grooming – Bark of the Shores

Being mid-January here in Michigan, snow and freezing cold temperatures are all around us. This doesn’t stop dogs from needing to exercise and burn energy! There are also dogs who are built for the cold who may not even want to come inside.

We all know that their fur protects them from the cold, and there are plenty of sweaters and coats to help them as well. But what about their paws? Their paws are what touches the snow and ice that covers the ground. Humans also put out salt and other products that could hurt the pads on your dog’s paws.

So what can we do to help our dogs enjoy winter? There are a few and very simple ways that we can do protect their paws against the harsh winter elements!

*Boots

Some people may think they look silly, but I find them the best protection for your furry friend in the snow! They will prevent any ice and snow from gathering between their toes, and keep those melting products away. It may take your dog time to get used to them, so I would just slowly work your way to using them. Start the process in the summer/fall so that when winter comes around your dog will be comfortable wearing them! Start as slow as your dog needs, introducing them and giving rewards for each step of the process. I will have a page of references with a website that goes into detail how to help your dog get used to their new boots!

This is the company and products I use in my house call business! But lots of different balms exist if this doesn’t work for you

*Paw Balms/Petroleum Jelly-Based Products

These products help keep a protective layer over their feet to help keep a barrier between the paw pads and snow. They also help keep their paws nice and hydrated, as we all know dry skin is an issue in the winter! There are dog specific paw balms, which make sure the ingredients are safe for dogs and which is what I typically use. A few websites I found suggested petroleum jelly-based products like Vasoline but I personally have not tried that with my own dog.

This is a great option as it absorbs a lot of water and you get to keep your terry cloth towels for you and the people in the house

*Keep a Towel Handy

When coming inside, make sure to wipe down their feet and their bodies to make sure they are nice and dry. Get in between their toes to make sure nothing is hiding in there. If salt or ice melting products are stuck in their toes it could cause irritations to happen. There are paw moisturizers that you can put on after they come inside as well to help with paw health and can be used year round!

Short walks are good! He gets paw balm on when he gets home and always has his coat on!

*Keep Walks Short

I understand that some breeds out there like the husky, malamute, saint bernard etc do not want to be inside during this time. For other dogs, keep your walks short. There may also be indoor agility courses you can take your dog to to help burn out some energy! If your dog seems to be getting restless, I would recommend getting a couple interactive toys that are like puzzles to help them keep busy while the days are shorter and they may not be able to get outside like they can during the warmer months.

I hope this article helps those in colder climates help care for their dogs better while we still get through these next few months! Stay warm!

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References

Klein, J., & CVO. (2021, February 18). Protect your dog’s paws from snow, ice, salt – American Kennel Club. American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/vets-corner/protect-dogs-paws-snow-ice-salt/

Protect Your Dog’s Paws in Winter Weather. (n.d.). Animalhumanesociety.org. https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/news/protect-your-dogs-paws-winter-weather#:~:text=If%20boots%20don’t%20feel,keeps%20their%20paw%20pads%20hydrated

Grooming Tips for Pet Parents

The Different Avenues of Dog Grooming

January 14, 2022December 5, 2022 Alysa Marie

Back when I was working for a corporate salon, I couldn’t have started my career without them!

Hello pet parents! In this article I want to go over the different avenues that groomers may choose to go down in their grooming career. Most people know of grooming salons, and places like Petco and PetSmart that offer grooming inside of their stores but this article will go over the different places you may be able to find a dog groomer that works best for you and your dog!

Here is a list of all the avenues of grooming that a dog groomer may take! I will break down each to the best of my knowledge with their pros and cons. There may be even more avenues out there and I will update this article if I find them!

Avenues of Dog Grooming:

*Corporate grooming salons

*Private grooming salons

*Private homes

*Veterinarian offices

*Grooming schools/academies

*Mobile vans/trailers

*House calls

Corporate Grooming Salon

I owe my grooming career to a corporate salon! These places hire those who are wanting to become dog groomers as bathers, and then send them to their grooming programs to teach them how to groom. These places are very convenient for pet parents as they can get all of their pet’s needs taken care of in one place. They also allow you to stick with the same groomer if you please or see whomever has an availability first. Some cons are that because they are typically high volume stores they may not be a good fit for dogs who are dog aggressive, have anxiety, or other health problems that need to be monitored by the entire groom. You will find the prices typically in the middle of most private salons as these companies do a pretty good job surveying prices in areas and adjusting to them.

Private Grooming Salons

These salons are owned by individuals who are either groomers themselves or employ groomers to work for them. They are hired typically from corporate groomers looking for a change, out of grooming school or even training them at their facilities. They typically have great atmospheres and because you are there solely for grooming these groomers do not have the added stress of getting you to add on products or services and can solely focus on the groom. There is also less foot traffic and may be less stressful for your pet and private salons may be able to work a little better with pets who have special needs or are seniors. They will be priced similar to corporate salons, but depending on the location and experience of the staff you could pay more at a corporate salon. These groomers may also specialize in certain grooming techniques and styles, and will charge for those accordingly.

person using nail trimmer on an animal — Photo by Ermelinda Maglione on Pexels.com

Veterinarian Offices

I would like to start off saying, not every veterinarian office offers grooming services. These places are good for dogs who may need some medical assistance like infections, or severe matting. It is also a good option for those who want their dogs to be around familiar faces, and if anything does go wrong during the grooming session (accidents do happen), they will be able to take care of them immediately. Salons will also refer dogs who may need to be sedated due to aggression or extreme anxiety while the pet parent works with a dog trainer or behavior specialist. Because they typically deal with more difficult dogs or will use medications/additional staff to help they may charge more a corporate or private grooming salon but will be honest in stating that I’m not entirely sure about grooming prices at veterinarian offices.

Two houses and a garage, Caerwent by Jaggery is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

At Home/Private Residence

These groomers work right out of their own homes! They convert either an outdoor patio, garage, basement, or even a shed into a mini grooming salon. Some may use cages but typically they do not work with more than a couple dogs at a time. These groomers create a relaxing, cozy environment for their dogs. They have the ability to use their own tools and products and can specialize in whatever specialty they like. These groomers keep overhead very low and can typically charge less than a grooming salon or other avenues of grooming but that will depend on what grooming service you are looking for, the experience of the groomer and condition of the coat.

This is my first AKC SAFE certificate, look around your area for local dog grooming schools

Grooming Schools/Academies

There are several industries that need clients to come visit them so they can get the experience they need to work unsupervised: dental hygienist, massage therapists, and dog groomers! Although there are not many grooming schools, if you take your dog there, they will be in good hands! Every dog is looked over before leaving by an instructor before leaving and students are encouraged to ask questions. No, your groom may not be perfect but your pet will be in good hands, you will be helping students, and will be saving money too!

Mobile Van/Trailer

Sometimes, traveling to the groomer can be a bit of a hassle. You may have a crazy schedule, work from home while watching the kids, your dog may get motion sickness or you just love the idea of someone coming to you so you can stay home and relax. This is where the mobile groomer comes in! They typically have a large van they groom out of, or a trailer that they pull behind their vehicle. They will either come to your door to grab your pup or you can walk to them but they will perform the entire groom one on one at the curb of your house! These groomers are on the luxury price end of grooming, from what I have seen they are typically the most expensive, but the cage free environment and no travel makes this avenue a lot less stressful for pets! These groomers can also offer specialized grooms and typically have years of experience in the field.

House Call

The last on the list, but certainly not least, is the house call groomer. That’s me! House call groomers take things a step further than mobile groomers and will set up right inside your home. They bring a table and all of their tools and only need your bathtub or sink to wash your dog in. This avenue is really good for dogs who need someone to work with them due to health conditions or behavioral problems. This is also good for senior dogs who just need comfort grooming at the end of their lives and do not do so well with the loud sounds and hustle and bustle of a grooming salon (mobile is also good for this as well). House call groomers also are on the more expensive end. They have to carry all of their tools and typically have a very physically taxing job of working on the ground or wherever the pet is the most comfortable. That is not to say the other avenues are not physically taxing, they are!

