Career Change

Valerie had a pretty full day on Saturday, but I didn't! I left at 1pm after finishing the Sheltie with Valerie. We had a big sweet Golden, a surprisingly nice Shar-Pei, a typically sweet Sheltie, and a couple of poodles to round things out. Rascal and Bianca cancelled, so we missed their pretty selves, but I think Valerie was busy enough.

Shar-Peis are just nasty-looking dogs. I imagine they could be cute when they're puppies, but as adults, they don't do a thing for me. Several interesting things to note about Shar-Peis. First, Valerie says they usually are nasty-tempered. The one that we had was sweet and well-socialized, though, so that was good. Second, their coats resemble bristle-brushes more than 'normal' fur. Petting them isn't at all pleasant. Add to that their massive production of skin oil, and you have a completely un-pettable dog. Valerie says that she's been to homes with Shar-Peis and their sleeping areas are just disgusting. The skin oils attract and hold dirt, so their chair or blanket is gross. She has also heard of groomers being sensitive to their skin, so I rubbed my arm on its back before the bath, just to be sure. No reaction, so that's another good. Shar-Peis get bathed twice, once heavy on the Dawn to cut the oils, and a second time with medicated shampoo because often they have fungus in their wrinkles, from not being dried thoroughly. The only positive I can think of offhand is that they don't take long to dry at all, because their hair is so thin and bristly. But they need to be towel-dried in the wrinkles, just to make sure...

I did pretty well on the Sheltie. I may have been a little happy with the undercoat removal, and didn't comb out one foreleg quite to spec, but otherwise I think I did OK. Valerie did the trimming after I'd dried and combed out the lovely Shasta, a blue merle with blue eyes. Shelties in general look so delicate and are so shy that I call all of them girls. I was right on this one, though. :-)

Remember Angie, the snappish, skittish black Standard Poodle from a long time ago? Well, she came in today, and, like Valerie promised the first time we saw her, her new owner has made a WORLD of difference in that dog. Angie was bouncy and happy in the shop, and a docile little lady on the table. She was like a different dog altogether. Where's the pod? This is what TLC and plenty of exercise will do for a dog. She rested her chin in Valerie's hand while Val was doing her face. She gave kisses, and I have a picture of one to prove it. Angie is still a little touchy about her feet, but Valerie will probably be able to get her over that. It's just an *amazing* difference.


Angie Smooching Valerie 

Tomorrow is a busy busy day! A Golden, a Shar-Pei, a Sheltie, a Basset, Bianca the Maltese and her buddy Rascal the Yorkie, and more! Valerie says that the Sheltie will be mine from start to finish. I'll post about that afterwards!

I also have pictures to post... I've got some from my visit to Vanity Fur, a couple of Angie, and will try to take some tomorrow, too. Look for pics early next week.

In other news, I am going to have to get a paying job SOON. I've been putting it off and putting it off, but I'm hoping that by putting it in writing here, my devoted readers (all two of them) will stay on my ass enough to help keep me motivated. Or get me motivated. Or offer me a place to live if I get my house repossessed. hehehehe

More on this weekend when I get home from girls' night out tomorrow! Lori, Kris, maybe Gretchen, and I are going to play. I believe we're going to have dinner at a Mexican food place, and then paint pottery and drink wine!

I spent a very nice couple of hours with Michelle, who owns Vanity Fur grooming salon. It's a very cute little shop, in downtown West Jefferson, right on Main Street. Michelle has her shop divided by counters and there's a little room partitioned off that she uses as a drying room. It's not lighted, though the top of the room is open so it gets ambient light from above.


Front of Vanity Fur as viewed from grooming area 


Vanity Fur drying area. See the white Mini Schnauzers in the bottom crate? cute. :-) 


Vanity Fur bathing area 


Michelle with English Cocker Smokey 

Michelle is lower-tech than Valerie is; there is neither a recirculating bathing system nor a high-velocity dryer in Vanity Fur. But she does just fine without, hand washing and towel drying. The drying room holds a couple of wire crates and half a dozen or so box fans. No cage drying with heated air, and that's a good thing. No baked pooches!

But Michelle DID introduce me to a very cool little tool called a Moser - a variable-height clipper. The blade adjusts from #10 to #40. Cooool!!

I think I like the idea of having counters dividing up the space without blocking the open atmosphere. Kind of a blend of Valerie's and Michelle's shop areas.

