Grooming tips for your dog, and Youth Program

00:10 S1

On Vision Australia Radio, you're listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show - with me, your host, Harriet Moffat. Today I'm joined by two guests. The first is puppy development trainer Abby Howes, who's joining us to talk about grooming your dog. We talk about the importance of grooming, how to start a grooming routine, and how to make it comfortable and an enjoyable experience for you and your dog. Then I'm joined by Seeing Eye Dogs instructor Brooke Anderson talking to us about the Youth Program for young people who are aged 12 to 18, who are blind or have low vision, wanting to find out about dog guide mobility and enhance their skills. Applications for the 2025 youth program are open now, so keep listening and if you're interested, head to our website to apply or find out more information. 

And now let's kick off this episode with my interview with Abby. Hi, Abby. Thank you for joining me on the show today.

01:09 S2

Thanks for having me.

01:11 S1

I would like to pick your brains about grooming.

01:14 S2

Oh, yes. Very important. Gotta make sure our dogs are looking spic and span. It's not just about whether us humans are having a good hair day. They need to have a good hair day, too.

01:26 S1

So, I guess to start off with, how can you help maintain a nice coat for your dog? And I guess, you know, I should preface, it'd be good to focus on lab and golden type coats specifically. So for listeners, keep in mind that that is the kind of dog coat type that we're more familiar with, and that your dog's coat might have different care requirements.

01:47 S2

So with your dogs, I always try to take the approach of the more small amounts of regular care you can do for your dog and their coat, the better their coat is going to be in the long run. So getting your dog really accustomed to their grooming equipment. So their grooming brushes. You might start off with something simple like a zoom groom. It's nice and soft and gentle on their coat. And then for your dogs that might have a longer coat, like the Golden retrievers, you might build up to a slicker brush. But take it slow and at your dog's pace, but get them used to that gently touching them. You might do that every evening before bed. It's a really great bonding activity to sit there and groom your dog. And we're also wanting to check those paw pads, make sure there's no mud dried up and clumping and pulling that hair together. Check their nails, checking their ears. All of that falls into your grooming. 

So starting off, we want to introduce our softest, our most gentle, our most luxurious grooming tool. So a zoom groom is a great place to start. Lots of our puppies go home with a zoom groom so you can start that by the day. Puppy comes home and you might start just touching them with the non bristle side, running it down the back of them or down their paws, getting them used to the feeling of that tool touching them. Once they're comfortable with that. Flip it over and use the bristles and brush through. Now, for most of our dogs, this is going to be a better activity to do in their preferred sleepy time, when they're less tempted to just take that tool from you and chew it up. Because while they will have a fun time, your tool will not, and you will have to go out and grab a new one. 

So really, the most important foundation is to get your dog comfortable with the equipment. And then we can delve into the actual grooming and what that looks like with grooming. I guess you can ask me next what does that actually look like? And it does vary depending on time of year, type of dog, age of dog, all those kind of things. So there are phases where grooming is going to be a little bit more intense. Melbourne is classic. You get a lot of rain, a lot of wet weather. That is a time where you're going to want to do a little bit more grooming. You're going to want to make sure you're drying off those paw pads, that there's no mud from all those fun outside activities getting dried up because that can cause discomfort and actually make it harder for your dog to sit there and let you groom them if you're only doing it on a less frequent basis. 

If that's been sort of pulling and uncomfortable, if your dog has been out and about and had a bit too much fun, it's always good to get a brush in there after they get home, get any of that dust and debris, grass seeds, anything like that out, particularly if you have a yellow coated lab or a golden retriever, they can get some pretty gnarly grass stains if they're having too much fun. So get started on getting those out for them. And any time that they might pop down to the beach and have a play around in the water, it's a really good idea to check out those ears. Make sure you're drying them off to help prevent any irritations or infections.

04:44 S1

And when we're talking about the golden retriever and slightly kind of longer hair, is there any things that you should look at in those tools to make sure that it's the right tool?

04:53 S2

So with those longer coated dogs can be really helpful to have a slightly longer coated bristle on the brushes that you're using. Alternatively, if your dog is not a fan of a brush, you can get some really great grooming mitts that you just pop on your hand and it gets them like, um, feeling like they're having a pat on a cuddle rather than that more formal grooming style. You really, really want to make sure you're getting underneath any joints, underneath their legs, around their paws, around their tail, maintaining that tail. That gorgeous tail is really, really important, particularly where it attaches to the rest of them, because there may be some... lack of grooming and cleaning from the dog that's going on there that you want to make sure you take care of. 

