Does your dog love or loathe the bath?

Bosca is a bit too big for the bath but happy to take a shower...if he gets a massage.

Here at SAT we’re major fans of grooming. Not so much the bouffant-shaping kind as the keeping-fur-clean-and-eye-boogers-at-bay kind. And just to be clear I am talking about my dog.

In my experience a lot of clients worry about the prospect of over-grooming their pets, and it is possible – though rare. When my dog is itchy, the first thing I do (apart from look for fleas and flea dirt) is give him a wash. It removes surface allergens, soothes his skin and also allows me to inspect him very carefully.

When it comes to shampoos less is more. I avoid those that are scented or designed to whiten, and chose based on the state of his skin (I’m a fan of Dermcare’s Aloveen as a maintenance shampoo but if Phil has itchy skin I tend to select Malaseb). I don’t wash the inside of his ears. Putting water in ears is playing with fire (or, more literally, tempting otitis externa).

Washing is ONE PART of a multifactorial approach to itching. i.e. depending on the skin, I use adjunctive treatments including conditioner, moisturisers, antibiotics and even steroids. And again, good flea prevention. If you’ve got an itch-prone dog anyway, it just takes one pesky flea to send him over the itch threshold.

It really is worth making sure that giving your dog a bath is a positive experience. Some dogs love a bath but lots of them really loathe it and you can understand why – difficult-to-stand-on, slippery surfaces, cold water, scary noises, being manhandled and scrubbed on bits you don’t normally let people pat etc.

Approaching slowly, placing a non-slip surface, ensuring the water doesn’t run too fast (or loud), avoiding clanking showerheads against the bath, administering praise and treats – all of these can help reduce anxiety in the bath.

Also being less anxious yourself can help – if you dread your dog’s bath time, your dog picks up on that too. On that note, if its really a battle to bath your dog I am not a fan of forcing it. Its worth chatting to an experienced groomer or vet who offers grooming. We have the benefit of purpose-built facilities and extra-hands, both of which can make a difference. 

Life is just better if your dog enjoys bath time. Like this dog here (thanks Rachel for the link):

Date with your dog: boy's weekend

Phil and Bosca bliss out in front of the fire.

This weekend Phil and I popped over to visit Bosca. Phil doesn't always relish the company of other dogs, but Bosca is a firm favourite and they indulge their common interests like barking in unison and lying on new furniture. 

Bosca indulges in the forbidden activity of stick-chewing on the rug. Fortunately the size differential (and a distinct lack of teeth on Phil's part) means there's no competition between Bosca and Phil for sticks.

We're trying to schedule a few more Phil-specific weekends as he's a bit over me working on assignments at home. (Who isn't??). This way everyone wins.

Bosca has taught Phil the odd bad habit...like coveting thy mother's cheesecake.

Phil also met (fore) and Jess (behind). They all liked each other its just a very awkward photo. Happens sometimes.

If you're looking for a weekend read, I just learned that the Pope thinks couples should be having kids not pets. Thoughts?

Look out Dawn Fraser! Australia has a new swimming champ...

Coco is a senior lady, but swimming provides gentle exercise and relief from the heat. Its also a very good excuse to go somewhere beautiful (i.e. the beach) and have an amazing picnic.

Summer is beginning to end, at least for our Aussie readers. If you haven't yet made the most of the heat your dog will never forgive you if you don't hop to it and plan some canine-centric activities.

On the weekend we had the pleasure of going swimming with Coco, a 1.9kg mini poodle whose skills in the water belie her size. 

Timing is important the tide can make all the difference.

They might be tiny waves, but for tiny dogs they're huge (thank you Merryn for this awesome action pic).

And its not like the dogs have all the fun. Its just nice to get outside, sit under a tree, eat a peanut butter, mushroom and lettuce sandwich (humans, not dogs) and enjoy a cuppa with some good friends.

Coco enjoys drying off after her huge effort in the water.

If you asked your dog, they'd probably tell you that weekends should be every day of the week.

Date with your dog: the groomer

Glenn holds Phil while he has his locks trimmed. Neither are massive fans of the groomer.

This post is inspired by my dear friend and world renowned herpetologist Glenn Shea. Unlike many people, Glenn is comfortable cohabiting with reptiles, has been known to cook and eat tripe curry and has discovered new species in some of the harshest terrain in the world. The man is fearless.

Almost. Turns out that a trip to the barber makes him anxious. In fact, on the way there he made the bold and startling claim that he'd rather have a colonoscopy than a haircut.

Fellow herpetologist and friend Carrie B, Phil and myself accompanied Glenn to the Demon Barber, an establishment that offers "one hell of a haircut". They were lovely enough to let Phil sit with Glenn (it was my hope that this might help counter any barber-induced hypertension). I'm not sure that the Phil effect was strong enough. Glenn did not look at all comfortable during the procedure.

I had to leave halfway but pannicked several hours later when I hadn't heard from Glenn or Carrie B. Had Glenn succumbed to the stress and suffered a caridac arrest or stroke? Were they in ICU somewhere? Was the Demon Barber really Sweeney Todd?

