These are 5 of the most common dog grooming mistakes that pet owners make when grooming their pet at home. 1. Lack of training Grooming is simply another aspect of training -- and improper training can create unhappy grooming sessions for everyone involved. If you have a new puppy, it’s important to get them used to brushing, bathing and having their feet, faces and ears handled from day one. Early, grooming is especially important for breeds who will need haircuts throughout their lifetime. For rescues or dogs acquired later in their life, it’s important to approach grooming with a calm manner and lots of praise, making every experience positive, even dogs who are predisposed to having a bad reaction to grooming can be turned around with the right encouragement. Approach a new dog’s grooming in a calm, firm and patient manner, and include lots of positive reinforcement like praise and treats for the dog’s calm cooperative behavior. If you aren't able to be calm and anxiety-free when teaching your pet about grooming, you should continue to use a professional groomer until you get used to it. 2. Long hair + water = mats A common problem that groomers deal frequently is matted fur in longer-haired dogs, but the cause of the mats isn’t always obvious to owners. Most pet owners don’t know that when a dog with long or thick fur gets wet, they have a higher likelihood of getting painfully tight tangles and mats. Brushing as much dead or tangled hair out of the coat before a bath, swim or walk in the rain or snow is recommended. A quick brush to check for tangles before getting wet can prevent a lot of uncomfortable brushing or a shave later on. Always do a quick brush after the dog has dried off, just to make sure any dead hair loosened up by the water comes out. If mats are discovered during a bath, use a conditioner and a comb to loosen them as much as possible, and blow drying will help break the tangles apart. 3. Incomplete grooming Be thorough, many owners concentrate their brushing efforts on their dog’s back, missing other areas that need grooming just as much. It’s important not to forget about those trickier areas like faces, ears, tails, bellies, bums and legs when grooming at home. For shorter-haired dogs, it’s still important to brush all areas to promote healthy skin, oil production and fur growth. Your groomer can tell you which at-home tools are best for your pet, as different coats need different brushes and tools. A part of a thorough groom includes checking the inside of ears and mouths. Ask your vet or groomer what the most appropriate cleaning schedule is for your dog. Expensive and painful dental and ear issues can be easily prevented with regular maintenance. 4. Creating bad grooming habits through improper play It seems cute when your pet snaps frantically at the garden hose, shakes her head when you blow on her ears or plays chase with the hair dryer or vacuum, but this type of teasing can make grooming really difficult for you, or your groomer, and scary for your pet. A professional groom involves equipment that vibrates, shakes, sprays, and blows air at the dog. You need to make sure that they’re not teaching the dog to bite or run when a groomer turns a tool on. According to the professional groomer, “playing shake a paw, or gently grabbing their tails, jowls or ears while giving lots of praise,” makes grooming safer, as the dog won’t overreact to being touched in those areas. 5. Make grooming a year-round priority When the weather starts to get colder, owners understandably want to make sure that their dog has enough fur to keep them warm, but neglecting grooming actually does more harm than good when it comes to protecting that insulating coat. When grooming is neglected for cooler months, matting often occurs before the weather warms up in springtime. The only cure for that kind of severe matting is a short shave, the exact opposite of what dogs and owners want in the middle of winter. Regular maintenance throughout cold wet, months can prevent a bald dog in February. Regular maintenance and appropriate training seem to be the keys to grooming success.
