It is difficult to imagine that I have owned Head to Tail for five years! During that time, I have spent countless hours getting to know my customers, fine-tuning the business and making sure our services are at the level of quality that dog lovers expect. I am also a wife and the mother of 2 children, a 7 year-old boy and 5 year-old girl. Many of you will remember that my infant daughter accompanied me to work, strapped to my front, every day until the age of 6 months. She is now a big dog lover too...
Balancing my business with my family life has been a healthy challenge. Dog grooming is an extremely demanding trade, both physically and mentally and finding the energy to come home and remain caring and cheerful for my family is even more demanding. Most days, I do OK!
As I enter my 6th year as the owner of Head to Tail, I will continue to push for a simple, no-frills, personal approach to customer service. You will always be greeted courteously, your dogs will be treated with love and kindness and my staff and I will try to maintain a schedule that will allow for a faster grooming completion so as to accommodate customers' busy schedules. As you may know, I personally answer most phone calls and I am proud to say that I recognize the majority of my customers by name. Knowing my customers well also allows me to better schedule your appointments according to the needs of your dog.
I look forward to see you all soon. Although I am usually busy grooming upstairs, please feel free to ask to speak to me if you have concerns or questions or if you simply want to chat! Outside of work, I can best be reached by email at quynh@headtotailfairfield.com.
Thank you for a great 5 years!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Making grooming easier for your dog
10 tips to help your pets better enjoy their grooming experience:
1. Get your dogs used to having their nails trimmed early in life and often. We recommend a frequency of once monthly for dogs that get walked on pavement and as often as every 2 weeks for indoor dogs. Overgrown nails can negatively affect your dogs' gait making every step uncomfortable.
2. Keep up with your dogs' hygiene daily. Wipe tear stains everyday to avoid painful hardened eye secretions that will need to be painfully removed by the groomer. If your dogs soil themselves after a potty break, use baby wipes to gently wipe away any residue from the butt area. Inspect their pads to make sure there is no matting between the toes and pads. Inspect their ears and wipe away the excess ear wax. Removing solid eye secretions and hardened feces, shaving matting between the pads and cleaning an ear that has been neglected are necessary tasks that can make any dog uncomfortable. Prevention is key.
3. Take your dogs out for a long walk prior to their scheduled grooming appointment. It is very uncomfortable for a dog to be forced to suppress the urge to relieve themselves when getting groomed. If unable to pick up your dogs within 4-5 hours, please notify us so we can take your dogs out for a potty break.
4. Feed your dog lightly in the morning. Avoiding a big meal prior to a car ride and a grooming appointment will keep your dogs from experiencing gastro-intestinal problems associated with the stress of being away from home.
5. Most dogs will not tolerate lengthy grooming sessions. To make grooming easier for your dogs, keep them in a length that is manageable based on their level of activity, age, coat type, etc. Your groomer will be happy to advise you on what is best suited to your dogs.
6. Be on time for your grooming appointment! Tardiness increases waiting times for your dogs. Be ready to pick up your dog as soon as their groom is completed to limit the time they will have to wait.
7. Make sure you tell us about any health issues that could affect the grooming.
8. Be calm. When dropping off your dogs, hand them over to us promptly. Hesitating and feeling bad only enhances a dog's anxiety. They will soon learn that you will always be back for them very shortly and most dogs quickly calm right down.
9. When picking up your dogs, bring them a favorite toy or treat and allow time to take them for a short walk. Make sure you compliment them on their behavior and look!
10. Pre-book your next appointment. Dogs that are well groomed not only feel better but receive more affection and feel happier!
1. Get your dogs used to having their nails trimmed early in life and often. We recommend a frequency of once monthly for dogs that get walked on pavement and as often as every 2 weeks for indoor dogs. Overgrown nails can negatively affect your dogs' gait making every step uncomfortable.
