Professional dog groomer located in Elderbank, Nova Scotia. Small to medium sized breeds (under 65 l I have also shown and bred dogs for much of my adult life.
(3)
I have been a professional dog groomer for over 30 plus years. I have and still am working at Carnegy Animal Hospital in Halifax for the past 16 - 17 years. I have owned dog boarding kennels and my own grooming shop in the Belleville, Ontario region prior to moving back to Nova Scotia. I will be opening a small grooming shop in Elderbank in mid- September 2020 for small to medium-sized breeds (under 65 lbs), by appointment only.
HAPPY ENDING: Home; Safe N' Sound. We thank all that cared and shared. "She’s been found!! In the woods, neighbours spotted (her) on the trail cam." All is good. (2.5.23 - 2.5.23)
LOST DOG: Meagher’s Grant/ Halifax County FEMALE: American Cocker Spaniel, 2 years old, liver coat, wearing a collar, microchipped. NAME: Tilly She went missing on Feb.5/23. Please cross post and if you have any information contact Mary Lou or Tanya
MAP:
Is it time to get your dog groomed again? Regular grooming can be good for your dog’s health and welfare. For many dogs it may be about 3 months since their last grooming as owners often have their dogs groomed for the holiday season in December and then wait until the weather starts to warm.
What are some reasons to consider a grooming appointment in the Spring?
1. Regular grooming promotes healthy skin and coat.
2. A good brushing and bath can help promote a healthy shed by removing the dead hair.
3. Matting can cause discomfort and may result in a radical hairdo, if left too long!
4. Tick management - removing excess hair can help spot those nasty critters before they embed themselves.
5. Appearance and odour.
6. Having long hair trimmed to minimize bringing the “great outdoors” in during mud season.
7. Nail clipping to help prevent discomfort when the nails are long.
8. Groomers can often spot potential health issues such as skin and ear infections and suggest a vet appointment if needed.
Some people worry whether having their dog groomed in the winter time is a good idea, preferring to leave it until the weather warms up again. Which often means they are in for a drastic ‘do.
Being groomed regularly throughout the year is actually a good idea. Many dogs who spend the majority of their time indoors will find it uncomfortable as the hair gets longer …. and matted. It would be like you wearing a big winter coat in the house all the time. So unless you intend to keep the heat low ….
Winter presents some challenges to the dog owner. If you have a dog with longer hair, snowballs can be one! If they are just a few small ones and you don’t mind the wet through the house you can leave them to melt but in some cases you are going to have to deal with the problem! Picking snowballs off is time consuming and often dogs resist because you end up pulling hair. A quicker method is to fill the sink or tub with warm water (not hot) and place the dog in the water until the snowballs melt. Towel or blow dry afterwards. You usually don’t have to submerge the dog fully because snowballs tend to accumulate on legs, belly and chest. Another method is to use a hair dryer to melt the snow, if your dog tolerates hair dryers! And this can be slow. Whichever method you choose to use, make sure you thoroughly brush out the hair each time or you can end up with matts.
If you are looking for a way to help reduce the snowball issue, your groomer can help. They can trim the “furnishings” (the longer hair on legs, chest and belly) short or give a good all over trim, depending upon the breed, so the snowballs have a harder time getting a grip and accumulating .
Groomers can adjust for the seasons - a longer cut in the winter and shorter for the summer. This way your dog can be comfortable and clean no matter the temperature.
Thank you to Katie Hart of https://www.facebook.com/HalifaxFitPup for the use of the picture of her boy Beau after a romp in the snow.
Happy Holidays! Looking forward to a wonderful 2021 with "old" and new doggie clients. If you are still looking for grooming before Christmas or New Years I have some appointments available.
Christmas is coming! Book soon. Spaces are limited.
Often an owner comes in and tells me that their dog’s coat is really “thick”. In the case of a Husky, Shepherd or Shetland Sheepdog that might be the case but if it is a breed like a Shih Tzu, Maltese or Poodle that usually tells me that they are matted. What feels “thick” is really matts that have clumped close to the skin.
