Top Tails with Vanessa Byrne

13/06/2024

I know how many of my clients love their dogs to have a long bushy tail, but be warned they take a lot of maintenance.

All of the photos are of one bushy tail that has knots in it.

The knots hide under the surface of the hair.

You need to brush and then comb to get a knot free tails. You should be able to part the hair at any place and be able to see down to the skin.

What does your dogs tail feel like? Can you feel the bones of the tail or are you feeling lumps? The lumps are usually knots.

Do you leave the tail until last on your groom? Maybe you should dedicate a whole grooming session to just working on the tail.

Last but not least the condition of your dogs hair will be a factor in how easy a knot free bushy long tail is to maintain.

TopTails sells The Pawdinary range of conditioning shampoos and the amazing grooming sprays.

I find that my clients that use these have the easiest maintenance at home.

Happy home grooming 💕🐾

30/05/2024

There are usually two sides to a story.

I had a message left for me yesterday with some of the first words being “my dog groomer has let me down…followed up with how in desperate need their dog was for a groom.

So first things first, their dog groomer let them down.

I have no idea which groomer it was, but if they are self employed they are more than likely to have done everything they could do to avoid cancelling the appointment. Cancelled appointments mean we don’t get paid…but…sometimes life happens.

Secondly…my dog is absolutely desperate for its groom.

Now they could have been laying it on thick for sympathy so I was more likely to be able to solve their need.

Or are they stretching their dog’s grooms out?

Again life happens…

What if your dog is ill and can’t be groomed?

What if you’re ill and can’t take your dog?

What if your groomer is ill or their equipment has failed?

If grooms are stretched out and an appointment needs to be rearranged you (the owner) has let your dog down.

As groomers we suggest the ideal time between appointments based on coat type, lifestyle and how good home maintenance is.

We aren’t trying to take your money (there are other dogs out there that will fill those appointments) we’re trying to help you look after your dog.

The last thing we want is a dog that is in desperate need for a groom.

29/05/2024

It’s an absolute privilege to be able to groom dogs in to their senior years.

I’ve adapted the methods I use on Daffy to get almost the same results.

He might not be as tidy as he was in his younger years, but with age can come discomfort and less tolerance.

He’s an absolute superstar.
💕🐾x

25/04/2024

I never push a dog beyond what it is comfortable with.
Wallace came for a serious haircut today.
I’m so glad she was happy to have her head trimmed.
I was a bit worried she was getting tired and she was going to go home with a very hairy head.
I’m loving her new ready for the summer look.
💕🐾

14/04/2024

Along side grooming dogs I’m also a Canine Flow Master Practitioner.

Canine Flow brings a completely different element to how I approach grooming dogs and it’s something that I love sharing with other groomers so they can support the dogs they groom on an emotional level just like I do.

So here I am just putting the finishing touches on my presentation for guest expert training for the Holistic Grooming Academy.

Canine Flow is literally where my heart lies.

It’s changed my life and the lives of my dogs.

It never ceases to amaze me the results we get when we come out of our minds, enter our heart space and live in the moment…or in other words…

Be more dog
💕🐾x

05/04/2024

I have two available appointments, for existing clients only, in April.

Tuesday 23rd April @1.30
And
Wednesday 24th April @2.00.

I do have some availability for ultrasound teeth cleaning in April.

May and June are almost fully booked.

Just a quick reminder that deposits are required for secure your appointment. Until the deposit is paid the appointment will still be available to other clients on a first come first served basis.

04/04/2024

Archie’s red colour hasn’t quite come through in the photos but he has a beautiful red coat.

He’s got the attention span of a gnat on the grooming table. Handstripping needs the correct coat and also a dog that can cope with the amount of time it takes. Fortunately he’s easily distracted by food and grounds his energy through his mouth, turning him from potentially tricky to an absolute joy.

One day I’d love to have a red cairn.
💕🐾x

02/04/2024

Tick season is in full swing.

We’ve had a very warm winter and this means the ticks are out earlier than we normally expect.

Keep an eye out for ‘visitors’ even if you do use a flea and tick treatment you still need to check.

