Have you ever been excitedly preparing for a vacation, only to realize the strain it put on your animal friends, and end up rescheduling the vacation or feeling guilty or sad the entire time? Being away from our animal friends is hard on them, and on you! It is tough to be separated. With the right preparation, you and your animals can experience a more comfortable time, even though you’ll be apart. 1. Your animal friends do understand you. Start by talking to them and letting them know about the vacation; where you will be going, and for how long. It is often easiest for them to understand if you tell them how many sleeps or meals you’ll be away for, always focusing on your happy return. 2. Let them know what will happen to them. Be sure to tell them where they will be and who will be looking after them, again focusing on your happy return. Let them know they’ll be in good hands, with a caregiver handpicked by you. Tell them that they’ll still have their meals, treats and toys, and hopefully will have some fun with their caregiver. Prepare them as much as you can to help them get ready. I prefer to have someone come and stay in my home with my dogs instead of sending them somewhere because it is much easier for them to stay in their familiar environment. 3. Stay in constant contact with them. During your trip, check-in every day and let them know how you are doing. Communicate with them how soon you will be back, again in terms of number of sleeps or meals. Visualize your happy reunion. 4. Use my grounding exercise to help your animals be more comfortable. This is great for them and can help reduce stress. I created a free training that includes grounding and animal communication techniques. This free “Making the Heart Connection With Your Animal Companions” training will help both of you prepare and stay connected while you are gone. Abundant blessings, Cynthia.
THE DOG CHAKRA SYSTEM COMPONENTS When I created my first dog chakra chart 10-12 years ago no one talked about dog chakras, except as being like human ones. Of course, there were lots of people doing amazing with with dogs and canine chakras, but the internet had not quite become the keeper of all knowledge. GENERAL CHAKRA OVERVIEW This will be fast, as this info is easily found, but here is the dash and go overview... There are seven Chakras roughly along the center of our dog's body that govern how they respond to sensory information, emotional input and their environment on all levels. The three lower chakras (root, sacral and solar plexus) govern basic survival needs. The four upper chakra (heart, throat, third eye and crown) govern their mental abilities. Note! No one chakra is better or higher or lower than another. The terms lower and upper are literally designations. Balance, balance, balance. Think of any creature's chakras as a car's systems. A car that is firing on all cylinders/pistons (or whatever makes a car go vroom) will run smoothly. If the car has worn out brakes, a busted carburetor or nasty oil, the car will run roughly, raggedly and inefficiently, if it runs at all. CANINE CHAKRA SYSTEM BALANCING ACT When our dogs chakra system is balanced they are content, confident dogs, in harmony with their surroundings and their people. If their system is not balanced it will show up in how our dogs interact with other dogs, the people in their lives and how they react to their environment. Under-active and over-active chakras use the other chakras to have to pick up the chakra slack. This results in an off-balanced state and caused every aspect of your dog's life to be affected to some degree or another. Think about it...Our dogs are tuned into us on many levels. emotionally, intuitively and physically. If our chakras are out of balance that imbalance can affect our dogs energy system. Just as a nervous owner's fear and stress will travel right down the dog's lead at the dog park or obedience class, so can our chakras affect their chakras. Our off kilter chakras can exaggerate or possibly cause our dogs to have issues! Calm pet owners help make for relaxed pets. We strive for balanced, harmonious chakras not just for us, but for our dogs and other loved ones - human and animal. Balance within all of our energy systems, human and dog, is what makes it work!
Reports of a respiratory illness afflicting dogs have put many dog owners on edge in recent weeks. Some canines have even died as a result but this thing seems to be a bit overblown so we wanted to do some research on our own. 🕵️ A variety of dog breeds have been affected by the illness, which has symptoms are similar to Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex, or kennel cough. That's a highly contagious respiratory disease, which affects the dog’s breathing passages and the lungs. While the illness mimics kennel cough, its symptoms do not diminish with kennel cough treatments. Humans and other pets are not believed to be at risk from the illness. What’s causing the illness – which doesn’t yet have a name – is unknown. However, researchers in New Hampshire say they have identified a pathogen, an organism that causes disease in a host, that may be causing the illness. “At this point in time, I don’t think there is reason for extreme alarm,” said Dr. Deborah Silverstein, a professor of small animal emergency and critical care medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Ryan Veterinary Hospital. “ I do think it’s a time to be cautious and to stay informed. ” Here are the symptoms of the 2023 mystery dog illness…
While information about this outbreak is still coming out and working in this industry makes for some circumstances that are unavoidable, here are some of the fast tips to follow to stay ahead in your grooming business…. Make sure the dogs you take in are fully vaccinated. Monitor - Review the dogs coming through your shop for signs of infection and contact any clients to reach out to their vet as soon as possible if symptoms occur. Separate & Stagger - We know how this disease typically spreads is through droplets and face-to-face interactions, so try to avoid these scenarios. Stagger grooming appointments if possible. Sanitize - Disinfect your equipment between every appointment. Make sure dogs do not share water bowls or kennels. Make sure all leads and towels are clean and fresh for each dog. Be Transparent - Include a disclaimer in any agreements or correspondence that your customers may receive to signal you are aware and ahead of the situation. Looking for some help on what to say to customers? Steal this email template to get ahead of this and keep your clients informed… 💡 To our loyal clients, We have been made aware of the canine respiratory virus/bacterial infection going around the country. We are doing our part in keeping all of our clients safe by restricting any pets exhibiting any respiratory issues such as coughing, hacking, or sneezing into our facility. We are also keeping our salons clean by sanitizing between each groom throughout the day - including kennel areas and our equipment as well. We do ask that if you have traveled within the past 2 weeks or your dog has boarded in a kennel, please quarantine for at least 1 week before making any appointments so we can ensure the safety of all of our furry friends. If your pet is not fully vaccinated or has pre-existing health conditions, we ask you to coordinate with your veterinarian on the appropriate grooming plan for your pet. We thank you for your cooperation during this time. We know all vets are working hard to find a vaccine for this sickness. If you have any questions, please let us know! Thanks, Tail Feathers Grooming staff
Welcome to The Tail Feathers, your best friend when it comes to professional grooming - or 2nd best friend if we’re counting dogs 😂. My name’s Jacob 👋 In this issue, let’s explore the art of tipping… Making great tips is one of the keys to making the big bucks in this career. Once you’ve become a good groomer and learned how to keep your clients happy, most of them will reward you with great tips. Like any other service industry, the amount a customer tips a pet professional can vary widely. So many pet parents ask themselves, “how much should I tip the dog groomer??” According to the national average, pet owners should tip their groomer 15 to 20 percent of the service total. That seems reasonable and in line with standard tipping practices in the U.S. but just like pricing your grooms, there are so many variables that come into play.