Sweet Hound O' Mine Holistic Dog Grooming Services

17/10/2022

It is with sadness that I write to inform our customers and friends that Sweet Hound O Mine will be ceasing to operate for the foreseeable future.
Due to ill health, both myself and mum are finding it very hard: I am losing sensation in my dominant hand on a regular basis which makes it difficult to use sharp tools etc.
At present I am trying my best to seek the medical attention needed but this is slow! and undergoing frequent medical tests etc.
I want to thank my lovely customers for helping me become who I am and helping me with my confidence.
This is not goodbye but see you later

05/08/2022

Today we did a comfort groom on little Westie Poppy and guess what... this time we forgot the BEFORE picture!
I only wish I could have remembered to get a before photo because it was such a transformation especially on those ears! She ended up looking just like our Max 🥺🥺🥺

We don't usually use restraints but the padded belly strap gave her a bit of support while standing.

Comfort grooms are basically us doing as much as the dog can tolerate. Your dog might not get the traditional breed groom but they will feel better and look tidier.

03/08/2022

Elliot had his first puppy trim!

We worked on training him over the past 4 weeks of having him

It has been a journey getting Elliot used to the numerous aspects of being groomed (literally each individual body part!).

We're not completely there yet around the face area but by the end of the groom we were restraint free: that's a heck of an achievement.

01/08/2022

Our mission is to provide education for hound owners so they can help care for their sweet hounds. As a professional, we have invested in high quality products but this isn't an option for some owners. So, we have researched to find the best quality products for the most affordable prices.

We are therefore proud to be affiliated with Groom Arts Training Academy (based in St Albans)! They have started to sell grooming tools at excellent owner friendly prices
Each product has a list of breeds which they should be used on as well as in depth explanations on how to use them!

Feel free to message or comment should you require more advice.

To purchase your products, use our unique link

Expert pet care and pet styling products. A wide range of luxury scissors, dog grooming tools and accessories for professional pet groomers and pet owners.

29/07/2022

Happy weekend guys! We made it.
Give your dog a boop and a kiss from me!

28/07/2022

I couldn't agree more.

28/07/2022

Elliot's grooming journey
Session 1: Meet and Greet
So this took place at Elliot's house as he hadn't completed his round of vaccines. Jacquie who will be bathing and drying him (also his nanny) came to introduce herself.
We waited until he felt comfortable to approach her and introduced being handled by her while being given opportunity to escape if he wanted.
As you can see, his favourite food (peanut butter) being provided helped him associate a positive emotion and experience with her to the point he was happy for her to cuddle him for a short period.

28/07/2022

It is now formally a part of our policy that we only groom puppies and dogs under the age of 12 months (who have never been groomed professionally before) after having gone through our grooming introduction package**
.. even our Elliot.

Yes, you heard right... our own puppy isn't allowed to be a client at Sweet Hound O Mine until he is properly introduced! As a high maintenance breed - whether we groom him or someone else did- he will be needing to get groomed on a regular basis for the remainder of his life and we want him to be confident!

This decision is not made lightly- we do lose out on customers because of this policy - and it is not a money making scheme. Our mission is to help create happy and confident dogs that are able to emotionally cope with the grooming process.

Stress can affect a dog's physical well-being as much as its emotional well-being and we do believe that for us to force an ill experienced puppy or dog through a groom is cruel and therefore compromises the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

We want to prove to you that though slow, it produces a happy and confident dog who can cope with what they perceived as invasive experiences not only in the groom but in other places such as at the vets! Therefore we will be recording our journey with Elliot to help provide a better picture for future customers.

** We will not leave a dog to suffer from matting or over grown nails. We are happy to discuss this with the owner so that we can organise a way to help remove these from the puppy in a way that does not trigger or cause stress.

28/07/2022

We remember to take a before picture but always forget to take an after picture of Poppy the lhasa apso... mostly because she is so clever and knows when its time to go and see her best friend: mummy!
We really love this girl so much and it's lovely to be able to start seeing her begin to trust us and actually feel settled around driers.

28/07/2022

Cooper the english cocker spaniel came in for a lovely groom this week .
We used the coat king to remove the last of his baby fluff (🥺) before giving him a bath using gentle manuka honey shampoo and an oatmeal conditioner!

Different types of cocker spaniels have different styles which require different tools. Until Cooper is neutered, we are just sticking with a deshed and a trim until we see how his coat changes.

26/07/2022

Added another great little mini refresher course to my belt this evening, learning scientific theories about trigger stacking and common calming signals/stress indicators in dogs! I also passed my level 4 in animal science and management with firsts this week too! 🙌 Making myself better for your sweet Hound and mine

25/07/2022

Elliot has been slowly introduced to different elements of the grooming procedures over the past few weeks but recently he had his first introductions to the groom room itself.

16/07/2022

Tia had her first bottom trim and a general tidy up trim with us. Cocker spaniels love scent work so snuffle mats, sniff boxes and licking mats were out at the ready for her to help her settle in

09/07/2022

At present I am still testing positive and presenting severe symptoms therefore will not be accepting appointments for next week.

We appreciate the love and support we have been giving during this difficult time. We are very lucky to have you ❤❤

04/07/2022

Despite my best efforts I have contracted covid so will be unable to answer phone calls due to the persistent coughing and spluttering. Please text, WhatsApp or Facebook message should you have any queries 🥰 Alternatively, feel free to comment with cute dog pics to help speed up my recovery 😉

01/07/2022

I am in love... exhausted... but in love

27/06/2022

Grief after losing a dog is a legitimate thing that is often not taken seriously enough.
I used to feel embarrassed to sit and cry about losing my dogs, but as time goes on I realise that it's okay to feel sad about it. I once visited Elliot and he smelled like Max when he was a puppy. I still cry almost 7 years since Max went and I cry 3 years since Boo.
Make sure you do not suffer alone. There are many places who can help ❤