Thankfully it transpired that Glenn had survived and gone to work. By the time he popped in to say g'day, the colour had returned to his skin and he was rocking a new 'do. Much like Phil, Glenn loves the feeling of a new hair cut - just hates the process of getting it.

Coincidentally, Phil's groomer Amanda had that very day invited colleagues to sacrifice 8 inches of hair for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths initiative which creates free human hair wigs for women suffering from cancer and treatment associated hair loss. I told Glenn I'd signed up. 

"Eight INCHES???" he exclaimed, the colour once again draining from his face. I felt like I'd just handed Indiana Jones a rattle snake. 

We won't be inviting Glenn to that event! But Phil will be coming along, and will be thrilled when he realises that for once it will be the groomer getting the chop, and not him!

Phil attempts to take advantage of Amanda's semi distracted state to make an escape.

Date with your dog: roadtrips and DIY dog beds

The late TP has a sleep in my suitcase. (NB I NEVER pack animals IN the suitcase...they just love to sleep in it when I arrive).

This week we celebrate the humble "roadie" with your dog. If your dog is good in the car (not everyone copes well with car travel and I treat plenty of dogs for motion sickness), getting out of town for a night is an excellent way to spend a bit of time with your bestie. 

Phil practically dances when I pack my bags (I say bags - one of them is for him...when we arrive I throw a blanket in and he has a portable dog bed.

Phil with his booty.

If you are tied to the home or workplace this weekend, spend a few minutes checking out Tim Flach's dog photos. That white Hungarian pulli is stunning!

And if you didn't catch it this week, researchers have worked out that flying in a "V" formation actually reduces the effort required for migratory birds.

Date with your dog: making time

Are you making enough time in your schedule for your companions?

The festive season and New Year are supposed to be a time of winding down. I know this because now I am getting automatic replies from emails saying people are on leave. But it feels like everything is ramping up, and things are getting even busier! I am sure I'm not the only one who feels time poor.

I was shocked to read the other day that up to ten per cent of dogs are surrendered to shelters because the owner did not have enough time for a dog.

Lack of time with our pets can be  welfare issue. After all, they can't just wander over to a friend's place when they're bored. They rely on us for mental stimulation, physical activity and enrichment.

We need to take steps to ensure that our time with our companion animals doesn't get pushed down - and eventually off - our list of priorities.

Recently I've been e-chatting with Jeanie Galbreath, a virtual assistant located in Goodlettsville, TN, in the good old US of A. She started her company, Task Jeanie LLC, after being laid off from an accounting position in 2009. 

Virtual assistants are the people that people call (or email most likely) to do all those pesky time-sucking tasks like administration, social media management, newsletter writing and even creating Wikipedia pages. She reckons that busy people need to schedule time for their best friends, the way one might schedule meetings or events.

What kind of people do you work for?

I work mostly with busy professionals from any and every background, including lawyers, busy moms and veterinarians. 

I started Task Jeanie with the hopes of helping people free up their time. My clients are able to outsource their time-consuming tasks to me, all while saving money (virtual assistants are much cheaper than in-house administrative support). I've always been an organized person and I love helping others get organized!

What's the difference between an admin assistant and a virtual assistant?

Virtual assistants basically do everything an administrative assistant does, but only virtually, via email, phone and fax. Services can include sending out newsletters for clients, proofreading, copywriting, creating and editing PowerPoint presentations, data entry and more. 

Do you have any pets?

I recently had a Betta fish named Shark, but unfortunately he passed away. Small with a lot of spunk! I really miss him! :(

Okay, so people need schedules. But do pets need schedules?

It's important to have a schedule for your pet because pets have needs just like you and I. They need to interact with their owners, they need to be fed, they need exercise....most of the things that we need!

Sometimes people get so wrapped up in their own activities that they forget about their pets. Planning your day with your pet in mind is always important. 

So you went and made one. What inspired this development?

I love planners and daybooks (I use one every day) and I had the thought to create a planner. But the challenge was that I didn't just want to create something that was already out there - I wanted to create something unique. I started doing research and found out that there were no planners for pets. I couldn't believe it! So I decided that I would create a system for keeping track of schedules for pets [you can see the result here]. It's the only planner/calendar/mini-scrapbook designed to keep track of pet's schedules. It has notepads, pet family tree pages, pet info pages to record medical history, grooming info, etc. I feel those are great tools for keeping yourself and your pet organized.

The Petter, designed just to organise time for your pet. 

The Petter has icons for each day that remind you to schedule quality time with your pet, as well as other sections that keep track of medical history, medications, dietary needs, etc. 

Thanks, Jeanie!

You might also want to read this article on spending quality time with your rabbits/guinea pigs and this excellent piece by Victoria Stilwell on how dogs can fit into our hectic lives - and how we need to manage our expectations.

SAT would like to know how YOU organise time with your pets. Are they simply built into your daily routine? Have you made plans for quality time over the Christmas/New Year period? And when your pet has your undivided attention, what do they enjoy doing most?