Skipper is a Havanese cross. So cute right!?  She is 10 months old and came to me when her mom said the last place she went to they couldn't do her face properly because she wouldn't sit still.

Puppies go through so much when they are growing, and can go through stages of being afraid of things they weren't afraid of a month ago.  They need constant reassurance, and kind firm guidance.

Skipper was no exception.  She was great for the bath and drying, but when it came to the clippers on her front legs she really didn't like that, and tried to bite at them.  Maybe it was the sound, maybe a past groomer bumped her ankle bones with the clipper blade (something easy to do if you don't have the experience and a light touch).  As soon as she showed this reaction I stopped, held her and looked her in the eyes, and gently but firmly told her that that wasn't allowed.  Then I reassured her and told her she was a good girl, gave her pets and she was more trusting after that.  She also didn't want her face handled, and would try and remove my hands with her front paws over and over.  Instead of fighting that losing battle, I took her leash and fashioned a kind of harness like the ones that keep dogs from pulling so that she couldn't lift her front legs up to her face.  She was totally comfortable and fine with this, and let me groom her whole face without a wiggle. 

There!  She learned she can trust me, that I wouldn't hurt her, and that I listen when she says something upsets her.  Happy Tails!

I had the utmost pleasure of grooming Zivah today.  The beautiful retired Samoyed show dog who belongs to the lovely and talented Rachel Barkman, who does dog photography.  She does human photography as well, which I must say I quite like and you can go check out her website here: Rachel Barkman Photography. 

Rachel gave me a mini session with Yukon and Akira before Zivah's grooming this morning, (even threw one of 'Puppy" in there), just a quick 30 minutes, and look what she gave me, priceless treasures.

There are a lot of photographers out there, and I have a very critical eye when it comes to photos.  I have to say, she is really good!  A great photo captures light, personality, composition, balance and I'm sure other and more technical stuff that I don't know about, but put it all together right and you get a magical moment that you just want to keep looking at.  It is art. That is a good photo.  That is what I see in Rachel's photos.  So thank you Rachel, you made me very happy today!

Happy Tails!!

I've been busy!  It feels great :)  I have been working hard to get my name out there and have people get to know my grooming.  I makes me so happy when I have people coming in and saying they want me to groom their beloved dog.  Here are some of the cuties I have had the pleasure to groom recently:

Today's sweetness.  Harry the Cavalier King Charles, and a new guy Sailor, a Cockapoo Pomeranian cross.  Shhh, don't tell anybody, I have the best job, I get to spend my days with the sweetest creatures on earth!

So I'm grooming away when I look over and see Puppy has brought his Kitty into the spaw.  He had my grooming noose and was trying to put it on Kitty, talking to her all along about it. Next generation groomer!

Happy Tails!
~Miriam

I groom all dogs big and small, from darling little Shih Tzu Yorkie crosses to still darling but not so little Pitbulls.  I groom all breeds of dogs, no matter the breeds reputation.  If your dog is raised and trained gently, it is welcome at Aviva Dogspaw.  There are no bad dogs.

Today I got to groom this cutie.  He was such a good boy, like a model staying still for me :)  His mom wanted to come to me because I am a home-based spaw.  I think that being in my home is the best place to have a business for dogs.  What better place is there for a dog to visit?  Home is where the dog is, after all.  Though truly this means that no matter what, even if you lose your house, you will always have a home in the love you share with your dog.  The love between Gunner and his mom was a sweet and special thing to see.

I also got to groom this cute girl this week.  As an interesting coincidence, Gunner's mom told me she is terrified of big dogs, particularly pitbulls. (Gunner's mom~ I hope it doesn't cause you discomfort to see this picture of Juno right beside your Gunner).

In all the years that I have been bathing and grooming dogs (I started bathing dogs 25 years ago) all of the pitbulls that I have ever encountered have been sweethearts, calm and gentle.  I still regard them with a certain respect for the potential the breed has for fighting/attacking, but really, I believe that the ones that do are raised poorly, by people who love aggression.  There are no bad dogs, but there are some poorly trained/raised ones.

