BC

There is no harm in doing the spaniel clip yourself. You could use a single or double speed clipper, Wahl KM2 or single are quite good. To get the knots from under the arms, you will need to take this very short with a 10 blade, just under the armpits, groin, bum, and a little cricket pitch under the tummy from navel down to groin. If you like the spaniel clip you can use a 7 blade on the top. Also, get yourself a good pair in Wahl scissors just to trim the skirt to a lovely even finish, and to reduce thickness, try a pair of thinning shears. Just with Mia, you will need to keep up the brushing a bit more to ensure no knots form, so try and give her a good going over every day with a good comb. When you clip a cav off entirely, it does change their appearance a lot. They have quite skinny legs with thicker set feet, and the coat can just grow back thicker and heavier, without the nice cavvie wave. I do have clients that get to clip their cavvies off entirely all year round, as they cannot cope with the hair at all.

I prefer not to clip cavvies coat but I do if required by the client and they understand what they will look like and what will happen to the coat afterwards. Many people still request it though. Some clients I will just use thinning shears on to reduce the thickness of the coat. I also like a spaniel clip on a cavvie, when the top is clipped off very short and a lovely skirt is left. Depends on what you mean by clipping as to what equipment you will need.

Basic obedience is started here at 8 weeks, or when puppy comes home. Just basic and fun stuff though. If your puppy is doing what its told without force from you, great

thanks i will try them as well. have you got your car insured for business use ? i just got a quote and it has double my normal car insurance price No, my car is just insured as normal.

I use hotdog or cheese normally, but I know of a friends dogs who go bonkers over bags of Goodo !!!

I use AMP and covers liability, trailer and equipment etc. I pay around $550.00 per year.

I dont know little Midget Guts but love him to bits !!!! and I cant imagine him liking a wet bot bot. Good on you for going. Its great to try and experience everything. Wet, cold, windy, dusty, hot etc Its your first one under your belt and you will feel better each time, and the more ring exposure for Midget Guts the better.

Shake hands (both hands) Wave (both hands) Holding objects Hide and seek with an object ( I will hide a toy in the dogs bean bag, or behind the curtains etc, then ask them to find it and bring it back)

I could possibly get flamed, but it is true. Its hard work with a lying down dog I dont envy you trying to stand a 30kg every 5 even more funny cos it's your dog !!!!! oh well, at least he is comfortable.

I always hold the dogs muzzel (hand around the dogs entire snout), or hair on the side of their mouth or chin to groom faces, even if the dog is well behaved. It gives me more control and I would hate for them to move suddenly and for me to then cut them. It is not cruel, and is a very common hold for groomers to use. Puppies can take a bit longer but I just persevere. I might try and hold a puppies muzzel 30 times, before they settle down, but they generally do settle, and you will find certain dog react better to different holds. Some are more comfortable with you holding the hair on the side of the mouth, or the hair under their chin, and others prefer you to hold the entire muzzel. I also do Warley said, hold the hair on the face if I need to. It is about control and being able to move the dog into the position you need, and once the dog is knows it is not going to hurt them, they settle down and will allow you to manouver them with ease. I will only actually put a muzzell on a dog if it is just down right aggressive. Nipping etc, I dont care, I will just hold the dogs mouth shut, but actual aggression requires more restraint around the mouth. And NicoleL is right with holding them in the stand. After you have held it for a few minutes, you will feel the dog relax and stand in the position itself. Also, from a groomers point of view, dont teach your dog to lie down. It is very frustrating trying to groom a dog who continuously lies down. Try and teach your dog to stand, even if it at least to do its back end, then they can sit while you're doing the front. You can do all brushing while the dog is standing. To brush armpits, just lift the dogs front legs out front and then slightly to the side, groin, lift your dogs back legs up like they're cocking their leg, and tummy, lift dog up by 2 front paws.

Dont use the skip tooth until you are very confident in knowing what you're doing. They are a chunkier blade, with what looks like ever second tooth is missing. They can do damage if you use them incorrectly, due to the skip tooth skin can easily get between the teeth and slice open if used on the incorrect angle. They are normally used on the initial clip, prior to the bath, or to get under very matted hair. I would go an F blade, eg 5F#, which is a finishing blade and leaves a lovely smooth finish. Usually a groomer would use a skip tooth on the initial clip for example, wash and blow dry the dog, then finish the groom off with an F blade to get a smooth finish. I will only use a skip tooth if I need to, otherwise I use and F blade for the entire groom.

Well, fill us in !!!!

Dont go a 10#, it will look pretty much to the skin. Shortest I go on an oodle is 5# This is short, but they are still a tad scruffy. I would suggest a 3# or 4#, nice summer all over clip.