The biggest mistake an owner makes when brushing their dog is to just brush the top of the hair. You need to get down to the skin! The easiest way to do this is to start at the bottom working in layers getting right down to the skin. Think of how your hair dresser divides your hair into layers and pins those layers up, then works their way up when cutting. Same idea. Starting at the lowest point (feet, belly, etc) push the hair up and away from the skin and brush in layers. To confirm that you have removed matts or dead hair use a wire toothed comb and starting close to the skin slide the comb down the length of the hair. If you have done a good job it will slide smoothly but if it snags, go back and find the matt or clump of hair and brush it out.
What do you do when there are matts? If it is just a small matt then brushing or even pulling it apart with your fingers may work. But be gentle because many dogs won’t tolerate excessive pulling! If it is a larger or tighter matt, this requires more work. OK some of you are now thinking I’ll just pick up the scissors and cut that sucker out. There is a right way and a wrong way to cut out matts and if you don’t want to be taking your dog to the vet with a cut, be very careful to do it the right way! Never try cutting across the matt, particularly if it is tight to the skin. More dogs have been cut because the owner did not know where the matt ended and skin began. To remove a large matt you should split it into smaller sections by cutting through the matt along the length of the hair. Gently pull the clump out and away from the skin and push one blade of the scissors gently through the clump and then cut through it in a direction away from the dog. Always make sure where you push the blade in is nowhere near any skin. Once you have split the matt into sections it will be easier to brush out. With a large matt it may have to be split into many smaller sections. Be warned though this method tends to result in a lot of hair loss.
Another tool you can use when de-matting a dog is a matt splitter but again this is a tool that has to be used with care. It has a series of little blades that hook and cut through the hair. It is not a “magic bullet” however as it only does little pieces at a time and you have to work your way down through the matt. And it can also pull the hair or cut skin so you have to be gentle when using it.
If your dog is very matted and you are determined to brush it out then do a little at a time and give your dog lots of breaks or you will end up with a dog who hides every time it get groomed … if not worse! Also decide whether it is worth the time and effort to brush out a very matted dog to end up with a patchy, thin look or whether to start anew and have the dog shaved down. Within weeks a shaved off dog can look quite plush and nice and it will thank you for not putting it through the agony of being dematted!
I never like having to tell owners that I’m going to have to shave off their dog because it’s matted. After the Covid-19 shutdown this was a more familiar refrain and I had to do more “covid haircuts” than usual. It is especially hard when people tell me that they do brush their dogs - so why are they matted?
There are many questions to give the answer. 1. Are you using the right tools? 2. Are you using those tools correctly? 3. Are you bathing your dog when it still has matts in it? Or letting it swim while it is shedding?
OK let’s start with the tools. Brushes - there are a number of different types of brushes commonly used such as a pin brush and a slicker. Pin brushes can be used on silky, fine coats (yorkies) or on long haired dogs that are regularly brushed. They aren’t much good for a matted dog. A slicker brush is a more workman type of brush and good for most types of hair, particularly woolly-haired or double coated dogs. BTW Double coated means a dog with an undercoat which can be many breeds including Shih Tzus, Shetland Sheepdog, Golden Retrievers, Pomeranian, Husky, Collies and so on. Also very useful for a dog with an undercoat that is shedding is a “rake”. It is used to remove the shorter undercoat. A rake is also helpful with the shorter coated breeds like Beagles and Labrador Retrievers for removing dead hair. A wire toothed comb can also be used to pull out dead hair. Finally if you have a dog with matts, a matt splitter is useful but must be used with caution.
Often when the owner tells me that they are brushing their dogs it is true. The problem is they are not brushing correctly - they are brushing the top of the coat and not getting to the skin where the matts form. And on top of that they are bathing their dogs without having them properly brushed out. This is a recipe for disaster. The same goes for dogs who swim or during the rainy or snowy months. If shedding hair or any matts are not removed then the hair clumps where the matts are, growing larger over time and can eventually become much like felt. At that point there is nothing left to do but to shave and start anew. To be continued -
Bonnie and Clyde, two Scotties
Why your dog probably won’t look like that show dog in the picture after grooming….