I do appointments one at a time, with only the occasional overlap of dogs coming and going.  There will only ever be two at the most three dogs here at a time, but most of the time just one.  My goal is to create the most relaxing and stress free environment for your dog.  If you are afraid of big dogs, it is good to let me know when you make your appointment like Gunner's mom did, so I can make sure that your appointment is not going to overlap with say a Pitbull or Rottweiler leaving the spaw.

Happy Tails!
~Miriam

I got to groom this cutie today :)  She is a two year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, styled in a very cute pet clip.

Quite often a family will like a breed for their personality and temperment, but the breed standard clip just isn't practical for them to maintain.  And everybody has different likes, I celebrate that!  It is my job to listen to what you like and don't like, to know the breed standard, and then create a style that suits you and shows off your dogs best attributes.  I really love what I do!

Here is a picture of a Wheaten groomed to the breed standard. Meg's mom doesn't like the short ears and 'fall' over the eyes, or the long beard that are all characteristics of a Wheaten's head style.  That's okay!  Meg is Meg, beloved of her family, not a show dog.

I took the principles of the standard and applied them to Meg's pet style.  Instead of shaved ears that point to the ground I gave her short feathered ears that point to the ground.  Instead of a left natural fall and beard I gave her a feathered and well blended visor and short beard by using thinning shears, giving the fur a natural shaggy look.  Her shorter hair and longer hair are well blended with thinning shears all over her body.  I didn't just do her body all one length, I used a medium length on her body and followed the same pattern lines as she would have if she was in full coat, trimming shorter here and longer there, shaping always to show off her breeds natural beauty.  I did take all the hair off under her chest as she wears a harness when she is out, (she is a very active girl), and this hair get rubbed and mats up.

Happy Tails!
~Miriam

Poor Dash had a flea infestation, and had to come in for an emergency flea bath.  His dad had chopped his hair and doused him in flea powder before mom came to the rescue, lol!  The good news is, you do not need harsh chemicals to get rid of fleas.

Really? you ask, skeptically...

No, truely :)

Here is what I recommend:

1) Bring your dog in for a flea bath.  I do this with my regular shampoo, no pesticides, no chemicals.  The thing about fleas is, they are actually a pretty fragile insect.  If you cover them with soap for a certain length of time, they suffocate and die.  I have been doing this method of flea control for many years, and it is very effective.

2)Buy some food grade diatomaceous earth.  I haven't used this, but know of it as a natural way to eliminate garden pests such as ants and slugs as well.  Apparently this can be found at garden supply stores, and possibly health food stores, as people take it (ingest) for health benefits.  I did find this link for a few local suppliers: Diatomaceous Earth British Columbia.  I will be looking for it, I have not yet.  When I see some I will let you know where I find it.  It is a whitish fine powder that at a microscopic level has razor sharp edges that will cut up the outer waxy layer of the flea and leave it exposed to dehydration.  A flea exposed to this dust will die within a few hours.

3)Spread a paper thin layer of the DE on your carpet before you vacuum, and leave a thin layer on your floors and anywhere in your house (couches!) where the vacuum does not reach.  This is only effective on the adult stage of the flea's life cycle, so you are going to have to repeat, repeat, repeat until you notice no more fleas in your flea traps. Vacuum your house at least once a week, better twice until the fleas die down...literally ;P  Wash the dogs bed, your bedding, and anywhere else your dog spends time, including the car.

4)Put out flea traps overnight in trouble areas (by dogs bed, underneath your bed).  You can make your own by putting a shallow dish filled with soapy water under a lamp .  Fleas are attracted to light and will jump towards it, land in the water, get coated in the soap, suffocate and drown.

5) Use the diatomaceous earth like flea powder and douse your dog.  It does not hurt mammals, does not irritate the skin.  The glass like particles only work on a microscopic level.  It is food safe and can not harm you or your dog.

I found this page Die Fleas! Die! Die! Die! to have some very useful information that explains at length how diatomaceous earth works and answers many questions as well as listing other natural flea killing methods.

Happy Tails!
~Miriam