2. Keep up with your dogs' hygiene daily. Wipe tear stains everyday to avoid painful hardened eye secretions that will need to be painfully removed by the groomer. If your dogs soil themselves after a potty break, use baby wipes to gently wipe away any residue from the butt area. Inspect their pads to make sure there is no matting between the toes and pads. Inspect their ears and wipe away the excess ear wax. Removing solid eye secretions and hardened feces, shaving matting between the pads and cleaning an ear that has been neglected are necessary tasks that can make any dog uncomfortable. Prevention is key.
3. Take your dogs out for a long walk prior to their scheduled grooming appointment. It is very uncomfortable for a dog to be forced to suppress the urge to relieve themselves when getting groomed. If unable to pick up your dogs within 4-5 hours, please notify us so we can take your dogs out for a potty break.
4. Feed your dog lightly in the morning. Avoiding a big meal prior to a car ride and a grooming appointment will keep your dogs from experiencing gastro-intestinal problems associated with the stress of being away from home.
5. Most dogs will not tolerate lengthy grooming sessions. To make grooming easier for your dogs, keep them in a length that is manageable based on their level of activity, age, coat type, etc. Your groomer will be happy to advise you on what is best suited to your dogs.
6. Be on time for your grooming appointment! Tardiness increases waiting times for your dogs. Be ready to pick up your dog as soon as their groom is completed to limit the time they will have to wait.
7. Make sure you tell us about any health issues that could affect the grooming.
8. Be calm. When dropping off your dogs, hand them over to us promptly. Hesitating and feeling bad only enhances a dog's anxiety. They will soon learn that you will always be back for them very shortly and most dogs quickly calm right down.
9. When picking up your dogs, bring them a favorite toy or treat and allow time to take them for a short walk. Make sure you compliment them on their behavior and look!
10. Pre-book your next appointment. Dogs that are well groomed not only feel better but receive more affection and feel happier!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Those pesky fleas
There are 5 different types of fleas in the world. The most common to American pet owners are the Ctenocephalides canis (otherwise known as the dog flea) or the Ctenocephalides felis (otherwise known as the cat flea). Both of these flea species, however, can jump on any host, dog or cat, regardless of its type. While there is no way to tell exactly where fleas come from, any animal that goes outside at all, is at chance of picking up the occasional flea. Whenever an animal is taken into a social situation like going to the dog park, a dog show, the vet or the groomers the chance for catching fleas increases.
We do recommend that all of our clients keep their pets on a monthly spot-on program. If we have not been notified of a flea infestation but do happen to come across fleas on your dog while at the shop, we will call you and make sure you are aware of the problem, and then take care of it accordingly (Please review our “Flea-free Policy”). When picking up your pet at the completion of their groom, we ask that you look your dog over to make sure there are no fleas or excessive itching (which can start within an hour of getting a flea bite). We are very careful to keep an eye out for anything out of the norm while we work with your pet, and will let you know if we notice anything at all.
A dog’s excessive itching that is caused by a flea bite will be quite obvious, and it is very important to treat the problem as early as possible in order to minimize the number of fleas that need to be dealt with. If we are notified within 3 days, we will treat your dog with our flea services at no additional cost.
We appreciate your business, and in any case of fleas, we are happy to provide as much necessary information you may need to treat the problem on your pet and at home.
We do recommend that all of our clients keep their pets on a monthly spot-on program. If we have not been notified of a flea infestation but do happen to come across fleas on your dog while at the shop, we will call you and make sure you are aware of the problem, and then take care of it accordingly (Please review our “Flea-free Policy”). When picking up your pet at the completion of their groom, we ask that you look your dog over to make sure there are no fleas or excessive itching (which can start within an hour of getting a flea bite). We are very careful to keep an eye out for anything out of the norm while we work with your pet, and will let you know if we notice anything at all.
A dog’s excessive itching that is caused by a flea bite will be quite obvious, and it is very important to treat the problem as early as possible in order to minimize the number of fleas that need to be dealt with. If we are notified within 3 days, we will treat your dog with our flea services at no additional cost.
