the salon environment, the more dangerous it is for them. We try hard to have cats in, groomed, and out in two hours or less.

After repeating this process four, five, six, or more times per day, it becomes easy to see that grooming is not at all just playing with cute critters all day long! It is a very demanding job but it is one that we would not trade for anything!

How Often Should I Have My Dog Groomed? Grooming Frequency Explained

How often a dog should be bathed is a hot button topic in some circles. There are those with the opinion that dogs should be bathed as frequently as possible, sometimes two to three times a week. There are those who say dogs should be bathed no more than twice a year. There are even folks out there who say certain breeds should never be bathed at all unless absolutely necessary!

So what is the truth? Is there a standard time frame for bathing a dog? Well, there is and there isn’t. It really depends on your dog, their habits, their health, and the products you use.

As we have mentioned before, a dog’s skin regenerates every 21 days. The dead skin cells are then shed off. By bathing your dog every 21 days, you can ensure that all the old cells are being fully removed, keeping the surface of their skin as healthy as it can be. Does this mean you need to make an appointment for your furry friend every three weeks? That depends on you and your dog. If you are confident you can bathe, dry, and brush your dog properly at home, go ahead and bathe them at home! If you need a little help, give your groomer a call to set up an appointment.

21 days is a guideline but it is not set in stone. If you bathe your dog after 19 days or wait until 30 days, that is also just fine. While timing is important for maximum benefits, the products you use are arguably more important.

There is an astonishingly wide variety of shampoos available for dogs and cats these days. These products range from low-cost concoctions available in grocery stores to high end, higher cost, more natural products available through only specialty sellers. Along side these shampoos are a more important product: conditioner. While just about any shampoo specifically formulated for dogs or cats will remove all the dirt from their coats, it will also remove the good oils from their skin. Using a conditioner will not only moisturize their fur, it will help to replace those good oils.

By using a good quality, non-drying shampoo and conditioner combo, it is possible to safely bathe your dog once a week. If you have a dog who delights in playing in the mud and water (Looking at you again, Noodles!), sometimes weekly bathing is hard to avoid! Ask us what products we recommend if you need to bathe your mud puppy frequently. We will be happy to help you find something that works!

Another situation that might require frequent bathing would be if your veterinarian has prescribed a prescription shampoo to help with a skin problem such as a bacterial or fungal infection. Some of these shampoos can be extremely drying. While you should always follow all of your veterinarian’s instructions, you might want to ask if you can follow up with a light conditioner to avoid damaging any healthy skin.

“So if I can bathe my dog at home anywhere from every week to once a month, when should I bring them to the salon for grooming?” Once again, it depends on you and your dog! If you like to keep your long haired dog in a longer style or if you live with a short haired breed that sheds buckets every day, you might want to consider appointments every 4 weeks. This will help keep the long hair fluffy and tangle free and that shedding hair to a minimum. For dogs with shorter styles or fur that doesn’t shed quite as much, visits to the salon every 6 to 8 weeks will keep them comfortable and in style! If you find your dogs hair tends to grow faster, the seem to tangle and mat, or they become stinky faster, we can easily adjust their grooming schedule to keep them and you as happy and comfortable as possible!

Waiting too long between groomings can lead to uncomfortable situations for both long haired and short haired pets. They can develop mats and impacted undercoat, both of which will block the airflow to their skin. Their skin may become dry, flaky, or greasy. Yeast and bacterial infections can start to develop. They can get hot spots or other sores and wounds on their skin. If you notice any of these things, it is best to first consult with your veterinarian then think about how you can revamp their grooming schedule!

All Dogs Need Grooming

When we think of dog grooming, we tend to think of show dogs with their beautiful, flowing fur or their perky poms and top knots. Poodles and Shih Tzus immediately pop into most peoples’ heads as examples of grooms. Scruffy terriers with their carefully hand stripped coats might join the mix. And who can forget a perfect Schnauzer cut too?

Grooming goes far beyond styles for the show ring. It even goes beyond hair cuts in general. All dogs need to be groomed. Even short haired and hairless dogs will benefit from a bath, brush, and deshed treatment. Why? It is pretty simple!

Just like humans, dogs shed their skin cells in a 21 day cycle. The new cells form under the skin and mature over this period of time. Once they reach the surface, they hang around for a while before dying and shedding off, revealing healthy new cells underneath. The process happens in a never ending cycle starting the day they are born. It happens with humans too! Unlike humans, the skin surface for a dog is under a layer of fur. This can prevent those old cells from sloughing off in a timely manner. Dogs may develop itchy dandruff, flaky patches, yeast infections, or a host of other problems if they are not able to shed this skin.

