The Truth Behind Severe Matting (VIDEO)

Before & After

Severely matted coats are a serious matter. When a let's coat is permitted to mat, several things can occur:

A. Flea breeding and infestation
B. Lesions
C. Redness and irritation
D. Itchiness
E. Cuts and clipper burn due to shave downs
F. Pain and pulling of the skin

The shave-down process

It is imperative that owners work closely with their groomers to avoid such a state of coat condition in order to keep pet healthy, happy, and comfortable.

The outside of shaved off pelt

The inside of shaved off pelt.

View the video of the shave-down process:

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TGT Podcast Episode 3 - Bathing your dog at home like a pro

The topic of this podcast is my response to a reader/subscriber who posed the question:

"I wash my dog at home, but he still smells bad. What am I doing wrong?" 

Listen to Episode 3 Now:

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TGT Podcast Episode 2 - Anal Sac Expression

For some folks it's an interesting topic and they cant wait to ask their groomer or veterinarian...what is this all about? For others, it's a bit of a taboo topic, a "don't-ask, don't-tell" sort of thing. Nevertheless, it is a very important part of health care for your pet, particularly, for the smaller breeds.

So...here I am to answer all of your burning questions on the topic of anal sac expression!!

Listen to podcast now:

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Introducing my first podcast at "Tails From the Grooming Table"

I couldn't be more thrilled as the existing owner and author of "Tails from the grooming table" to announce that my all new podcast is currently in the works! Let's face it, some people don't like to read and would rather listen! So I'm bringing to you over 10 years of grooming experience, answering questions and concerns regarding the grooming care of our pets as I use questions from clients, readers and subscribers to fuel topics of most interest on the subject of pet grooming/hair & skin care and maintenance. I hope you enjoy my pod casts and blog posts, and please feel free to contact me with any questions of your own that you'd like to have answered! As always...spread the word to like-minded individuals!!

So take a listen to Episode #1: Let's Talk Shampoos & Bathing

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Ask The Groomer: Q & A for today: DRY, ITCHY SKIN.

The Question: "My dog is always itchy when he comes back from the groomer? What should I do?"

The Answer:  There is a very slight chance that the shampoo may be to blame. Believe it or not though, this is not usually the case. I do recommend for sensitive-skinned dogs, that you always request a hypo-allergenic shampoo that doesn't contain any strong fragrances or harsh chemicals. The one thing you will have to realize when asking for these types of shampoos is that your dog may not come home smelling like a rose garden or like a fabric softener sheet as these shampoos generally contain no fragrances. This will not aid you much in the fight against de-stinkifying your dog, but will however, do the job quite well in removing dirt, dry skin dander, and most of that unclean doggie smell. The reason dogs sometimes show reactions to harshly fragranced shampoos is the same as it is for humans. Strongly-scented shampoos and washes do contain more alcohol which is known as a drying agent. This could be drying your dog's skin out, especially if you are bringing your pet in for frequent baths. Remember, any more often than once per week for regular baths is NOT recommended. Pet's don't generally have sweat glands throughout their skin as we do, therefore, their skin's natural ability to excrete essential oils for moisturization and skin protection could be compromised by too-frequent bathing.

If this doesn't seem to help, then there is most-likely another issue going on. Your pet could have allergies which can range from a plethora of irritants such as environmental allergies, flea allergies (sometimes you wont even see the fleas, but they very well may be present), or food allergies. Unfortunately, this can only be assessed and diagnosed by a veterinarian or animal dermatologist. There are specialized tests and trials to determine whether or not any of the above are the culprit for your dog's itchy skin. 

If your dog should be determined a candidate for allergic conditions, it's best that you ask your groomer for an oatmeal or aloe-based shampoo as well as a conditioning treatment to help soothe the dry, itchy skin.

Remember, it is always fair to ask questions and consider the facts while doing your homework. The groomer is too often the scapegoat for all hair and skin problems, and more often than not, the groomer has nothing to do with it.  Remember your groomer's job is to help you and aim to keep Baxter clean, healthy and happy.  If you maintain a non-accusatory attitude, everyone can work together to get to the bottom of your pet's itchy skin!

