becks

I really don't see the problem with trimming pups from the time they have finished their puppy jabs. Is it just with 10 clip offs you have a problem with? Maybe you have seen poor coats because the owners are just not capable of looking after the coat properly? Just think how many show dogs are clipped from being babies!!

fine to go out for walks now, the wound is healed over so sholdn't cause a problem

i was going to say vaseline just before you feed the dog so they aren't thinking about what you have just put on their nose and don't lick it off

I thought kelp was more for winter nose, rather then trying to put pigment where there isn't any??

now i've heard everything

you need to get him used to spending time away from you from the very start, think how upset he and the neighbours will be if he is just dumped outside all day and ends up howling the whole time! Is he used to the run? Do you feed him in there, play games in there? Pop him in there when you are in the garden putting the washing out or whatever? What do you do with him now if you need to nip out to the shops?

depends how bad it is and if she would leave it alone. being crated she may be more inclined to chew off a bandage and then get at the foot? Hard to say when you can't see the dog or know what they are like!

Can't you get to try them out at a show? Our show stands usually have a selection of different makes that people can try for themselves to see how hot and powerful they get

best to cut the hanging part off before she catches it and pulls it off. You may want to muzzle her if it is likely to be painful for it to be trimmed or get the vet/vetnurse to do it for you.

My own dogs all lie on their back to have the toe nails clipped, the small ones lie on my lap. I trim them every few weeks from being a small puppy and they are used to it, no stress for anyone! OP, if your dog is nervous around strangers perhaps you should also work on getting more socialisation done with people she doesn't know?

2 from the same litter can work if they are different in temperament, the closer they are in size, age and temperament then the more likely they are to fall out over things. Do make sure they regularly spend time apart when you can groom, walk and play with them without the other one getting involved, they will need to learn some independence from each other.

Has she had a thyroid test? She had a season that lasted a day?? Is this normal for her line for a first season? I would be looking at things that affect the sex hormones.

I really neglect my blades, they are very rarely oiled but they work well and rarely need sharpening, they are used in the shop and on my show dogs. My one rule is not to clip off dirty dogs, if I get a long coated or a matted dog, it will get trimmed off shorter with an older pair of scissors into a rough version of the finished result. Blades get sharpened about every 12 -18 months

In that case, the 3 pairs of scissors I mentioned should be just what you need. It would be worth having someone show you how to do the basics before you let loose on the dogs.

thornit powder is the old remedy for this - try a google for it, not sure if you would have it in Oz?

It doesn't matter if it is a hard plastic crate or a wire one, i have a wire crate made to fit the shape of my car, the dogs and any pups travel in their without any problems. Just so long as the crate is secure in the car and isn't going to fly off the seat if you brake sharpish. I would just avoid the fabric crates as the pee soaks right through!!

When i pick a puppy up it travels in the crate in the back of the car - it is the safest way for them to travel. If you bump the car, pup isn't going to get thrown forward and the pup isn't going to overheat like they can on a persons lap.

I like the Roseline scissors, cheap enough not to panic if you drop them, they sharpen up well and keep and edge for a long time if you only work on clean coats. Scissor of choice is the 7.5 inch which does malts, westies, cockers etc they are also fine for bigger dogs, will just take you a little longer Thinning scissors - i prefer the double ones as they cut more and get the job done faster small scissors which i keep for trimming under the feet and chopping the clumps of poo from a dogs bum - 2 things where you don't want to take much off in one go. If you are going to add to the collection, then think about bigger scissors and curved ones but the 3 mentioned above will keep you going until you have the funds or need to increase your collection. Will you be hiring a groomer? As scissors are a personal thing, you may find they would bring their own scissors anyway. If not, then you should do a course on grooming and see what suits you before you start to trim other peoples dogs. (sorry if i have missed you already ansered)

I do a couple with a 10 or reverse 7f, wouldn't go any shorter then that though.

Fleas Anal Glands Worms are the 3 main reasons for chewing on the base of the tail

i wondered where the poll was! my guys get royal canin and a local brand mixed in with whatever they have won recently

Both have their uses, I groom a ruby Cav, he has the ferminator on his body to pull out the excess paler undercoat and the coat king is useful for thining out his bushy bum.

furminator - removes dead coat by the roots, better for finer coats coat king - cuts the coat, good for thinning a coat

I regularly use a whitening shampoo on my black dogs, they come up a lovely shade of black!!

Yes, it is done to achieve the correct shape, eg if your dog has a dip in the back, this section would be stripped out a week ahead of the area around it, so the hair growing back would have an extra bit of length in that area to fill in the gap. Sides of the neck are shorter to show off the length and crest of neck etc etc. As Micci is a pet then it will make no difference. It is easy to learn to maintain the coat yourself, if you have 5-10 minutes free a couple of times a week to just rake through the coat to remove excess undercoat (though I do this with a dog sat on my lap on the sofa while watching something good on TV!) and then just brush up the hard coat and pull out a few hairs then move on to the next section, so you are just removing a few of the longest hairs. The pepper and salt mini in my signature has been in a stripped show coat since he was stripped at 3 months old, he is now 13 months old and will be stripped out in december (so that he will be at his best for Crufts and the schanuzer puppy of the year competition) not becuase he particularly needs to be stripped. He will not be taken down to bare skin. The problem with getting someone else to strip the coat in sections is that if you leave more then 7 -10 days between sections you will get a noticable line between the 2 areas. If you want to find out more about the technical side, have a look at the Britmor mini schnauzer site http://members.aol.com/msbritmor/index.html there are sections about how to strip and clip the coat.