becks

It is a good idea to strip your dog if you want to maintain the colour, the more undercoat you can remove the better. You can even strip the top of the head, throat and ears to keep the colour darker, it may not be the jet black it should be but will look a lot better then if clipped. For a pet, you don't need to section strip like showdog suggested, you can just let the coat 'blow' ie get to a long length and then it is easier to pull the whole lot out (he'll just look like a yeti for a while as the coat grows). Stripping down to bare skin will minimise the amount of faded undercoat growing back, though if he was shown it would count as a coat fault, as they should have some undercoat in there. Or with a little work each week you can keep him looking smart in coat for a long time. I prefer to keep all my dogs stripped, even the retired dogs and overall I would say they are easier to keep then having to bath and clip them every 6-8 weeks to keep them smart

I have a permanently stuffed back thanks to grooming! I've had a slipped disc operated on as an emergency!! The remainder of the disc is now very thin and this is causing more problems on a daily basis - I need a new job!!

Should be fine as long as the personalities match well. All mine live together and there are more then 3!! Just make sure you have the girls desexed before you get the pup, unless you want them to breed! Some male minis can be very forward in chasing the girls

I would stick with the 5f, you don't want the sun getting to his skin and burning it, perhaps just clip a bit more often?

Considering it is a 4# blade, I wouldn't risk using it with a broken tooth. Keep the top plate though, you never know if it will come in handy. Time to start saving again and remember next time to mention the F part of the name!

I also use the doggyman slickers on my own dogs, though the dogs in the salon with mats get the universal slicker on them as it is stronger and can cope better. You need to brush the hair by section so you aren't digging in deep and scratching the dogs skin. Comb - my fave is the Resco, the one with extra deep teeth. Has a smooth finish, rounded teeth and is deep enough to get into thick coats to fluff them up or just to check for mats.

You'll do fine!

Does this mean Zig is fully fit for the royal now??

Better safe then sorry though!

I always think it smells like milk and piddle

My pups are on 4 meals a day until about 3-4 months old. But everyone is different! If your pup looks well with what you are feeding, then don't worry!

My puppy classes have often had shy cavies at the start, by the end of the 10 weeks they are usually happy to socialise with all the other dogs. The only one that didn't come out of her shell had an owner who would constanlty make a fuss of the dog everytime another approached and so they reinforced the nervousness of their pup

8 weeks is a good time for a mini to go, though ones that have left me at 9 or 10 weeks have had better manners and no problems with things like play biting. Having those extra couple of weeks with the family and an experienced 'owner' can reallly bring on the pup. Don't worry about bonding with the puppy, if they have the right temperament you will bond with them at any age! I bought one in at 4 months and he is an absolute love!

Sorry? Why 2 10#blades??

Probably for me the 2 most used blades are a 10 and the 7f (which when used against the coat growth gives the same length as a 10) for winter when owners want a bit more coat left on then the 5f gets used more. For a cute and fluffy cut I use the 3f and then neaten over with scissors. If you have good scissor work you can get by with fewer blades. Could you find a salon to take you on as an apprentice?

I agree, give her another bath and keep a look out for fleas

Just decrease the meals by a small amount until she gets to the correct weight (can't say how many kg as this will depend on the build, height, bone your dog has). Rather then aim for a particular weight, go for a healthy body shape.

The yellow stain on the dog is probably due to him peeing on his belly - hence the smell

I'm curious why you don't just feed the junior food? The best people to answer your question would be Royal Canin, especially one of the reps, I find them very honest over what would be the best option for your dog (and not just repeating what it says on the back of the bag!!)

On just chicken wings? Or on anything chicken? Or any raw bones? You might have to try a few things to work out what doesn't suit this dog. Just the raw chicken wings, he gets boiled chicken as a training treat. Nothing else seems to affect him that way - but I have never progressed to trying any other raw food with him after that reaction. He's not an easy dog to keep weight on.

Just wondering if anyone has a dog who gets diarrhoea when they feed their dog chicken wings? My dogs get them as a treat but one suffers with 'explosive bum syndrome' a few hours later

You weren't that different and each breed and litter has some variety!

*when do they open their eyes usually from about 10 days onwards, thought my vet did a c-section on a bitch recently and one of the pups had the eyes already open!! *start walking around - my litter is now 4 weeks old and they are walking properly, it has taken a couple of weeks to learn the balance and that wagging your tail makes you fall over! *start showing personalities From 4 weeks onwards the personalities start to show more and more

You don't kiss the hairdresser after just licking your bum!

every few weeks depending on what they have been doing, exercise wise and if there is a show coming up. Use nail clippers, same as I do on the dogs I groom