Michelle uses an Edemco grate at the bottom of her tub, so the dogs aren't standing in water. I like that idea, but also like having the dogs standing in the soapy water as I'm bathing them. I think that would loosen the crud in the pads and make it easier to get out, especially with the jets of water produced by the Bathing Beauty. But having them standing above the water would make rinsing easier, and use less water to do it, because the dog wouldn't be able to get back into the suds as the tub drains. hmmmm.

Michelle may be interested in going to the Chicago trade show in August. I told her that if I do go, I'll most likely be driving, and offered to take her along. It'd be great to have someone in the car with me, especially to split gas costs. Not that I'd be spending too much money on gas, as my little car gets great mileage. I got 400 miles on one 12-gallon tank a couple weeks ago! Also Michelle doesn't smoke, so she's definitely hotel roommate material. *grin*

Michelle also lent me a couple back issues of Groomer to Groomer, a grooming industry magazine put out by Barkleigh. Valerie hates Barkleigh, so I'm not in any doubt why she didn't tell me about the mag. I'm going to post to some of the lists and see if there's anyone looking to get rid of back issues. It's mostly ads, but articles and Q&A columns as well.

Michelle let me take pics of her, her shop, and some of her clients. I'll get them posted as soon as I can!

It was a very nice visit, and we had a great chat! I look forward to getting to know Michelle better. Thanks, Michelle!

Well, I've done more shopping today. Ordered some clipper combs, blades, and blade cleaner/lube from Rocket Team Sales. Free shipping, too, which is great. Also ordered my Bathing Beauty. I can't wait till it comes! My dogs will finally get the baths they so richly deserve, and I'll be able to use it on my friend Lori's dog, too.

We had a nice mini poodle come in today. His name was Nick, and he was a wiggly jerk on the table, but a very sweet-tempered boy. Valerie showed me again how to do poodle feet, and reassured me that I won't have to be digging between those toes with clippers for quite a while yet.

Nick and Sophie, the sweet Bichon, were the only dogs besides Zen Chi who were in today. There's a Keeshond scheduled for tomorrow, though... and I hope we get some more dogs booked in the AM! If we don't, Valerie may have to let me go early... Lori says she's having Dog Day at her place tomorrow evening, and I can't wait to see how Becket reacts to Faith the goofy and Chessa the enormous. *grin*

When trimming a dog's face, centering the eyes vertically in the trimmed face gives the dog an appealing, puppyish look. Too much beard and the dog looks depressed.

Don't mess with the head after Valerie is finished grooming it! It may have to be re-scissored, and that pisses her OFF.

Product Notes

If a dog has hot, red skin, it's a sign of bacterial infection. Dog should be bathed in products containing tea tree oil, peroxide, chlorhexadine, or sulfur.

If the skin is just red but not hot, and has a funky-socks smell, it's more likely fungal. Chlorhexadine shampoo, maybe tea tree oil shampoo. If it's extra-stinky, a capful of Listerine per gallon of water will make a nice rinse. Vinegar will also remove odor, but will leave the dog smelling like a salad. :-)

If the dog has fleas or ticks, citrus shampoo will help kill the fleas. Don't think it'll work to kill ticks, but at least the nasty fuckers will smell better. Dawn will also work.

Cats can't be washed with citrus shampoo, so it's Dawn for them.

General run of the mill dogs can be washed with general run of the mill shampoo. I'm going to be defaulting to the cherry-scented for a while, and leave the melon-scented for Valerie. Not too keen on melon, myself, but I loathe banana and coconut.

Rinses

Any dog that needs undercoat removal should have Refurbish conditioner. The undercoat just flies off with that. Idiot Trainee also thinks that she recalls Valerie saying to use it on severely tangled dogs. Maybe it has silicones in it to help the HV dryer get rid of the knots?

Greasy coated dogs, such as Yorkies, and cats in general should get conditioned with Cowboy Magic. I was alarmed at the 'hydrolyzed silk' listed in the ingredients, but Valerie says that the hydrolysis attenuates the protein. We tested it on my arm, and I used it on a Yorkie without any bad results, so I'm cautiously optimistic, as the saying goes.

A chat-buddy of mine, who has a Ph. D in Organic Chemistry, explained it to me thusly:
"Silk is a natural material and it is very likely that you're allergy is to a very specific protein which may or may not be present in the product you were using .... also, yes ... hydrolyzing anything is a process of breaking it down thus rendering it different ... also product claiming to have these "exotic" additives usually only have them in exceedingly small quantities ... any of these factors could have been the reason for your lack of reaction." It seems to me that if the hydrolysis process changes the protein from silk into something else, they shouldn't put silk on the label at all. What do you think?

