My little one is now almost 2 1/2 years.  He is sometimes needing a nap, sometimes not.  Usually if he doesn't nap though by about 5 o'clock he is a really grumpy bear.  So today he hadn't had his nap, and I was finished grooming in the morning.  My older two were home from school and I asked them if they had seen their youngest brother.  Looking around for him, I found him in the dog's crate, he had put himself to 'bed' for a nap all on his own :D :D

Happy Tails!

Miriam

Featuring the very pretty Coco.  One picture wasn't enough :)

Happy Tails,

Miriam

One of my favorite little pretty girls.

And another one of my favorite little cutie pies <3

He has taken to wearing the dog's collars while I am working, and one poor client had to wait while I searched the whole spaw looking for her leash!  I did find it in not too much time.... closed in the cupboard underneath the bathroom sink! Ha ha, maybe I'll start calling him little Monkey instead of Puppy, or simply Dennis :)

Happy Tails,

Miriam

(PS, he likes to eat the dog cookies, but don't be alarmed, they are meat free and all natural apple, cheese and peanut butter flavours)

Late winter and spring are the seasons for grooming matted dogs, lol.  It makes sense to grow out coat for the cold season, but all that extra fur can get a bit much to take care of.

I encourage bath and brush or bath and tidy appointments for anyone who is trying to grow their dogs coat out.  Mats happen when the fur gets wet in the rain or snow, and doesn't get brushed out immediately. 

mud, but didn't realize that by not blow drying and brushing after the bath it was causing the matting.

Now Mom only has head and tail to brush, and she will certainly be easier to keep clean!

Happy Tails!

Miriam

Did you just die of cuteness?  I'm sorry, this is what I have to endure on a regular basis, pull yourself together now.

So so darling, Coco came into the Spaw, little cute sweater on, and flopped on her back on the counter for me to love her and adore her.  She is only 11 weeks old, and she knows exactly how it goes in this human and dog world.  I love to see a happy puppy!

Well, oh yes, that's right, they are still unlearned babies, and we do have to teach them.  Like when I had to groom Coco's face and she didn't LIKE it.  Yes, you are perfect in every way and I adore you, but you are not aloud to protest things that you would rather not do by naughty growls and teeth abuse.  

Gentle consistent and confident assurance is how I deal with puppy fear issues.  We talk through it and I do as much as I can showing them that they can voice their fears and they will be heard but they can not bully me into giving into their fears and I will not let them give in to them either, to a point.  Everyone has their limits of learning something new, and it is more important for a baby to learn the lesson on a positive note, so as far as it is still positive even if they are having to do my will and not their fears will, I will not push farther.   

I had another little baby Shih Tzu boy in just before Coco, same age and a friend of Coco's, and he was great for everything except cleaning the ears.  so I did a little, then stopped.  It is more important that he has a good experience, and now he knows that I will need to do that every time, it will not be a surprise to him.

Nap time!  Happy Tails,
Miriam

This holiday season is my first with my own DogSpaw.  It was great fun, and I was very happy as I was able to get many people's dog's groomed to look and smell good for their family holiday time.

My Mom and her husband live on Hornby Island, a great place to visit any time of year and shop from all the artisans who have made a community there.  I have said it before, I love art.  I guess it is a big part of why I love dog grooming, because grooming really is an art.  And to do so, I have the privilege of working with all these dogs!
 
So, art.  I do come by it honestly, my Mom is a potter and a musician, my step-Dad is a painter/multi media artist and musician, you can visit their website here,  my Dad is a poet, here is a link to his site Mellow Wolf Publishing, and my step-Mom is a dog groomer, check out her work at Danielle's Dog Grooming Studio.

I don't get to visit my Mom and step-Dad very often because it takes 3 ferries to get to Hornby Island from here, so I was happy to have them come and visit here.  I wasn't going to work the two days I had them, but....

I couldn't say no to Daisy.  She wasn't a regular customer and just had to get cleaned up for New Year's, so I said yes.  She was the only one that called that day or I would have probably said yes to more too, lol.  I love grooming and I really love allowing for dogs to enjoy their party by being clean and beautiful.   

So, the story my son will tell forever? It's not related to art, just being a kid while I was grooming Daisy.....  I was about 15 minutes away from finishing with Daisy, when my 8 year old son comes downstairs into the spaw and tells me my 2 year old dropped the iron on his face and is covered in blood. WHAATT??  I run upstairs and sure enough (no the iron was not on) my Mom is holding him and there is blood over his entire face, in his eyes, mouth, down his shirt....my poor Mom.

Apparently the little monkey had gotten into the computer/sewing room alone and had pulled the ironing board while trying to climb up the shelf where the video games are.  The iron was sitting on the end of the board in the back corner.  Well, not there anymore!!  That room is usually locked....Yeesh, all in a days work with kids.  Don't mind the grey hair when you see me next, lol!

