Happy New Year Everyone!!

Holiday Hours: We are not open on Thursday, Dec 30 or Saturday, January 1.  We are open on New Year’s Eve.  Our regular hours will resume on Jan 3rd. Mon thru Friday 9am -3pm, Saturday 10am-2pm.

Student Rates:  Chelsea is our advanced student from California.  Elisabeth is our beginning student from New York, and Matt is beginning from Hawaii.  Please let your friends know that we offer student training discounts, and you must request a student to get the student rate.

Email appointment requests.  You can now email your appointment requests through the website at www.thepoochparlor.net. 

Shop online:  You can now shop online for all the grooming supplies and tools that we use at the shop.  The Emu Oil shampoo and Spray are out top seller as it moisturizes dry skin better than any product we have used.  For great dog products, check out

http://www.thepoochparlor.net/shopping.html.

Questions?: Please submit your dog questions to me on Facebook, or at the blog on the website.  I love dog trivia!

 I am going on vacation!  I will be going to Fort Lauderdale, FL with my husband Mike for the first week of January to scuba dive and play on the beach.  The staff will be working the regular schedule to fit your grooming needs, and I promised them a bottle of sunshine when I returnJ.  I am really excited to experience the Florida keys!  I will bring back pictures too.


Happy New Year Everyone!! May the new year bring you love, joy, perfect health, and prosperity!



 

Is My Dog the Right Weight? Find Out If You Have A Chunky Monkey Or A Twiggy In Your Home

How does one know if they have a dog that is overweight or underweight? It can be a complex question for the average dog owner.  Just as in human bodies, dogs come in all shapes and sizes, from short and squatty, to long and lean, to boxy body and legs.  Guessing the correct weight to fit each frame can be intimidating.  Here are the signs that can help you know how to judge the weight ratio of some of the most typical dog breeds: retrievers, terriers, poodles, spaniels, shih tzu’s.  The main areas to check are the ribs, hips, waistline, and belly.

Signs that your dog is overweight:
  • Chunky Monkey -A waist-free dog- your dog should not look like a wiener dog unless he is one.
  • Marshmallow -If you cannot feel your dog’s backbone, hips, or ribs under gentle pressure, and instead only feel cushy fat.
  • Ducky -A waddling dog with layers on the sides and hips that roll as the dog walks.
  • Rotund -If the belly keeps rounding out past the umbilical area where the belly should begin to pull up and into the waist.
Signs that your dog is underweight:
  • The Girdle - The waist of the dog appears to be sucked in under vacuum pressure
  • Twiggy - The hipbones, ribs, and backbone can be seen or felt with a no-pressure touch
  • Parachute -There is excess skin at the bottom of the waist
Signs that your dog is the perfect weight:
  •          The width of the waist is 1.2 to 1.3 times larger than the width of the neck
  •          The dog’s sides don’t jiggle or roll when the dog moves or runs
  •          You cannot see the hips, ribs or backbones, but can feel them under gentle pressure
  •          The belly of the dog pulls up into the waist, and does not round out or in excessively.
Patience and a bit of experiment are helpful when finding the perfect weight for your dog.  Your veterinarian is a great resource when researching how much and what type of food to feed your dog.  You are the one that lives with your dog day to day, and you will see if there is a weight change when you change foods and/or exercise regimens.  Whatever you choose, make these changes in moderation.  If you increase the exercise in your dog’s life, be sure his nails are clipped back to a usable length.  (For more information on appropriate nail length and nail clipping, see videos and how-to’s at www.thepoochparlor.net).

If you feel your dog is a ‘chunky monkey’, check with your veterinarian first to rule out a variety of diseases which affect certain breeds more than others,(such as Cushings Disease) which can make the dog look overweight when he isn’t. This guide works for most dogs.   For ‘lean breed dogs’ such as Great Danes, Whippets, and Greyhounds, use the scale for underweight dogs as their perfect weight. If your dog looks like he’s wearing a girdle, try giving him more food, increasing his intake by ¼, 1/2/ or 1 cup more night and day depending on a small, med, or large breed dog.  It is common for dogs that are intact to stay on the lean side.  There are many food supplements available on the market to increase appetite. Veterinarian guidance and experimentation are the keys to dog weight change.
Figure out where your dog’s weight falls.  See a veterinarian if you have any questions.  Make appropriate changes for your dog’s age. Experiment with your dog on a weekly basis by changing his food intake and exercise program a little at a time.  Check out the pictures and videos of weight ranges in dogs at the website for more help with your breed.  Give your dog the longest, healthiest life you can, skim down the marshmallows, and let Twiggy remain a memory, keep your dog’s weight ‘just right’.  The time you gain with him will far outweigh the inconvenience and effort that it may cost you.

About the Author:

DuAnn Lustig-Chambers owns and operates The Pooch Parlor Pet Groomer Academy in Ponderay Idaho. To learn more about pet grooming visit http://www.thepoochparlor.net or to shop a selection of products and tools to raise a healthy, happy dog, visit http://thepoochparlor.net/shopping.html.

Copyright 2010 DuAnn Lustig Chambers

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you print the about the author information and keep all links active.
 

 

What do I do if my dog eats a whole box of chocolates?

This is the question of the holiday season: do you know how to make your dog puke in an emergency?

 My very own 12 pound schnauzer, Greta, ate an ENTIRE box of See’s chocolate Truffles when I was running an errand (sorry Cliff!).  Her belly was entirely bloated.  It was enough chocolate to kill 4 small dogs. I was so glad that I had peroxide at home for this emergency. I put my little Greta in our free standing tub and was relieved to see the peroxide worked within 10 seconds.  And it was NOT pretty!  Fortunately for Greta, I had plenty of dog shampoo on hand.  She did not have any adverse affects immediately after or the next day.

You, (being a dog owner) probably know that chocolate is very bad for dogs, and eaten in enough quantity, can kill them.  Many people who are not dog owners do not know this.  Especially during the holidays, its natural that they share with your dog as your guest. If you feel that your dog is at risk (eaten more than a few pieces of chocolate), find some hydrogen peroxide and salt.  Get a tablespoon and fill it halfway with salt (table salt will do).  Fill the rest of the spoon with hydrogen peroxide.  Open your dog’s mouth, and put the spoon full of peroxide and salt in the back of the mouth and pour the mixture as far back on the tongue as you can get.  Do not do this gently, as it is the dog’s gag reflex that you are stimulating.  You should have the contents of the dog’s stomach emptied within 5 minutes.  If not, you can repeat this process 2 more times until you get the desired result.  Typically, when the dog does erupt, everything does come back up, not just part.  Keep in mind when you do this, that the dog will be making a mess.  Confine the dog to the tub or cleanable area when using this emergency concoction.

Feed your dog a small amount of dog food and water after they have emptied their stomach to absorb any leftover acid.  If you dog acts lethargic or dizzy for more than 20 minutes after this emergency procedure, call a vet immediately for advice on your dog’s symptoms.  Keep peroxide and salt at home, it might just save your dog’s life!

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  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, 6 years old, and a Rottweiler cross they adopted that is 8 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.