I bought all of my clipper blades and 2 pairs of shears and some combs and a slicker brush from Karla Smith, who is A Fortunate Dog on eBay, several weeks ago. As my readers know, I've only used scissors on one dog. While doing that, Valerie and I decided that my DublDuck 8.5" straights were just too sticky, and I decided to see if Karla would be willing to do an exchange, even though it has been several weeks since the purchase. So I emailed her and told her my troubles, asked if I could mail the scissors back to her and get another pair of a different kind. She went me one better, and told me she'd just send another pair of the DublDucks and also let me keep the first pair for ribbons or bandannas and such. Isn't that nice of her?

Valerie and I are planning on attending the Huntington Kennel Club dog show in Huntington on July the 4th. Possibly on the 3rd, too, if the grooming day finishes early enough. I'm sure the weather will be miserable - hot and probably sticky too. But we'll be having a blast, so won't worry about that one little bit, will we? The show site says the judging will be inside, and that's all that really matters. Spectators, exhibitors, and dogs will all be out of the sun.

Valerie suggested that I make my hotel reservations early. I did so, and then applauded her good sense when I saw that they've listed 'my' hotel on the show info flyer. Last week 'my' hotel was booked, so I had to stay at the one next to it, and it sucked. I filled out the comment form on their website, and told them that I would not ever go to any of their inns again if there was an alternative, even if the alternative was priced higher. Here's how well they read my comments. They closed with "We look forward to your next visit with us." That makes me feel so valued, and that my comments were heard. HAH.

Anyhow, so as to avoid having to stay with the Sucks Balls Inn again, I went ahead and reserved my room at the Teays Valley Days Inn for every weekend from now through dog show weekend. [Update: I had to cancel the reservation for the weekend of June 25-26. I'm going to be in New Jersey, hopefully with Jim! My cousin Jennifer is a ballet dancer and teacher, and is having a rare solo performance at a recital on the 26th. I thought it would be great to see her dance, as well as to introduce Jim to my family. But in my reservating frenzy, I forgot that. I'm so intelligent sometimes!]

Valerie says my LIPSystem has arrived at her shop, but that she's going to let me install it on my table on Friday. She's been screwing together shelving units all over the shop, so I can't blame her for not wanting to do any more screwing than she has to. I told her that I'm looking forward to screwing on Friday when I arrive. LMAO!!

My next major purchase is going to be a Bathing Beauty. I'm so in love with Valerie's, especially after having to revert to the old fashioned pitcher and tap and scrubbing shampoo method over at Lori's house last week. I'll be able to use it on my dogs, and maybe they'll get the baths they so richly deserve. I'll also be able to use it when helping friends with their dogs, and perhaps even if I get a job as a bather somewhere to give me a bit of an income.

I also need to get a set of Laube snap-on combs, and a 30-blade to use with them. Valerie's Laube combs are all different colors, so it's easy to tell at a glance which one to grab. I'm also going to need blades for my Laube clippers that, with any luck, should arrive at the shop sometime before the first hard freeze. Valerie says it's best for each set of clippers to have its own blades, especially if the clippers are from different manufacturers.

People will believe ANYTHING, as long as it comes from someone they perceive should know what they're talking about. A man brought in a 'Maltese' on Saturday who was about three times the accepted size. Valerie said the guy told her that the dog was pure Maltese, had papers and everything, and that they come in three sizes now. Valerie and I laughed about that the rest of the day. The Super-Size Maltese. The person who brought in the jumbo Miniature Schnauzer pup on Friday had said that the breeder was attempting to breed down to 'toy' Schnauzer. Valerie and I laughed about that, too... "ooops! Wrong way!!"

We did have the lovely Bianca (a real true Maltese) and her buddy Rascal (A beautiful Yorkie) come in for their every-two-weeks visit on Saturday. We also had a HUGE Newfie come in. The woman who brought this dog in was in some serious denial. She told Valerie that the dog weighed about 150 pounds, but we both figure he's closer to 200. He may have weighed 150 when he stopped getting taller, but that dog has got to lose some weight. His coat was a mass of matts... we couldn't even tell if he was neutered until the shavedown cleared out some of the packing. And the owner wanted to keep the hair so she could send it away to be carded and woven into something. Whatever! I picked up the hair as Valerie chiselled it off with her clippers. The woman had thought we were going to be able to save the coat, but when Valerie saw how bad he was packed, she called and told her that the dog was getting shaved down, and that Valerie would try to leave half an inch on him all over. Get this - the owners are Dale Earnhardt fans, so they *had* to get a black dog so they could name him after Earnhardt. How about getting one that you're willing to take care of, people? Having a dog like a Newfoundland means that you're going to have to brush it sometimes. This dog had only been to a groomer once, a year ago. And from the way his ears were welded to his neck by matts, he hadn't got brushed since then either. Poor dog was just a mess. Armpits all matted up (doesn't sound bad? Think about someone pulling on YOUR armpit hair 24/7 for a year), one giant matt between the back legs, etc.