I have heard so many times about how head wounds bleed profusely, and yes it is true.  I looked at the source and it was only a little cut on his forehead, which had already stopped.  I cleaned him up, put a bandaid on, kisses all better, and he was good to go.  Back to work!

(He was fine, it really was just a small cut, but....ouch!)

Happy Tails and Happy New Year everyone!

Miriam

I love the teddy bear donut muzzle!  I learned this from top groomer's pet styles, and have been excited to find some furry faces to style this way.  What do you think?  It makes them extra cute, yes?

Abby came to me because her sister, who usually grooms her, got busy with school and didn't have the time anymore.  Understandable, and that's what I'm here for! 

She had gotten quite matted and long, so I cut a bunch of the coat away before the bath, which is where you see her in the top picture.  All those clumpy curls are mats.

In the bath I gently worked the shampoo through all the tangles, and brushed the cream rinse through to continue to loosen the works.

Using the high velocity dryer (the orange one on the floor) helps to break up the mats even further.  'Puppy' decided to help with the hand held dryer too.
By working the mats a little bit at a time the whole way through, I was able to save a nice length and give Abby a really cute style.

Puppy has always been good at helping.  Sometimes it is sweet and nice, like helping with Abby, sometimes I could live with a little less of his 'help'!

I have been making stylized collars for the dogs for a while, and have a sewing station set up in our craft/computer room.  Well, 'Puppy' got to use scissors for the first time at craft in preschool the other day, and I guess he decided to use his new skill to help with the collars.  EEk!  Oh, dear.  Well, good thing I'm moving on from this pattern and doing Christmas collars now!
All his helping is tiresome work though, so what does a 'Puppy'/Groomer's helper do when he gets sleepy?

Well, go lie down for a nap in the dog's 'bed' of course!!

Happy Tails!

Miriam

This is Sammi.  I have bathed and dried her in this picture, and she is ready to be groomed.  She recently came home from boarding, and had a few sores (maybe from playing with other dogs? :( ) which her mom wanted to have her shorter in order to care for easier.

We decided to give her a body length about half of what she was.  I used a #13 blade, which leaves a nice plush length.

Some coats can be tricky to clip, and you have to go with the growth of the fur.  The sides are the most difficult to leave smooth, and who wants to see big lines in the fur?  THAT's not natural looking ;P

This is where a good pair of thinning shears save the day.  I love my thinning shears, and couldn't groom a single dog without them.  Blend blend blend!

There, doesn't that look better?
When doing feet I always check between the toes for mats.  It's just one of those places that seem to get them, along with the inside of the front legs, chest, behind the ears.....
Anyway, sure enough Sammi had mats between all her toes, so I cut those out with scissors. 

So, here you have Sammi, all finished and looking very pretty after her spaw day! 

My 'Puppy' loves the dogs that visit the spaw.  He doesn't get many opportunities to get up and personal with them all, but Sammi is a big lover, and she was quite happy to share some hug time.  So sweet!

Happy Tails!!

Miriam

I can't believe it's been two years since this little boy came into the world and blessed us with his sweet presence!

It wasn't a very playful day for him, he spent the day with me as I worked in the spaw.  Here he is, hanging out in everybody's favorite spot, the cushie bath mat at the top of the stair to the tub.  He of course has his doggie blankie with him there too.

He did get a special treat when Dad came home though, a puppy shaped birthday cake!  What a perfect find for this little dog lover!

Thanks for being my grooming buddy and constant entertainment my little one.  How can you not be happy at work when you look over and see a 2 year old with boots up to his waist waddling over to you? LOL!  Love my 'Puppy',  Happy Birthday to you <3

Happy Tails everyone!  Have a great day!

Miriam

Look at this guy!  Sammy is 10 months old, the same age as my Yukon, and at least twice as big.  He is a great big sweet heart.  'Puppy', my two year old son,  gave him hugs and got lots of kisses, he was in heaven.

Sammy is a long haired Shepherd, but his coat is still pretty short.  I shaved his pads and trimmed the long hair that was growing out between his toes, used my thinning shears to just tidy the long tufts that were growing behind his shoulders, and tidied his pants ever so slightly.  Sometimes people like the ear tassles long, but on Sammy since he is pretty short everywhere else I trimmed his ears back by plucking and using my thinning shears to give them a natural and more balanced look.

Sammy was a very good boy, his mom could hardly believe it, but it is true.  Once they are in the hands of trained professionals and mom isn't there to play with anymore, almost without exception the dogs settle down, relax and enjoy the grooming.

Sammy was referred to me by Shelby's mom, so she will get 10% off her next grooming!

Happy Tails!

Miriam