What Good Dog Breeders Do

I’ll return to my ‘regular’ blog subjects next week, but I see from my stats that many people come to this blog from what I’ve blogged about dogs. Those blogs get shared a lot. I have about 200 regular subscribers, but many of the posts have been shared hundreds of times.

I started blogging because I loved dogs enough to learn about them, but a guy (Dan London, out of business for years, & who thinks integrity is a character flaw—like Trump) tried to make my life hell because I refused to work for him—& give him credibility he didn’t deserve. Beware of dog businesses where they address how much their employees ‘love dogs‘ but have never trained a dog to off-leash reliability, have never brushed their own dog, and think ‘breeds’ don’t matter.

There is some confusion among alleged pet lovers: this is the 21st century. there are no ‘accidental’ breedings—just irresponsible pet owners who refuse to manage their pets’ fertility…& they seem to think that the rest of us who are responsible should bail them out. Sort of like people who feel children are a gift from God, but can’t take care of them, so we must morally take care of those kids.

That said, “I’m not a breeder, my dog just had puppies,” is not an excuse or explanation for NOT taking responsibility. If you can’t manage your pet’s fertility, your should be neutered. Yet, the ADOPT DON’T SHOP crowd blames breeders NOT causing the problem of surplus pets—-& tries to guilt the rest of us into solving a problem we haven’t caused. How is that working?

This is what breeders who love their dogs do:

First, when planning the breeding, they do all known genetic and health testing of the breeding dogs. Even when doing this, sometimes dogs are born with genetic defects. I have friends who breed Golden Retrievers, and they have at least 3 generations of dogs that are OFA (CERF) (that means the dogs have had their hips xrayed, fair, normal, or excellent), yet still, when their offspring pups are xrayed at 2 years of age, some have a form of hip dysplasia, It happens. Same with deafness (BAER tests) and Juvenile Cataracts (dogs developing cataracts before age 3). If you love dogs, you want to avoid breeding dogs that will be disabled.

Once the pups are born, they are raised in a normal ‘noisy’ environment, where they get to hear sounds of regular life. After all are accounted for, the breeder checks for cleft palates and missing toes. These problems are more common in toy breed dogs (including designer mixes) and bracheocephalics, and usually humanely euthanized.

Those breeders trying to guilt you into taking a puppy with a cleft palate (which would need surgery) are unethical.

Breeders who love their dogs and puppies will have the litter on an absorbent, nonslip surface. Many use washable pads to avoid paper waste. They will also have what may be described as ‘crib toys’: items hanging down for puppies to interact with. Good breeders want their puppies curious and stimulated.

When the weaning process starts, breeders start cutting toenails and ‘stacking’ puppies individually on a table. Breeders do this not just to get the dogs used to being picked up and handled, but to get the dog used to being groomed. We call this ‘training’ BEHAVIOR SHAPING. Also, if they breed bracheocephalic dogs—especially the coated ones (Shih Tzu, Affenpinschers, Brussels Griffons), they get the pup used to having their muzzle held while combing under the eyes. This is so important. If this isn’t done every day until the pup gets used to the grooming motions (the genetic reaction would be to flinch and move away, but this must be overcome), the groomers will not be able to do this without risking injury to the eyes, and the dog will have to be sedated for grooming.

Once the weaning process is underway or completed, breeders put collars on the puppies, and may have them drag a leash, or the breeder may take individual puppies around and coax them.

Once the pups have had their first shots (and wormed, if necessary), the pups can go to new homes, usually between the ages of 8 to 12 weeks. It’s important for puppies to learn to play and fight with their siblings. It’s a known fact that ‘singletons’ and dogs taken too young (under 8 weeks of age) often become unnaturally aggressive towards other dogs.

The breeder should ask you if you own or rent your home, and ask for proof. Animal shelters know one major reason they get dogs back is, “Landlord won’t allow.” Chicago Animal Care & Control—our open admissions CITY DOG POUND —-asks to see a signed lease and they call the landlord as well. I’m shocked at how many pet buyers never consider any of this. Many breeders will ask how long the puppy will be alone during the day, or what arrangements you’ve made for a dog walker. Some will suggest dog daycare. I discourage daycare for a puppy under 8 months old, Why? Most dog daycares are not run by people with ‘dog experience’ : that is—by people who’ve worked in kennels as well as trained dogs, & recognize dog behavior. Loving dogs is not enough. I’ve worked for several businesses that put young puppies with mature toy dogs, ‘because they’re all small’. What happens is that the older dogs bully the puppies. This also makes aggressive dogs.

The breeder will also suggest a crate and why crate training is so important (if your dog is sick or injured, it will be in a crate at the animal hospital—& the dog is always safer in the car in a crate)

If the breeder is selling coated dogs (shedders and nonshedders), she will show you how to brush the dog, and explain what grooming tools you will need and where to get them. I worked for an Afghan Hound breeder, the late Fredric Mark Alderman. He didn’t sell you a puppy if you had never had an Afghan until you spent an afternoon grooming dogs with him. He didn’t want to hear that you had no idea how long it took, or how often it needed to be done, or that you needed a grooming table and a stand dryer.