Valerie chastised me for leaving out the most important thing about Friday's grooming. The Cockapoo from Friday - I posted about him - put up a huge fight on the table, and managed to get his head out of the grooming loop. Reflexively, I made a grab at his head, to try to catch him. Valerie yelled at me "Don't reach for that dog!!" or something similar. Seems that grabbing for an escaped dog like that is a recipe for a nasty bite, and Valerie has seen it happen. Today, she explained what needs to happen if a dog escapes. You let it go. It's in a closed in area, right? Where can it go? You let it wander around, and you let it calm down, which it will. THEN you approach it and catch it. It's a reflex, though, but one I can unlearn. MUST unlearn. Just like you don't grab for a knife you've dropped, or an iron you've knocked off the ironing board. Reflex says Catch It! But brain has to weigh the risk of injury against just bending over and picking it up. NOW it's reflex to make sure my feet are safe from the knife when it hits the floor, and I've got to get to that point with escaped dogs too. Valerie's been grooming for almost 36 years, and has never been bit. Ever. So when she talks about safety, I listen!

I told my friend Lori to use some psychology on her dog Becket. Told her to call him upstairs from time to time, and tell him to get in the tub. Then give him a treat and let him out. Also wouldn't hurt to turn the water on, let it run for a moment, then give him a treat, turn off the water, and let him out. That way he'll never know when it's going to be bathtime, and the command "Get In The Tub!" will more likely mean something fun than ewwwww! If he becomes reliable enough, Lori should be able to tell him to get in the tub from anywhere in the house and have him trot upstairs and jump in. That could come in handy if she needs him out of the way in a hurry!

Today was a fairly quiet day at the shop. Sydney the Newfie was there, but Valerie had already got her bathed by the time I got in. Valerie also bathed the Mini Schnauzer puppy as well as another dog who was very very shy. So I had it pretty easy today.

The Mini Schnauzer was 3 months old, said the owner, but it looked pretty darn big. The pup was just adorable, and Valerie said he'll turn into a very goodlooking dog when he gets older. He gave her a bit of a fight on the table, though. Seems that he did not want Valerie to hold his ears to trim his neck. Valerie, however, had another idea altogether. For some reason, she was not happy about having a 10-pound puppy tell her what she was not going to do. So she held onto the pup's neck and let it scream its head off, and it did.

It sounded like Valerie was ripping his ears off. He kept struggling and Valerie kept
holding, then he realized he was NOT going to win and submitted to her. He was a perfect angel the rest of his time on the table.

Someone who walked in on that scene not understanding dogs would have thought that Valerie was being mean to him, and that he was going to be terrified of the grooming process from that moment forward. I don't think that's going to happen at all. Valerie simply told that pup who was in charge, and took the stress of decision-making off of that little dog. He was very relaxed after the battle was over, and almost fell asleep in the loops. One of the things that really impresses me about Valerie is that she has a terrific knowledge of when a dog is just pushing and will NOT win, and when the dog is freaking out for real. Valerie won't risk hurting a dog just to prove she's stronger, but also will not let a dog make her decisions for her just because it's pushy. People who give in when their dogs object to something are actually creating more stress for them. Dogs are generally very happy when they have people who are in charge. Most dogs are very content to be told what to do by a leader they have confidence in. When the dog does not have confidence in its owner's leadership ability, then is when the problems happen. Dog knows it isn't capable of making all of the proper decisions, but also feels that it can't depend on its owner to make them.

Enough dog psychology!

I've got before-and-after pictures of the Mini Schnauzer.


Schnauzer Pup Before 


Schnauzer Pup Face 


Schnauzer Pup After. Doesn't look so puppyish any more. :-( 


Another Angle of the Schnauzer. 






Here's the lovely Sydney. She really IS dark grey instead of black. Sorry for the chain in front of Valerie's face! 