We appreciate your business, and in any case of fleas, we are happy to provide as much necessary information you may need to treat the problem on your pet and at home.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Free brushing lessons and info on maintenance scheduling
Thank you Head to Tail customers for a great year. Despite this difficult economy, I am thankful to see that most of my canine friends and customers are well cared for by their parents. For customers who wish to keep their dogs' hair fairly long (3/4 of an inch or more), I am offering FREE brushing-combing lessons and will also demonstrate how to untangle SMALL mats before they become problematic. This service is available to present Head to Tail customers who maintain their dogs on a reasonable grooming schedule. Please call us for an appointment.
Example of maintenance on a shih-tzu, lhasa, maltese, cockapoo, poodle, coton de tulear etc:
Every 6 weeks: complete grooming-haircut
bi-weekly: brush and comb
Every 3 weeks: bath and brush-out
This schedule works well for most breeds requiring haircuts that are kept shorter that 1 inch.
Example of maintenance on a long-haired dog such as a bearded collie, Old English, tibetan terrier or any of the above dogs kept in a longer trim:
Every 2-4 weeks: complete grooming-trimming
Every 2 days: brush and comb
This schedule keeps the coat in good condition and prevents irreversible matting requiring shaving.
Example of maintenance on a shih-tzu, lhasa, maltese, cockapoo, poodle, coton de tulear etc:
Every 6 weeks: complete grooming-haircut
bi-weekly: brush and comb
Every 3 weeks: bath and brush-out
This schedule works well for most breeds requiring haircuts that are kept shorter that 1 inch.
Example of maintenance on a long-haired dog such as a bearded collie, Old English, tibetan terrier or any of the above dogs kept in a longer trim:
Every 2-4 weeks: complete grooming-trimming
Every 2 days: brush and comb
This schedule keeps the coat in good condition and prevents irreversible matting requiring shaving.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Mixed breeds, shaggy look and the grooming dilemma
At Head to Tail, we LOVE mixed breeds and groom many adorable cockapoos, labradoodles, goldendoodles, shi-poos, yorki-poos, schnoodles, cavichons, etc. These mixed breeds are complex in terms of grooming as their hair texture and propensity for matting is difficult to determine.
ALL DOGS SHED. Depending on the hair type, the shedding hair may not end up on your floors but may remain on the dog and mix with the new hair growing in. This creates matting if the dead hair is not removed by brushing and combing.
Many pure and mixed breeds come to our shop with beautiful and fluffy looking long hair and we get requests to leave that hair longish to create a shaggy or fluffy look. Underneath that beautiful hair however, we often find significant matting that cannot be detected unless one runs a metal comb through the dog. This creates a dilemma for the groomer as any haircut or trim longer than 1/4-1/2 of an inch requires the dog to be completely combed through and mat-free. Therefore, at times, we have no choice but to cut certain dogs very short although these dogs may appear to be in good condition when they were brought in.
No groomer enjoys not being able to fulfill their customers' requests and no groomer looks forward to 'shaving' a dog. At Head to Tail, we always try to salvage the coat by brushing, conditioning, force-drying and conditioning some more to remove matting and when we do resort to cut a dog's hair short, it is because we have determined that further de-matting is not possible and would create too much stress for the dog and the groomer.
After a very short haircut, many dog owners tend to wait a long time before grooming the dog again. If the goal is to maintain the dog in a short trim, one can save on the cost of professional grooming by doing a short-shaved haircut every few months. However, if the goal is to grow the hair back and keep a shaggy-fluffy look, a 4-6 week interval is best so as to avoid irreversible matting again.
It is also important to note that it takes a few grooming sessions to really know what haircut is best suited to the dog's hair structure and lifestyle and we will be happy to advise you on how to maintain your dog in good condition between grooming appointments.