Thanks everyone, I feel really positive about it now. I'm gunna give it a go Helps if I have a pup first. Hopefully by the end of October I'm going to see some 3 week olds on Sunday.

I think I know what you are talking about. You see it a lot in BYB malts and shih tzus. They do look like ballerinas, like their standing with their heels together and toes open and their entire leg is a very slight S shape. I have been told once it is caused from bad breeding (why you see it so much in malts and shih's), but I really cannot comment as I have no experience in that field and I'm not sure where you got your pap from. As wylie said it could be a number of things, possibly nutritional, in which a breeder would be able to tell you how to try and straighten the front.

Coopers instinct is very very strong. I can call him off, but I could never get it out of him if I tried. His sole purpose when he is inside is to herd the cats. It keeps him busy all night. He never nips and the cats just ignore him and keep doing whatever it is they do, so I normally just let him go. I chanel his energy into obedience etc, and I will be herding with him one day, but I just manage it. If someone is coming over, and I dont think they will appreciate his herding, or if he is just driving me insane, I will put him in his crate with a pig ear to chew on, and he calms down heaps. Just something you will always need to manage as you will never stop this behaviour. As the kids get older just make sure they know what to do if the herding kicks in. They are not to run, and then you can put CK away if things get a little out of hand.

Cooper does not have regular visits at the moment, but that is due to the level of obedience he is at. Once he starts jumping etc, then yes, he will be going for regular visits just to make sure everything is in working order. I much rather do this than have an underlying injury, I am not aware of until it is that painful it actually shows, which means him being out of action for a while, which he would not like very much at all

Thanks, I was thinking to get my bitch used to different collars etc, for obedience and showing, and of couse different cues. The dogs I was working with the other night, are cued by the word "gait" and the word "stand" but with a pointed finger above their head with the right hand. They are very different signals to the ones I use in obedience so I am sure I will be able to train both. Lets see how I go could be a complete disaster.

I dont know a whole heap about them, but I do groom a samoyed who gets them on and off during the year. Poor thing, she normally has about 3 on her at once, ouch !!!! The vets apparently advised to change her diet , (I think she had to feed her more fish) and it seemed to clear them up within a few weeks. Other on DOL will know more about the diet change and how it actually prevents hot spots.

Anyone who does both show and obedience, do you train your dogs in both disciplines at the same time, eg, from when they're a puppy, or do you wait until the showing is done and then you concentrate on obedience. I ask the question, as my new puppy will be doing both, and after doing some practise with my friends older show dogs the other night, they do contradict each other. Eg, when gaiting you need them away from you and in front, and in obedience you obviously want them close. Different stand signals and positions etc. I am keen to do both at a very young age, and am confident I can train my bitch to understand the difference but just wondering what others do ?

I'm in waves. Sometimes I will go every weekend for a month, then nothing for a month. My next trial is the Royal Melbourne 20th September, so we have a break until then. Even if I'm not entered I will still go sometimes to support friends. I will PM you with a good website so you know when they're all on.

Oh, thats his name. I see him everywhere and he is a clown A real big fluff ball. He thought Cooper was pretty interesting in the stays on Sunday and was giving him the eye, but Cooper chose not to talk Lucky for me. He missed his sit stay in the second trial so NQ, and I have no idea how he went in the first. I'm sure he got all of his stays in the first one so hopefully he passed I really hpoe he did cos I see him everywhere and I think he deserves a title now.

I used to put my left leg under Coopers tummy so he could not sit down and it would hold him in position, or gently touch under his tummy with my left hand. Doing this i had to first of all use my right hand as the "stand" signal, but when it was very solid, I changed it to a left hand signal right in front of his face. This signal also stops him in his tracks so he cannot creep forward. Not a very technical way of doing things, but this is how I taught him.

I would break a stay if I felt my dog was in the firing line. My last trial in the sit stays, Cooper was being eye balled by the black russian next to him. Luckily Cooper is a snob, and glanced over, and then pretty much put his back to the dog. The other dog then lost interest which made me comfortable with the situation. However, if I felt that there was going to be a possible problem, I would have no hesitation in breaking the stay and signalling Cooper over to me. I rather that then having a possible incident and having to retrain Cooper in his stays. Also in reagrds to correcting in the ring, I dont do it, but I know others do. Coopers punishment is being put back in the car or the crate with no reward. When he's done well, he gets treats and play time. If he has been really silly and not concentrating at all, he gets put away with nothing. I will then take him aside later on and do some work with him, a quick heeling pattern etc, and if he has done the right thing, I apply the same rewards as if he did a good job in the ring, even though we would've already stuffed the trial :D But he learns that certain behaviour gets rewarded and silliness doesn't.

If the judge does not say halt just keep walking until they tell you to