Mr Fuzzy pants enjoying a sponge bath. 🧼
Let’s talk about cups ☕️
Imagine your dog’s threshold is like a cup of water. Puppies have a tiny cup, while full-grown adults have a larger one.
Milo has been visiting a reputable mobile groomer. Recently, the groomer and the owner noticed that Milo, who is now an adolescent, is becoming quite anxious and intolerant to the grooming environment. They suggested exploring other options.
To help Milo, I aimed to minimize the handling process so that when he reached the haircutting table, his cup wouldn’t be overflowing.
Milo was wonderful during the bath ✔️ Since Milo has been taught to crate by his humans, I used this to my advantage and crate-dried him, as he associates this space with safety. I stayed with Milo to ensure he wasn’t anxious, maintaining his positive crating experience and avoiding any behavioral issues. Milo was so happy being crate-dried, and at this point, his cup was still empty. ✔️
Once he was 80% dry, I did a small amount of hand drying on the table to expose Milo to it in small, manageable doses. By the time he was fully dry, his cup was only 1/4 full.
When it was time to start the haircut, I quickly identified Milo’s triggers. I left those areas for later to avoid overwhelming him too soon. By the time 90% of the groom was done peacefully, I tackled the last 10%. Although Milo’s cup filled quickly, and he became overwhelmed, the groom was done. I removed Milo from the table, and we ended with positive praise and play.
Understanding a dog’s behavior is crucial in grooming. Recognizing and respecting these thresholds like his previous groomer did, is what makes a good animal handler.
Mobile groomers are beneficial for many dogs but not suited for all. Some dogs are best suited to salons, highlighting the importance of choosing the right handlers and trusting their judgment.
Puppies have very small cups that fill quickly, which is why early and gradual exposure is so important. And don’t be so quick to dismiss
Snickers, today’s ray of sunshine 🌞
When you look away and the kids decide to give the dog an unexpected orange makeover 😂 Budding artists in the making! Fortunately, your mom knows exactly who to call – Frankie.
It’s tiring business being a Cavalier! Charlie falling asleep mid toenail clip. 🥹❤️
Admittedly, we were a bit worried when we discovered the extensive matting on this Australian Shepherd. Thanks to effective products, a skilled team, and a remarkably patient pooch, we successfully tackled the challenge. 🙌
Kitty Deshed 😻 Ready for the cooler months ❤️
Celebrating my wonderful daughter 🥰 on International Women’s Day as she mentions SeaTails Pet Spa. ❤️ Instilling the value of pet welfare in my children is a heartfelt priority. 🐶 Despite my workaholic tendencies, they understand we share time for the greater good. Maddy, in Year 11, dedicates her afternoons and weekends to working with Thoroughbreds at Wyong racetrack. 🐎 Even during school holidays, she’s always lending a helping hand around the salon.
Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. Happy Women’s Day!
The RAW and UNEDITED version of the Amy & Lara adventures.
15-year-old Jasper recently joined the SeaTails family upon a vet’s recommendation. In his senior years, he’s developed an intolerance to grooming, likely influenced by ongoing skin issues, arthritis, or sensory decline. Past grooming experiences may also be contributing factors. Given Jasper’s age, grooming poses a high risk, especially concerning anesthesia if an injury occurs during the process.
To accommodate Jasper, we’ve customized our approach. His introduction involved a gentle bath and blow with Lara to familiarize him with our salon. During today’s haircut appointment with me, I adjusted the routine for his comfort. Starting with the face, I bathed and dried him in a crate with low light to minimize handling. Surprisingly, once on my haircut table, Jasper transformed, displaying alertness and feistiness. Adapting again, I confused him by mimicking the end-of-session routine, and Lara sat with him to redirect his focus towards his owner’s arrival.
Each grooming session with Jasper is a unique experience, prioritizing his comfort, with the understanding that quality may vary, all supported by the owner’s full cooperation.
Can you spot the snake striking at our puppy?