Click on the following link for an interesting read about Goldendoodles from BBird, a well-known authority in pet grooming.
http://groomblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/grooming-goldendoodle.html
ALL DOGS SHED. Depending on the hair type, the shedding hair may not end up on your floors but may remain on the dog and mix with the new hair growing in. This creates matting if the dead hair is not removed by brushing and combing.
Many pure and mixed breeds come to our shop with beautiful and fluffy looking long hair and we get requests to leave that hair longish to create a shaggy or fluffy look. Underneath that beautiful hair however, we often find significant matting that cannot be detected unless one runs a metal comb through the dog. This creates a dilemma for the groomer as any haircut or trim longer than 1/4-1/2 of an inch requires the dog to be completely combed through and mat-free. Therefore, at times, we have no choice but to cut certain dogs very short although these dogs may appear to be in good condition when they were brought in.
No groomer enjoys not being able to fulfill their customers' requests and no groomer looks forward to 'shaving' a dog. At Head to Tail, we always try to salvage the coat by brushing, conditioning, force-drying and conditioning some more to remove matting and when we do resort to cut a dog's hair short, it is because we have determined that further de-matting is not possible and would create too much stress for the dog and the groomer.
After a very short haircut, many dog owners tend to wait a long time before grooming the dog again. If the goal is to maintain the dog in a short trim, one can save on the cost of professional grooming by doing a short-shaved haircut every few months. However, if the goal is to grow the hair back and keep a shaggy-fluffy look, a 4-6 week interval is best so as to avoid irreversible matting again.
It is also important to note that it takes a few grooming sessions to really know what haircut is best suited to the dog's hair structure and lifestyle and we will be happy to advise you on how to maintain your dog in good condition between grooming appointments.
Click on the following link for an interesting read about Goldendoodles from BBird, a well-known authority in pet grooming.
http://groomblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/grooming-goldendoodle.html
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
DIY done right
Dear DIY customers,
this post is to help you do a wonderful job with bathing and drying your dog.
1. Before deciding whether or not you want to bathe your dog yourself, assess the coat condition. If moderate to severe matting is present, I discourage bathing the dog yourself as drying a dog with matting will only make mats tighter and more difficult to remove. It is hard enough even for professional groomers to de-mat a dog, de-matting or clipping moderately to severely matted dogs should be left to professionals.
2. At Head to Tail, our basic DIY shampoo is Aloe Moist from Tropiclean. It is free of harsh chemicals, cleans great, is gentle and rinses easily. It leaves the coat shiny and conditioned. We dilute all our shampoos to make lathering easier.
Rinsing is VERY important dog parents pay special attention to difficult to reach areas such as armpits, underbelly and pads. A rule of thumb is to rinse until the water flowing down from the dog is completely free of suds.
3. Our high-velocity dryers blow the excess water off the dog and fluff the coat, loosening the undercoat. Dogs should be dried using this dryer until no more water is sprayed from the dog when drying. It is important to spend enough time blow-drying your dog to avoid wet hair to remain too long on your dog. In general, a 70 lbs Golden retriever takes about 10 to 15 minutes to dry until it is just damp.
4. I recommend a good brushing at home when your dog is completely dry to remove the undercoat that was loosened by the bathing and drying process. A pin brush or slicker brush can be used for most dogs as well as a de-shedding tool with a blade such as the Furminator tool. Combing your dog once or twice weekly using a metal comb also helps with removing undercoat and allows you to discover tangles that could have formed.
We will be happy to give you tips and pointers on how to make this experience pleasant for the both of you.
this post is to help you do a wonderful job with bathing and drying your dog.
1. Before deciding whether or not you want to bathe your dog yourself, assess the coat condition. If moderate to severe matting is present, I discourage bathing the dog yourself as drying a dog with matting will only make mats tighter and more difficult to remove. It is hard enough even for professional groomers to de-mat a dog, de-matting or clipping moderately to severely matted dogs should be left to professionals.