A breeder who loves their dogs will give you written feeding, grooming, and housebreaking instructions, as well as a pedigree. They will have you sign a contract that says that if you can’t keep the dog, you will return it to them. Keep in mind, everyone wants a puppy. As they mature, they go down in value, not up…unless your dog matures to be a show dog.

A responsible shelter or rescue would also give you care instructions.

This is the 21st century. It’s easy enough to get pet care information. However, it’s a free country. You don’t have to control your impulses or pocketbook. However, if you really are concerned about dogs ending up in shelters, don’t buy or take a puppy from a dog owner who tells you the litter was an accident. that’s not your problem.

I Love Dolly Parton. However…..

I was going to do a book review, but last night I watched Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on CBS, and, having worked with dogs (for almost 60 years…Yikes!), it was the train wreck I could not ignore, I guess I could go online & find out which idiots were responsible for producing this, but it doesn’t really matter. They weren’t dog lovers, that’s for sure!
Dolly—& the entertainers who performed—- were marvelous. I liked the vignette she did on dogs trained to help the physically disabled (they were from Canine Companions for Independence, a well known nonprofit which supplies trained dogs for free to those who need them),

This show could have been so much better without the dog fashion show. You know, capitalism doesn’t exist to meet needs—-it creates ‘wants’. you see it, you want it.

I have owned sighthounds for over 40 years, and unless we have a measurable windchill, my Salukis and Whippets (& now, a lurcher who looks sorta like a Greyhound) go out without coats. They have never shivered. A sweater is a fashion statement, If they need coats (we fanciers tend to call them ‘blankets’—like racing dogs wear). we buy garments to protect them from the chill.

It was sad to see so many obviously stressed out dogs dressed up in glorified doll clothes. Clothes made of satin and lace, with embellishment doodads. All these ‘garments’ would need professional dry-cleaning—using poisonous chemicals….but who thinks of that? I know, I’m a curmudgeon. Chemicals? Seriously? Yes.

You could see by their expressions and body language that these were not ‘happy’ dogs that had confidence. Even the dogs ‘cuddled’ in the audience were overwhelmed. You could tell that (for the most part) these were not ‘show dogs’.

Why do I even mention showdogs? Because dogs that are used to being ‘shown’ are used to strange situations, smells, and noises. If you’ve never been to a dog show, go! The noise you’ll hear will be from blow dryers (I kid you not) being used by obsessive people grooming at the show. You won’t, for the most part, hear barking. It’s funny going to an obedience or other performance trial, seeing the rows of crates & dogs lining up to go into the ring…no noise.

I saw a Pumi (the ears gave the breed away), a Saluki (wearing a ridiculous outfit), what I thought was a Barbet (not wearing clothes, but brushed out, big, black, and wide, that I’m sure was being mistaken for a Doodle of some sort). I saw Asian Fusion trims on Maltese & Yorkies. None of these dogs looked like they were having a good time, In 1 segment when someone was reading, and all the dogs were on mats ( down/stays—in obedience talk), the Afghan got up and walked off the stage. The other dogs held their stays, but I’m sure the Afghan had had enough.

I’m sure most people thought all these dogs were cute, and might have learned something. They were entertained by humans, but it could have been so much better. A trainer could have done a bit on teaching off leash walking, or directing a dog to go away to a target. They could have shown barn hunt, water eetrieving, explained dock diving and scentwork. They could have done something on agility, and lure coursing, They could have given a grooming demonstration showing all the different brushes, combs, and what works on different types of coats! Sure, they can do it again—but will they insist on the dog fashion show?

I know, I’m not their market. Older teenagers and college girls are the ones buying dog dresses. I’m sure their are no college loans. They won’t be going out drinking instead of saving money for a home. Thinking about that is merely irritating. Thinking these women thought the dogs were having fun because their owners are into fashion or pseudo fashion? This is how things fall apart.

The Fate of Dog Shows & ‘The Fancy’

I assume most people don’t know how a dog show comes together & how we pull it off. It’s sort of like planning a wedding, except we try to make money on the event.

These days, clubs make money by charging a parking fee, charging for a place to set-up grooming (about half the size of a parking space), booth space for vendors (usually selling grooming supplies, dog beds, and suits for women)and FASTCAT (dogs have to run 100 yards—-I don’t think it proves anything, but the dogs enjoy it and we make money).

We lose money on paying for judges: their meals & hotels, paying the superintendent (who provides the show catalogue, the rings, tables, 1st aid kits, ribbons (imprinting is not cheap), paying for the venue, insurance, and just holding the show.

Judges aren’t allowed to judge more than 175 dogs per day, but these days, unless people of a particular breed find the judge very knowledgeable, there is no danger of the judge drawing the limit. So, we don’t make money on conformation (the ‘beauty contest part) unless we also have a sweepstakes—& then we make money if people don’t show up: the money goes back to the club treasury.

