Heads and Tails Professional Dog Grooming Inc.

08/26/2024

08/25/2024

We have a new look when you walk in the door!!!

06/23/2024

Our Jessica competed in a grooming competition (Petquest) in Wilmington, Ohio with one of our client’s Standard Poodle, Freddie. We are so proud of her, he looks fabulous!

06/19/2024

A big welcome back to Kris and Brianna!
Kris is back with us full time grooming and Brianna is working as our receptionist.
💖💖💖💖💖
We missed them.

06/14/2024

Pardon our dust!
We are renovating , adding on some space for our staff!

06/03/2024

Science of dog aging

04/11/2024

Why we avoid ball chasing! 🚨

Some dogs will keep bringing the ball back to you until they keel over if not stopped. Have you ever wondered why this is?

The answer is in the hormones released. Chasing and catching a ball taps into the dog's predatory sequence, and causes the brain to release adrenaline for a prolonged period of time. Too much adrenalin has been known to result in heart damage, insomnia, and a jittery, nervous feeling. Alongside this, cortisol is released, the stress hormone, which increases the heart rate and has a negative impact on physical and mental wellbeing. Because it is so rewarding for the dog, a high ball drive dog will continue to perform over and over (even if they're in physical pain). Dogs are known to ignore injuries and thus make them progressively worse while playing fetch. The constant supply of adrenaline is very addictive, and dogs who play fetch a lot will can learn to seek this adrenaline all the time. You will see a dog who is hyperactive, seeks out adrenaline driven behaviour and struggles to settle or engage in calm behaviour. While adrenaline building games are physically tiring, they're mentally exciting. If you look at, for example, mantrailing or scent work, these games release feel good - calming hormones as well as being mentally and physically tiring, in a way that is gentle on the joints.

Effects on the Muscles.

Where the ball goes after being thrown is unpredictable. In response, dogs quickly break, twist, and land in ways that can result in stress and strain on muscles that aren't equipped to handle. To make matters worse, high speeds increase the force generated in the muscle and increase the chances of injury. The most dangerous part of ball chasing is breaking. The movements necessary to stop running often result in shoulder injuries. Dogs are equipped to chase down and catch prey, once. Not over and over and over day in, day out. Contrary to popular belief, we should not physically exhaust our dogs every day- imagine if we ran and jumped to exhaustion ever day- it's not good for them!

Effects on the Joints.

The repetitive twisting, jumping and running during fetch micro-trauma to muscle and cartilage which can progress to long-term damage of the joints. Slipping on landing is common, and while dogs get up unscathed, they are actually ignoring the pain and damage caused by the fall, which again can lead to long term issues.

How to Prevent the Negative Effects of Ball Chasing!

It's okay to play fetch with your dog sometimes, if done as safely as possible and kept to a minimum. Try providing a warm up first, to reduce the risk of damage. Don't throw on surfaces which are slippy, and keep your throw to waist hight to avoid jumping. Better yet, use fetch as a training exercise, by teaching your dog to stay put whole the ball is thrown, meaning they are learning to relax around moving objects and chasing a ball which has already stopped. Find the ball or scent games with the ball are also a great alternative. Make fetch games a small part of your walk, and allow your dog to sniff and " be a dog" for the rest of it. If you have a dog who compulsively fetches, try removing balls from sight. Our border collie has all the toys she fetches away in the cupboard! Dogs can't resist if they can see them!

04/07/2024

So proud of our Mackensie with her big win “Best in Show” at Intergroom in NJ

04/04/2024

I have seen a hundred different articles about how to keep your dog safe during the eclipse and how it can adversely affect animals and how they may act weird and how it may interrupt their circadian rhythm and how to protect their eyes and alllllllll the things... some too weird to even acknowledge. 😵‍💫

1. Dogs don't generally stare at the sun. ☀️
2. Circadian rhythm isn't disrupted by a few minutes of darkness and I know this because my personal dogs have a blackout curtain in their room because it gets full sun and it makes the room hot. And they do not care if they're crated in the dark anytime of day. 🌙
3. Humans like to make other humans worry about nothing. 🙄

The bottom line is while some animals may have a small change in behavior, it is more likely they think a storm is coming and may want to seek safety. So if you have a dog who is skittish or sensitive to environmental changes, you would (or should) have them on leash if they aren't safely contained anyway. 🤷🏼‍♀️

03/29/2024

I don’t usually share these types of videos but this one is pretty funny 😂 Enjoy!

03/23/2024

Jump for joy!!! It’s National Puppy Day!
Help us celebrate by posting your pups pictures!

02/19/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/ENMmstexvFCJovbz/?mibextid=WC7FNe

This can be hard to watch at the end. Please be aware of all dogs (and all animals) around children.
This video shows some of the early warning signs that the dog is uncomfortable and needs to be allowed to leave before it needs to force the issue.

02/09/2024

Keep an eye out when letting the pups out!

Love is in the air ❤️

Wait, there’s something else. 🦨 It’s skunk mating season. You may be more likely to see (or smell) a skunk this time of year. Roughly two months long, mating season begins in February and ends in March. As always, give wildlife the space it needs.

What if I get too close? It’s a common misconception that skunks spray all the time. In reality, they only use the spray as a last resort when they feel they have exhausted all other defense mechanisms. If someone is bold enough to threaten them, either by getting too close on a trail or sending another “per my last email” message, the skunk’s first instinct is usually to run away while grumbling. If that doesn’t work, it will turn around, raise its tail as a warning, stomp its front feet and yell out insults. Your father smelt of elderberries! (Also be sent via email.) If this still doesn’t work, (geez, take a hint) the skunk will deploy the spray.

What’s that smell? The primary stinky compounds in skunk perfume are thiols and thioacetates, both rich in sulfur—the same element that makes rotten eggs so pungent. Nice.

That’s our time for today. Smell ya later.

P. S. Baby skunks can spray from the time they’re born and have been reported to spray each other for fun—stink-bombing a mate and then running away. So, immature, right?

Image: Striped skunk, with tail raised and on the move at City Of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho.

01/21/2024

😂😂😂