I hope you enjoyed this list of the different areas you will find groomers! All of this stems from my experience in the grooming world, and I do apologize if there is some information that may not pertain to your area like it does mine. Please know pricing and practices do vary by location so please look more into each avenue before deciding on a dog groomer. I absolutely love all my groomers out there in any avenue that they chose to take because it gives you, the pet parent, so many avenues to choose from and be able to see what works best for you and your pooch!

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Grooming Tips for Pet Parents

What are Tear Stains and How to Help Reduce Them on your Pets

September 8, 2021December 3, 2022 Alysa Marie

Tear stains are those pesky brown or reddish spots that develop under your dogs’ eyes, muzzle and feet. We noticed this mostly on lighter colored dogs, but this can develop on dark colored coats too.

Look at Meiko’s face, you can see tear stains around his nose and eyes!

What are they exactly? According to Dogtime.com, these stains are a build up of porphyrin which is a pigment that is found in tears. Now, the reason this build up occurs is typically due to a condition called Epiphora. This condition causes an excess production of tears or is the inability to drain tears correctly.

Dogs who typically have a hard time with draining their tears are poodles and cocker spaniels due to possible genetic conditions that prevent the tear duct from developing correctly, but this can happen to many breeds. Dogs who are brachycephalic, think pugs and shih tzu, sometimes have a hard time closing their eyes all the way along with these development issues. This inability to close their eyes causes more debris and irritants to be able to come in contact with their eyes creating more tears (dogtime.com).

There are many medical reasons why your dog is developing tear stains, but this article won’t dive too deep into these. I will provide links to the information I found at the end of this article if you would like to dig deeper! I HIGHLY recommend and encourage talking to your veterinarian. Everything that I said does not come as medical advice for your dog and I am strictly here to help you understand what may be occurring with your dog. Every dog is different, and the veterinarian field is always changing! Again, speak with your vet for better understanding.

Besides medical issues, in my grooming experience and also listed by dogtime.com, tear stains are also created or are made worse by dyes in a dog’s food, minerals in their water, or stress.

So what can we do about these tear stains?

Again, the first thing I would recommend is talk to your vet. Make sure your dog does not have a yeast build up or any other medical conditions that could be causing this build up. As you can see, there are so many factors that can come into play so it’s better to be safe!

After we have seen our vet and made sure that nothing serious is going on, here are 4 things you can look into and try to see if they help reduce/eliminate these stains.

Look into the quality of your dog’s food

A big contributor for tear stains are the dyes that are in some dog foods. I generally tell my clients to avoid foods that have different colors in them. This is just to appeal to us, the owners. Pick foods that do not start with ‘corn’ or ‘corn meal’ in their ingredients as these are just fillers and convert into sugar. No corn, no dyes!

Look into your dog’s water supply

Some of the brown colors coming out of those tear ducts may be the extra minerals that are found in tap water. For this, the solution is pretty simple! Filtered water helps to remove all that excess ‘stuff’ that you find in tap water and will hopefully help to relieve some of those stains!

This product does not require rinsing and is great for in between bathing

Start a daily eye hygiene routine with your dog

Pet stores and some online retailers (I would try chewy.com if you can’t make it into your local pet store! I’m not affiliated in any way, they just have a great selection of products) sell wipes that you can use around the eyes to help reduce tear stains. Be careful to make sure not to get any product into the eye itself. With some dogs it will take practice and patience until they are used to having their face handled, but don’t give up and just stay calm and patient.

When face shy dogs come into my salon or I am grooming them house call, I talk to them in a gentle soothing voice as I pet the top of their head until they calm down. I then work around the checks until they eventually let me touch around their eyes. And yes, sometimes it can take several visits and several tries until the dog trusts me enough to really clean those eyes out like their mom and dad may want. It’s all about trust building!

