Dog grooming is a term that I used to associate with poofy hair cuts and painted toe nails. I’m not judging; Frankie tends towards the shaggy chic, so it’s just not his style. But I dress Frankie up occasionally, which many people find offensive (Halloween must be hell for them). To each her own. But…
And the winner of the FURminator contest is…
It was hairy for a bit at contest headquarters. Although I had several excellent early entries, for a while they stopped coming and I worried that the pool of choices was slim. But a push during the last days garnered a number of premier options. This made my decision a good deal more difficult, which…
How hairy is your dog? Win a FURminator contest
The unsolicited — and wildly enthusiastic — endorsements that I got for the FURminator de-shedding tool in the comments section of several of my grooming posts caught the attention of the folks at the company that manufacturers it. They offered me one of their new, deluxe models, with a sleek ergonomic handle design and FURejector…
How to find a good dog groomer
Now that I’ve scared you with all the horrible things that can go wrong with professional grooming, it’s only fair that I offer some advice about how to avoid these, er, hairy situations. To wit: Get a reference Yes, this is a no brainer, but sometimes it’s easy to be fooled by an appealing ad…
Dog grooming gone bad
Hairwise, Frankie is pretty low maintenance. I tend to take him to a groomer only for nail clipping and anal sac expressing (I’ll discuss the former soon but have spent way too much time this past month writing an article about the latter, so am on a dog butt break). Recently, however, I decided to…
You’re shedding me!
Sorry, but it’s true. There’s nothing you can do to keep your dog from shedding. Nor should you want to. Shedding is a natural, ongoing process for dogs, just as it is for humans. As anyone who’s ever worn a black sweater or jacket can attest, regular brushing and combing won’t prevent some divestment of…
DIY dog grooming: Some tips on brushing tools
The dog grooming dilemma: Do you want to go to a pro or do it yourself? What you decide depends on a number of things, including the type of dog you have, the way you’d like her to look, your income, and the steadiness of your hands with clippers, hair and nail. Most people let…
Dog Grooming and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Admit it. The word “grooming” sounds kind of frou frou, something that only poodles* and little fussy dogs get subjected to. And it’s true, grooming does refer to parts of the dog’s body, including hair, nails, and eyes, that are often dealt with in human beauty salons. But a recent post on DoggyBytes.ca, called Winter…