2. At Head to Tail, our basic DIY shampoo is Aloe Moist from Tropiclean. It is free of harsh chemicals, cleans great, is gentle and rinses easily. It leaves the coat shiny and conditioned. We dilute all our shampoos to make lathering easier.
Rinsing is VERY important dog parents pay special attention to difficult to reach areas such as armpits, underbelly and pads. A rule of thumb is to rinse until the water flowing down from the dog is completely free of suds.
3. Our high-velocity dryers blow the excess water off the dog and fluff the coat, loosening the undercoat. Dogs should be dried using this dryer until no more water is sprayed from the dog when drying. It is important to spend enough time blow-drying your dog to avoid wet hair to remain too long on your dog. In general, a 70 lbs Golden retriever takes about 10 to 15 minutes to dry until it is just damp.
4. I recommend a good brushing at home when your dog is completely dry to remove the undercoat that was loosened by the bathing and drying process. A pin brush or slicker brush can be used for most dogs as well as a de-shedding tool with a blade such as the Furminator tool. Combing your dog once or twice weekly using a metal comb also helps with removing undercoat and allows you to discover tangles that could have formed.
We will be happy to give you tips and pointers on how to make this experience pleasant for the both of you.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
At home maintenance for your dog
In this fluctuating economy, saving money is a must and this post is an attempt to help pet owners who love their pets but have little resources to spend on regular professional grooming services.
1. Keep your dog in a short haircut:Dogs with a haircut of about 1/4 inch will not mat for many months even without any brushing at all. Most single-coated dogs could benefit from a sweater or jacket in the winter anyway no matter how long their hair is.
2. Small dogs can be easily bathed right in your sink using a cup or a spray nozzle. When bathing your dog, use high quality dog shampoo and always use conditioner. At Head to Tail, we have many all-natural shampoos available for purchase and we will be happy to advise you on what product is best suited for your dog.
3. Prevent matting
Matting causes much discomfort to your dog and grooming a matted dog is expensive. If your dog is kept in a longer trim of 1 inch or more, regular brushing and combing at least twice weekly is primordial. There is no other way.
4. Quicker Slicker by Nature's Specialties
Matting is aggravated by poor hair structure caused by breakage and static electricity. Quicker slicker is a non-toxic silicone-based product used to coat the hair shaft and make it slippery easing brush-outs and de-matting. When sprayed onto the mat and allowed to dry, this product allows for pain free brushing out of undercoat and mats. We are very excited with this product and are proud users and distributors of Nature's Specialties exceptional quality products.
5. Do-it-yourself nail trimming: If you call us ahead of time, we will be happy to show you how to safely trim your dog's nails.
1. Keep your dog in a short haircut:Dogs with a haircut of about 1/4 inch will not mat for many months even without any brushing at all. Most single-coated dogs could benefit from a sweater or jacket in the winter anyway no matter how long their hair is.
2. Small dogs can be easily bathed right in your sink using a cup or a spray nozzle. When bathing your dog, use high quality dog shampoo and always use conditioner. At Head to Tail, we have many all-natural shampoos available for purchase and we will be happy to advise you on what product is best suited for your dog.
3. Prevent matting
Matting causes much discomfort to your dog and grooming a matted dog is expensive. If your dog is kept in a longer trim of 1 inch or more, regular brushing and combing at least twice weekly is primordial. There is no other way.
4. Quicker Slicker by Nature's Specialties
Matting is aggravated by poor hair structure caused by breakage and static electricity. Quicker slicker is a non-toxic silicone-based product used to coat the hair shaft and make it slippery easing brush-outs and de-matting. When sprayed onto the mat and allowed to dry, this product allows for pain free brushing out of undercoat and mats. We are very excited with this product and are proud users and distributors of Nature's Specialties exceptional quality products.
5. Do-it-yourself nail trimming: If you call us ahead of time, we will be happy to show you how to safely trim your dog's nails.
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