We spend A LOT of time in the bush with our dogs so I thought it’s worth sharing how I keep my pets safe during summer.
SNAKES
- I weigh my pets before heading out. Your pet’s weight is very important in helping the veterinary team prepare before your arrival!
- I carry compression bandages (in this case I had three rolls of vet wrap handy) to wrap a limb (always praying if bitten it’s an area that can be bandaged) Unfortunately, snake bites on dogs are commonly delivered to the face.
- I make sure I have another adult with me, to help carrying my pet if bitten. Your dog needs to be kept calm as possible and needs to be carried.
- I know my closest vet clinic and emergency vet clinic so I can phone ahead knowing my ETA. I do both GP and ER.
- I carry my phone and have good knowledge on identifying snakes. When safe to do so, identifying the snake can help your vet team with Anti-venom procedures (although we often don’t encounter tiger snakes)
- I keep them on a lead during bushwalking. In this case we were camping and I wanted to work on off lead obedience. Livvy clearly stepped on this poor fella frightening him.
TICKS
- My older boy (Cattle x Aussie) is clipped short during summer. The benefits outweigh any concerns I may have towards his double coat. My puppy will also be clipped, when her adult hair has came through.
- If I have a trip planned, I give more preventative making sure I’m not lapsing. Example; I will give 3wkly instead of 4 wkly ensuring they have full coverage.
- I do a thorough tick check, including ears, mouth, toes and armpits.
- I bath them, using blow dryers so I can see the skin incase any ticks have latched on. I went straight to the salon from this camping trip! Especially on my puppy with a long coat.
1080 FOX POISON
- I make sure I have good knowledge of the areas being baited.
- I’m currently training my puppy to ‘leave it’
- Same for snakes, know your p
Leti in a trance over the warm blow drier 😹
It wasn’t hard to fall in love with Lucy the Ragdoll 😍
Did you know that the secret formula not only exists for crabby patties but for de-sheds too? #spongebob #seatailspetspa #bordercollie #desheddingtreatment
Today’s weather prediction
☔️ Rainy with a high chance
of snow storm. ❄️
#deshed #husky #seatailspetspa #gwandalan #summerlandpoint #petgroomer #vetnurse
Fresh cut feelings 🌪
#happydogs #gwandalan #petgrooming #seatailspetspa #vetnurse #doggroomer
Ollie and Pye visit the salon
Border Collies are one of the most intelligent domestic breeds and often one of the hardest breeds to groom.
I would never recommend a Border Collie to a novice owner and I would say the same to a Border Collies owner when picking a groomer.
Due to the breeds double-coated long hair, they often have rather thick coats and do require a regular grooming regime to avoid matting and over heating during the warmer months. One bad experience in a grooming salon could make every future grooming experience - at home or professional a very stressful experience for both pet and owner.
If you introduce your dog to grooming as a puppy with an experienced groomer, you should encounter fewer problems; this goes for every breed.
Ollies mum was extremely nervous about introducing Ollie to professional grooming. Naturally he is a highly strung and nervous young Border Collie. So mum’s biggest concern was the noise from the dryers we use to remove the undercoat. She had attempted to blow dry him at home and he snapped at the dryer; pretty standard for a young working breed. He had also shown some resistance to his brushing regime at home - let’s face it knots hurt!
Mum has done a brilliant job at home but it was definitely time Ollie had a professional groom, as the undercoat was starting to compact in areas and the knots harder to brush out.
Ollie and Pye have had lots of obedience training using positive reinforcement and also crate training, so all the ground work was done; we just needed to adapt the same training principles into his visit. I will refer to this as Ollie’s familiar ground with me; something we can find a mutual bond and work closely together with.
We picked a good time for Ollie and his brother to visit; a day with smaller quieter breeds. Mum arrived with lots of Ollie’s favourite treats and his first positive grooming experience was under way!
To the novice eye it looks like we just fed treats the entire visit