Some of the most loved and cherished members of our family can't even speak our same language. Still, that doesn't stop millions of people around the world from falling in love with their pets and treating them like regular members of the family. However, owning a dog comes with a lot of responsibility Owners are left with many questions about taking care of their animal. They have to find out the best food, make sure they are staying fit and active, and also keep up with grooming their furry friend. Sadly, a tragic news story is being reported. Numerous dogs have been dying after being groomed at PetSmart. To read more on this story, click here:Dogs Reportedly Keep Dying After Getting Groomed at PetSmart
Now, her lawsuit over the demise of the 4.5-pound teacup Yorkie, attacked by a Labrador mix puppy seeks to prove that animals are far more than property. Falen LaPonzina filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court last week against Wagtime Too, which operates doggy day care and boarding facilities in Washington. She alleges that the business was negligent in allowing her dog, Dax, to be kept alongside another canine four times its weight. She is seeking $150,000 in damages. But LaPonzina said she wants more than money. She wants the courts to recognize the role pets play in the lives of their owners. She said the 12-year-old Dax, with a giant underbite, was a friendly and loyal companion who had been a constant through her transient twenties and thirties. “I had no idea when I dropped my dog off there I would never see him again,” LaPonzina said. “Yorkies live to be 18 to 20 years old. He had many good years left.” Wagtime Too has denied that the business was negligent in its care of the dog. Lisa Schreiber, a co-owner, said the dog’s death was a “freak accident.” She said that an employee had been watching all the dogs and that by the time he saw the lab mix attacking Dax, it was too late. LaPonzina said she traveled to Alaska in July, dropping off Dax at Wagtime Too, which advertises itself as a cage-free facility. There are two locations in the District, where owners can board their pets for $55 a night. LaPonzina, a 36-year-old lawyer, and Dax had been regulars at the company’s facilities, first in Shaw and later in Navy Yard, since 2010. LaPonzina said she did not check her phone during her week-long cruise. But when she got off the ship in Canada, she found missed calls and messages from Wagtime Too indicating there had been an emergency. Dax was dead. An 18-pound Labrador mix puppy had picked up the teacup Yorkie with its mouth, and moments later the miniature dog was no longer breathing, Schreiber said in an interview. The Labrador, a rescue, was screened before it came to Wagtime and never displayed aggressive behavior, she said. After the incident, the dog was evaluated by a canine-behavior specialist who also found no signs of violence in the rescue dog. The Labrador has since been adopted by a woman with no children and no other dogs. “This is not anything that anyone who works for me could have prevented,” Schreiber said. “I do want people to understand this is a cage-free facility, and there are inherent risks here. We are not negligent here, but it is horrible that it happened.” Bruce Wagman, a partner at Schiff Hardin in San Francisco who specializes in animal law, said that a six-figure settlement awarded to LaPonzina would be an unprecedented amount in the death of an animal. That seems an unlikely outcome, however, Wagman said. If someone intentionally kills a pet, it occasionally might yield a significant penalty. But for LaPonzina to receive a sizable settlement, Wagman said, she would have to prove that Wagtime was not just negligent but had intentionally killed Dax. When owners do receive significant cash settlements for the death of a pet, such as when a police officer kills a dog during a home raid, Wagman said, it is typically because the officer violated the civil rights of the homeowners, not because their pet is dead. “Every state, in every court everywhere, animals are considered property,” Wagman said. “That said, there is no question that courts are more and more appreciating that animals are not like computers. They are not vases, and they’re not books.” This is not the first time Wagtime has faced complaints about its care of animals or how it operates its facilities. In 2015, a dog walker dropped the leash of a 9-month-old puppy being boarded overnight, and the dog was struck by a car. Its owner sued, but the case was settled out of court. Wagtime ran into trouble in 2003 for moving into a now-closed location near Logan Circle without a certificate of occupancy. It also squabbled with neighbors over noise and cleanliness complaints. LaPonzina’s lawsuit also accuses Wagtime Too of not having the correct license to operate its Navy Yard location. Dog-care facilities operate under a D.C. basic business license, and the District’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs said the Navy Yard location has not been issued one. On Nov. 3 the owners applied for a certificate of occupancy, which is not the same as a business license. Schreiber said that she has been in touch with city agencies and that the absence of a license is the result of a paperwork error. Matt Orlins, a spokesman for the DCRA, said there is no evidence of a clerical error. Wagtime see hundreds of dogs a day, and until Dax, none had ever died in its facilities, Schreiber said. Last week she sent a letter to customers informing them of the July death of Dax and ensuring them that their canines are safe in Wagtime’s care. “This incident was not in any way caused by negligence,” the notice stated. LaPonzina said she will be going beyond the courts and pushing for regulatory reform in the D.C. government to tighten operating standards for dog-boarding facilities. “Dax was just so adorable, you couldn’t ever be mad at him — you couldn’t not love him,” LaPonzina said. “This dog has been through it all with me.”
Oreo is hooked into her grooming harness when she begins making the cutest noise. It sounds like a mix between a baby crying and a young child calling for her mama. The veterinary assistant holds the puppy and laughs hysterically at the puppy’s sounds. Oreo continues her high-pitched calls for mama. “You’re so funny!” she says. “Are you mad at me because I’m laughing at you?” Oreo just keeps calling for mama. No doubt this is one puppy that this groomer will never forget. Hopefully, her momma came back soon to get her and take her home.
A small dog found running loose in Fairfax County received a much needed makeover. Fairfax County police are looking for the owners of a male Bichon Frise, about 3 years old, which was found last Tuesday in the area of Rolling Road and Delong Drive. Several residents helped capture the dog. It was taken to the veterinarian and treated for a number of ailments. Police released photos of the dog before and after its grooming. If you know anything about the dog or its owners, call Master Animal Control Officer D.L. Cook at 703-691-2131.
These are 5 of the most common dog grooming mistakes that pet owners make when grooming their pet at home.
