Blue Fox 001

Thanks Spot I have seen the Black Dog ones advertised - think I will get one and have a go. Unfortunately being the middle of pretty much nowhere I do not have anyone to help so I will be muddling on by myself, this is why I love to read as much as possible and as Tess said get some good theory behind the practice. When you don't have someone to watch and tell you whats going wrong you well and truly need the theory.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Can anyone suggest a good book? I am currently just surfing the net, and getting lots of info but I do love a good book The new one won't be here till after mid year so I have lots of time to learn and perhaps use the old GSD as my guinea pig for some training for me - he is very accommodating in this respect dear old man.

I hope this isn't too silly a question but I'm going to ask anyway ! I have been reading a lot about clicker training as we hope to get a new pup later this year and I'm a little confused . I trained my GSD (a few years ago now) by the old fashioned way eg. positioning with treats then saying sit and rewarding, teaching to heel on a check chain with treats and rewarding when he got it right, and checking when he didn't. Calling come while on lead, running backwards and rewarding him when he got it right (you get the picture ) While he is not an obedience champion (although was never trialled so perhaps he could have been) he is a well adjusted, intelligent and obedient canine citizen and a joy to take places. He has a solid recall, only has to be asked once for all commands etc.. After reading quite a bit about clicker training I am wondering if I just got lucky with him? Is clicker training that much better than the old way (or my way )? I am happy to try some thing new (new to me anyway) for the new pup if the general consensus is that clicker is the way to go, or could I just go with the way I know? To a novice the clicker triaing seems a little confusing - you click for just about everything, how does the dog know what behaviour is being clicked for without a verbal cue? I still have a lot more to read so perhaps I am jumping the gun and need more education. Your thoughts most appreciated as always. Apologies about the long post but I wanted to try and explain myself as best I can

I read quite a good thread about these collars not long ago, didn't know they existed and they sound like the way to go IMO. I have not used one but the hearache felt by those who have lost dogs through strangulation is a powerful reminder not to leave collars on dogs unattended.

I would ask for any break to be pinned, plated or screwed right from the word go. I have seen (former vet nurse) many successful breaks fixed with various bits of metal and the results are in almost all cases more successful then plaster. The final product is more stable and gives the dog the very best chance of successful healing. The only exception I would say is a fast growing pup and even then in some instances the results are better than plaster.

Yikkeees glad I could get away with a single tank one - I don't think I could have convinced the OH to spend that much It seems like a lot of $$$ difference between single and dual tanks.

I bought my Perfect Paws one just before Xmas and it was only $2,600. It's a single tank, auto rinse, two doors, wheels (pretty much all the bells and whistles). My understanding is that Hydrobaths Australia is in liquidation (there is a thread on here somewhere about it), I would perhaps do quite a bit of research before you part with any money there. I think poodlemum is still having problems with them.

Yes they are exactly the same tool only the width of the blade differs. I have used the cats one on the shepherd and vice versa depending on how much area I want to cover with the one stroke. They work a treat, I was amazed and to be honest a little embarrased at the amount of fur I got out of the shepherd the first time we used it. Edit to add - I bought mine from the US heaps cheaper even with postage. Although when they got here the quarantine people had opened the box, so they must have thought it could have been suss, but it still got to me no problem.

Thanks for the replies. I did tell the owner that I would be happy to try with him, and maybe away from Mum he might be a little easier to handle. The gunk apparently isn't from his eyes, it is something he has rolled in/wiped on his face with his paw. I have advised her to take him to the vet this time if she is unable to remove it herself by soaking it and then clipping/scissoring off (we don't have all our gear yet and no where to do it as well). Thanks again for the help - you guys are so helpful.

I had a request yesterday to tidy up a Malt who apparently has gunk on his face. Now the unfortunate thing (apart from the fact that I can't cause we're not set up yet!) is that apparently he bites and needs to be muzzled! Obviously one of the traditional muzzles would not let me get to his face to remove said gunk. I remember we use to use a stretchy bandage at the vets on some, but for the life of me I can't remember how effective they were especially on a SWF. Any groomers have suggestions on how to tackle this one? While I won't be doing him this time I expect he will be back once we're open. Cheers

Hi Snoozie - betadine can slow down healing so I would not use it in this instance. It is used for cat abcesses where u want to slow healing and keep the wound open a bit longer to allow drainage.

Thanks for that Toohey. While I don't like to second guess a vet I am inclined to agree with you. Only our family vet would perform the surgery if Mum so decides, we have complete faith in her and even though she has so much experience even she will suggest a specialist if she believes it is necessary. It really is very difficult being in the sticks I will let you know how it goes.

See that's another thing I'm a bit miffed by - if the vet could see it why wouldn't she take a biopsy to confirm what it is? Is it cancerous, just a growth - what exactly is a polyp? I am wary of the surgery beacuse of the location - lots of nerves to be damaged in that location and is it worth the risk?

I think that's what she's leaning towards - just leaving it, but she is not sure of the ramifications of that either. The vet today wasn't sure how long it was likely to have been there, and hence how fast it was growing. Our family vet is now quite a way away, but just to be sure I think Mum is going to make the trip before she decides either way.

So far none. The only reason the vet knew it was there was cause he had grass seeds in his ear. Had been staying with friends and when he came home was shaking head, so off to the vet, who removed three grass seeds from the ear and noticed the polyp. Had it not been for the grass seeds no-one would have been any the wiser.

My mum's Maltese has been diagnosed with a polyp in one of his ear canals. The vet is suggesting what sounds like a fairly radical surgery where she will go in through the side of his face to exsize (sp) it. I am wondering if anyone else has ever had a dog with this condition, did you have surgery, end results? Mum is going for a second opinion but that vet is 400km away and she's looking for some more info before she goes. The dog is 13 years old and she is concerned about apparently two lots of surgery involved in this procedure. Thanks

After reading many many posts and asking my own questions on DOL I have just ordered a Double K Airmax, I can't speak from experience as it hasn't turned up just yet, but it seemed this brand was what most people suggested for a mid range price (I paid $435 for mine). It has two motors so you can have the best of both worlds apparently. If you do a search you can have a read of everyone's opinions - there are lots of threads on this.

Of course only on advice from your vet - but I have seen many many three legged dogs and cats (former vet nurse) and they all cope very well. Someone earlier said about not putting human emotions onto the dog this goes both ways - the dog will not have any inferiority complex or embarassment about only having three legs, it is usually the owner who has a problem but obvously you won't have, and the dog will be much happier and will get around better without the hinderance of a leg which serves no function any more. JMO.

Do you want a single tank - I would prefer a rinse tank to clean the dog properly. My Perfect Paws single tank attaches to normal hot & cold laundry taps and has a rinse function as well - so you don't need twin tanks to rinse properly.

My Perfect Paws single tank autofill bath turned up last Sunday - and it looks fantastic. :cool: Marshall at Perfect Paws has been great, very helpful with all my questions as I have never used one before. The bath looks fantastic, I haven't used it yet as our barn is still being built so won't for another few months - DOH! I know alot of people on DOL recommend Perfect Paws.

Well I have done it - rang Clipperworld today and ordered my Double K Airmax dryer, and a couple of pairs of Wahl scissors - 7'" straight and 6.5" curved, as well as some more blades and Groomers Edge shampoos & conditioners. Also sent them my secondhand blades for a sharpen and tidy up. Can't wait till Easter when our kennels are built and I can finally get my hands on the local dogs I am so excited, this building caper seems to be taking forever! EDIT - Forgot to add that the Clipperworld guys are more than fantastic, I couldn't recommend them highly enough as per previous posts from DOLers. If you need anything doggie have a look at their website first cause if they have what your looking for you'd be mad not to use them for price & service.

Thanks Becks - I won't be hiring anyone, we're just a small boarding kennel that will offer basic and I emphasis BASIC trimming for dogs which need it. We have bought a hydrobath predominantly for the boarders to send them home looking beautiful and will offer bathing grooming out and general tidying up as an added extra. Definately no poodle, bicon or anything like that clips being offered here LOL. The scissors and clippers are really so I can practice on my families dogs - Mum and Aunt have Malts, and a friend has asked if I will have a go at her Cocker but these are all no charge jobs - I am not putting myself out there as a professional.

Thanks Poodlefan - I really wish I had been able to spend more time at the Royal this year, could have tried a heap then but unfortunately time was against me that day. I think I will just buy two or three of the Wahl, that'll get me by until I can see what we really need and have another opportunity to get to Adelaide to try a few. A the tyranny of distance - it's a bit of a bugger really :rolleyes:

Thanks Mel - I have a couple of the ball ended ones which I picked up from a retired groomer here in town. She was wonderful and sold me pretty much all her gear including 2 sets of clippers, blades and some scissors, but the scissors are tiny (not sure exactly what size would need to go and measure them) and not great quality. So I thought I would spend the money I have save buying from her on some good quality scissors. I thought the thinners would be good for BC, GSD those sorts of dogs with the big ruffs and trousers. Round here I think people will want them thinned out to make them more managable but not taken off completely (not that I would as I have read too many posts about clipping double coats and how bad that is ). I am flying blind really as I'm not sure exactly what we'll have coming in or what clients will ask for - just trying to make educated guesses at present.

BC do you find the Wahl sharpen up OK? They seem mid range from what I can see, I am finding it hard to justify more than $100 for a pair since I don't even know how much grooming we'll be doing let along scissoring. So far I'm looking at a 6.5 both straight and curved and an 8 straight, plus probably a pair of thinning scissors as I can see me using them a bit for BC (we have a few of round here).