Koemi

Off topic since the question has already been answered - but I didn't know you were showing Luuka, Fran! How EXCITING!! I'm very jealous! Good luck with her!!

Working Why can't these people think of the dog groomers and have stuff like this on a Sunday!!

i went through a similar experience with my Bambi when i first got her, but our situations aren't really similar enough to offer advice. She was from the pound and was a very sick dog, which the RSPCA didn't pick up on. Good luck, i hope you can figure out what is wrong soon.

i really hope you don't take this the wrong way - but may i ask why you're opening a salon if you aren't a groomer? Perhaps i've read the post wrong... If not, have you considered working in a salon to see what it's like before you commit? Grooming is quite difficult and a LOT of girls (and boys, i guess) burn out within the first two years. It looks like fun, but it's a hell of a lot of work. i'm not preaching, i swear Good luck with it!!

A lot of people don't bother researching, as has been said before. Breeds seen as 'easy care' such a small dogs are usually victim of this - look how many jrt and foxie x are in the pound. People see a small dog and assume that it will be easy to look after, freak when the dog digs, barks, doesn't toilet train itself, gets bored and eats couches. When i got Tucker, i did a lot of soul searching. He was an impulse buy from the pound, and i never saw myself owning a Jack or a cross. He was a little under two years old and INSANE! Ran everywhere, peed everywhere, his old owners hadn't bothered training him in the slightest and chucked him when they moved interstate. i adopted him because he was due to be put down that day and i'm a massive soft. He has turned into an amazing little dog, and at six years old i can't imagine how i ever lived without him, and when he goes it will shatter me into a million pieces. But i considered myself quite aware of breeds - and i was shocked! He didn't even chew or anything. Hell, he even toilet trained himself. i was ready to buy another JRT when i went looking at the RSPCA - and came home with a frigging Pap x! Once again, i was not aware of what she would be like to care for - i knew she'd need a little grooming, which i was more than prepared for, but since she was seized from a puppy farm type situation, it's been a long road and she's wrought with health issues. That's another thing - if a dog has a health issue, a lot of dog owners will dump and replace with a brand new unbroken animal, which i think is disgusting. You see a lot of adolescents in the pound, too. Pet stores and byb are obviously not going to explain that your darling little kelpie x is going to be an absolute nightmare from 4mths - 2 years if not handled correctly. i was in a PP a few months ago (we used to scout the local petstores to see what type of dogs we'd possibly be grooming in the next few months) and heard a young girl tell a woman that the working dog mix she was about to buy was easy care and didn't need any exercise! WTF. How are you meant to fight against something like that? Let alone the chi crosses that end up growing into medium or large breed dogs (how is a first time owner meant to know to look at the size of paws?) or the Labrador that ends up growing into a mastiff x. i've also heard that Samoyed x Golden Retrievers don't shed (i couldn't control myself that time and was rudely asked to leave after correcting the girl in question ).

Nutro rules! i bought a massive bag of the American one and neither of my dogs would touch it (much to my dismay - that stuff was EXPENSIVE!), but Tucker eats the Aussie lamb & rice now and absolutely loves it. Bam eats Eagle Pack Holistic because she voms when she eats anything else. T has had some skin issues in the past, but the Nutro is slowly but surely clearing all that up. It's wonderful! i'm so glad i can feed premium again. i dunnae if you have a PETStock near you, but we have a Nutro rep come in all the time and give us samples to pass out to customers, so pop in to one (or any big pet store, i guess? i know our rep does Best Friends too) and grab a couple of bags if you've not tried it on your dogs before.

If you're a member and have given them your email or mobile, you'll get a message shortly letting you know the dates

Oh, congrats on your newest family member! He looks like a total sweetie - and good to groom too?! Woman, you can NEVER let this one go! Haha.

Spikes, unfortunately PETStock won't do discounts. However, if you become a member and earn some points, you'll get a tiny discount. They (we? i guess) sell the collars and leads for less than most places, so technically you're already getting a bit of a discount. i know it's annoying, but the employees gotta eat!

Tucker has actually improved sooo much since i added Bambi to the household. He used to sit at the back gate and SCREAM until he realised i wasn't coming back. Now they both sit at the door and look mournfully out the window at me, but there's no more screaming - thank dog!

Wow, Loraine. Good on you for reporting them. The last thing rescue needs is more puppies. i'm kind of shocked that there are pounds around that rehome without desexing... what's the point of doing it at all?

My boy gets like that - last time he got his shots he had a big, angry welt on his neck for a week, and was very off-colour. Disconcerting for a JRT (cross). He's due again now but i'm of two minds to do it to him again. The only problem being that i'm going overseas in June and will probably need to board him somewhere as i don't trust my housemates to look after the kidlets.

