espinay2

They do tend to eat the internal organs and large meaty sections such as the rump first, and while they will eat the stomach itself and the intestines, they generally shake most of the contents out. I saw this myself when working with wolves in the US. This was also confirmed by David Mech (considered the highest authority on wolf behaviour) last year when he conducted a seminar on the diet and feeding habits of the wolf from birth to death (as organised by a friend of mine in the US). He was particularly asked to clarify this point and stated equivocally that wolves avoided eating the stomach contents. Doesnt mean a few veggies every now and then are going to do any harm though! I simply wouldnt be concentrating too much effort on that part of the diet, but rather concetrating on other factors. My own dogs (as many of you may remember - I have spoken enough about raw diets and what I feed here ) get veggies and other healthy leftovers whenever I happen to have them or when I am getting rid of stuff in the fridge but I never really go out of my way to make special veggie meals and havent done so for many years now.

First thing to know is that grooming is not an easy job. It is dirty backbreaking work for the most part and a large percentage of the dogs you will be dealing with will be squirmers, squealers, or biters. A good degree of understanding of dog behaviour is definitely necessary so any learning you can do in this area will be valuable. Yes, grooming has its rewards, and you will have some lovely dogs to groom too, but these will also require a lot of what is often dirty messy work to get them that way. Grooming is not a glamourous job. Now, if you are truly interested in being a groomer, I suggest you start off by seeing if you can get a job as a bather in a grooming salon. The summer period is ideal for this as that is when all the once a year shavedown type jobs all come in and groomers are run off their feet. Bathing is the foundation of grooming and the most important thing for you to learn. More goes in to washing and drying and preparing a dog than you may think. Good preparation can mean the difference between a good and bad groom. By being a bather you will also find out if grooming is truly for you. If you are interested in courses, one of the best out there seems to be offered by groomers friend - www.groomersfriend.com.au . There are other past threads on this forum too which discuss courses for groomers so you may want to do a search. I also suggest you take a look at www.groomers.com and www.petgroomer.com and in particular read the message boards. They provide invaluable info to any groomer either wanna be or experienced.

If you can afford it, a professional grooming may assist in freeing up the coat a bit and make your job a bit easier. The main benefit is the drying, really. A good forced air blow dryer can get rid of a lot of the loose hair and free up the coat right down to the skin. Another thing you can use to thin out the coat is a Mars Coat King. Quite effective, but be careful not to get carried away with it. Do a few swipes then brush, then a few more swipes and so on until you get the desired thickness.

allergies seem to be the main cause. I had a dog who was very prone to hot spots, but a change to a natural diet resulted in none ever again for the rest of her life. Stress and a lowering of the immune system caused by other illnesses/infections may bring them on occasionally too, I think. Basically they are a sign that the immune system is under stress. The skin is the weakest point, so often problems manifest themselves there as the body tries to work things out of the system. Keeping the area well aerated (and shaving it if possible) and washing regularly with diluted vinegar seems to work as well as anything else I have ever tried as a treatment, and better than most.

What do you do? You gently but firmly persevere with the dog, speaking to it firmly but calmly and praising good behaviour. And if you really can't do something on the dog, you don't. And politely explain to the owner why you couldn't when they come to pick them up (all the while taking their wrath for not being able to do it even if they can't do it either) Of course the really bad ones, particularly the biters (if a muzzle isn't enough) you suggest they go to the vets to be groomed under sedation instead. Sometimes all of this is achieved while counting to 10 and muttering curses under your breath

I worked full time grooming for a few years. Really enjoyed it a lot and it was a great break from my 'other' career when I burnt out big time. The truth is however I can earn a LOT more doing other things (although I recognise now that I probably could have earned more grooming than I did - I made a lot of mistakes from a business and management point of view at the time). Medium to Long term plans for importing dogs and horses and our more immediate new house/property plans means that the extra money comes in handy. I still groom a few of my best customers because I simply enjoy doing them, but I doubt I will groom as my primary income for a long while unless I happen to win the lottery!

The thing is, they will have a few 'normal' poos and then put out another bright green one again. Poos are firm, but GREEN. They look toxic

I purchased in a weak moment some of those Greenie chews for my dogs. I have avoided them up until this point as I stick as a rule to as natural treats as possible for them (they get fed a natural diet) and barring a few treats like dried sinews, occasionally a pigs ear or jerkey type products and the occasional natural type biscuit I stay away from commecial products. Well, it is over a week later (they had them on Sat 9 July) and thismorning two of the dogs are STILL putting out bright green droppings. I have been picking up green droppings from them all off and on all week. When you consider that the natural digestion time for a dog is a matter of hours, this is horrendous. Needless to say I wont be buying them again.

Remember too that if the cause of the skin irritation is environmental, food isn't going to have an instant or total effect in helping it. I did have a dog who was badly affected by grass and pollen allergies. She used to get raw red paws, legs and stomach at certain times of the year. A switch to a raw diet did not change this in the short term, but I noticed over the long term (I think I really started to notice after 3 or 4 years) that her problems became less and less to the point where she rarely ever reacted any more. If you do think the problems are environmental, it may pay to look around and see if anything may be causing it. Where does she sleep for example? Could it be what you wash her bed in or what you use on the floor? Could itbe something you use on the grass or the grass itself? What about a plant int he garden? If the problem is food related, it will only have an effect if the food the dog is allergic to is removed. Often the problem is removed when you remove grains, preservatives and the other rubbish that is in commercial foodsand start feeding a simple raw diet of healthy whole foods, but some dogs (although they are well in the minority) are allergic to other things (eg beef, chicken, eggs or whatever) and may need their diet slightly modified to suit their specific needs. Remember, a raw diet is not a miracle cure-all for all the ills of the world. It can not help in the short term any problem not directly related to the diet. I do firmly believe however it is the healthiest and most effective way to feed the canine (and feline!) pals in our care.

Woolworths. Meat section. Sometimes with the dog stuff and sometimes with the chicken. If I am feeding sloppy stuff (eg roo mince) they get it in a bowl. Most things they get on a towel. Most of my dogs are fed in crates. Basically the same with not much real change except for amounts. Bitches often have preferences for different things at different times though (eg closer to birth a lot of bitches like more organ meats). I suggest joining the rawbreder list (which I run ) at yahoogroups: www.yahoogroups.com/groups/rawbreeder

My pet hates are mostly the owners Owners that are late for drop off or pickup or who dont turn up, owners who act so proud of themselves for the loving care they give 'fluffy' by bringing them in once a year to have their matted putrid coat shaved off, owners that tell you 'hes not matted' only to bring in a matted putrid mess, owners who complain that the groomer shaved off all their dogs beautiful coat when they bring in a matted, putrid mess.....

Poolefan is right. None are a real must. The only one I add - usually a few times a week when I think of it - is fish oil capsules. Anything else is because I am dealing with a specific issue (eg glucosamine for an arthritic older dog) Let me give you an example of how I might feed over a 3 week period. Note that the things I can get cheaper I feed more often, interspersed with dearer and harder to get items when I find them and my budget allows (I like looking for them when they are marked down or on special). Note also that none of this is set in stone. I stock the freezer, and what come sout is what is fed. If I forget to thaw, that is a great night for a canned fish meal <vbg>. Day 1: Chicken frames Day 2: Chicken Frames Day 3: Chicken frames and a chunk of lambs fry (liver) Day 4: Beef Brisket bones Day 5: Kangaroo Mince with leftover veggies and any other healthy leftovers Day 6: Lamb Flaps Day 7: Lamb Flaps and a couple of lambs kidneys each Day 8: Canned Mackeral and egg. Maybe with a few leftovers as well. Day 9: Rabbit pieces or whole rabbit Day 10 Chicken Frames Day 11: Turkey Necks and some chicken livers Day 12: Chicken Frames Day 13: Beef Brisket Bones Day 14: Kangaroo Mince with leftover veggies and an egg or two Day 15: Pork Hocks Day 16: Whole very meaty Lamb Necks Day 17: Whole Very Meaty Lamb Necks Day 18: Chicken Frames Day 18: Chicken Frames and a Lambs heart Day 19: Chicken Frames Day 20: Kangaroo Tail Day 21: Whole raw sardines and so on...

I wanted to add here that it is important to remember that the most important part of the diet is not the veggies but the raw meaty bones (emphasis on the meaty) and organ meats etc, dogs being the carnivores they are. Personally, after over 10 years feeding a raw diet, I have simplified it a lot more than Billinghurst advocates (or rather as many Billinghurst advocates have interpreted) , as have many raw feeders. The veggies my dogs get tend to be leftovers or 'cleaning out the fridge' when I will throw everything in the food processor or blender. They get veggies on average about once a fortnight and rarely more than once a week. Personally I would probably recommend not feeding them more than every 3 days at the most (unless you happen to have a few leftovers 2 days in a row! :rolleyes: ). In Billinghursts book I would suggest reading and taking to heart the section on the 'truckies Rottie'. Some very good points to remember there.

