Nadia

An airforce dryer does definately help to remove the dead coat and seperate the hairs and facilitate grooming, cuts drying time way down, but it does not replace the good old elbow grease and brush and comb work. I would not be without one with a double coated breed. You do need to get the grooming under control though :rolleyes: A good stable grooming table with a non slip surface, a grooming arm if you need one and put him up there every day and do a bit until he gets used to the idea. No sooking him, be firm but kind. Do not let him win.

To owners who have had dogs die from vaccine reactions, or suffer from life threatening illness as a result, it is a big deal. Part of being a good responsible owner is to do what you believe is in the best interests of your animals, for many the risk from vaccination is too high. I know many dogs who have reacted so badly to vaccination that under VETERINARY advice they have never been vaccinated again, it all about what is best for our pets.

sonni, dogs do not have to bark all day to be accused of being a problem, and honestly if you have not been in the situation where you are afraid for your dogs lives you would not understand what some people go through. Dogs do get baited, bashed, stolen and dumped, families terrorised, because we live in a sick intolerant society. Some councils also make it so hard for people with dogs. Done correctly it does not harm the dog, if it saves a life, what is the harm??

sonni many dogs are "debarked" to save their lives. What is sick about that??? Have you ever lived in a place where dog haters throw baits over fences, and continually complain to the council until families are forced to surrender their pets, Euthanase them, or give them up??? You may enjoy the sounds a dog makes, and most dog lovers do, but the reality of the sick world in which we now live, is that those same endearing noises are classified as a nuisence under the law, and dogs do die because of it. I said in my earlier post that the most dogs that have had the procedure still have a voice, it is simply quieter. Nothing sick at all about that.

I have lived personally with at least 8 dogs that have been "debarked", the actual word is misleading because most dogs are simply toned down, not completely silenced. None of my dogs or those that have stayed here have had any health issues as a result of the procedure, and no breathing difficulties, several dogs were brachycephalic breeds and suffered no ill effects. I have seen one dog that did suffer breathing difficulties, the dog had the procedure done in a southern state prior to purchase, it did have problems, but both the Vets that I worked with at the time who examined the dog believed the dog had congenital abnormalities that by rights made it not suitable for the procedure to be performed in the first place. For many animals the procedure can in fact be a life saver, and if done correctly by an experienced Vet will not impact upon the dogs health at all. In my case the dogs still barked, they still ran around madly mouthing off, they were simply very much quieter, they thought they were barking up a storm, it had no impact on them at all.

Retained baby teeth is very common in some breeds, in fact you will often see quite older dogs with their baby teeth still in place, and their adult teeth have come through as well. The baby teeth do need to be removed to prevent problems, there is not enough room in the dogs mouth for a double set of teeth to be in place healthily. I am not condoning what the previous owners of this dog have allegedly done, but it is usual to have the retained teeth removed.

Any of the calorie controlled diets will work amazingly if that is all the dog gets, and it only gets the required amount.

Boy a lot of people jump to conclusions on this forum. The dog mentioned previously apparently died a couple of days after it had been clipped, not "in the hands of the Vet". Anything could have happend to the dog, assuming it was becasue of its recent clip is nonsense. Who said anything about the dog being sedated. In all the years of working in Vet surgerys I have never witnessed routine sedating of animals to be groomed, EVER.

Any Produce that sells horse supplements normally stocks it, or you can pick it up from your Vet, it is very cheap. I keep mine in the fridge. It is injected IM (intra muscular) slowly.

Of course it happens but not everywhere, and never in any of the places I have worked.

It doesn't matter what you do or where your work from, you will at some stage be on the receiving end of those sorts of comments. Sometimes it is simply a case of people not listening properly or only repeating half a story. Sometimes it is because a bad egg in your field has left a lasting impression. I groom at a Vet Surgery, apparently it is common knowledge that I sedate my animals and they only get radical all off Vet Clips, because that is what all Vet based Groomers do! At least once or twice a week we get a client enquiry that wants to ensure that we will not sedate their pet. Do your job to the best of your ability, work on keeping your customers happy and the good word spreads.

We are talking about baby puppies, of course many retired show dogs and adult pets are clipped off. I am questioning the need and the motive behind wanting to clip a Baby Puppy. I have been asked to clip off baby shih tzu, maltese, poodles some as young as 9 weeks old. Would it not raise questions in your mind?? Why bother with a coated breed?? Most of these pups come from pet shops so you have to wonder if much thought has been put into the initial purchase and the necessary after care of the pup. Reasons why sometimes people do not get the "CLIP" they ask for.... Badly matted coats that make it impossible to send the dog home witht he requested 4 inches of fluff. Cocker ears that clunk on the floor when clipped off, impossible to send that one home in a show clip too. Would you clip a swf off with a #30 simply so it does not leave hair around the house at night when it spends its days outside in a QLD summer. Clipped any Labs lately because they shed?? Sometimes owners ask the impossible or simply haven't a clue.