The other places that are really important are their tufts just behind their ears. You can get a little bit of mats and things there the more you're grooming those brushes. So even comb style brushes can be really useful if you do have that golden retriever to help gently brush out any of those mats. Simple trick is work from the bottom of the dog's fur coat and work up to the skin. If you start it right at their skin and brush down, if there are any knots you can tug and pull. So just starting at the bottom of the hair and working up can be really, really helpful for those things. Grooming also includes their nails. So making sure those nails are staying nice and trim. Easiest way to do that is make sure they're walking on plenty of hard surfaces and abrasive surfaces like your concrete pavers. 

So if you're doing a lot of your walks on the footpath, their nails should file down quite naturally. If you are lucky enough to have a seeing eye puppy, walk to your your PDT, your contact, your breeding officer, whoever that may be for you and they might be able to help trim them. But for pet dogs, you might be looking at using things like scratching boards or going to a groomer regularly and having them work with their nails. Some dogs do find having their nails trimmed very distressing, so that might be something you work with your vet with. But if you have a seeing eye puppy, so a Labrador retriever, just talk to your seeing eye contact in terms of that, and they'll help you maintain those.

06:55 S1

And when we're talking about the quite sensitive areas of the dog. So you know, especially kind of around the, the tummy and the armpits, that type of thing. Would you suggest using probably a slightly less abrasive brush just to make sure that you're not really pulling?

07:11 S2

And absolutely, you want to make sure you're being really gentle in general, but also those more sensitive areas around, you know, the tummy and and such. So making sure you're using that softer zoom groom style in those areas and saving your slickers or your combs for those longer hairs, those gorgeous golden retriever tails that might be somewhere where you save those tools for.

07:34 S1

And as a note, I guess for anyone that's got a bit of matting, anything more than that, work with your contact rather than trying to brush it out yourself, because sometimes the most gentle thing is to cut them out and try again, then not get to that point. Rather than, yeah, pulling it, pulling at mats is not going to be very comfortable and might make brushing harder the next time.

07:55 S2

Absolutely. And the other times of year that it's really important to touch base with your contacts to determine if things are sort of normal. Seasonal changes are any time that season and weather is changing, coming from those colder months into those warm months, you will see a lot more shedding, a lot more tufts. Those should typically be easily brushed out. But if they are, if you are struggling to brush them out with a mic zoom groom or a standard slicker brush, please do touch base with your contact because it might be a little bit more than a standard tuft of hair. 

Or you may notice if you have a young pup, they go through sort of some life changes and as they get older they do lose that really soft, gorgeous, amazing to touch puppy coat. It's like velvet, so they will get quite tufty and it'll look a little bit straggly as they lose that coat again. Regular 5 to 15 minutes a night of brushing should get those out in a normal instance. If you're finding that's not helping, just touch base with your contact.

08:52 S1

And when we're talking about your dog being a bit gross and a bit muddy, is a bath always necessary?

08:57 S2

So a bath isn't always necessary. But what you may want to look at is where is the dirt? What sort of dirt is it and what is the weather? So it's always good to take your mind. You know, if we're in the middle of winter and it's freezing cold outside and your dog is not comfortable with being towel-dried, is not comfortable with being dried off at the groomers with the dog dryers, then you may choose to really work on brushing the dirt out. Allow it to dry, brush it out, work with it. You may even just spot wash and simply get some nice warm water, a little bit of doggy soap and just wash that particular area. A full bath may not be necessary every time. It's also really important to keep an eye on how often you are washing your dog. 

So if you find you're washing your dog more frequently than every sort of 2 to 3 weeks, you would want to review your other grooming practices, because you're going to be stripping all of those oils out of your dog's coat. And that's what's keeping their skin nice and dandruff free. And the more we wash them, the more we're drying it out, the more we're creating some dandruff, and other skin irritations can come along with that. So you don't want to be washing them too often. 

But in saying that, it is really useful when you are wanting to wash your dog, to start off with just simple water washes, dry them off really well. Get them used to the process before you introduce soap, because if you are washing your dog with a nice, beautiful smelling shampoo that is puppy safe and dog safe, you want to make sure you're getting all of that off. Because if you do leave some of that in there coat, it can cause irritations, allergies, all of that kind of stuff that we just want to avoid.