When you come right down to it, Dog shows are not a money maker, However, we who do performance are the ugly stepchildren. People come to dog shows want to see dogs do something other than run around a ring. We all started with obedience or performance (rally, agility, nosework, etc) but for some reason, the Professional Handlers hold sway. We make room for them because they represent multiple owners. However, most s dogs are shown by their owners (or breeders). Does it really make sense to pander to the pros when regular folks are keeping the sport afloat? I don’t think so.

In any case, for those who smirk and think this is a ‘first world problem’ and we should all be rescuing dogs….many of us are involved in rescue—but you’re asking those of us who haven’t cause the problem of surplus pets to solve a problem others are causing—& off the hook for.

You’re al;so asking us to take any random dog, whether we can’t handle the size or grooming , or temperament should be of no consequence. they aren’t all 4 legs & a tail. We choose our breeds because we find them easy to live with. I just want those involved in our sport to think twice when they eliminate performance. You are killing the fancy.

The Problem With Faith

I’m on Facebook with a group called “Retiring on a Shoestring,” and it’s a great group. We have those who’ve been careful and ingenious,and on the other end of the spectrum, people who are about to retire (or already have) and have no idea how much money they’ll need, or realize they can’t stay where they are because they don’t have enough money to even last them a year.

Sad, isn’t it? I admit, I started ‘late’, not really thinking about a future of not working until I was in my 30’s. In fact, I didn’t go to college until i was 30, and I partly did that out of stupid altruism: I wanted to return to Africa and I knew that they didn’t need dog groomers. They didn’t really need anthropologists, either, but I felt it was a good place to start. After contacting several universities (including a few private ones)that offer anthropology, I settled on a state school.

However, before that, several friends suggested that I take CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exams to get credit for life experience. i got 2 years of college credit—skipped the prerequisites. I could have possibly gotten more if I had majored in something else, but check their website: https://clep.collegeboard.org

I did my undergraduate degree going part time, and I minored in environmental and international studies. I then got an assistantship to grad school.

I don’t regret my college experience, but I never got a job using my degree: lots of competition, people with connections, bilingual Spanish speakers, just not interviewing well. I worked as a planner in Peace Corps. My point is, I paid cash for my undergraduate degree & actually got a stipend for my master’s.

My niece took a different path. She knew my sister and brother-in-law couldn’t pay for college, so she did her first 2 years at community college, earning an associate degree in accounting & worked for a bank as a teller/ She did her last 2 years at a state school, for which she took out loans, majoring in political science. Then she took out loans for law school—but she had a plan. She married her fiance, who became a building contractor, and she specialized in real estate law. They started buying foreclosures & she did all the legal work and paid back her loans easily.

This was all a bit over 30 years ago—and even back then, college loans were a big issue. The problems of paying back loans and having interest added on as you were paying down debt was never made illegal by the politicians who are capitalists & invested in the lending companies. So—why why why are students still taking out loans—-especially to pay for private colleges? I learned from working internships that the only reason your college matters is the network you develop—hopefully the alum and your professors will recommend you to their contacts. Otherwise, getting a job with a liberal arts degree is the luck of the draw. Ask anyone how they got their jobs.

So now people are posting on this Facebook feed about retiring and their issue is their kids and grandkids loans, and how they want to help, but don’t know how. Or, they co-signed and are now in trouble. Why did they do this or why are they doing this? They refuse to face the facts about capitalist economics.

As an aside, the United Auto Workers are on strike, Apparently, the board of directors of Ford just gave their CEO a 40% pay raise. When questioned, he couldn’t respond directly. Sounding like a politician, he explained to a reporter that Ford had already made a generous offer to the workers, and such a high pay raise would be unsustainable! LOL: sidestepping that if you didn’t get a pay raise or took maybe 5% (whatever…), there’d be enough for the people who actually do the work.

This is what people don’t understand. it’s not based on logic. Or rather, the logic is: the wealthy control the money. You have to game the system and not get involved or ‘believe’ it will work out: faith.

People seem to think I don’t believe in “God” because Sikh believe God is inside you. We say everything is preordained, but we also recognize science, and math, and how everything works toggther.

We don’t believe you can pray for different outcomes. It’s very much a Christian thing. Jews don’t believe you can pray for different outcomes, either. In fact, many Jews are atheists (another blog…), but no matter. You can’t make bad choices and hope your faith will make it all work out in the end.

My CV

I don’t have one. Nor do I have a resume anymore. When I got my last job working for Rob Engelking at King’s Kennels in Riverwoods, Illinois, I knew that would be my last job. In fact, it was my dream job, for so many reasons. Logistically, I could get the 20 miles to the kennel in half the time it took me to get downtown, where the job I had before that (at K9 University) was. At King’s, I could park in the parking lot and not have to drive around looking for a place to park.

Then, the grooming room—in fact the whole kennel—was wonderful: safe, clean, and had every piece of equipment a dog groomer could want. More, the Engelkings had a reputation among people showing dogs. Certainly, we groomed a lot of pet dogs, but we had a high percentage of dogs being shown or retired from the ring, and of course, they were all well behaved. Also, Rob was the best boss ever. He knew dogs. He knew what we could do and what we couldn’t. He had a great sense of humor, and he respected me.

