I think we can't assume that. I walked by such a
store once and was looking at the sign reflecting
rates. The store was a chain but brand new to a
fairly newly renovated mall. Two young "boys"
came out, I am not certain they were yet out of
high school, suspect they were part-time workers.
They clearly were revving up business and probably
making brownie points for anyone they could talk
into setting up appointments. At the time my
older dogs were still living, a Mini Pin and two
Chihuahuas. They really wanted me to bring them
in for total grooming since they had *never* done
any full grooming of dogs yet.
I didn't make the appointment. I wondered how
they learned. No apprenticeship? Do they train
on plastic animals, kind of like Lamaze classes?
Frankly, I wasn't interested in them learning on
my dogs.
My sister showers her ShiTzu (sp?) when she takes
her own shower. She blows him dry and brushes him
out during the blow dry, he accepts it fine. I
think she does have his nails clipped by the vet.
My son and I had absolutely no problem cutting my
girl Chi's nails, it's fairly easy with two doing
the work. I held, she trusts me, she trusts him
but is more skittish when he holds her. So I held
her and held out the paws and he cut with a
clipper designed for small dogs (bought at pet
store). We talked to her the whole time, she
didn't fight (I admit I can't say that for my
older dogs who had to be groomed by the vet's in
house groomer, I always suspected the dogs were
suspended in those body/open leg cradles and
dipped, washed, clipped while being held up off
their feet and fairly incapable of fight). My
Mini Pin was quite ready to bite the vet each and
every time his nails were clipped, he was muzzled
even when I held him though I never thought he
would bite me, but he did make an effort to get
the vet.
Whatever, the Chi's have reputations. My own Vet
always tells me jokingly, yeah, right, see how
sweet he (or she) is while you are here. You
should see him/her when you go! I can't see it,
my animals are all socialized with people, young
and old, not so much with strange animals, but
there is no reason for them to be out with strange
animals. But then the social group isn't giving
them shots, or cutting nails and clipping hair.
There's a big difference. So I am glad the new
pup is amenable to my son and me working on her.
My biggest fear has always been that the hips
would be dis/placed/located during careless
grooming. She doesn't fight me holding her paws,
so the chances of problems at home are minimal.
I have hardwood floors. The funniest part of the
recent nail clipping was she was skating on the
floor after the clipping. She clearly was off
kilter with the shorter nails. I suspect next
time I also should consider some filing in the
hopes that will prevent some of the sliding.
I live in a highrise condo, I could walk my dogs
outside but had to stop. We have no size limit on
dogs. Some dogs here in one snapping bite could
kill a Chihuahua. I decided it wasn't worth it.
My dogs use paper and we stay in. The balcony is
their window on the world. My son chicken-wired
it in for safety.
Elaine
If a man does his best, what else is there?
--General George S. Patton (1885-1945)
Hello Amanda
On Friday, December 15, 2006, you wrote
> I've tried clipping Chazs nails at home and
> he'd rather gnaw his own paw off, so that's why
> I was looking into getting them done at
> Petsmart, stupid me assumed that if someone is
> working in that degree with animals, they'd know
> what they're doing and how to handle him.
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