The link in the comments gives advice from the Blue Cross on what to do.

01/04/2024

TopTails is 12 years old today and that isn’t an April fool.

Wow, that’s 12 years of doing the very best that I can with the knowledge that I have at the time.

Things have evolved so much…

✨My handling
✨My styling
✨The Products I use
✨The Equipment I use
✨My knowledge of behaviour
✨Energy Flow
✨My confidence

Where will the next 12 years take me?

How have you evolved?
💕🐾x

02/01/2024

21/12/2023

Thank you so much for all your support this year. It’s been amazing 🤩
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year xx

17/10/2023

Stanley…8 weeks growth and 2 hours later.
It’s super hairy dog season.
I probably could have spent another hour stripping his hair out, but it’s about him feeling comfortable during his groom and having enough done so that he can be maintained in between grooms.

10/10/2023

It seems such a shame to wake her up
💕🐾x

28/09/2023

This is Murphy, he’s an absolute sweetheart, but he doesn’t find everything in life, including visits to the groomers easy.

I’ve groomed him since a pup, as he hit adolescence he started to struggle, his body would become tense and he became intolerant of having his tail touched.

I worked with his owners and we changed pretty much everything we did. Nothing too dramatic, just small changes. From dropping him off, the equipment and techniques I use to groom him, what we do at the end of the groom in the salon and what his owners do who he gets home.
He’s still not a fan of being picked up, but everything else is so much easier. He’s just one of the successes when we looked at energy flow.

So today when I had to change what we usually do because my stand drier needs to be repaired and I’m using a hand held hairdryer I was wondering how he’d be.
I’m pleased to say he did well and was pretty relaxed for him.
Using lots of towels and combing out excess water out of his coat helped. Having a range of strategies is what we all need to get the best out of the dogs we groom.

“Both us and Murphy are incredibly grateful for the patience and care you give him ❤️”
Murphy’s owner Emily.

You see I’m a lazy groomer, I just don’t like working harder than I need to.

Maybe you like making your working life more difficult?

Maybe you like to feel more mental and physical stress than you need to.?

Day in day out I see on different grooming groups people that are struggling, but it really doesn’t need to be that way.

When you have the tools and the techniques, you can make things much easier and the results are pretty instant, imagine how that will change things for you.

Change the energy and we change everything.

✨You will become more calm.

✨You will become more intuitive.

✨The dogs you groom will become more calm and your days will become easier.

Small changes can make all the difference.

Looking forward to you joining us.

Click on the link in comments for course details and to book your place.

💕🐾x

26/09/2023

We were a little bit hairy today.
Before, mid groom and after photos.
I do love a transformation
💕🐾x

25/07/2023

From the September 2023 there will be a price increase for those clients that aren’t on the VIP scheme.

I am keeping the rise in line with the current rate of inflation.

To give you an idea of what that rise might be if you are currently paying £56.00 your new price will be £60.50.
So an increase of £4.50. If you consider that on a weekly basis, it really isn’t a huge amount.

Your dog gets a one to one service, tailored to their individual needs.
Their behaviour is supported every step of the way.
I use top quality ethically sourced products, my salon is always clean.
I deliver teeth cleaning, ask if you are interested.
My salon is heated in the winter and also has air conditioning for when it’s hot.
I keep up to date with my knowledge and I am a fully qualified dog groomer and I am qualified in dermatology.
Don’t forget I’m also a Canine flow master (who trains groomers to use Canine flow to being calm into all aspects of the grooming process) and also a Reiki practitioner.
You really are bringing your dog to one of the very best groomers in the area.

(Please bear in mind prices are based on breed, coat type, styling requirements, behaviour and time taken for your dogs groom; therefore it is an individual price specific to your dog).

12/06/2023

VIP visitor. Happy, but we’re both exhausted 💕🐾x

09/05/2023

A polite reminder.
A £20.00 deposit is required at the time of booking to secure your appointment (unless you are a VIP or VIP plus client. If the deposit is not paid then the appointment has not been secured and will still be offered to other clients on a first come first served basis.
The balance of your groom is due 7 week days before your appointment.
Please see the link in the comments for TopTails full terms and conditions.