Shedding hair can become a problem for even shorter haired pets. All dogs shed. Even so called “non-shedding” breeds like poodles and bichons shed. They simply shed less since their hair has a much longer growth cycle. Their kinky fur also tends to hold that shed fur in, potentially creating mats if it is not brushed out on a regular basis. Any dog with hair longer than an inch or two in length is at danger of developing mats. The longer the hair, the more easily it tangles. But even shorter haired dogs can have shedding problems. Their shed fur can impact into their coat, creating a thick, tight, hard to remove layer of fur and dander.

The good news is that grooming helps to solve both the problems of proper skin overturn and shedding! A proper bath with quality, pet specific shampoos and conditioners along with a good blow and brush out will help all the excess skin cells blow away. The shedding hair will come out as well, preventing any mats or impacting. You pet’s coat will be softer, shinier, and brighter after a bath. They will feel amazing too! Regular appointments will help to keep their nails in tip top shape as well!

Even hairless dogs and cats will benefit from a good scrub. They might not have as much hair to shed, but their skin is still prone to build-ups. They can develop black heads and zits. A moisturizing bath and an exfoliating scrub can greatly reduce the problems!

Help even your short haired buddies feel their absolute best by getting them on a regular grooming schedule. They will absolutely adore all the attention they receive in the salon and at home afterwards too!

Continued Education: Why Is It Important?

We all know our doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and even veterinarians do continued education courses every year. We have all heard about trade shows for everything from the automotive industry to all things home and garden and even science and technology. Did you know there are trade shows and continued education courses for groomers and other pet professionals as well?

Its true! Trade shows and classes happen all across the country all year long. There are single day, specialized classes hosted by groomers and salons that cover very specific topics such as how to groom a specific breed or how to achieve perfect faces. There are small, 2 day, home town type shows as well as huge, week long expos! There are grooming competitions for all breeds and breed groups. There are creative grooming competitions as well where groomers show off their dying and scissoring skills. There are classes taught by the captains of the industry on everything from breed standards to breed cuts to techniques for using clipper combs to hand scissoring to handling cats and even information on skin and coat health. There are certification courses for things like safety and sanitation and first aid. The trade floors hold more products than you could ever ask for! New shampoos and conditioners, the latest and most updated equipment, bows and bandannas, scissors and brushes, grooming wear like smocks, pants, and aprons, and even things like leashes, collars, and toys for the awesome pups in your life! There are often folks who sharpen blades and shears as well as folks who can give you all the information you ever wanted about nail grinding accessories and electric tables. A day or week at a good expo can be a groomer’s dream come true. Yours truly dreams of going to Super Zoo in Las Vegas some day!

It isn’t all fun and games though. Mostly it is, but there is a serious side to these expos too. Those classes I mentioned before can be vital for groomers of all skill levels. Even the most seasoned groomer can learn a thing or two by attending seminars.

Each year, we attend a grooming expo in the St. Louis area. We spend our time at the show in order to gain new knowledge we then use to help your pets have the best grooming experience they possibly can! Even though we have spent almost a combined 25 years in the pet industry, Stacey and I admit that we do not know everything there is to know. While we have diverse backgrounds and training, there are still “holes” in our knowledge. Attending these trade shows is one of the best ways to “fill in the blanks” as it were.

We have taken classes on things such as Asian Fusion grooming to learn how to make those adorable round, teddy-bear looking faces. We have taken classes on using clip-on combs to achieve a natural looking hair cut. We have gained tips and tricks for making poodle top knots absolutely perfect. We have learned how other salons operate and taken some of what they do to make our salon what it is today. We have gained new knowledge about the cycle of skin growth, how shampoos and conditioners affect a dog’s skin, and even how to keep our salon as safe and sanitary as possible. Every year, we look forward to the new knowledge we will gain so we can pass it along in what we do!

We understand that it can feel a little frustrating when you try to make an appointment somewhere only to find out the business will be closed for a few days. However, when we close for trade shows, please remember that we are going so we can provide the very best for your pets!

