Dog Grooming

Dog Grooming

Dog grooming is an art that goes from basic pet care to almost spa-like pampering. The essential grooming requirements depend on the dog’s breed and its characteristics. The first thing a pet owner deals with is dog hair.

Long hair dogs that shed need more frequent grooming than short hair dogs or those who only shed seasonally. Dogs with curly or frizzy hair need daily care to de-tangle the hair and remove debris or foliage that gets caught in the coat while the dog is outdoors.

Sending your dog to a groomer each week gets expensive. But if you want the best for your dog, you can even hire mobile dog groomers who have a full grooming station in their vans.

The groomer parks in your driveway and does the complete grooming onsite. This is a great convenience and avoids the “wet dog” smell lingering in your bathroom. To save money, you can also learn to do many of the basic grooming techniques yourself.

Dog grooming isn’t just a luxury – it’s a necessity. A dog that doesn’t get proper grooming in a timely manner is at risk for illness, gingivitis, parasites and damage to both fur and skin.

Your dog may not be thrilled about getting a bath, but you can’t let that stop you. Bathing is a health issue for dogs just as it is for people. You wouldn’t stop bathing your toddler just because she screams at bath time, would you?

If you aren’t sure about the right techniques for bathing, brushing and de-tangling your dog’s fur, find a good online resource or ask if you can watch the dog groomer work. You may also take a class from a pet store or vet’s office to learn the correct procedures – as well as get some expert tips on how to deal with your dog’s anxiety or fears during grooming.

The skin under the dog’s fur can be highly sensitive. Avoid aggressive scrubbing while bathing your dog or you can remove too much of the natural oils that protect both skin and hair follicles.

Adding powder or scents that aren’t formulated for use with dogs adds the potential for skin irritation or infection. If a product isn’t made for dogs or the type of fur on your dog breed, then make it a rule never to use it.

Be patient when grooming. Take time to talk gently to your pet, rub his head or tummy and lend a playful quality to the grooming session. If you’re rushed or impatient, then don’t even start the grooming. Your dog will pick up on your attitude and be fearful or difficult to manage.

Even if your dog spends most of his time outdoors, you still need to do basic grooming. Without regular bathing, your dog is at the mercy of fleas and parasites that thrive on his lack of cleanliness.

Use the right tools. Don’t use your old hairbrush on your dog. Get special brushes and combs that are made for your dog’s fur. You don’t save money using your castoffs if you damage the dog’s skin and create a big vet bill.

You might save some money by bringing the dog to a groomer monthly or alternate weeks, while you handle the bath and simple hair brushing on the other weeks. Dog grooming is an essential part of maintaining your dog’s health – as well as his good looks.

If you are looking for a pet sitter in the north Phoenix area please contact Rebecca at 623-377-7735.

Dog Grooming at Home

Dog Grooming at Home: if you have the patience and the time.

You will be absolutely thrilled to learn that there are also home solutions that are available for you for dog grooming.

You do not need a professional service

If you own a dog and you are looking at saving money on grooming of your dog, then like most pet owners, you too have the option of grooming your dog, at your home. The biggest advantage over here is that you will definitely be saving a great deal of money.
But, on the other hand, you would also be required to invest a lot of effort and time, in this kind of grooming activity. According to research studies, dogs that are short-haired and are of a small breed, are most easily groomed at home. But, dogs that require intensive hair cutting, special maintenance and complex grooming are better off left in the care of professionals, as it has been found that it would be near to impossible to breed these dogs at home.

Dog grooming calls for the right kind of equipment

If you plan on grooming your dog at home, then you should at least have the minimum amount of equipment that is required to do the task. Without this equipment, it would just not be possible for you to groom your dog.
In order for you to groom your dog at home, you would need to have the following basic equipment: grooming table, clippers and brushes. Though it is always good if you also had scissors and combs, it is not absolutely essential for you to have them. Plus, you would also need stuff such as special cleaning solutions and special shampoos.

Dog grooming calls for a lot of patience

If you think that it is very easy to groom your dog at home, well then you are very wrong. This grooming calls for a great deal of patience. For instance, you need to trim the nails of your dog, at least one time in a month. When you do this, you have to be extremely careful because if you cut the nails of your dog too short, it could lead to you injuring the veins of your dog. Also, you have to be very gentle when you are cutting their nails as there are hardly any pets who really like their nails being touched.

You also need to give an equal amount of attention to the eyes, ears and teeth when you are brushing or bathing your dog. Also, if you happen to come across an injury or some kind of a lump under the coat of the dog, make sure that you immediately take your dog to the veterinarian. This is because you really do not know what this may lead to, if it is unattended. Thus, though you can do dog grooming at home, you must be ready to devote a great deal of time and patience.

Boarding Your Pet – What You Should Know

Boarding Your Pet – What You Should Know-623-377-7735

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Rover may enjoy staying home when you’re around but he can get pretty lonely when you’re out of town on vacation. You would bring him if you could, but that’s not always a good idea, especially when you’re flying thousands of miles away. One solution is to board him at a kennel where he will be looked after, exercised, and kept out of trouble. Here are some things to consider when choosing the right kennel for your pet:

Clean Boarding Facility

This is important to your pet’s health and can also say a lot about a place. Choose a place where the employees clean up after “accidents” and there isn’t a lot flea-scratching going on. The facility should also require dogs to have their shots – Rabies and Bordatella. This is for your dog’s protection.

Exercise
Check out the kennel arrangement. Will your dog be in an inside/outside kennel where they’re able to go outside to take care of business and enjoy the weather and smells? This may be all the older or inactive dog needs. Do the employees regularly exercise the dogs? High energy dogs need to be walked, played with, or allowed to play with other dogs. Check to see how and when they exercise the animals and if there is any extra cost involved.

Availability

Is the kennel really popular? If so, you may need to book vacations, especially during major holidays, a long time in advance. This is important to know, especially if you’re used to planning your vacations at the last minute. You’ll also want to explore their hours of operation. Some kennels are closed on Sunday or at night so you can’t just drop off or pick up your pet whenever you want. Will your pet be okay if he ends up staying an extra day at the beginning of your trip and another day after you’ve gotten back? And what’s that going to cost you?

Feeding

Find out what food they will feed your pet, and how often. You want the food to be a quality dog food and you want your dog fed twice a day. Some kennels will give you the option of bringing along your own food. Will they be able to administer your pet’s medications, if applicable?

When you can’t bring your pet with you, consider boarding them at a well-run kennel. Be sure to satisfy yourself with the cleanliness of the facility, how they will exercise and feed your pet, and the facility’s hours of operation for you and your pet’s peace of mind

Picking a Good Pet Sitter

Picking a Good Pet Sitter- 623-377-7735

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Picking a good pet sitter is important; you want someone who is reliable and good with animals, especially your animals. You want to be able to trust that they will do what they say and when they say they will do it.

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 Perhaps you have the name of a pet sitter. The first thing you need to do is invite them over for an interview. You wouldn’t hire someone at your place of business without doing a thorough interview first, would you? The same applies for hiring a pet sitter.

 The interview helps you to figure out whether you and the pet sitter are compatible. If you are not comfortable with each other it may hinder open communication. Being able to communicate is very important for your pet’s sake.

                 Standard Price North Phoenix Pet Sitting Service Area.

pet sitting North Phoenix service area map
Our Standard Service Area

Approximately Northern Ave. on the south, Pinnacle Peak Road on the north, 99th Ave on the west and 7th St on the east.

 An interview will provide you with a clear look at how the pet sitter interacts with your pets. Do they genuinely like your pets and do your pets like them? If they ignore your dog the whole time they are talking with you, is that a good sign? Is your normally friendly dog acting reserved or aggressive around the pet sitter?

8 vaious breeds of dogs
Our Pack of Dogs!

 When interviewing the pet sitter, you should cover these important areas:

 1. Take a look at their experience and background. How long have they been a pet sitter and have they ever taken care of a cat/rabbit/lizard/bird like yours? Do they have references that they will happily share with you? Give the references a call and ask about the pet sitter’s reliability and trustworthiness.

 2. Find out how they handle emergencies. Do they have time built into their schedule so they can stay longer with a sick pet? Do they know where your vet’s office is and can they take your pet there in an emergency? Do they have back ups to cover for them in case of personal emergencies?

 3. Find out how busy their schedule is. Pet sitting is a job; don’t forget that, but do they pack their day so full of pet sits that they end up shortening their stays just to get to all of them? Or are they so busy that your scheduled visit sometime between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm becomes a 10:30 am or 2:00 pm visit? Also, are they so busy that they’re heading for burnout? Pet sitters do tend to take on too much and they can get burned out and quit.

 Interviewing a pet sitter before you hire them is an important step and one you won’t regret taking the time to do. The goal is to find someone you and your pets are happy with as it could be the start of a great long-term relationship for all of you.

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