Keep these areas as dry as possible

If you can, keep some soft paper towels or cloths around and when you notice that there is moisture there, dry it up the best you can. The more moisture that sits there the more of a chance for yeast and other bacteria will build up which can make the stains worse. Again, just like the daily hygiene routine this can take a bit of time before your pup doesn’t make you wiping around their eyes.

I hope that the information provided and tips given help you get rid of those pesky tear stains! Some of this information is also useful if you find some staining around the mouth and the feet as well!

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References:

Tear Stains Under Dogs’ Eyes: What They Mean And What You Should Do About Them

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/tear-stains/

Grooming Tips for Pet Parents

Different Types of Brushes for your Dog

April 22, 2021December 3, 2022 Alysa Marie

Hey there pet parents!

Brushing your dog is a key part of taking care of them. Not only does it feel really good to them, it helps you bond and strengthen your relationship. Brushing your dog also gives you a great opportunity to see how your dog is doing physically. Over time you will be able to notice subtle changes: new bumps or moles, if your dog is sensitive to touch in areas, if the skin is getting dry or flaky, etc. Bring these things up to your groomer, trainer or vet. It can make a huge difference!

Depending on the kind of dog and the coat type they, it will determine what type of brushes you should use and how often you should brush them.

So how often? Let’s cover that first! From my experience, I recommend a daily or every other day brushing for long hair dogs which I consider to be dogs like Poodle/Doodle, Shih Tzu, Yorkie, Maltese and such. Breeds with hair that grow continuously like ours.

And a weekly brushing for our short hair or double coated dogs. These are our shedders: goldens, labs, beagles, Shelties etc.

Brushing prevents matting, helps make coats shiny and soft, and lessens shedding.

CAUTION: With some brushes I am going to give special attention to “brush burn”. This is when a person brushes either too hard or too much in a certain spot and the skin becomes red and irritated. If the spot starts to become really irritated you will see dark red spots appear in the red area. If any irritation occurs, stop! Let this heal. There are products you can purchase online or at most pet stores for hot spots. Typically this comes in a spray or foam, and is used to help their skin feel better. I keep this on hand, as I never know how sensitive a dog’s skin can be to brushing. Always pause to check for redness. If your pet starts to fuss while brushing first ask yourself if you’ve recently checked the skin! Lastly, even if not mentioned brush burn can happen with ANY brush and ANY type of fur. There are certain brushes that may cause it more easily than others.

I will update the article with pictures as soon as I can gather up my tools!

Types of Brushes:

Slicker: This brush has small, fine metal bristles that are typically hooked on the end. This is used for helping to brush out mats on long coated dogs. Because of how close these bristles are and because normally these brushes do not have plastic tips on the bristles either, they can cause brush burn if used in the same spot for too long. They come in a variety of sizes and bristle length. Make sure you get one long enough that will get all the way through the coat to the skin.

Pin: Pin brushes are similar to slicker brushes. Typically round in shape, the bristles are more stiff, spread farther apart and have a cover at the end or are more rounded. They make these for people too, although I do not recommend using people brushes as they may break. These brushes are used for the silkier breeds, Silkie Terriers and Yorkies as some examples. Although you can use a slicker brush on these breeds, their fur is typically much thinner and can develop brush burn more easily, so the pin brush is easier on their skin. I also love to use this type of brush in the bath! I brush through the conditioner to make sure the dog is soft and tangle free!

Comb: For your dog, you should always use a metal toothed comb. You can find these at most pet stores and online! These are great for going in after using a pin or slicker bruck to find tangles or mats you may have missed. No need to try and get those out with the comb if they are too big, as it can pull on the skin. Take turns using your comb and brush to get out all the tangles and mats! They also make shedding combs which are metal and have 2 different sized teeth and are closer together to catch the undercoat, and are great for golden retrievers, shelties and similar.

