Welcome to our first Pooch Parlor Newsletter. Our thanks to all of you who are interested in getting tips for your pet. We finally have enough staff to be open 6 days a week! So come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays now. The new hours are Mon thru Friday 9am – 3pm, Saturdays 10 am -2pm. The students are available M, W, F for student dog appointments. Please spread the word that we need student dogs

I still need help with Grouchy Greta, the newest dog member of my family. Thanks to everyone that comes in to say hi and handle her. Her growling instincts are definitely subsiding, but she will be 1 year old next week, and she still growls at our friends. If you want to come in and see her, we have lots of doggie cookies ready! She can be growly, growly, and bossy, bossy, but just needs treats to be a perfect girl The transformation is astounding.

You can now request appointments online at the website. www.thepoochparlor.net, for the convenience of our friends that like the internet more than the phone.

We do have doggie Halloween costumes in the shop, and we are offering free dyed ears and tails for Halloween for your pooch.

Please come in and meet the students, and let them know what you think of their work. Most of them are from out of state and a little homesick. We all appreciate you coming in and being part of our family.
All of you make it so great for us everyday!
Thank you!


How do I know if my dog is happy? 16 Behaviors to judge by

It's a common question among conscientious dog owners: Is my dog happy?  And, believe it or not, the answer to this question is the same for humans and dogs alike.  One thing typically is not responsible for happiness.  Happiness comes from a variety of activites, interests, duties and routines. Your dog needs the same basic things you do: food and water, appropriate shelter, companionship, exercise, and regular grooming. Dogs do not need clothes like humans because they have permanent clothes, their fur, which is why grooming becomes important.  Can you imagine wearing the same clothes for 2 months and never wash them, change them, or clean them?  Dogs in the wild groom themselves and each other to keep themselves free of parasites, mattes, or other socially offensive factors.  Domesticated dogs do not have a pack of dogs to help them with life in the 20th century, they have their humans, otherwise known as their owners.  

It is the owners job to provide these key factors to their dogs life in a regular and consistent manner for a dog to be happy: exercise, food and water, shelter from extreme heat or cold, love and attention (friendship), and grooming.  All of these factors together provide a domesticated dog with a balanced and happy life.

Many dogs also develop hobbies, which their owners are often not aware are 'hobbies'.  These dog hobbies add a lot towards the 'happiness' factor.  For instance, your dog may like to chase butterflies, watch birds fly overhead, guard the door, chase the ball, run in circles, bark at squirrels, hunt geese, take naps in the sun, or search the kitchen for crumbs.  The hobbies can be subtle, but if your dog makes a habit out of it, and appears to enjoy or value that time, then your dog has a hobby that adds to his life.  Just like with humans, dogs can develop hobbies that are harmful to themselves and others. This would include any behavior that is repeated in excess to the point of being neurotic, like chasing their tail, barking, or pacing.  These hobbies appear to add happiness, but actually do the opposite, similar to the reaction a drug user gets from doing drugs. Neurotic hobbies should be discouraged or stopped by the owner for the longterm happiness of the dog.

Here are the signs of a happy pooch:

  • When your dogs eats and drinks regularly and consistently
     
  • When your dog makes direct eye contact with you, and doesn't look away
     
  • When your dog wants to be near you or touch you often
     
  • When your dogs shows you signs that he wants to play.  This includes playing with you or by himself or with other dogs.
     
  • When your dog gets excited about physical activity such as walking, running, playing or working
     
  • When your dog 'talks' or sings to you for no urgent reason
     
  • When your dog wants to give you kisses
     
  • When your dog carries his ears upright and forward and his tail is also upright when he walks, (or a higher tailhold than
    normal for downtail dogs)
     
  • When your dog has a hop in his trot
     
  • When your dog is happy and excited to see and/or play with other dogs
     
  • When your dog is excited and happy to see you when you come home
     
  • When your dog's eyes sparkle
     
  • When your dog spends time in his own designated space (like a his own dogbed) or spends time with his own toys
     
  • When your dog 'smiles' at you (usually followed with a tailwag)
     
  • When your dog wags his tail at you
     
  • When your dog spends time doing his own 'hobby' behavior


These are just some of the signs of a happy dog.  Just like humans, each one is different in his habits and communication style. Dogs are no different from children in that many must 'learn' to like being washed and groomed, but it is a social and physical necessity that should not be ignored. Just like school, the earlier you start, the easier it is. If you have a dog of any age that eats and drinks regularly, gets companionship from you or another living dog or human, gets regular exercise and playtime, and spends time using the space and toys given to him by his owner, then the chances that you have a 'happy' dog is nearly 100%

For more information about dog home and health tips, go to www.thepoochparlor.net.  You can also read more of her articles at www.ezine.com.  For lots of fun pictures of HAPPY dogs, become a fan on Facebook!

Copyright by DuAnn LustigChambers 2010

About the author:
DuAnn Lustig Chambers owns and operates the Pooch Parlor and Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy in Ponderay, ID  where she runs
a full and self-service grooming salon, and trains student groomers for a fun career in pet grooming.

Reprint Rights: Reprinting this information is allowed as long as the about the author information and all active links are included in the reprint


For the first edition of ‘Ask the Pooch’, many of my customers are horrified when their domesticated dog relieves his bladder the minute he steps foot into the grooming shop. Why do dogs that normally have perfect house manners, act like untrained dogs when they come to be groomed?

The answer is, for the same reason that kids act like wild Indians when they are in multiple numbers. The group instinct takes over, a little bit of heightened nerves, and the natural need to pee to mark. The triggers and smells of the grooming shop are just more than the some dogs can take without reverting. Simple as that. Dogs will be dogs.

Don’t worry to those that experience their dogs bad manners where other dogs have been, we have lots of disinfectant on hand, and the floors are vinyl for a reason.

Please send me your questions about your pooches on facebook
 

The Pooch Parlor is a place for pets and their people that want a clean, professional and family environment for grooming. We offer many services. Most importantly, you will find that every groomer here has gone through a rigorous training program 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. You should also know that all employees are drug-tested and undergo criminal background checks.

The Pooch Parlor offers full service grooming by certified professionals, and the Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy, the only grooming school licensed and bonded through the Board of Education, in the State of Idaho, offers training to students that come from all over the nation to acquire certification. We offer student grooming rates for those customers that want discounted grooming. The shop offers doggie daycare, dental scaling, self-service bathing stations, walk-in appts, and retail grooming items in-store or online. Also, we offer nail trimming or nail dremeling, anal gland expression, teeth brushing on a walk-in basis. We also have a camera handy and LOVE to take pictures of our customers with their dogs. There is no charge for family portrait and we email it to you, just ask Having pictures of your 4 legged kids is 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 17 years, and have no human children.  They share the love of dogs, owning a mini schnauzer, 1 year old ‘Grouchy Greta’, a Standard Poodle, Montee, 5 years old, and a Rottweiler cross they adopted that is 7 years.   We thank all of you our friends and customers for making it possible for us to LOVE what we do!  Thank you!


 

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To provide a clean, safe, fun, family environment for dogs and their humans, where integrity, customer service and professionalism are held to the highest possible standard.