Based on personal experience I would strongly recommend against purchasing a dog wash franchise. If you want to be a mobile groomer you will be better off in the long term starting up your own business rather than being stuck paying huge amounts of what you earn back to the company. Be careful as they talk a good talk to get you in. Do your homework VERY carefully if you are considering it. My own experience and those I know who have also taken that route however, is that they suck you dry once you are signed up, and burn you big time if you try to get out. Bitter? You bet.

Yes, call around groomers in your area. Realise though that some may not be able to take you on until the weather warms up a bit as that is when you get the rush of once a year type jobs. A lot of salons get much busier in the few months before and after xmas.

To add from the excellent advice from poodlefan, it is very important that you dont hover and try and coax him to eat. This can actually have the opposite effect as he can pick up on your stress and transfer that to the food and the eating process. What is a normal proacess becomes stressful so he avoids eating and shys away from the food. Instead, as poodlefan suggested, walk away and dont stick around after you have put the food down. Dont eyeball him (ie avoid eye contact with him), talk to him or hang around. If you want to watch, watch from the other side of the kitchen counter, through a window or another room. You may find at first he still doesnt eat. He is learning the new routine and still has to get over his aversion to the food and eating process. Stick at it and dont go back to coaxing. Make the food available about 4 times a day for 10 minutes only. I agree with picking up the dry food and definitely look to changing what you are feeding to something more appropriate for a growing pup (I too advocate a raw/BARF diet, but if you dont want to do that I suggest a commercially prepared food that contains the calcium etc he will need rather than cereal and boneless mince etc).

Most groomers in Australi learn by 'apprenticeship' such as becoming a bather first as suggested and through trial and error. That said I believe www.groomersfriend.com does offer courses and have an excellent reputation. you may also wish to join the Groom-TNT-Australia email list at www.yahoogroups.com where you can chat and exchange information with other Australian groomers both new and experienced. You may find out more info about course in different areas from members there as some of them have done different ones I think. Two very good websites for learning about grooming and running your own grooming business are: www.petgroomer.com www.groomers.com Edited to add: I just want to agree with Nicole that grooming is not an easy profession. It requires a degree of skill and understanding of dog behaviour as often the dogs you will be dealing with are not the easiest. You have to be aware that the equipment you are using can cut and hurt both the dogs and yourself if you are not careful. You have to know how to deal with agressive dogs and dogs that do not want you to do what you are doing to them. Most groomers have been bitten at least once and have had dogs try very hard to bite them a lot more times than that. You need to have the skill to deal with scared dogs and hyper dogs, and agressive dogs and dogs that wont stand still or dont like their paws being touched and do it in a way that will not make things worse the next time around, hurt or traumatise the dog as well as making sure you are safe as well. You have to be able to deal occasionally with dogs that come in with maggots on them eating at their flesh, bad skin conditions, nails grown around and into their legs and feet and other problems. You have to deal with owner neglect of dogs that come in for a shavedown once a year and dont get touched the rest of the year. You have to be prepared to get tired, dirty and wet and to get a sore back and arms from working all day. You need to deal with rude customers, angry customers who dont want to pay the measly price you charge for a lot of hard work or are angry because you had the shave their matted once a year mess instead of leaving it long, with late customers and customers that cost you money by not showing up. Of course you do get good customers and good dogs and these are great, but you have to be able to take the rest of it too, and even the 'easy' ones require hard work and skill. An 'easy' dog can also be made into a hard one by bad handling. Not meaning to put you off, but more to make sure you are going in with open eyes.

I agree with Dru. With scissors (being very careful not to cut the dog) slip them through the coat right down at the tail and cut outwards through the matts to divide them up into smaller sections. Then brush out gently using a hard slicker and/or comb. Start brushing out from the end of the hair and work your way slowly down to the skin. Hold the hair you are working on in your hand as you do it so it doesnt pull as much. Again, same as Dru I would use a detangling conditioner. My favourite is Equinade Show Silk. Others you can use include Show Sheen, 'The Stuff', Chis Christiansens 'Ice on Ice' or various other products like this which contain a silicone base.

Just to clear up a point - Dog Tech and 'the Dog Whisperer' name here in Australia is the registered trademark of Australian trainer/behaviourist John Richardson and has nothing to do with the US TV series using the same name. I have been to seminars run by John and have found nothing wildly out of the ordinary in his methods and a lot of common sense when it came to dealing with aggression issues. As for the DogTech franchise, when you get down to it, it is only as good as the franchisee. I do not know about other areas, but here in Canberra, our local DogTech guy (how I understand is also Delta trained among other things) is highly recommended and the person at least one of the major clubs refers people to if they are after more one on one assistance. I have taken classes from him myself in the past when he taught classes for the club and always personally found him an excellent instructor. I wouldn't hesitate to refer people to him. As such I would hesitate to make wide sweeping statements about all trainers who operate under the franchise name.