03/05/2023

Why wouldn’t you want to train with me?
Energy Flow in the Grooming Salon is all about taking the energy out of grooming so that as a groomer you have calmer dogs. Calmer dogs mean easier grooms. Easier grooms means a happier groomer and your body has less aches and pains. Easier grooms means reduced grooming times.

So what might be holding you back?
Energy Flow…isn’t that a bit woo and weird?
I’m all about the science. You don’t spend 20 years teaching science and have a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and then drop your science. If you love the why and how does this work you’ll love my courses.

Aren’t you one of those ‘dangerous’ groomers?
Absolutely not, maintaining contact, using your equipment properly and supporting your dogs with grooming aids that promote energy flow is what I’m all about.

Don’t you have to work one to one to use your methods?
Again, not the case, most of the techniques I teach work perfectly well in a multi dog salon. I’ve trained groomers that work in multi dog salons and they’ve had great results.

So what’s holding you back?
It’s a no brainer to me.
I can’t wait to tell you what I’ve got planned…details to be released very soon.

💕🐾x

30/04/2023

Understanding what our dogs are telling us is really important.

How to understand when your dog is feeling stressed

20/04/2023

Time and space is really important for some dogs. Barney is building up to joining me with the hairdryer. That’s ok though, because his dry robe is keeping him warm and starting off the drying process 💕🐾x

17/04/2023

https://youtu.be/pmSu_4kl92k

We are getting to the time of the year when ticks are about. It’s important to regularly check your dog for ticks, even if you are using a preventative treatment. If you find a tick, this is what you need to do.

Immunity: https://www.vincethevet.co.uk/single/immunity---small-200g

04/04/2023

Katie’s story.
Katie was our first cairn terrier and our first dog as adults. She was wild and ran like a rocket. She was really good at agility because she was so fast, but you couldn’t always be sure of the direction she would take. She was fun, she was our world, she taught us so much.

She made me the groomer that I am; right from the start when TopTails first opened its doors 11 years ago.

The groomer that always puts health and welfare before aesthetics.

When we see the dogs we groom as feeling beings that are the center of someone’s universe we do things differently.

Sadly all those years ago Katie’s first groomer didn’t see our baby like that and we had a hard lesson to learn. Her first groom went ok, we didn’t recognise her after it and she seemed a little unsettled but maybe that was because she’d lost so much hair, her coat was fully blown and so she’d been stripped down to her under coat. No problem with that, it happens.
The second and last groom with that groomer, she jumped up Tony when she was collected and left 10 bleeding nail marks on his legs. The groomer said she’d been difficult and she seemed stressed.

It took about two weeks for Katie to get back to her normal self. It took six months for me to train her to have her nails trimmed.

I looked for another groomer and found a great one that let me stay. Katie was supported and cared for throughout her groom and she went back to that groomer throughout her very short life.

When I started grooming I knew exactly what type of groomer I was going to be.

I do everything I can to make each dog have the best possible experience.

I had a fantastic and inspirational teacher( Jitka Krizova).

I studied hard and took the time and invested the money to become fully qualified. I’ve continued to develop my skills and I’m a level 1 DAATA groomer, currently working on level 2.

I apply my knowledge of Canine Flow to support every dog as an individual, full in the knowledge that they are the centre of someone’s universe.

💕🐾x

21/03/2023

Presenting Herman.
Before and after photos.
Now some people might wonder why he has a short hair cut and the answer is because his human is all about the dog.
There is never a comment along the line of ‘we like him fluffy’ it’s all about what Herman likes and his life style and what his human like’s doing with him.
He still looks beautiful and he’s always free of knots which can be painful and and cause health issues.
Does he get cold? No he has a coat and even better still he has less hair to hold onto water so he dries quicker, which means there’s less chance of him loosing body heat because he’s wet.
What’s not to like 💕🐾x

14/03/2023

Nothing quite like having you ears tickled dry
💕🐾x