Believe it or not many of these spring colors aren't being used for just easter eggs. You can also have an Springtime, Spring color puppy. Dyes can be mixed to create brilliant colors of orange, pink, blue, and purple.
Some dyes are especially made just for your pet so that they are temporary and can wash out after a few washes.
Here are some of the new puppy dyes on the market:
OPAWS offers many non-toxic temporary ways to color your pet.
Pet Hair Chalk:
Pet Paste:
For a More Detailed Job there are even Pet Pens:
Dying can be done at home or by your local groomer. Golda's Grooming of Knoxville offers a variety of colors to turn your pet's fur into art.
The safest way to do it is to use basic food coloring — either the juices from colorful foods that are safe for dogs to eat or organic food coloring that contains all-natural ingredients. Following are some helpful tips for dying your dog’s fur… without hurting your dog or making him uncomfortable in the process.
Remember, your dog's skin is very different than a human’s.
That’s why human dye to color your dog’s fur. Therefore, first and foremost, don’t use any products with harmful chemicals in them to dye your dog’s fur. The chemicals — including bleach — will irritate your dog’s skin and you’ll have to undergo a series of vet visits to get your dog’s skin and coat back to normal. Don’t make your dog suffer through this.
The safest option is to use food coloring. This will not harm your dog if he should happen to lick his paws or his coat while it’s drying.
The dyes used at Golda's Grooming are non-toxic, safe and created specifically for use on dogs.
For more information on dog care check out the Golda's Grooming Website.
Training isn't just for large dogs. It's important for small dogs to get trained too. Your dog may not be destined for the circus to jump through hoops of fire, but with a little training it will be a much better family pet and your friends will appreciate it too. Basic training is really manners training. We don't expect our children to learn their manners on their own and we can't expect our puppies to either. Whether you choose to train your dog yourself or have him/ her trained for you Golda's Grooming highly recommends formal training for your pet. Even being trained to basic commands such as sit, stay, lay down, and roll over teaches your dog that you are in charge. It helps you to gain control of your pet when it might otherwise not want to listen.
So how do you choose the training method that is most comfortable for you. Training programs designed to train your pet while you're away can be more costly than hands on training on a regular basis, but boarding costs while travelling can also be costly. A two week program may cost anywhere from $400- $1,000 dollars, so if you do have any vacation coming up and you want to avoid weekly trips to the Pet Smart this may be your best bet.
On the other hand it may be more time consuming to take the challenge of personal training on yourself, but it is also a great bonding experience for you and your pet. It shows you're willing to put the time and effort into making your pet the best he/ she can be. You can start by reading up on some common language terms and handling of your pet. You can also find many resources on the internet that discuss the pluses/ minuses of various training methods such as shock collars, whistles, and the use of treats. If you have multiple dogs it is important to not let them all have attention at once. Single out the individual you want to listen to you and reward its behavior on an individual basis.
Here are some basic commands that come in handy. Remember not to reward your puppy or dog when it doesn't complete the command its been asked. It's also to remember that treats are for commands only and not to be given out freely; otherwise it won't be as appreciated.
1. Sit - If your dog likes to jump up on people sit is the best command to start with. To train to sit
Repeat the same sequence as in Step 1, but this time your dog will just follow your empty hand.
Say “Sit” and bring your empty hand in front of your dog's nose, holding your fingers as if you had a treat. ...
When your dog sits, say “Yes!” and then give her a treat from your other hand or your pocket.
2. Settle - Settle takes multiple training sessions but is one of the best commands you can give your pet to help it to feel comfortable with its surroundings. Here is a video on how to do it:
3. Stay -
Call your dog over to the bed or mat you'd like to use. ...
Hold a treat in front of your dog's nose so she sees that you have something delicious, and then toss the treat onto the mat.
Your dog will step onto the mat to eat her treat.
Clap your hands and walk a few steps away to encourage your dog to move off of the mat.
4. Wait - Take your dog, on a leash, to a door. Ask your dog to ‘sit’. Slowly open the door. If your dog begins to break the ‘sit’ to move through the door tell it ‘wait’ and quickly close the door. Repeat until you can open the door without your dog trying to go through the door.
Now, put your dog in a ‘sit’ then open the door fully. Tell your dog ‘okay’ and encourage it to move through the door. As it moves forward tell it ‘yes’ and give it a treat. Repeat 10 times.
Next, take your dog outside on a leash and let it wander around. Randomly say ‘wait’ in a neutral but moderately loud tone. If it stops and looks back to you say ‘yes’ and give it a big jackpot (lots of treats thrown on the floor in front of it). Repeat 20 times over several days
5. Uh Uh - We prefer the term uh uh to the command no. We say no to our children and we don't want our pup to confuse who is being talked to. By using a separate command for the word no the dog is quicker to respond.
6. Leave It - Leave it is perfect when your dog is eyeing the delicious cheeseburger on your kids plate. With the command leave it your dog will turn its head away from tempting foods that are placed in front of it. Let's take a look at the video:
Heading to the Doggy Spa can be a big deal. We often struggle with what we want our pets to look like. There are long hair cuts and short hair cuts for many dogs including: shihtzu, lhasa, poodle, yorkie, pomeranian, cocker spaniel and many more. Many of the owners we see at Golda's Grooming opt for longer cuts during the winter and shorter cuts for the summer as a practicality to staying cooler in the warmer months. Other owners like to keep their pets shorter all year long as a low maintenance option to keeping up with regular brushing. A few of our regular customers keep their pets long all year long because they want their pet looking its fanciest for any unexpected picture perfect moments. It's also important to take into account the cost of regular upkeep. Most dogs who have fur that grows long visit their groomer regularly, within an 8 week timeframe to avoid tangles, dirt, and other unwanted problems (i.e. sharp/ overgrown toe nails, ear mites, fleas, skin problems, etc.). It's also important to consider what the cut will look like if your dog has skin problems such as dandruff or scaly skin. A shorter cut may be more comfortable for your pet and help you to monitor such issues, but a longer cut may look better.
Longer haircuts are hand scissor cuts that require more time and patience on the part of the groomer and the dog. If your dog is hyper at home, it will probably be bringing its go, go, go personality to the grooming table and may not have the patience to sit still for hand scissor trims. These trims are also generally more expensive because of the time it takes to hand scissor.
Shorter haircuts are clipper cuts that require shaving of the fur to a shorter length. If the dog isn't matted it can sometimes be shaved with a 3 3/4 or 4 blade that leaves the fur at its longest length for a clipper cut. If the dog is matted it often needs a 7 blade to get beneath the mats. This cut is fairly close to the skin and if not performed by a professional groomer can cause skin burn. It's very important as an owner to keep your dog brushed. It not only makes the entire grooming process smoother for the groomer, but it is easier on your pet. Tangles can be painful to brush out. With regular brushing you can avoid this. Golda's Grooming recommends using a curved wire brush that pulls through tangles with ease. Areas to focus on include the tail, under the ears, and the legs.
Shaved feet or Clean feet is also popular among poodles. This can be done whether the body is cut to a long or short cut. This is when the foot is shorter than the rest of the leg giving it a cleaner appearance. Typically other dogs, do not have their feet cleaned.
In our experience the main things to keep in mind when choosing a cut for your dog during its grooming are as follows:
1. budget friendly for regular grooming within an 8 week period
2. is it comfortable for your dog
3. is your dog matted
4. does your dog have skin problems
5. what is your personal preference
We hope this article has helped you to consider what is best for your dogs next grooming.
For more information on dog care check out the Golda's Grooming Website.
After a cold winter Spring is welcomed by everyone, but some of the flowers that we enjoy so much during this season can be deadly. Here is a list of plants that you should try to avoid keeping around the house if possible. If you live in an apartment complex or travel with your dog it's also important to be familiar with the look of these plants, because they can be toxic to your pets health if ingested.
According to the humane society:
"More than 700 plants have been identified as producing physiologically active or toxic substances in sufficient amounts to cause harmful effects in animals. Poisonous plants produce a variety of toxic substances and cause reactions ranging from mild nausea to death. Certain animal species may have a peculiar vulnerability to a potentially poisonous plant."
There's not enough space to cover 700 plants in this article so we focused on common household plants and flowers that could be harmful to your pet's health.
Here's our top 10:
Believe it or not apple seeds can be toxic to your pet.
Azaleas can look beautiful in a flower pot, but this entire plant is bad for your pet.
The buckeye may look safe, but this is one dangerous nut.
Buttercups are everywhere in the springtime, but this entire plant can be extremely harmful if eaten.
Daffodils are equally dangerous especially if the bulb is ingested.
The Iris is especially popular in many gardens during the spring time, but the leaves and roots can be dangerous.
Hyacinth can also be one to watch out for. It can grow wild or be a regular household plant and its bulbs are bad.
Larkspur grows plentiful in spring fields and as a young plant can be highly toxic to your pet.
Morning Glory
These little springtime flowers pack a big punch, both the seeds and the roots can be harmful.
And, as much as we look forward to the Easter Bunny the Easter Lily can also be dangerous.
Springtime isn't the only time that plants can harm your pet. There are also many winter plants that can cause harm. For example, Poinsettias, Christmas Rose, and Holly. We recommend viewing the full list provided by the humane society at: http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/poisonous_plants.pdf
For more information on dog care check out the Golda's Grooming Website.
Pet Paste:
