Why Your Dog Groomer Needs To Know Your Personal Business.

Groomer's and Their Questions.
Groomers ask a lot of questions, usually about your dog. Questions may be, how do you want your dog groomed? Has he had any surgeries, since we last saw him? Is he good with other dogs? These are some examples. After the other day I will be adding a very important question. You might find it to be personal, but the answer could surprise you.
Great Questions.
That question would be… Has anything happened with your life that we should know about? This could mean, a break up with your significant other? Was there an emergency at your home? Anything like this. You might find it to be plain nosey. You might be thinking that this is really none of my business. Why will I be asking these questions? The simple answer is, because these circumstances could affect your dog. If you dog is going through something, it could affect his time here, at the Dog Wash.
The Story and Why We Need To Ask More Questions.
Tuesday morning, 3 of my favorite clients came in. Two Elkhounds and a Border Collie. I give myself a few hours to get these dogs done because of their thick coats. Everything was going fine. These dogs have been coming to my shop for years. They have never had an issue with other dogs.  My 11 am dog happened to be a Mastiff, who was coming for his monthly grooming. He is still a puppy at 155lbs. We put him in the back room away from the older dogs. As soon as this Mastiff got to the front door, my Elk Hounds and Border were barking in a not so pleasant tone. This is not normal for them. I thought maybe the giant Mastiff was too much for them. Like I said he went to a separate area. There is only a door splitting these 4 dogs up. The three dogs were at the door going crazy, which got the Mastiff going too. I finished brushing the 3 dogs out and called their owner. I explained what was going on with his dogs. Not only had they had a problem with the Mastiff. But they went after our groomers, Wired Hair Terrier. After explaining the situation and asking him to come and get his dogs. He told me that a Coyote or Wolf had gotten into his yard and killed a goat. This completely explains the pack mentality that we are seeing now. I am not sure if this is the way it will be from now on. Had I asked the appropriate questions, we could have helped them to stay calm when other dogs were around. It would have alleviated stress all the way around.
Why You Should Share More With Your Groomer.
What I want you to take from this story is that little things to us could be big things to our dog. We don’t know what affects them or how. If anything like this happens with your dog, please let your groomer know. Here at the Dog Wash we like to make sure that all our clients are happy all of the time they are here with us. Not only can it affect how they react to other dogs, it could affect their bath, their grooming. Everything while they are away from their owners, especially if something big happened at home.
Please let your groomer know if anything has happened since your last visit. It will only help the groomer and your dog deal with any situation.

A Sticky Situation. The Best Way To Remove Poop From Your Dog's Rear End.

Let’s talk about a sticky situation. This may be a little uncomfortable. But, it needs to be discussed. So, here it goes.

Your dog has a mess on his rear end. Maybe you switched his diet, or he managed to get some poop stuck in his fur. Either way, he needs some help. The best way to help your four legged friend is to clean it when you first notice it.

Helpful Tip

When you first notice the poo stuck to your dog’s rear end, take a washcloth (only to be used for your dog) run it under some warm water and clean the area where the poop is found thoroughly. If this doesn’t get it all off. Run a tub full of warm water. Set your dog in the tub. The warm water will help loosen his poop off him.  Voila! You have a fresh dog again.

My Dog Hates His Rear End Being Touched

Let’s say your dog doesn’t like having his rear end touched. Then what? You put your hand under the dog, towards the back legs, just below bottom of rib cage. This lets your support the dogs hips, It also, keeps the dog from sitting down. If your dog has a long tail, you can hold the tail to the side with your hand. Just be careful, if you don’t have a god grip, the tail may end up in your face.

Oops! I didn’t Notice

What happens if you don’t notice this right away? You may end up with a bigger problem. The poop may stick to your dog’s skin. When this happens,  it is not only embarrassing for you, but uncomfortable for your dog. If poop is stuck around your dog’s anus, there could be more issues. Depending on how long it has been there, it will cause redness and irritation. It could also keep your dog from being able to go poop and possibly cause a blockage.

What’s That Smell?

We won’t discuss the odor of a dog, who’s having this issue.

Where Are These Flies Coming From?

In some cases, if this is left for too long, flies will leave larvae in the poop. This makes me cringe.

Best Friends

This dog is your best friend. If you see poop stuck anywhere, give your dog a bath at home, or bring him in for our self dog wash services, dog grooming, or a quick sanitary treatment. Either way we don’t want you or your dog to suffer.

Why Do We Charge A Daycare Fee?

