Happy Independence Day! I wish everyone a safe and memory-filled holiday!
Here are the updates for the shop:
1.     Business of the Month:  The Jumpin Java Bus is the featured business of this newsletter for two important reasons: Julia promotes and implements the highest standards of customer service and goodwill possible.  She delivers us wonderful and varied drinks that keep our shop active, happy and productive all day long!  Thank you Julia for your great service that helps our shop and our customers all day long!

2.     New Students:   Welcome to our new students Megin from Hauser Lake, and Kara (with dog Muffin )from Rathdrum!  Feel free to ask for these great gals by name when scheduling your student grooming appointment.  Remember that student grooms are discounted by 30-50%.


3.     Student Graduates:  Congratulations to Matt who graduated last month and is working for the Happy Pooch Professionals in Kalispell, MT.  Leslie, a recent Pooch Parlor graduate, and her husband Gary, are busy with their great new shop.  See their pictures on Facebook under Happy Pooch Professionals.  Congrats to Elisabeth who has just graduated from Course II.  Good luck in AZ Elisabeth!
4.     Shop Hours: We are working longer hours for summer.  The official shop hours are mon-fri 9 to 3, sat 10-2.  We are always at the shop by 8:30am (not Saturdays) and typically close up during summer months about 5pm.  Please ask if you need an early or late appointment as we will do all we can to accommodate your schedule.
5.     Personal Updates:  My Mom is coming to visit me from Las Vegas!  She will be here for 5 weeks.  She teaches children with autism there and is incredible at it.  I am really looking forward to having her all to myself! Did I mention she loves to cook?  I will be in heaven!  Additionally, I will be teaching a morning Spinning class at Xhale Pilates Studio in downtown Sandpoint this fall for those interested in indoor biking.



Grooming Questions?Ask your questions on Facebook or the website blog http://poochparlorpost.blogspot.com
We love to answer grooming questions.

 

To Shave or Not To Shave?

“Is it ok to shave my dog’s hair?” It is the most common question for the summer season.   And it is a highly debated topic among pet care professionals.  It is expected and needed to regularly clip the coats of non-shedding breeds, such as poodles, shih tzu’s, and schnauzers, but the answer is not so clear when it comes to shedding breeds, particularly, double and triple coat breeds.
Here are the basic textbook theories for reasons NOT to shave your dog, and there rebuttals:

Double coats insulate the dog from the cold AND the heat.   Double coats do protect the dog from heat, provided the undercoat is regularly (that means daily or weekly) brushed to the skin to allow the skin and fur to breath.  If there is undercoat and/or mattes left in the dog’s hair, this acts like an extra layer of felt under the dogs guard hairs (top stiff hairs).  When the temperature is 0 to 85F, provided the dog is not matted down with extra undercoat, this theory works perfectly. When the temperature goes above 85 degrees, the dog’s own cooling system must move into overdrive to do its job regardless of the coat.  The thicker the dog’s coat, the more energy the dog must spend to keep cool.  When the temperature reaches 95 or higher, the dog needs assistance keeping cool, and his own insulating coat becomes a heater, rather than an insulator.  This can be accomplished by the dog digging a hole in the shade to find cool dirt, by staying in a cool shelter, or by having his coat taken off.

The dog’s hair will not grow back the same after it is shaved.  Shedding dogs that are shaved do grow their hair back in a different texture and speed depending on the breed.  This texture change can vary from imperceptible to extremely noticeable by the owner.  The average dog that is shaved once a year will grow his entire coat back within 4 months.   The most common shedding dogs that get shaved once a year are Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, Australian Shephards, labs and lab crosses.  The two factors that slow the hair regrowth process down are age, and thyroid issues.  Dog’s older than eight years old grow their hair back slower on average.  Dogs with thyroid issues typically grow the hair extremely slowly and in a different texture.  Many times, the thickness is reduced by half or more even after regrowth occurs.  Another factor that changes the texture of the coat longterm is the frequency of shaving, and the closeness of shaving.  Many times, shedding breeds  (such as Pomeranians) that are shaved every quarter or more frequently often will never regain the original guard hairs they once had, the stiffer hairs being replaced by soft downy hair. (Most owners never notice).  Frequent shaving will turn the coat from natural to cottonball like over years of shaving.  This tradeoff is usually worth it to owners that prefer to spend their energy on regular clipping instead of daily house cleaning.  Shaving the coat down to 1/8” or closer (usually using surgical blades which many owner’s use accidentally) can slow the regrowth tremendously.

The dog’s hair will not grow back at all.  There are some breeds that are at higher risk for not regrowing hair after it has been shaved.  Northern breeds such a  Huskies, and Akitas have a triple coat with many guard hairs dispersed throughout.  This type of dog will not regrow its hair in the same texture, and 20% of the time, never regrow it back to original –the guard hairs being replaced by soft hairs.  The same factors affect the regrowth for these breeds- age and thyroid.  Using a blade that leaves the hair 1/8” or less is often the only way to get these thick coats off, which puts the dog at risk for extremely slow regrowth (taking 1 or more years).  If the dog is older or has thyroid issues,  the hair may not regrow.  Dog’s that experience hair regrowth problems can typically overcome them with time and diet modifications.
 
To shave or not to shave a shedding breed is a decision that many owners face during spring and summer.  In the spring, dog’s often have matted hair that cannot be brushed out humanely, and in the summer, their thick coats can become a detriment to their energy reserves.  Owners must weigh the circumstances.  Sometimes, the price of keeping a beautiful coat, or a matted coat, is not worth the suffering it causes to the dog.  When making that important decision to shave or not to shave, consult a professional that has experience with both sides.  Textbook theories are valuable to know, but not always practical.
 
Copyright 2011 All rights reserved.
DuAnn Lustig-Chambers
www.thepoochparlor.net

We offer the following services:

* full service grooming for all breeds of dogs and cats by state-certified groomers
*student grooming discounts
*offer ‘no-kennel’ grooming by request
*owner stay grooming by request
*self-service bathing stations
*walk-in appointments
* teeth scaling and/or teeth brushing 
* nail trimming and dremeling (filing) on a walk-in basis
*anal gland expressing bird nails and wing trimming 
*retail grooming tools
*doggie day care
*owner grooming training by request
*doggie and family portraits(free)
*walk-ins are welcomed here

Pooch Parlor Groomers/Staff:

Every groomer has undergone rigorous training to attain their certification at the state level. The training includes more than instruction about the technical aspects of grooming and scissoring, it includes strict codes of conduct and tight guidelines for ethical treatments of pets and their owners, safety practices, and cleaning standards. This certification is something we are most proud of, as the grooming industry is not regulated, and only 5 percent of all groomers spend the time and money to train under any qualified guidelines. All employees are drug-tested and undergo criminal background checks. The Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy, is the only grooming school licensed and bonded through the Board of Education, in the State of Idaho.

The Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy:

The Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy is the only certifed grooming school in the state idaho.  The school is licensed and bonded through the Board of Education in the state of Idaho.  Students come from all over the nation to learn the trade of pet styling.  Their courses range in time from 2 months to 8 months.  Reduced grooming prices are offered to customers that would like to help these students out with their well-behaved family pooches.  Student grooming must be requested and scheduled on Mon, Wed, and Friday.  When the students graduate, they are certified as professional groomers, trained under standards that are higher than required by the industry.  Students that graduate end up all over the nation as employees and business owners.  If you have family in the U.S., check out the groomer academy webpage for a Pooch Parlor graduate near you.

At the Pooch Parlor, we always have a camera handy and LOVE to take pictures of our staff, students, customers, and their dogs. There is no charge for family portrait and we email it to you, just ask. Pictures of your 4 legged kids are really important, since our time with them is never long enough during our lives.

The Pooch Parlor in Ponderay is owned and operated by DuAnn Chambers and her husband Mike. Mike is not a groomer, he is a remodeling specialist, with Git ‘er Done Construction LLC., and helps out in the grooming shop with all repairs and upgrades (unless the upgrade is granite –thanks again Idaho Granite, we love the new countertops!). Mike and DuAnn have been married 18 years, and have no human children. They share the love of dogs, owning a mini schnauzer, 1.5 year old ‘Grouchy Greta’, a Standard Poodle, Montee, 6 years old, and an adopted Rottweiler cross, Marlie, 8 years. In our spare time, we scuba dive and snowboard. We thank all of you our friends and customers for making it possible for us to LOVE what we do! Thank you! 

view email in browser | unsubscribe | update your profile | forward to a friend

We send special information to our customers who opted in at www.thepoochparlor.net

Copyright (C) 2011 Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy All rights reserved.