Often an owner will come with a picture of a beautifully groomed show dog and want me to make their dog to look like it. It is rarely possible for many reasons. First, show dogs are brushed out on a daily basis and are never allowed to have matts form. Terriers are stripped and never shaved, if being shown, so as to keep the desired hard coat texture (shaving tends to softens the coat). Show dogs are bathed frequently (even daily or weekly) with some of the top notch shampoos, conditioners, whiteners and thickeners on the market. On the day they are shown or photographed, they have all sorts of products washed, sprayed, brushed or sprinkled in their coat to help brighten and hold the desired shape or give the right coat texture. And after they are finished being shown for the day, the handler or owner will bath them again to remove all the products used, dry them and they will often be oiled or have their hair wrapped to preserve the hair. They are usually kept on surfaces where their hair will not be broken, tangled or get stained and dirty. In other words few of them will be frolicking through the woods or swimming in the pond. Another point to make is that not all dogs of the same breed have the same hair texture so if you have a dog which has a more silky coat than the one in the picture it will not end up looking the same. Silky hair tends to fall where a more wiry or woolly coat will stand up better. So when you are going to a groomer for the 1st time by all means bring a picture or two and your groomer should be able to tell you if it is realistic or not for your dog. You can then discuss an appropriate clip with your groomer keeping your dog’s lifestyle in mind.😉
So you have that cute new puppy and you are working on its house training, socialising and going to the veterinarian for checkup and shots. What else do you need to think about? Is your puppy going to need grooming when it grows up and when should you start? I recommend that your puppy has had their first 2 sets of puppy vaccinations before the first grooming appointment. This will help to make sure your pup is covered against some of the common ailments that a puppy could get, such as distemper or parvovirus. So usually the ideal time for the 1st grooming appointment is between 3 -5 months old. It is good spot for your pup’s continued socialisation and gets the pup used to the noises and sounds of a grooming shop and the equipment. A younger puppy is more likely to be accepting of the process and so it is a good basis for their future grooming experiences. What does a groomer usually do at the first grooming appointment? Well that depends on how old the puppy is and what you want done. In general the first grooming appointment on a young pup involves getting the puppy used to brushing, a bath, drying, having their nails done and cleaning the ears. If a pup has longer hair like a Shih Tzu, Havanese, etc. some trimming of the head and in front of the eyes is done, feet trimmed and under the tail trimmed out. In some cases the owner wants an all over trim as well, though many owners just want a tidy up at the beginning. Note: some breeds such as Poodles and the terrier breeds have specific hairstyles which the groomer may do at the first appointment, unless otherwise requested. I also introduce the puppy to the clippers by letting them smell them and turning the clippers on so the pup gets used to the sound, even if I’m not actually clipping them at this time. The real point of a baby puppy grooming is to get them used to the process early so that it does not become a traumatic event when they are older. The groomer can also discuss with you a future grooming schedule and help you decide what sort of clip you want for your pup in the future. We can also give you tips if you intend to do some of the grooming yourself between visits.
If you are displaying symptoms of COVID-19, you have traveled outside of Canada or you live in a household with someone who has COVID-19 or is showing symptoms of COVID-19 – please arrange to have your dog groomed at a future date. If you have any one of the COVID-19 symptoms, or any other symptoms that concern you, you should use the 811 online self-assessment.
Please maintain social distancing at all time per government requirements. If possible, please wear a mask when dropping off and picking up your dog/s. No one not wearing a mask will be allowed to enter the building and I will take your dog/s from you at the door.
All equipment and surfaces are cleaned between dogs using a government approved disinfectant for Covid-19.
Thank you for helping to keep us all safe!
Welcome! We are located in lovely Elderbank, Nova Scotia and will be opening for business shortly. With over 30 years of experience as a professional groomer, you can be confident your dog will be groomed with care and style. Please leave us a message if you would like to set up an appointment or are looking for more information
46 Elderbank Back Road
Middle Musquodoboit, NS
B0N1K0
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Elderbank Groomer posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Elderbank Groomer:
