Cute Standard Poodle Pictures

I just wanted to share these two pictures of Bosco with you. He is one of the most gentlest dogs I have ever seen. Poodles have great personalities and are so loving.

Pippin enjoying the Autumn day.

Indoor games to play with your dog

Today here in northeast Ohio it has been cold, rainy and yes, I have even spotted a few snow flurries. My dogs get the raw end of the deal every fall. When the weather turns so do my outdoor activities. The poodles would love to run and play in the mud but me being a groomer try to avoid the extra work in cleaning them up before allowing them into the house. So I have put into words some games that are fun to teach your pets to keep them from becoming board.

1. Hold a small treat in one hand with your fist closed and extend both arms out and ask your dog if he can guess which hand you have the treat in. When he puts his nose on your hand that has the treat, bingo, he wins. Do this several times and he will think he just stared in a Los Vegas magical show.
2. Get a Kong ball with the hole in it to put treats in and watch him roll it around the room snacking as he goes.
3. Play hide and seek with a favorite toy. Teach your dog to sit and stay as you or a family member hides the toy somewhere. Ask your dog to go find the toy, to help him if he doesn't understand, start out putting the toy under a pillow or in a shoe close by and help him find it. It will not take long for your dog to learn that it's fun to play.
4. Dogs love to have a job, so teach him to bring things to you like the remote control or a newspaper. Always praise him and do it all over again. One thing I do with Bosco is when I am folding my dog grooming towels I place them on his back to transport to the grooming room. You may not want to put your clean towels or clothes on a dogs back, so maybe your old newspapers to carry to the recycle bin.
5. The ever so favorite catch the ball is fun to pass some time.
6. The cups game is a fun one to play, it starts with taking 3 or 4 plastic cups or butter type dishes and some treats. Begin by placing the cups face down and placing a treat under one of the cups making sure that your dog knows where it is. Ask your dog to find it and wait until he has given you a sign indicating the he knows where the treat is. Lift the cup and let your dog have the treat. Do this a few more times until he understands the game and then make it a challenge by moving or changing the cups around (like the shell game) before you ask them to find it.
7. Working on obedience skills makes for some fun as well. Dogs never get tired of leaning.
8. Teach your pet to balance a biscuit on his nose and hold it before eating it. This can be very fun for both you and your dog.
9. Learn to dance with your dog to music. Great workout for both of you.
10. Follow the leader is something that Pippin just does on his own. So I have make a game of it. He follows me around the house and when I stop he stops, then I back up and he backs up. We play this game for a while and then I tell him to go lay down.

Toy Poodle Grooming Before & After

This is Winston, he is a very small Toy Poodle. Poodles have dense, curly, non-shedding hair that grows continuously and requires regular grooming. The texture of the hair ranges from coarse and woolly to soft and wavy. Winston has a very woolly - soft coat thus making it very hard to brush if left in a longer coat. A well-groomed poodle will not only look his best, but regular grooming every 4 - 6 weeks helps prevent skin, coat, and other health problems that may occur. Grooming is just not taking a brush and fluffing up the hair. It is a way in keeping your pet healthy. Clipping toe nails is so vitally important for foot and leg health. Removal of dry, flaky, dead skin cells is necessary in maintaining a healthy coat. Cleaning debris away that sticks in the corner of the eyes is very important to ensure proper eye care and cleaning the ear canals by removing the hair that grows inside is a necessary part of poodle grooming. I used Isle Of Dogs styling products to give little Winston that award winning look. Isn't he handsome!

Shih Tzu before and after grooming for a short hair cut

This is Toby, he is a Shih Tzu. His owner loves to keep Toby short and manageable, which is great for a pet Shih Tzu. The sole purpose of the Shih Tzu (Chinese) is companionship and house pet. This breed should be alert, lively and friendly. They require minimal exercise, but his coat is high maintenance and needs daily brushing. The Shih Tzu should be groomed every 4 weeks if left in a longer coat or 5 - 8 weeks if done in a short style like Toby's. The products I like to use on Toby are:

Isle of Dogs No. 30 Detangle Formula Shampoo, Isle Strengthen - which gives conditioning, volume and hold along with Isle Thicken - that is a conditioner, volumizer and hold, both are from the Vanity Series.

For his haircut I use a 3 3/4 blade on my Andis clipped and hand scissor his legs, head and tail. He sure is a cutie.

Dogs playing in the autumn woods

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. October has never been sweeter than the warm temperatures we have been blessed with. Walking in the woods with my two standard poodles and my part-time dog ShuShu has been so much fun. The dogs love to run through the leaves and jump over the trees that have fallen. In the top picture, the sun was shining down through the tree tops illuminating ShuShu as she was trying to get Bosco to chase her. The picture of Pippin is of him doing what he loves best, jumping.

Staying active is what leads to a long healthy life, not only for me but for the dogs I love. All three the these dogs take NuVet Plus to help safe guard them against all the harmful organisms that are in the woods like standing water, animal feces, algae, fungus and harmful animals, reptiles and insects.

Bichon Frise before and after a good bath using Isle Of Dogs shampoo

This is Chelsea, she is an adorable Bichon Frise puppy. Her before picture depicts what a Bichon looks like after running through wet fresh cut grass. Her after picture shows a lovable huggable puppy. The shampoo used was Isle Of Dogs Royal Jelly.

Dogster picture contest Please vote for Pippin