Shedding Blade/Furminator: I decided to put all of these tools together because they are all very similar in both function and the types of breeds that use these tools. Shedding blades are metal and small v shaped teeth. You will see them in big loops with a handle for bigger jobs, but personally I avoid using these. The ones I would suggest have a wooden handle and are much smaller. Not sponsored in any way but I am in love with my SleekEZ brand. Anything similar would be great, I feel this just helps me make sure I get out more undercoat while being able to work around the dog’s skeletal structure better. Furminator is another name brand tool, but you can find others just like it. The Furminator is similar to the SleekEZ, but has a button to help release the hair from the brush. They come in more of a variety of sizes, and their packaging helps pet parents know which size is right for them! These are my go to’s for huskies, malamutes, heavy shedding labs, german shepherds, etc.

Bristle: These bristles are the closest together, and are typically made of plastic or natural fibers and are much softer. A lot of times you will find these made for dogs with a bristle brush on one side and a pin brush on the other side. Bristle brushes can be used for both long and short haired dogs! On long coated dogs after the de-tangling process to help make their coats shinier, and to help clean and deshed very short and smooth coated dogs like boston terriers, boxers, and italian greyhounds. These are great for those later breeds as most other brushes could cause brush burn on them as their coats are so fine.

Rake: These are metal toothed and come in a variety of styles, google “undercoat rake” and you will see what I am talking about. Like you will be able to see when I get this updated, my favorite has 2 rows of metal teeth, the front row is longer than the back. As suggested by the name, these are another tool for heavy shedders with double coats like Malamutes, Huskies, and Chows. There are also ones that typically have 1 row, and have a hook on every other or every third tooth. Be careful with these! It is very easy to cause brush burns and also called “dematting rakes”. I rarely use them, so just use caution when using them to be sure you use them on the correct areas and breeds of dog.

Rubber Curry Brush: These are rubber type brushes and are typically round and fit in your hand. Used on short coated dogs, I like to use them during the bath to help massage the dog and work the soap into the coat. It feels great for them and helps get a really good clean on them! I do not recommend using these on long coated dogs, pin brushes will give you this effect for those breeds! Rubber curry brushes can also be used on short coated dogs outside the tub on dry dogs to help remove dead skin and hair, and can even be used on breeds that use bristle brushes as long as you watch for skin irritation. Zoom Groom is a name brand item for these, and I do prefer these as I like the way they fit in my hand the style of rubber teeth.

These are the most common brushes that you will use at home! I hope I was able to cover most of the major ones, with recommendations on brands the best that I can! Please feel free to leave comments if you have any questions, I would love to answer them! Have a most wonderful day and I hope you and your pet enjoy many wonderful grooming sessions together!

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Grooming Tips for Pet Parents

How to Help your Dog Get Used to Nail Trimming

February 6, 2021August 28, 2022 Alysa Marie

I have met quite a few pet owners and groomers alike who say “dogs just don’t like their feet touched”. I want to tell you that this is a myth! Any dog at any age can get used to having their paws touched and nails done.

Getting your dog’s nails trimmed at the groomer or vets office does not have to be an anxiety ridden, bad experience. Most of the dogs I groom generally don’t mind having their nails done and their experience in the salon is much better because of it!

Nail trimming is a very important part of the grooming process. Overgrown nails can splinter and break, which is painful especially if it opens the vein in the nails known as the quick. Overgrown nails also make it difficult for your dog to walk, their toes and knuckles bending in ways they weren’t meant to do for extended periods at a time. This can lead to inflammation and discomfort, and sometimes even arthritis.

Here are some ways to get your dog used to those nail trims! This is broken down first to puppies then next to adults, as adults typically need a bit more training to get used to the nail trim but please know that they can definitely get used to it! Both tips use nail clippers and your pups favorite treats!

Above all, be safe. If your dog is showing signs of aggression or extreme fear, contact a local behaviorist to work together as your dog may need a tailored plan specific plan.

Puppies:

*Start by playing with your puppy’s paws and giving treats when they let you hold them. Work the toes and all the pads, putting pressure on the nails too!

*If your puppy starts to pull away, that’s okay. Let them go and resume the training when they have settled down. Do not force them.