If you were to look at my resume, you’d laugh. This is the blurb I send out when I submit short stories to journals and they want a bio:

Robyn is a retired dog groomer who has titled dogs  in performance and conformation. She also has placed in grooming contests. She didn’t go to college until she was 30, and  took CLEP exams to avoid prerequisites. She has degreesin anthropology with concentrations in African & Indian studies, and a master’s in urban planning. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. Most of her published writing has been nonfiction in pet industry magazines, though she has published fiction stories. Most recently her essay, “On the Water,” was included in the SCARS anthology for 2022.  She has Asperger’s and sees the world from the perspective of a visitor from another planet.

I went to the New York School of Dog Grooming in Chicago in 1970, where I learned basic Poodle grooming five days a week. I then got several short term jobs until I graduated high school, the last one at Becker Animal Hospital in Northfield, assisting poodle groomer Mimi Colman. Then I moved to Milwaukee, took a short term job also grooming for a mom & pop until a friend saw an ad for a groomer way across town for Jo-Kor’s Klippette. Joan Fredericksen, the owner, was a member of the Waukesha Kennel Club, and through her, I met some amazing people, including Charlie Prager, the breeder of the Center Ridge Bedlingtons & inventor of the first portable dog grooming table and stand dryer. I learned to groom terriers so they didn’t look like Cocker Spaniels.

When Joan sold the business about two years later, I moved back to Chicago, in winter.I ultimately got a job assisting Jan Condurso at The Collar & Leash. Her parents raised Bedlingtons, Poodles, and Boxers. She learned to groom Bedlingtons from Jack Funk. I was there about two years making good money when we had the first oil embargo, and business slowed to almost nonexistant.

Then I got a job working for Jocelyn Slatin, who had Jamboree Airedales. I loved that job, but she also planned to move. About that time, I knew of fellow dog fanciers who had a business out in Schaumburg, Illinois, who wanted to sell their business. My parents lent me the money and I bought Reigning Cats & Dogs. I thought my husband and I would move out there, but that never worked out. He got into law school and we got divorced. I was very demoralized, and sold the business, and went to Arizona and worked for Jocelyn, who had moved to Prescott, Arizona. When I got back, I took a part time job grooming, but got hired as a Project Manager for Literacy Volunteers of Chicago, setting up ESL training sites. We were very successful, but I was a ‘VISTA VOLUNTEER’. I got insurance, but the pay was terrible, so I had to keep grooming dogs part time.

I spent several years as an independent contractor, going to a bunch of different shops, piecing jobs together. So many microbusinesses that the owners either sold or shut down. I shlepped out to Naperville (40 miles from home) several days a week for two years. worked as a dog trainer, training people to train their dogs, going from Zion up north to Flossmoor south, and west to Elgin. Lots of driving. Then, in 1985, at the age of 30, I went on an African safari, and it change my life.I quit the dog training job, went to college while I groomed dogs part-time, at Shear Comfort in Skokie, and for a while (until i couldn’t take the lax management & noise) Critter Cleaners out on Harlem. I also learned I had Asberger’s. Suddently, between anthropology & this diagnosis, my life made sense.

I was a research assistant for the two years I was in grad school, and then there were no jobs again. I took a job at the Velvet Bow in Hinsdale, but quickly got a Peace Corps assignment in Malawi, as a Town Planner. I returned, still no jobs. I took a job for Women’s Self-Employment Project when Connie Evans (a woman who had never owned a business) was the Executive Director. That was 1 of my worst jobs. Our program was based on the Grameen Bank model, which works in Bangladesh, where women are illiterate and not mobile. Not so much in Chicago, where you can borrow money, move a block away, and disappear. Connie really had no idea how we got women into our programs. I got Plantars Fascitis from ‘pounding the pavement’ looking for women who had business ideas. From the very start, I was lied to about how much I would be paid, and ultimately they wanted me to train my next boss. What an insult!I got a job with Grooming by Gerri which was great, but I was offered an opportunity for a job with….BENEFITS!!!

The Chicago Christian Industrial League had a resale store that grossed about $300 a day in quarters! The CFO wanted to know why we weren’t making more. He hired me to be a manager, even though the two people managing, Calvin Franklin & Sally Ross, knew what the problem was. Within a week, I could tell as well. Not to go into petty details—the organization’s land was worth more than their program, but from there, I worked for the Ark—a Jewish based social service agency where I was cheated out of health insurance due to lies and bad management. There was so much potential, but management was inept. I finally decided to return to grooming dogs.

I loved grooming dogs, but it’s so physically demanding. In 2000, I bought a business with the hope of ultimately buying a boarding kennel, but first, we had 9/11, and a big scandal with Arthur Andersen (which some of my clients worked for), and the Enron mess, and slowly, slowly, during the Dubya years, the economy got pretty bad and I could see the writing on the wall. I would have possibly stuck it out, but my core business was dogs that got groomed every week and every two weeks, and as those clients dogs’ died of old age, and the clients either lost jobs or their own clients. I just felt I had bought a job for myself. I tried finding a smaller space with less rent to move the business to, and I could not find a properly zoned building within five miles of my shop. I closed up and continued to work for other people.

I went back to work for Shear Comfort, now in Evanston. I took 2 weeks off to be a UN Volunteer in Bosnia & CY (the owner) practically had a fit. I worked for a PetCo, where I was really taken advantage of, and later for a Pet Supplies Plus. I also spent a very bad year on and off working for Jennifer Stavrianos at Pet Care Plus. That was almost surreal. Another business with so much potential owned by a woman who had never trained a dog and wouldn’t even bathe her own dogs.

I worked for a couple of animal hospitals that either had no practice manager, so nobody was in charge, or had a practice manager that didn’t care and I was put in either dangerous or no-win situations constantly (my ‘favorite’ was the year dog flu/kennel cough was rampant, and the veterinarians had no isolation kennels and put sick dogs in the grooming room).

I took a job with a business owned by a veterinary technician who promised to make the grooming area better and safer, and never did, and who trusted another groomer & didn’t realize that she didn’t have enough grooming clients for a viable business.

I was hoping things would work out at K9 University, as I really like Ruby Madrigal, but she also didn’t manage her own business and her staff didn’t know enough about dogs. The whole place was dangerous for so many reasons. They actually lost 3 dogs the year I was there—either during transport, or dogs that climbed out of kennels and ran away. They kept putting nonsocial dogs right outside the grooming area, stressing me and the grooming dogs with the barking.There was so much potential, but I just couldn’t do it anymore.

So, when a client told me that Rob was looking for a groomer, I called him. Then COVID, Also, we knew it would happen: he got an offer on the land, and the land was worth more than the kennel business…. due to life.

So now I’m retired. I’m not bored. I read, I write, and I irritate the scammers and unethical people selling baby animals on Craigslist. I collect books to send to schools in Africa, I travel, I train dogs. Even though I could hardly say I had a ‘career’, I planned well.

Rob Engelking, GSP Breeder, Field Trial Judge, & Great Guy

I was going to post 1 of my regular rants today, but I learned last night that Rob died. It wasn’t a shock. What was a shock was that he had hung on for as long as he did. Hhe had been in declining health for about a decade, the last few years being terrible. He was diabetic and had other stomach issues. He couldn’t see. He had neuropathy, and couldn’t feel his hands or feet.

His long time companion, Gilly Rank, took care of him and managing Kings Kennels for the last several years.

When I closed my own grooming business in 2006, I has wanted to work for him, but his sister, Diana, ‘managed’ the kennel and grooming until her death in 2013, and wasn’t interested in any nonfamily coming in.. Rob mostly trained hunting dogs, and he had obedience training clients and had basic obedience and handling classes in the evening.

When Diane died, Rob knew he needed more help. His mother, Marianne, couldn’t manage, and Melissa was in school, so he worked with Gilly. They hired me in 2017 when they thought they’d lose their other groomer (and as it happens in so many cases, when a groomer gives notice, Debbie was there when they hired me and the next day decided she couldn’t afford to move out of state).

I had started grooming in the late 1960’s, learning from hobby breeders. Back them, EVERYONE who had a grooming business was a fancier: either handling dogs at shows, breeding, training for performance, or grooming. Things changed. As time went on, fewer and fewer of my employers had any dog experience. They just loved dogs. Loving dogs is not enough if you don’t want to learn about dog conformation, coat types, dog physiology and psychology and training methods.

I was working part time for the Machados, breeders of the top winning Morninglow Coton de Tulear, and they told me Rob was looking for help.

It was a dream job, really. Rob and his father had built the kennel. There was radiant heat in the floors, and the dog runs were huge. Also, they were double fenced. Climbers were put in inner runs (around an enclosed court). You could eat off the floor in this kennel. He also had several huge paddock areas for dogs to really run. it wasn’t pretty. like a lot of places that offer dog daycare—BUT IT WAS SAFE.

Many dog clubs took advantage of the spacious grounds, Weekend were filled with club activities. There were matches and training. For years, Lincolnwood Dog Training Club for German Shepherds trained Schutzhund at Kings.

Rob was incredibly easy to get along with. He helped as much as he could. He was practical. We groomed a lot of retired showdogs, so our clients were picking. We had everything an experienced groomer could want. We had a Primo bathing system so we didn’t have to dilute bottles and bottles of shampoo. We had 2 Edemco ‘groomrooms’—enclosed cages with blowers attached—-particularly helpful for large dogs (we groomed an amazing number of Newfoundlands)..

What did us in was…consumer stupidity. We didn’t offer dog daycare because it’s dangerous. Dogs get injured all the time and it’s a great way to spread parasites and diseases. We offered dayborading: individual play. But you know, the buyers of designer dogs have this fantasy that their dogs play all day in daycare. Some do. Some dogs are bullies, and some are bullied.

In any case, because we didn’t offer daycare, we didn’t get a lot of new clients unless they were picky about grooming. The kennel was also affected by the economic collapse right before Obama was elected…and never totally recovered. COVID was the nail in that coffin: our clientele was upscale, and many traveled frequently. That ended. Grooming really slowed. I was about to retire, anyways.

Also, the land appreciated more than anyone could possibly imagine. It was less than a mile from a Tri-state Tollway interchange. Discover, the credit card company, opened a huge campus right behind the kennel land. They wanted kennel land for …parking. They were made an offer the Engelkings could not refuse.

Rob was a real dog lover, and I’ll miss him. He had a lot of integrity, which a lot of people in the pet industry don’t have. Yes,. the fancy is part of the pet industry. Rest in Peace, Rob.

How Did the Dog Get so Matted?

I am retired now, but as life goes on. I find more and more about dog ownership (I mean how other people are with their dogs) that irks me: 1. People using harnesses. Harnesses are designed for your dog to pull you. Even the no-pull harnesses don’t get the message to the dog that pulling isn’t right. For centuries, we’ve used collars, and dogs managed to not choke themselves. As modern dog trainers say, ‘The collar (harness) doesn’t train the dog, YOU train the dog.’ Harnesses on ‘non-shed’ dogs are particularly bad because they cause static which causes matting.

2. Worse? Flexis—retractable leashes. You have virtually no control of your dog on a Flexi. & why would you put a pinch collar on the dog if you plan to use a Flexi? It doesn’t make sense!

3. People who can’t go for a walk without their phones. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DO!!!! Your dog might eat something, or take a dislike to another dog, or—-some other oblivious person with a ‘friendly’ dog may be approaching you!

3. People who buy ‘non-shed’ dogs and believe they don’t have to brush their dogs.

A few years ago, a dog groomer published an article in a dog groomers’ magazine about teaching dog-owning clients—-particularly owners of dogs that the owners want to keep long haired— how to take care of their dogs at home between professional groomings.   We all know that whoever sold them the dog should have shown the new owner the right tools and techniques to care for their new pet.  We just have to assume, however, that there are so few ethical hobby breeders left, that it falls to us groomers to help our clients be move nurturing pet parents.

I hate dematting dogs…. hate hate hate it!.  It’s one thing to dematt a dog changing coats, who has been taught to lie down and relax, so you are not pulling on the skin, just the hair.  It’s quite another to pander to the clueless dog owners who are in denial about the type of coat care their dog needs to be the length and condition they want to maintain.

Do we all understand why the coat gets matted?  It is the dynamic of the ‘dryness’ of the coat, with moisture, dirt, and static electricity.  Briefly, the coat is untouched, but the dog lives on earth. Earth is dirty.  Stuff floats in the air (let alone what’s on the ground, where the dog mostly is).  Just plain old environmental particulate matter. Then, relative humidity…even dew on the grass. Finally, static. Not necessarily enough to give you a shock, but enough to rub against the cuticle of the hair, opening it up, and all those hairs with opened up cuticles float and stick to each other, the cuticle closes, voila!  Matts.

The only excuse for not informing the dog owner about why this happens, and that the interval between groomings is too long, is not having a relationship with the customer.  I know many won’t care, but most love their dogs and want to do the right thing.  They either have to brush the dog at home, with the proper brush and technique, or pay you to do it, at the right interval.

In the late 1990s and the early part of this century, I had over 100 regular clients with Bearded Collies, Soft-coated Wheaten Terriers (in way too long coat), Afghan Hounds, and Pulik.  I now have 4. What happened?  All my clients did what needed to be done, but as those dogs died of old age, the owners were honest about their finances and personal limitations, and those who got another dog, got: Frenchies, Pit Bulls, Boxers, short-haired mixes, and one former Afghan Hound owner got a smooth Saluki.  What kind of dog owners continue to acquire non-shed dogs which are always matted?  The ones with whom you are not honest.

I worked for a business that catered to elites, and they are having to address this because we are dematting way too many dogs that end up with skin problems. It is taking us too long and costing us too much money.  I won’t go into how this culture developed, but you can guess if you, too, spend too much time dematting the same dogs over and over.

How did they get so matted besides the interval between professional groomings being too long?

The ear fringes:  This happens because you are responding to the owner wanting the ears shorter.  We get the ‘Buster Brown’ blunt cut.  What happens is that the short hair at the tips of the ear leather weaves into the longer hairs, as it grows. Solution?  Try a  C or E attachment on the whole ear, so all the hair grows at the same time…and/or trim the entire ear to the leather (like a Portie).  This is also why you get a matted ‘false skirt’:  the short hair you cut off weaved into the skirt fringe.  A better solution is to make the whole skirt shorter (as an aside…why does a pet dog that is never brushed and  walking  through stuff need more hair than a show dog?)

Around shoulders/neck/armpits:  The dog wears a harness.  The harness causes friction as the dog walks. Solution:  Martingale collar.  It will not choke the dog and only tightens as the dog pulls.  Otherwise, it is loose. The owner has more control of the dog, too.

Matted at the skin, but looks fine:  Everyone’s favorite.  The dog is not brushed often enough, the owner uses the wrong brush or wrong technique. Solution:  offer to show the owner what tools you use, and suggest a system: I start at the rear leg and work my way up and to the front of the dog on 1 side, then do the other side.  & the owner may need more than a brush. They may need a rake, and anti-static.  Sometimes it is too dry in the home, or the dog is on carpet.

Topline:  Dog walks under furniture.  Or, people are scratching/petting the dog.

Only the rear end of the dog (usually at least 2 dogs in the household).  No delicate way to put this. One dog is humping the other.  It could be love, could be stress.  This is why I suggest obedience training, The dog may never actually get trained, but the interaction the owner has with the dog often helps alleviate stress, and it really helps if there is more than 1 dog and the whole family gets involved.

Finally, because people want pets, they don’t understand that the dog bred to be a pet may have a less than perfect coat texture, and certainly, you never know what kind of coat you are getting with a designer dog.  Nobody’s at fault here, except the breeders breeding for the market.  This is one of the reasons many of us buy dogs from hobby breeders.

What is a Hybrid Dog Breed?

This is a misused term by unethical marketers/breeders who know people are stupid, Really.

You’re breeding a dog to a dog—same species—they are mixed breeds. Call them designer dogs or hybrids—they do not breed ‘true’:  you won’t know how big the dog will be, coat type, or temperament until the dog is mature. This  is why we breed purebreds; PREDICTABILITY

They are all dogs. Traits?  Dog traits. By helping unethical dog breeders NORMALIZE their lack of integrity, writers are doing nobody any favors.  In fact, They are helping to mislead people. How ethical is that?

What people should know is that they’ve fallen for the marketing and are being bamboozled.

They should prepare themselves to be disappointed.

I have spent over 50 years in the pet industry, working for pet shops, veterinarians, boarding kennels, and as a dog groomer. I have titled dogs in conformation, obedience, rally, and lure-coursing. i am telling you what is real.#Doodle #Purebred dogs

She Bites

People, particularly Americans, seem to get a lot of their ‘information’ from TV. I think we believe that ‘the government’ would protect us from untruths & BS. Apparently not.

Having worked in the pet industry, mostly as a dog groomer, I have frequently heard from dog owners that they can’t brush their dog because…the dog bites.

I used to have a dog that bites, and I’ve had a few who were almost chronic biters. This is what I’ve learned from dog trainers and animal behaviorists.

There are only 2 reasons a dog bites: the dog is either fearful and trying to protect him or herself, or the dog was bred with no bite inhibition and is grappling for control.

I’ve had a couple of my own dogs who grappled for control as maturing puppies, and I dealt with the behavior immediately and let the dog know I was in charge. I didn’t have to beat the dogs up, but I had to outwit and outmaneuver the dog. I have never owned a dog who bit from fear, but I’ve groomed many.

Whether people want to believe this or not, temperament IS genetic. Some breeders take this very seriously. They’re involved in competition, and they need not just conformation, but a temperament type. Most dogs are not bred for any other purposes than because the owner was lazy and would not control their pet’s fertility, or they wanted to make money selling puppies. Sad but true—and these pet owners do not give a rat’s ass that they are breeding dangerous dogs.

When it comes to correcting bad behavior: biting, most dog trainers and behaviorists agree that you can communicate with most fearful dogs, and if they are with a consistent owner, biting can be reduced or eliminated. Biting a can sometimes also be eliminated if a dog biting to establish dominance. I’ve done it by rewarding good behavior and curtailing bad behavior.

I do know that most people won’t take the time to correct bad behavior and just ignore it. You go into their homes, and there are a bunch of rules about interacting with the dog: don’t try to pet the dog. Don’t try to be friends with the dog. Don’t make eye contact, don’t touch the dog’s (ears, withers, feet…)

I find it shocking that most people with bad dogs don’t realize their children are in danger. Sometimes, adults just don’t want to believe that there are bad dogs. They can’t all be pets. Just because they are domesticated, it doesn’t mean they belong in a home with a family. Shaping the dog’s behavior will help, but it doesn’t solve the problem of genetics.

How to Know if Your Child is Ready for a Dog?

Notice the Afghan Hound taking her half out of the middle. What do you think the Whippets are thinking?

Friends often ask me about specific breeds of dogs and if they are good with kids—then they ignore me and go out and get a Bulldog, Frenchie, or Doodle.

The kids have been begging for a dog and are interested in (Doodles) because their friend has a (Doodle) and they want a dog just like that one.

Where to begin? First, I’m happy for their friends, but nobody breeding designer dogs, and very few breeding the popular breeds who are not involved in a dog club or conformation showing have any integrity. They are only breeding dogs to make money. When you skimp on genetic testing, it’s easy as long as the dam (mommy dog) doesn’t need a C section.

They’re known as ‘hybrids’, but they aren’t; they’re the same species. They are mixed breed dogs. They do not breed ‘true’. You really won’t know what you’ve got until the dog is at least 6 months old, or older.

Also, very important: do YOU—the parent—want a dog? If you’re acquiescing to whining children, and aren’t ready for a lifestyle change yourself, this is a recipe for disaster.

There are over 200 breeds of dogs available in the USA (some breeds have a very small gene pool, and they don’t breed ‘true’). Get a book (yes—a BOOK—with pages) and read about breed histories and what a parent club says about their breed. The parent club (American Maltese Association or Afghan Hound Club of America) is the ‘sponsor’ of the breed to the American Kennel Club. This is a bunch of formerly normal people who became obsessed with their breed, but agree on a general description of their breed, and also sponsor research into genetic issues the breed has. Not all breeds were developed to be pets. In fact, most breeds were developed as working dogs first, and how good they are with children was never an important issue. For those who think that they are no longer bred to do what they were originally bred for…I beg to differ. True fanciers are proud that the dogs they breed can still do what they were originally bred to do.

Some protective brees like Mastiffs and Great Danes, are generally good with kids, as are Pulik. I wouldn’t get a Boerbul or a Malinois for young kids. On the other hand, often Afghan Hounds, Siberian Huskies, and Greyhounds are good with kids but need exercise.

Most of the cute, cuddly breeds are not good with kids. Either they are very small and easily injured, so they assert themselves.. They have to be feisty, or they’d die.

There should be no rush about this new family member whom you hope will be with you for 12+ years. Talk to dog groomers and trainers. Chances are. if your veterinarian doesn’t breed or show dogs, s/he’s only has experience with dogs at their worst: fearful, nervous, in pain.

My first breed was actually a Miniature Schnauzer because my mother wanted a small, non-shed dog. I love the breed, but I, as a dog groomer, found the grooming onerous, and then only ‘in coat’ for at the most 10 weeks. When we saw a photo of an Afghan Hound, my family got one of those, knowing nothing about them. We were told they were impossible to train. Not so—not if YOU have a brain (as an owner). Groomers who groom show dogs will tell you an Afghan hound is easier to put into coat than a Miniature Schnauzer. As a teenager, I found the independence and aloofness of the Afghan, their quiet dignity, wonderful.

Breed personality is something most pet seekers don’t take seriously enough. I had a couple come to me for consulting because they thought their mixed breed was part Saluki. Very unlikely, but it’s amazing what the rescues post on PETFINDER, hoping to entice new owners. From the dog’s physical appearance, it was remotely possible, but the dog’s behavior was what they had issues with: she was not cuddly; she was not affectionate like a Golden Retriever. That’s what they wanted, without spending the money for a purebred dog. I believe they returned her to the shelter.

Americans! You can’t always get what you want just because you want it. I had a client who bought a St. Bernard for her four-year-old son. She allowed HIM to choose the breed because of the Beethoven movie. Mom had only seen photos, and she bought the dog on the internet. She brought the four-month-old puppy for a bath because she didn’t like the smell. Then, again, two weeks later. She had no idea whether it was a rough or smooth coat…or that it would slobber. The dog grew enormously every day. Finally, she told us she didn’t realize the dog would be so large, smelly, and wasn’t interested in paying someone to train the dog or in training it herself. She told us she had no interest in the dog at all and planned to resell it. No happy ending for that pup.

I’ve had people bring in Yorkie and Lhasa Apso pups, and always showed them how to get the dog under control, line brush the dog, and how important keeping the dog clean was if they wanted hair, and getting the dog on a regular grooming schedule. I was always dismayed at the many owners who claimed they could not control the puppy, so they couldn’t brush the puppy, and it bites. This basic dog care should have been explained and demonstrated by the breeder/seller. If you buy a dog off Craigslist or another internet site, or even animal shelters…well…who should be responsible for making surer you know what you’re getting into? Shouldn’t a dog owner have this information before buying a dog?

If you, as a parent, have no interest in taking care of a pet, don’t get a dog. It doesn’t matter if your child is ‘ready’. if your child lives with you, the dog is your responsibility. You are going to teach your kids the concept of delayed gratification. You can also guide them to ways they can satisfy their need to be with dogs. They can research local animal shelters that need volunteers to walk, train, and play with dogs. Perhaps they can find a dog trainer who needs assistance. My first grooming ‘job’ was with the Miniature Schnauzer breeder bathing her dogs. By working with fanciers, you learn a lot about dogs that you won’t get from reading books.

So…the short answer is:  when your kids do the research on their own and show reliability in other areas of their lives without being prodded.

What about poor, discarded dogs in rescues and shelters? Yes, it happens that old people have to go into nursing homes & give up their dogs. If they got those dogs from breeders, the breeder will take the dog back. In fact, when a good breeder sells a dog, they will often have you sign a contract that the dog returns to them. but dogs get stolen, lost, and the many are from owners who allowed their dogs to breed, claim they are not breeders (even though they allowed their dog to breed), and take no responsibility. Unfortunately, most of the dogs in shelters came from unethical breeders who didn’t bother to screen a family to determine if they knew what they were getting into. they just took the money and told them to have fun.  These owners thought the dogs would housebreak and train themselves. Nobody in the home took responsibility. If you’ve done your research, go for it, but you probably will have to untrain some bad dog habits. Let me remind you that the older the dog is, the more likely you have a good idea of exactly what you’re getting. You can’t save them all. Save yourself, first.