Trade shows aren’t the only places we learn though. In this day and age, everything you ever wanted to know about anything at all is available with just a few clicks of a mouse. YouTube is a great source for learning, though you do have to take any information gained with a small grain of salt since there is no way to really know a person’s actual qualifications and background. Even keeping this in mine, there are innumerable videos on tips, tricks, and techniques on everything from how to shave a reluctant poodle’s feet to how to achieve a perfectly layered yorkie style head in under 10 minutes. There are product reviews to watch. There are handling tips. There are just plain fun grooming videos of happy dogs and happy groomers!

Books and magazines play a role in a groomer’s continued education as well although these tools might contain out of date information almost as soon as they hit the shelves. The world moves so fast now that print can hardly keep up! However, printed books about breed standards and proper breed cuts will always have a place on a groomer’s book shelf. Many magazines will contain more product and tool reviews that can be referenced later on. Some will even have step-by-step guides for certain cuts or techniques that can be handy to have nearby!

We will never consider our education to be complete. There will always, always, always be new things to learn, new places to learn them, and wonderful new people to learn from. As we learn new things, we will be sure to bring them home to our little salon in order to create the best grooming experience possible for your furry friends!

Hema-What Now?

**This week’s educational blog will contain talk of blood and injuries. Though it will not be graphic and I will not include graphic pictures, if these things bother you, you might want to skip it!**

Hematoma. It is a word you have probably heard groomers, and maybe even your own doctor, use from time to time. It is often accompanied by a brief explanation of what a hematoma is. Many people still have questions though! So today, we are going to dive into what a hematoma is, how they form, what their relationship to grooming is, and how we can treat, or preferably, prevent them from happening.

What is a hematoma? By definition, a hematoma is a collection of blood outside of the blood vessels. In a way, it is similar to a bruise, however, a hematoma is much more serious. Bruises are caused by small breaks in small blood vessels which lead to minor leakage and the classic black/blue/purple/yellow discoloration of the skin. A hematoma is a much larger break in the larger blood vessels. This can lead to a pooling of the blood in the area near the break. Instead of turning into that classic nasty bruise, the skin will often be red and may appear to be inflamed. Many times, a hematoma is a serious issue that needs medical attention and sometimes even surgical drainage.

So how do hematomas form? What causes those blood vessels to break? In both humans and animals, they can be caused by injury. Generally, there has been some sort of trauma in the area. This can be caused by something like a car accident or a fall. They can also occur during things like blood draws, especially if the patient is on any sort of blood thinners or has an underlying medical condition.

When we talk about hematomas in grooming, they are generally caused by matted fur. The ears on floppy eared dogs are the most common place for hematomas to develop. When their ears mat up, the blood flow becomes restricted due to the skin being pulled tightly. As the groomer shaves off the mats, the blood rushes back in. This rush is not what causes the hematoma to form however it is a major contributing factor. As the blood rushes back in, the dog’s ear will then start to feel weird. Imagine your foot has been asleep for so long that you have gotten used to that tingly sensation. Suddenly, the sock that is too tight and causing the sensation is pulled off. Now you have the pins and needles feeling. You can’t help but twitch your foot around, trying to make it go away! The dog feels much the same way. They begin to shake their heads, often violently, literally trying to shake the sensation away. As their now super sensitive ears flap around, they smack against their own heads, causing further damage to an already compromised area. The blood vessels in the ears begin to pop through the combined centrifugal force and the blunt force trauma. This blood then either pools in the ear, causing a pillowy swelling, or it breaks through the flap at the tip of the ear and leaks out. This causes further irritation, causing the dog to shake it’s head even more. Neither scenario is one a groomer or owner wants to see!

In a non-grooming setting, hematomas can occur for a number of other reasons. The dog may have suffered from some sort of injury to their ears. They may have gotten water in their ears and have been trying to shake and scratch it out. They may also have an ear infection, mite, or flea infestation that is bothering their ears, causing them to shake their heads around. While it is not as common, even dogs with pricked ears like German Shepherds and Chihuahuas can suffer from hematomas. Cats can also develop hematomas as well!

How can we prevent hematomas from forming? It is a simple yet complicated task really. The simplest way to make sure your dog never ends up with a hematoma is to make sure their ears are as healthy as possible. Check their ear canals frequently for any signs of build up or strange smells. Yes, you should know what your dog’s healthy ear smells like! Strange odors can be the first indication of an infection. Treating an infection early can prevent a whole host of problems further down the road! Watch for excessive scratching of the ear and ear canal along with head shaking. These can also be an indication that something is wrong. Keep long-haired dogs’ ears brushed and combed to the skin. If you have trouble keeping up with longer ears, ask your groomer to style the ears shorter. Many long haired dogs look absolutely adorable with fluffy heads and short or shaved ears! This might be an option for your pup, especially if they enjoy running wild outside and come back with the whole world tangled in their ears!