We get this question a lot. We say that a groom will take 3-4 hours. We know people are busy running errands and it may take a while to get back to Tempe. We give a total of 6 hours, including the groom time, before we charge daycare. 

Let me explain why we charge the $10 daycare fee per dog. When your dogs are finished with their groom, they don't just get shoved in a kennel and forgotten. They are out playing with all our other clients. We also take the time to play with them. We let them outback to take care of business. They get treats and tons of belly rubs. The $10 fee is all that extra attention they get while they are patiently waiting for you, their parent to come get them. I know I would rather have my dogs being loved than just shoved in a kennel. Wouldn't you?

Grooming Is Easy. Right?

It is very difficult. You have to have the patience of a Saint, in order to be a groomer. Grooming isn't just doing a haircut. There is a lot more too it. It's washing and blow drying. Then there is the expressing of the anal glands. If you have never had the pleasure of your dog blowing his anal glands, then you are a very lucky person. :) We clean your dog's ears. Sometimes this means plucking the hair out of them. Let's not forget trimming the nails. Now let's talk the actual haircut. Most dog's are inquisitive and wiggly. What this means for the groomer is, that they need to be able to work around a wiggly dog, who is not going to hold still. Most dogs also get the sanitary cut. This is when the groomer shaves around the dogs privates. Again, dogs do not just sit there even when we are around this area. Hopefully, this has given you some insight into what really goes on when we are grooming your pet. :)   

The Love Between A Human And Their Best Friend.

It is never easy to end a family member's life. Even if that member is a dog. How do you decide when it is time?

We had a Cocker Spaniel who ended up with liver disease. Of course the vet wanted us to do all these tests. But, we didn't see the need since we knew Chewey would be going to the rainbow bridge soon. Chewey was our first dog together. Of course we tried to make him comfortable. I think we did it more for us than Chewey. My Dad always told me he could tell when a dog was getting ready to pass, by the amount of flies you would see. One day I came home early from work and let Chewey out. When I came to let him in he was covered in flies. It was at that moment I knew it was time. I called Don and he rushed home and we took him to the vet. He was put to sleep that day. I always wonder if we should have done it sooner. Was I being selfish for waiting that long?

We have a client who is facing this same decision. It is just so hard. What do you base your decisions on?

For me it is:

Quality of Life

Are they in any pain

Any suffering

I guess the best thing I can say is letting go is extremely hard. But, the love your pet gave will be with you forever. 

I would love to hear your thoughts or stories. 

Dog's Toe Nail Care

Sometime's it can be hard to tell when your dog's nails need to be trimmed. The easiest way to know,( if you have hardwood or tiled floors) is that you will hear a clicking sound when they walk. Most groom shops do nails for a small fee, without  needing an appointment.

If you are wanting to try this at home. Here are a few steps.

1. If your dog has white nails you will be able to see where the quick ends. You don't not want to cut above that quick line. (if you do, this will cause the nail to bleed)

2. If your dog has black nails it is a little trickier. You will want to bend your dogs foot so that the pads are facing up on the back side of the leg. Black nails take 2 -3 clips. One on each side of the nail then if needed in the center. There will be a little black circle you need to watch for, once your have trimmed the sides.. That circle is the quick.

3. If you have a dremel or nail file you can file the rough edges.

If you are nervous about doing this, then please leave it to a professional. We would hate to see your dogs get hurt.

Now, lets talk about the quick. If you go for a long time with out having your dogs nails done. Just know that you are letting the quick grow out. Groomers will not be able to trim them back really short, because of the quick. We can however, work the quick back by trimming the nails on a monthly basis.

Also, if a dogs nails grow too long, it can hurt them. This may also lead to them not being able to walk correctly. These are a few things to look out for. 

Reviews

I am thinking out loud today.

What makes you review a business/service that you have used?

Is it great customer service? Or maybe bad customer service?

Was it that the groom you wanted wasn't exactly right? If it wasn't exactly right, do you go to a different groomer or do you call the business and let them know it wasn't right and give the business a second chance?

We have had a lot of different situations. As the business owner I like all feedback, good or bad. Of course we LOVE to hear good feedback. But, we also, know we are human and we do make mistakes. Sometimes, a negative review is what the doctor ordered.So that we can fix the problem. I am not saying that we need the negative reviews. We work really hard to keep them at a minimum. But, they happen and when they do, it allows me to make the changes that are necessary.

We are very open here, at the Dog Wash. We have a survey on our website, for people to tell us anonymously what they think of our place and the job we did. We welcome all feedback in all forms.

There are so many reason to do a review. What are some of yours?

Feel free to post comments below.