As always, feel free to email me with any grooming questions or concerns you may have, and I will be sure to include them in my regular Q & A posts.

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To Strip or not to Strip

I sometimes get the question: "Do you hand strip?" My answer, shortly followed by a cringe...is "no." Hand stripping is a classic grooming technique often administered with show terriers. It is a process that aims to remove the fly-away longer strands of hair that extends longer than the shorter, more dense hairs of most terriers.
What is hand-stripping/carding?
Hand stripping involves the use of a tool called a "stripping knife" that looks like a cheese spreader or butter knife with sharp jagged teeth. It has also been referred to as "carding", the process of using the back side of a #10 finishing clipper blade. Essentially, these tools "pluck" thousands of hairs at a time out of the dog's coat, giving it the final finished look of being smooth.

stripping kife

In my opinion, unless your dog is a competitor in the prestine dog shows of the world, this is not a process worth your pet's endurance. If you can only imagine 30 to 45 minutes of constant plucking and pulling of thousands of strands of hair...it is a very torturous thing to put your pet through for no reason, except for that of cosmetic outward appearance. It's one of those things I refuse to do. In fact, I do not even own a stripping knife! There are two fantastic alternative methods to achieving a similar appearance that will leave your pet not only looking smooth and gorgeous, but feeling pampered and remaning comfortable during his/her grooming experience. When grooming, my number one goal is to make pets look their best while keeping them safe, comfortable, and stress-free. Grooming can be very difficult for some animals!
There are two ways to achieve the same smooth look of a hand-stripped terrier. One is to use a short blade size and shave off the wispy, wiry, flyaway strands of hair. The other is to blend them down to the length of the smoother, shorter hairs. I use my blending (thinning shears) to achieve this. Sure, it can be a tiresome process for the groomer, because it involves a lot of hand motion in having to blend the entire body. But, it's a far less painful experience to the animal and it looks wonderful afterwards!

A terrier mix with wispy strands of hair standing out everywhere.

see how the wisps start to blend off nicely, leaving behind the denser, desired portion of the coat.

Left: not scissored / Right: scissored

After Photo

Education is what's important for our pets! Isn't it nice to know what really goes on at the groomer's? I'm not one of those groomers who charge you extra add-on fees to put your dog through more torture. Although, sometimes, my methods or alternative options may leave an owner in a state of hesitation, my clients know that I always have their pet's best comfort and safety set as my top priority. Everything else is just in the details!

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Nail Dilemma: A "Kwik" Guide on Nail Cutting

People are always asking me about nail cutting. It can be one of the scariest things for nervous owners and even more...their nervous dogs! Most often, it's a former bad experience with toenail trimming that the pet has at one time experienced that causes him to fight and be fearful about having his toenails trimmed. I always recommend to owners and groomers that you don't try to get the nail as short as possible with these very fearful dogs. Instead, have them get their nails trimmed every couple of weeks (more often that the usual once per month) so that:

A. They will get used to the process and begin to trust the groomer. (It helps to have the same groomer every time for consistency and a pleasurable familiarity between dog and groomer.)

B. Take a little off each time, so as to not cut too low, into the painful kwik. The more you can avoid accidents, the more likely the dog will develop a trust for the process.

People usually complain about dark or black toenails, which are harder to judge. Face it, you can't see the kwik through the nail at all...so you have to get to know the dog's nails, have an idea of how long his/her kwiks grow within the nail, and just be very practiced at doing it. That's why, if you're unsure or uneasy about trimming your pet's nails yourself, have a professional groomer or veterinary technician do it instead. Clear nails are much easier to locate the kwik through, as it visible as a pink piece of flesh.

If you should happen to accidentally cut your pet's kwik, you'll want to clot the bleeding using baking flour or even better, a product we groomers use called "Kwik Stop". It's a styptic powder that not only clots the bleeding, but also takes the sting away from the pet's nail.

Just take a small pinch of flour or Kwik Stop, and pack the powder into the opening of the nail where it is bleeding from. If you've cut low into the kwik and it seems to bleed profusely, you will have to use more powder and even apply pressure for a little bit.