I dried and brushed Sydney out today. I learned a little bit about drying technique. The HV dryer needs to be held closer to short hair than it does for longer hair. It needs to blow the hair out in a neat circle, and when it's at the right distance, you can actually see the mats and small knots being removed from the hair. It's quite amazing - the knots actually flee the center of the airstream, and when they reach the end of the hair, they are gone! Grooming sprays with silicone help this process by making the hair slippery so the knots can escape easier. The HV dryer blasts the spray into the tangles and POOF! All but the worst of the knots disappear.

I got a little bit of practice on Valerie's grooming client software. I checked out a client, took his money, and closed his ticket... only belatedly realizing that I had checked out a Shih-Tzu, all right.... but one who was scheduled to come in on Saturday!!! Idiot Trainee strikes again.

BUT!! We got a wretchedly dirty though not terribly tangled Cockapoo in, and I bathed the HELL out of that dog. Scrubbed ears and face twice, used Dirty Dog shampoo and just washed that dog like nobody's business. A wise woman had told her Idiot Trainee, recently enough for said Idiot to remember, that if a dog only gets one bath a year, make it count. So while I.T. was making it count, Sensei was giving her attitude about being able to clip down an entire dog in the time it took to bathe the next one! Sometimes you just can't win. *smile*

Valerie did the one on the right, and I did the one on the left. Sorry for the cut hair all over! 



Valerie trimming whiskers on very patient Chopper 



Valerie trimming Chopper's ear 


Valerie let me clip Chopper, and I earned a 'not too bad' on his smooth parts. Valerie diplomatically refrained from saying 'you suck' when she had to rescue me again on the legs and other hard parts though! I did part of his ears, too. AND scissored his feet. Three of them, anyway. And it only took me about half an hour for each one! hahahaha. That dog was almost enough to get me over my anti-Cocker prejudice. He was so patient on the table, aside from a discouraging tendency to flop into a sit. But I would have been trying to take some weight off my feet, too, if my groomer had been so darn slow.

Irish Wolfhounds don't usually get clippered, but the owner wants him SHORT! 

We had a lovely black Irish Wolfhound come in on Friday. She helped herself into the tub, and was very helpful while being bathed. She turned around on command, lifted her feet for me, and gave the occasional kiss. Truly, a wonderful dog! But, ohhhh, she was TALL. The water just ran down my arm and soaked me but good! No pics of her, but I do have some of the bathing area once she was done.

On Saturday, the pretty male above came in. A horse of a different color! Hahaha!! He was very pretty to look at - a nice grey brindle pattern that resembled marble. But he was so very timid and jumpy. Valerie and I both had to heave his reluctant ass into the tub, and Valerie told me not to turn him around because he'd make a break for it given the slightest opportunity. So I bathed him as well as I could facing only one side of him. His owners really need to get him in for grooming more often, as his talons were an inch long. He was so terrified at being put into the tub that he grabbed Valerie's leg and tried to hold on, scratching her up in the process. The owners really need to get him out for socializing more often too, as he is very jumpy and 'tetchy' as they say in Texas. A dog that big (his shoulder is at my waist and his head comes up to my chest) that's that shy is trouble. And an owner of a dog that big has an obligation to socialize. This guy wasn't mean by any stretch - he picked up his feet when asked and leaned his head on my shoulder while getting washed - but he needs some work to make him as calm as his breed usually is.

I wore a waterproof apron for bathing him, so I was marginally less wet than after doing the big girl on Friday, but I think a shower stall and power hose is the way to go in the future. Either that, or we'll just jog through a car wash. *grin*

Saturday's Wolfhound 

I've done it again. I waited too long to post to the blog and now can't remember much about what happened.

I do remember letting another Cocker get by with scrungy ears on Friday, and dreaming about Cocker Scrunge in my hotel room Friday night. Valerie said she will show me how scrungy ears feel when the dogs come in, so maybe I'll be able to recognize them as needing an extra wash before they get out of my tub.

There was also a Mini Schnauzer who should have had Listerine applied to get some yuk out of his beard. I'll have to remember that too.

We tried Refurbish conditioner and a nice plum-scented conditioner as well. Refurbish has silicone in it, which makes the hair very smooth. TONS of hair comes out with the HV dryer after Refurb has been used. We patch-tested these two conditioners as well as a blue shampoo, and got no reaction, which is a big YAY. Next step is the grooming spray, which gets blown into the air with the HV dryer, and may or may not have silk in it. I've got a prescription for Epi-Pen, and will make sure I have one on-hand when we do that. I really appreciate how well Valerie is treating me during this. Some groomers out there would probably tell me to wear a mask or just to take a hike. THANKS, Valerie!