Oh, thirded. T has fleas for the first time ever and the idea of putting spot-on on him worries me, as he always gets really mopey and raw on his neck. Jess, how do you get them to eat it with their dinner? My dogs turn up their nose at it, so if there's a way of spraying it on and killing the fleas, that would be amazing.

i feed Eagle Pack for my girl (mostly dry but a bit of wet so i can mix her powders and pills into it) and Nutro for my boy. He HATED the imported Nutro (painful, because i bought a massive bag of it), but our rep gave me some samples of the Aussie made when i couldn't afford food for them one week (that was beyond awful, thank god i'm working decent hours now) and he's danced for it ever since. i used to feed Royal Canin and they both enjoyed it, but Bam has a big problem with reflux and EP is the only food i've tried that doesn't make her throw up. They both HATED Science Diet and refused to eat it for 3 days. In the end i cracked (it was a free bag that was almost at expiry from my old job) and went back to RC. If the money isn't an issue (it was for me at the time, but now i get a staff discount on all the food), definitely give Nutro and EP a try. Is Artemis still imported? Weren't there massive problems with that food for a while? Or have they started making it in Australia now? If we ever start stocking it, i'd love to try it.

Holy crap, really?? i used to use the everyday on my Tuckyboo, but have since changed over to their oatmeal shampoo because he's itchy a lot of the time (he hasn't had any hot spots or irritations, but i made the switch regardless). i still use it on Bambi without any problems. The first salon i ever worked at used Fido's on all the dogs (unless the dogs had very sensitive skin and bought their own shampoo, or we used the oatmeal) and we never had a problem... That's so mean, Clyde! At the moment i'm using the Fuzzyard range at work and the client's feedback has been very positive. i guess i'm a bit of a hippie in that regard, i really like using the all-natural stuff! Their ear cleaner is ace! We do not stock it at work tho (Petstock) so i can't really pimp it, and usually recommend the Fidos oatmeal or the Aloveen. It can be hard sometimes... i'm sure there's a dog out there somewhere that has had a reaction to everything under the sun. Bambi vomits unless she eats one brand of food, and only one flavour. She can't stomach raw or cooked food, or anything else, and i'm so scared of the recipe being changed...

Careful of Jim's... i've heard some bad things about the quality of their shampoo. i'm not saying don't use them because i'm sure some of their operators are lovely, just... i know pugs can have very sensitive skin. i don't know if the shampoo is supplied to them or something, but if you have your own shampoo (like aloveen or fido's for example) i highly recommend asking if they can use that on your dogs instead. AND! i'm not just saying this to pimp myself, because i work in Moonee Ponds, which is quite far for you to go (unfortunately... i got my first Cav in yesterday, finally!) Good luck with it. It can be hard to find a decent groomer sometimes.

Bambi has no real issues besides barking at the door when someone's there (they both do it, but scared away a guy that stalked me a few times so i don't tell them off and they stop when i tell them to), and Tucker's only issue is that i'm too soft to train him properly. They both jump but have gotten SO much better over the past year, and both know to sit if they want a pat. Tucker pulls on the lead a little, but he knows the heel command, and when we're just out having a stroll i take him on the retractable, as he enjoys being a dog, stopping, starting, sniffing & peeing, and i don't particularly want to rob him of that little pleasure. Her recall is great, his is crap but i don't mind. If i think he's going to be in a situation where he won't listen to me, i'll put him back on the lead. Simple.

Oh Rozzie, i'm so sorry. 20 years! What an incredible life she's had. Massive cuddles to you.

i personally use Fuzzyard ear cleaner for both my dogs and my clients. i love it, it smells so nice and it's apparently all natural so less chance of irritating the dogs. As far as shampoo goes, i would keep using what you have been, Fido's is fine. i use the 'normal' shampoo on Bambi (my long coated dog) and the oatmeal on Tucker because he gets a bit itchy otherwise. Any shampoo that is soap free is fine by me!

Your poodle face is lovely, Zig Zug. Very cute dogs! You're lucky, in a way, that you have those types of dogs because if you ever decide to professionally groom you have your test subjects. This is the excuse i am making so i can get a poodle/beddie/poodle x. HAHA. What number blades are you using?

Oh... stunning dog! BEAUTIFUL! i adore Aussies, they are so pretty. i'm very jealous!

Yesss! I've got the first Bambi!

He's sooooooooooooooo cute disorder. I'm glad he's feeling better, poor little guy. And I LOVE his name.

ahhhhhhhhhh they are SOOO CUUUUTTEEE!!! Slightly biased maybe, but JRTs are the most beautifullest dogs in the entire world I am so excited for you Cosmolo !!!

Oh, what a relief! I'm so happy for you. I lost the first dog I ever bought from parvo, even before I got her home from the pound. It's heart wrenching, thank god you have been spared.