*Once your puppy is used to you touching their paws (this could take a few sessions), show the puppy the clippers and give them a treat.

*Touch the clippers to their paws, praising them when they do not pull away. Also be mindful of the curious puppy! They may try and mouth the clippers, make sure to stop praising if this happens. We want them relaxed when the clippers touch their feet!

*Gently clip off the tip of the nails to start. Again, if your puppy becomes startled or pulls away let them go. Do not scold them for pulling, but give lots of praise when they let you clip their toes!

Puppy training, if done early, should be fun and relatively quick as long as it is done in a positive manner!

But say you have an adult dog that is already adverse to having their paws touched and nails clipped. It will take longer than with a puppy in most cases, but it can be done!

This is not an advertisement, but here are some great training treat options! Make sure to always check the ingredients to your dog treats before purchasing them to get the best quality treats. These will be used often!

Adults:

*Start when you and your dog are relaxing together, touch their shoulder gently with light pressure.

*Work your way down to their legs to their paws. If your dog starts to pull, stop and let them relax again. Also withhold treats and praise until you resume. Continue to do this until you can get all the way down to the paw. Use soothing, long tones when praising as you pet and give treats.

*When you get to the paw, start working each toe and putting pressure on them. Put pressure on the toenails themselves. Again, if your dog pulls or begins to stress out let them relax before trying again. Before moving on to the next step your dog should be completely relaxed when you touch their legs and feet. Remember to praise your dog when they give you their paw or let you hold it!

*Next, time to get them used to the nail clippers! Don’t worry, you still won’t be clipping those nails for a while.

*Pull out the clippers, show your pup and give them a treat. Remember to be happy when you pick those clippers out! Pretty quickly your dog will associate you pulling those nail clippers out with a treat. This step can also be done first, and is sometimes encouraged to do first as this typically goes faster and will help you stay motivated with training!

*Time to put these together. Sitting relaxed with your dog on the floor, hold your dogs paw in one hand and hold the clippers in another. Slowly bring the clippers towards your dog’s paw while playing with the other and giving praise if they stay relaxed. Also be sure to open and close your clippers as well so they get used to the noise. Let your dog pull away if they start to get restless, and resume later when they have settled down.

*Continue this until you can touch the clippers to your dogs nails and they are completely comfortable with them. You want to be able to touch the clippers to each nail and your dog be calm. Now is when you can attempt the nail trim!

*Trim just the tip of the nail, keeping at a 45 degree angle as to make sure you do not expose the quick. Also, don’t expect to get all paws done on one sitting.

**A key tip is to also keep your dog’s anatomy in mind! They will fight you a lot less if you are not pulling their legs out in ways that may be uncomfortable. You may not even realize you’re doing this! I recommend going on Google, Pinterest or other search engines to find pictures of dog anatomy and a close up picture of a dogs’ nail. This will give you a better idea of how you can help them stay comfortable and about how far you can trim on your dog’s nails.

**Beware dull nail clippers! Either have nail clippers sharpened or replaced when dull. Using dull tools makes it harder for you and more uncomfortable for the dog due to the extra pressure needed for trimming.

And there you have it! Don’t feel bad in the slightest if nail trimming just makes you too nervous, that’s where your local groomer can help! Just getting your dog up to that step will help your dog enjoy the groomers much more! They may also be able to grind/file the nails, helping to keep them smooth instead of sharp after they are cut. Taking your dog in once a month will keep your dogs nails at a healthy and manageable length.

Please feel free to reach out via comment or email with any questions you may have about this or other pet grooming related topics!

Tag: grooming

Protecting Your Dog’s Paws in the Winter

Check out my Pinterest for More Posts!

The Different Avenues of Dog Grooming

Avenues of Dog Grooming:

Check out in Pinterest!

What are Tear Stains and How to Help Reduce Them on your Pets

Follow me on Pintrest!

Different Types of Brushes for your Dog

Follow me on Pintrest!

How to Help your Dog Get Used to Nail Trimming

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