At TLC Pet Services, if we think any matting on your pup’s ears might be tight enough to cause a hematoma to develop, we are going to ask you to consult with your vet for safe removal. We want everyone to be as safe as possible! If we do elect to shave off mats, there are still steps we will take. First of all, any shaving is done slowly, often in stages. By shaving the ear a third at a time, it gives the blood flow a chance to return slowly, lessening the risk of excessive shaking. Secondly, we will shave any matting off before be bathe your pup. This way, as soon as they are in the tub, we can rinse their ear flaps with cool water to help lessen the uncomfortable sensations. A towel or Happy Hoodie may then be wrapped around your pup’s head to hold the ears close to them. The light pressure from the wrap will further aid in the slow return of blood flow along with preventing them from flapping their ears all around. Thirdly, if at any point we feel that there is a risk of the dog shaking their head and developing something, we will not hesitate to wrap their head, give you a call, and ask you to please come take them to the vet! While a hematoma is generally not life threatening in most cases, early treatment will be best for faster healing and a better cosmetic outcome.

How are hematomas treated? Always consult your vet if you think there is anything wrong with your pets! In the case of a hematoma, the vet may take one of a few treatment routes. They may wait and see what happens if the hematoma is small. Sometimes, small pockets will reabsorb over time and require no further treatment. The vet may opt for drainage and placement of a drain tube to keep the area from refilling while it heals. If it is a large hematoma or it continues to reoccur after drainage, the vet may suggest the surgical option of opening the area, removing any clots, and finding and closing up any leaks to prevent further filling. The entire area is then sutured down, sometimes using buttons, to help the skin reattach and lay properly on the dog’s ear.

We strongly believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you are concerned about your pup’s ears matting up between grooms, let us know! We would rather modify Fluffy’s hairstyle now to prevent any problems than find out she has been to the vet three times because she developed a hematoma that just won’t go away!

How We Handle Nervous Nellies

Not every dog loves leaving the comfort of their home to come see the groomers. Sometimes, these dogs don’t like to leave the comfort of their homes for anything! While we all picture a happy-go-lucky, head-out-the-window, tongue-flapping-in-the-breeze dog when we think of taking our canine companions on a road trip, this isn’t always the case. (I live with two dogs who hate the ride but love the destination! Go figure!)

Nervous dogs exist. Some are nervous to the point of needing meds to help them through their daily lives while their people work with them to accept the world around them. Others can just be a little anxious when things change. All Nervous Nellies deserve a little extra kindness and understanding, which we definitely provide!

Most dogs will act like a nervous wreck when they walk into the salon. They are in a place they have a serious love/hate relationship with. They love seeing the groomers. They love the extra attention they get. They love how they feel afterwards. But then there is the bath, the kennel, the dryer, and the actual haircut process that they might not care for as much. Don’t even talk to them about nail clips! It is not uncommon for your pets to shake, shiver, and hide behind you when you drop them off. They play it up for their parents! They make it look like this is the most horrible place you possibly could have brought them too, maybe even worse than the V-E-T! However, as soon as you leave, most dogs will do a complete 180. They whine and cry as you walk out and down the steps. As soon as you are out of sight, the fussing stops, they turn to look at us, and they say “Hey! Hi! How are you?! I missed you!”

There is a small group of dogs who don’t have this turn around though. They might not fuss quite as much as when you are in the lobby, but they still act quite nervous even though they have been in to see us a dozen times. What do we do with these Nervous Nellies?

Well, we treat them much the same as we do every other dog! Nervous dogs need to learn to have confidence in themselves and in the world around them. Many times a nervous dog is not one that has been abused or had a bad experience with a groomer in the past. It is a dog who has been under-socialized. They didn’t get key experiences at the right times during their development. Or it could be that they suffer from chronic anxiety and depression just the same as many humans do. By not coddling them, cooing at them, and baby talking them, we can slowly start to help them know that grooming is no big deal!

Wait. Why no baby talk and extra cuddles? Isn’t that going to help the dog feel more secure?