I am another one who doesn't vaccinate annually. It is a move my vet does not have a problem with either which is great. Definitely quite a few people out there that feel this way. After doing a lot of research it is a move I am comfortable with. I will be interested to hear what the AVA comes up with, although be prepared for it to be a conservative move. You will find that most official organisations will not move as fast as current thinking, particularly when money and big business with strong lobby groups comes into play.

My Dalmatian has had 'cold tail' twice. The first time I came home from work and she was in her run, acting normally, but with a limp tail. Of course itwas2 days before I went overseas! It cleared in a few days with anti inflammatories (kennel where dogs were boarded was run by a vet, so she had good care while I was away). Second time about a year later, the same thing happened. This time the dogs were outsideand I heard her yelp. Came out to find her with a cold' tail. again, it cleared in a few days. I had had my suspicions after the first time and it seemed confirmed after the second that something was't right as she seemed to have developed a 'dimple' between her pelvis and the root of her tail. And no, it wasn't because she was overweight , even though she does tend to carry a little more than she should at times . The dimple remained when she was a good weight too. My vet and I disagreed that that was the problem, so when we had the chance to x-ray her a few months later when she was sedated for something else, we did. The x-ray indeed showed a fracture. While it is well healed, she does occasionally favour her rear end and sometimes is not as willing to jump up on things as she used to be. She is 'precious' about it when playing so I have to watch that other dogs dont play too rough and risk re-injury. This diagnosis is of course not what you will usually find as 'cold tail', but perhaps just a warning that if you think that something isn't 'quite right' or the problem seems more long term, that it may be something slightly different.

Make sure you schedule a visit to Canberra in the program. I doubt there will be any problem filling a seminar here. Contact me if you dont already have a contact here and I will put you on to the people you need to talk to. Venue will be no problem.

I dont supplement as much as Billinghurst suggests and havent for many years. I do give fish oil capsules fairly regularly. I used to give flax oil, but being a plant based product it can cause itching in some dogs and is slighly less biologically available to them. If your dog is fine with it though, theier is no real reason not to continue using that instead of the fish oil. Edited to add - make sure that any omega oil supplement you add, such as flax oil, is kept refrigerated in a dark, sealed container as it will degrade very quickly if you dont. If it going to take a while for you to use it, I would also freezr a portion of it (again in a dark well sealed container to protect it from light and air). It should also be purchased from somewhere that keeps it refrigerated. Personally I would avoid purchasing any oil supplement that is just on a shelf. I personally dont worry about using the brewers yeast which can also cause itching in some dogs. If you are feeding organ meats regularly they should be getting sufficient Vit B. Kelp is debateable. I very occasionally add it, but usually not. Cant hurt to throw some in occasionally if you have some, but I wouldn't stress too much about it. Any other supplement I add are usually for specific reasons in specific dogs eg glucosamine for a dog with arthritis. You giving the Vit E would fall into this type of category. Check what is in the missing link supplement you are using. Depending what is in it, you may want to continue with it or give it a miss. Your choice really and I have no strong views either way. Realise though that these supplements are to the best of my knowledge designed as an addition to commercial foods. By feeding a raw diet you should be way ahead of the game anyway. Not being able to see the chuck bones or the dog I cant tell if they will be 'alright for her'. Personally I would probably feed them to my dogs no worries.

Unfortunately one of the only ways to get her used to it - if your neighbours can stand it - is to ignore her and not to reinforce the crying by going out when she is doing it. Wait till she is quiet bafore you go out. She crys because it works and gets the result she wants which is your attention. She is training you well! You may find the crying gets worse for a while, but if you hang on, it should get less. If you go to the kong company website ( www.kongcompany.com ) they have some great ideas about different ways to stuff a kong toy. the way I prefer is to use small dry type treats (Those little cat treats for example or break up things like dried liver or sausage etc) in the middle that will come out as she rolls it around, but seal the end with peanut butter or cream cheese or similar.

For general walking or obedience etc I use martingale collars (Premier collars - I love the colours! ) for safety reasons. I love that they can't slip off over the head. I have seen too many accidents or near accidents from dogs pulling back and flat collars slipping off over the head to be comfortable using them for anythign except tag holders.