We are talking about baby puppies, of course many retired show dogs and adult pets are clipped off. I am questioning the need and the motive behind wanting to clip a Baby Puppy. I have been asked to clip off baby shih tzu, maltese, poodles some as young as 9 weeks old. Would it not raise questions in your mind?? Why bother with a coated breed?? Most of these pups come from pet shops so you have to wonder if much thought has been put into the initial purchase and the necessary after care of the pup. Reasons why sometimes people do not get the "CLIP" they ask for.... Badly matted coats that make it impossible to send the dog home witht he requested 4 inches of fluff. Cocker ears that clunk on the floor when clipped off, impossible to send that one home in a show clip too. Would you clip a swf off with a #30 simply so it does not leave hair around the house at night when it spends its days outside in a QLD summer. Clipped any Labs lately because they shed?? Sometimes owners ask the impossible or simply haven't a clue. edited because of gremlins

Why buy one of these breeds if you have no intention of maintaining its coat right from day one. Baby Puppy coats are not not that hard to maintain. They could buy a pug, similar look no coat. My concern is that these dogs do not always get lifelong care. Many owners want them also clipped off because they feel they wont cope with the heat. It takes more than a haircut to help these breeds cope with summer issues. They are cute babies, but need a committed owner. Poodle are a clipped breed. Face, feet and tails yes they clipped before they leave the breeder, often several times. Pekes are not a clipped coated breed.

For some unfortunately the $$$$$$$ generated by promoting this injection, over ride all else.

Why on earth would they want to clip a baby. If they cannot maintain the baby coat now, will they put in the hard yards to properly care for this dog for the rest of its life. There is more to keeping a Peke comfortable in hot weather than clipping it, if that is the aim. I would have to seriously question these people. I was asked last week to clip off a 13 week old maltese, because although the puppy was cute they really wanted a short haired dog!!!

YES

Either your Vet handles the truth carelessly, or he lives in a bubble.

I clipped off a 13 week old maltese today. I was pretty impressed, I am thinking of giving out awards. "Dog in the biggest mess in the shortest space of time" here's your trophy! Did a "Spoodle" on monday, I have trouble even saying that word! and it had the most disgusting ears, gross, almost lost my lunch. Owner told me 3 times when he dropped it off that it was NOT to have it's ears plucked as it was a "Spoodle" and the spaniel in it meant that the ear hair was different and was not to be plucked like a poodle, last groomer plucked it and now it has ear infections. What came out of its ears looked like a cross between Nutella and Vegimite and STINK, damm, it was bad, and that lovely squishy sound too when you moved it's ears. It had dreadies growing out of it's ears. Another one in line for a trophy! I actually used have little keepsakes on a shelf at work, a pair of Ears off a SWF of unknown breeding, I had to clip them off with a #30 and they were about 2 inches thick, solid oval ear shapes. I had a really snazzy tail off an Oddley thing, it was very impressive, if you dropped it it made a really solid sound...LOL .....I also had an entire pelt that came off a Labradoodle in one complete piece, I was actually rather fond of it, looks like a flokati mat, you could pull it and stretch it and it stayed together, and it had a lovely 4 inch pile of fluff. I also a really incredible little specimen jar that made a noise when you shook it, it had dreadies out of a poodles ears in it...LOL Good value if you took the lid off and asked the owner to sniff. An over zealous junior threw them out one day and I was really cross, they were good to show naughty clients.

;) They certainly are.

The poor dog is car sick, it happens frequently, the majority grow out of it, I have never had a Whippet that has continued with it. Buy some Travel CalmGinger tabs from the chemist or the health food aisle at the supermarket, give the dog 1 tab 30 min/45min before departure. Put an Anti Static strap on your car. Take short fun trips to fun places.

Many places that mince their own meat, off cuts and carcasses etc do not add anything to the meat. You have to use it straight away or freeze it. Pre packaged meat especially in the vacuum packs seem to the worst offenders for the preservatives.

Just wait, the old yellow legged Whippet thing does happen. Especially pretty when they have white legs. Plenty of smooth coated boys pee all over the back of their fron legs It's a boy thing, just like human boys have issues peeing into the toilet bowl

No need for panic yet, as others have said the lower jaw grows at a slower rate, after teething things often look a whole lot different. Just a question though did you tell the Breeder that the jaw was undershot, or did you describe the jaw. I would not be overly concerned if a pup of mine was OVERSHOT at that stage, UNDERSHOT is a whole different ball game.

I have to disagree that Vets should not be concerned with Grooming, many animals that need to be clipped off at the Vets are animals with skin problems and animals that are suffering skin irritations from the appalling condition of their coat and parasites. Animals that need to be sedated, like badly matted cats all have a place being clipped in the clinic. Grooming is actually an important part of maintaining the health and well being of an animal. Goes hand in hand with animal health. I did say that bad experiences could be had anywhere, but your post was very anti grooming at vet clinics in general. I am glad that you have experience with coated breeds Dogcop, but so do many other people who just happen to work within Vet Clinics. For what it is worth our clinic is not Pro annual Vaccinations either