Yes and no. There is no hard and fast answer. For some dogs, and extra snuggle will make them feel safe and sheltered. Other dogs will feel restricted and trapped. High pitched baby talk can have a similar effect. Some dogs will react positively because it is something they are used to at home and associate with good things. Others might associate high voices with small children which might make them even more nervous. Some dogs will also view this sort of treatment as a positive reward for acting fearful. They shake, they get extra attention. They cry and jump at their mom’s ankles, they get picked up and snuggled. Dogs are incredibly smart and can very easily manipulate humans into giving them what they want! While it is not entirely possible to reinforce the fear the dog might be feeling (rewarding fear does not make for a more fearful dog), rewarding the behaviors does mean that the dog will likely continue showing them!

Nervous dogs will always be handled with care and consideration. If they react in a truly nervous manner to anything such as the clippers being turned on, their feet being picked up, or even the grooming loops being put over their head, we step back and modify what we are doing. Nellie hit the roof when we turned on the clippers? We turn them off, distract her with a few pets and ear rubs, then turn the clippers on further away while also giving her positive attention. Now the clipper noise can be associated with good things like ear scratches! We might turn the clippers off and let Nellie sniff them, showing her that there is nothing to be scared of before moving them away and turning them on again. After a few repeats, most dogs will figure out that there is nothing to worry about. If Nellie tries to yank her paws away from us, we hold them gently while talking softly to her. We rub and massage her paw. As soon as she stops pulling, we let go and tell her she is a good girl. We don’t want to teach her that yanking away fearfully is going to give her what she wants. We want her to know that calm behavior is better! If putting her head through the loops causes her to panic, we will pick her up for a moment until she calms down and then put the loop over her while we hold her. She gets the reassurance she needs while we can put on the needed equipment to keep her safe.

Things like the bath and dryer can be hard for even the most well adjusted dogs. Being nervous by nature, Nellie is likely to have problems with one or both of them! We adjust the water temperature, pressure, and sprayer settings until we find something she will tolerate. It could be the shower setting and warmer water or the soaker setting with cooler water. If it takes an extra minute to rinse her because she doesn’t like higher water pressure, so be it. We can always start low and raise the pressure slowly until it is at a rate that makes it quicker and easier to wash her coat. Nerves for the dryer can be reduced by placing cotton balls in her ears, wrapping her head in a happy hoodie, using only one dryer engine, or just not using the dryer at all! While the high velocity dryer makes drying faster and makes the final groom look better, if Nellie is that nervous and fearful about it, we will just skip that step. We can let her dry in a kennel with a fan or kennel dryer and then fluff her up with our smaller stand dryer before her final cut.

Speaking of kennels, what if Nellie hates to be kenneled? What do we do then? Again, there are a few options we will try. First of all, we have two main types of kennels we use. One is the kennel bank which has solid sides, top, and back with a wire grate floor. These kennels have wire front doors so the dogs can see out but not to the sides and back. Some dogs prefer these as they feel safer and more secure in a “den.” The second type of kennel we have is wire crates. These are the crates with a solid tray on the bottom but open wire sides and tops. Some dogs feel better about being able to see all around them so they know what is going on. If we put Nellie in a wire kennel and she panics, we might try placing her in the kennel bank just to see if she feels better. Some dogs like to have a towel to sit on. We can arrange that too. If neither of those options work, depending on the day, we can try placing her in an exercise pen in the grooming area with us. This is made from just wire panels. It is larger than a kennel and has not top on it. Some dogs like it. Some dogs don’t because they are still enclosed. If none of these options work, we will talk to you about doing an express type groom where we groom Nellie straight through without stopping. This type of groom only works if she accepts either the HV dryer or the stand dryer though!

A nervous dog might also benefit from being groomed on a quieter day. While we cannot ever guarantee what days will be quiet and which days won’t, we can at least make more of an effort to not book dogs we know to be barkers on days with dogs we know to be nervous. In other words, we will make an effort to try! If Nellie’s appointments are pre-booked, it will be even easier to control who is there with her. She might benefit from being the first dog of the day or one of the last. We will always make the effort to figure out what works best for her!

While we modify our techniques for each dog, we will always make an extra effort for nervous dogs. We want them to know that the grooming salon is nothing to be worried about. They might take a little extra time, require a few extra breaks, or even require frequent, short visits to get used to it all, but we will always make every effort to help them feel happy and confident through the entire process!