December with my dog

I'm surprised to see I haven't posted any updates on Penny's day-to-day life since October 6th. Where did October and November go?

Anyway, there is one thing to report for November - Penny had a long-overdue haircut. Here she is, energised after the visit to her lovely groomer, Gabby.

Penny has never been fond of being groomed, but when I took her for a walk prior to going into the salon, she tugged me down the driveway into Gabby's place. That's what I call 'voting with your feet'! Gabby has a gift for making Penny relaxed and happy.

It had been cool for November, so I covered her with a blanket the first couple of nights, as she has quite a thin coat.

I didn't have to do that for long. December arrived with a vengeance, and hot, hot weather landed on us. It was too hot, even at night, to walk, so I drove to Kepala to give her a swim. I loaded up a big container of  water in a cooler in case the car broke down, because I don't think she could deal with 38°C these days. She was panting in the back seat, even with the air conditioner going, but we got there safely after the 50 minute drive.

It was worth it.

The rules specify that humans are not allowed past the blue line, so I took that as a definite instruction to wade in up to the blue line. (When I wasn't taking a break in the shaded hut.)

It's not only about keeping cool. The benefits of swimming are wonderful for old dogs with joint problems. Look at how she stretches her limbs when she swims.

grooming a dog with completely matted fur

When Penny and I were at the vet's today so she could be admitted for her cruciate check-up, the vet nurse showed me the fur that was clipped off a poor little dog who came in for grooming recently.



The little dog had lived in its owner's backyard without any grooming! She didn't even brush it, and the fur was so matted the groomer had to take it all off. The vet nurse said that when the dog was bathed, it was ecstatic at the wonderful sensation.

Let's hope that unthinking owner will do better in the future.

grooming the dog

Lately people have been asking me whether Penny can see, when her hair falls over her face. In general, I like her to have a fringe in summer, to give her some protection from the harsh effects of the sun on her eyes. Here she is looking pretty hot on our weekly off-lead walk with Cindy at Coldstream last Saturday. (I hope it's cooler tomorrow!)



Cindy suggested to me that I could thin Penny's coat by using thinning shears, so I've been trying it out. I've come across lots of sites showing how to style either human hair or canine hair using these tools.

So far I've just experimented with desensitising her to scissors, as she's never been trimmed at home with scissors before. I've trimmed around her rear end and tried to get rid of some of the bulk on her legs.

It's a 'work in progress', but I'm keen to learn more because Penny doesn't really like going to the groomers and I can't just let her hair grow indefinitely. (She seems to have the maltese every-growing coat, though her heritage is a bit suspect. She simply doesn't look like what she's supposed to be - a maltese X shih tzu.)

I've got Dog Grooming for Dummies on reserve at the local library, so I'm hoping to turn into an expert when I read it. Hmm...not very likely. But one book that I've already got from the library has good information. It's the incredibly heavy Dog Bible. My hands got tired holding it up!

It's a fantastic book, though, with information about all sorts of things - dog genetics and history, dogs in religion and folklore or popular culture, dogs and the law, health, daily care, breeds, diet, training, fun activities, and, of course, grooming - to name just a few of the topics covered.

I think I'll have to buy it, because I want to have it on hand all the time.

dog groomer who lets owners watch

Today Penny visited a grooming salon where owners are welcome to watch the grooming through a big glass window. I'm very happy with the result.



The groomer not only welcomed me to stay, but was also quite willing to discuss what cut I wanted Penny to get. He told me how he would usually style a dog like this, but was happy to accommodate my wish that Penny's fur be left long on top.



As you can see, Penny also got a Christmas card!

I've been envious in the past of posts by Amber-Mae about the grooming salons in Malaysia that let people stay with their dogs - and now we have one too!

By the way, for those who live in Melbourne, the salon is Yuppy Puppy, in Macleod.

home hairdressing for dogs

This evening I visited a friend who has a maltese with beautiful silky white hair. My friend showed me how she trims her dog's facial hair between grooming appointments. It seemed simple enough, so when I got home I recruited help to feed Penny treats and hold her steady while I took my first tentative steps towards trimming her at home.

We decided to give it a go because her hair is always across her eyes and we think it must be annoying her. Also, my vet said he doesn't like hair that can touch a dog's eyes.

Here's Penny before the big event. She wasn't feeling too good when this was taken, as it was last week after the annual vaccination that might (or might not) have made her sick.



And here she is after her amateurish haircut. We'll have another look at it tomorrow and trim a little more - maybe.
It was surprising to see how calm she was about having me wave scissors around her face. I guess that's the payoff for all the work we've put in since she was a baby to make her like being groomed - treats, treats, treats! The road to Penny's heart!

We did use blunt-ended dog grooming scissors, by the way, and held her muzzle gently as a mother dog would hold her puppy.



There's a good series of video clips on grooming dogs at Expert Village.