10:30 S1

Thinking about frequency of washing is that if your dog is kind of getting particularly stinky any time, you know, a whole lot more than that, potentially you might be looking at other health issues that are underlying.

10:42 S2

Absolutely. So if you're finding your dog is just always got an odor. There are a lot of other things that could be causing that rather than just that they need a bath. So the first place to check is always the ears. If they smell quite sickly sweet, almost like molasses, why head straight to your vet? Because that's a pretty solid sign that they've got an ear infection, so that's the first place to check. Also check things like their teeth. Have they got anything going on with their teeth? Have a chat with your vet or your contact around diet. It may be worth changing their diet as there might be something else going on. And the other one is check their toileting practices. It might not be that they need a bath, but it might be that they're actually not stretching out enough, so to speak.

11:24 S1

Why is it so important to regularly groom your dog?

11:27 S2

There's many reasons that it's really important to regularly groom your dog. Obviously, the number one is for their own health and wellbeing. The better groomed they are, the less likely they are to have mats, skin pulls, irritations. It's a great opportunity to bond with your dog and have some really calm, settled interactions that help really solidify the trust that they have with you for your other training and your other activities. It's a great opportunity to check your dog's overall health. You can check for lumps, bumps, ticks, grass, seeds, all of those kind of things that day to day. If you're not touching base and grooming them can get missed and can cause some really severe health reactions if we don't stay on top of those things, but also just for public access. 

In our realm of seeing eye dogs, it's really important that our dogs are representing themselves really well. They're looking nice and professional. Most of us wouldn't go to work if we hadn't brushed her hair that morning. So same thing goes for our dogs. We want them to really be showing the best foot forward. It really helps with keeping them nice and clean for access. These dogs are going into public spaces. They could be in cafes, they could be in libraries. We don't want them leaving more hair than is necessary behind, so make sure you're grooming that out. The other benefit is the more you groom your dog, the less hair that dog is going to leave on your floor at home that you have to vacuum or sweep up. So that's a really big bonus if you've got more than one dog floating around, you know just how much hair can accumulate. 

So the more you groom, the more it can help with those kind of things as well. And it also is just a really nice activity for your dog. And most of them really do enjoy it, because there's lots of things they can't get access to to scratch an itch themselves.

13:04 S1

So when you're looking at starting a grooming routine, potentially if you're someone who's who's dog is not kind of used to it, what tools might you need to, you know, get a dog used to or desensitise them to. And, you know, how can you get your dog to have some positive associations with tools, you know, like brushes or nail clippers, that type of thing.

13:19 S2

So your number one tool is going to be some patience. It's really important that you are patient with your dog, and you build it up over time that they're comfortable to get to those tools. So while I said you might do a 5 to 15 minute grooming session each evening, you might just start with two minutes of interacting with the tools, the brushes, utilizing some of our other tools or your dog's favorite toy and pairing that with. Okay, I'm going to play a little bit of tug and then I'm going to brush you. Then I'm going to play a little bit more tug and then I'm going to brush you. That can be really beneficial. Because it allows the dog to get some energy and some feeling out. 

If your dog's not particularly interested in toys, you might decide to use something like a lick mat so that they can have access to that while you're grooming and brushing them. It's also really important to allow your dog to consent to the activity. So if your dog gets up and runs away, take a break. This is where the patient comes in. You want to sit down, take a break, pop the tools down. If your dog comes and interacts with the tool. Big reward. Let them get settled. Maybe give them some pats, let them sit next to you and then get the brush out. Start grooming again. The more you allow your dog the choice to engage and disengage with that activity, the more they're actually going to choose to engage with it, because that activity is going to then be paired with lots of love and fuss from you and not doing the activity. 

There's no negative to not doing it, except for the fact that they don't get access to all that love. Because... you have the tools and they don't, they're choosing not to be near them. So really taking your time, building on that trust bank that you already have with your dog, you know them. What are their favorite things to do? Incorporate that into the grooming and the training and also just pick items. If your dog really hates having their ears wiped, maybe they've had ear infections in the past. Maybe you start grooming at the back end and you start with their back legs so they can be really confident you're not going to try and take that grooming tool right near their ears until they're ready for it.

15:12 S1

So what are some signs that your dog might be uncomfortable with the groom?

15:16 S2

So there's a few signs that you can look for. So the number one is very obvious. They get up and they walk away. In which case just build their confidence and their trust around those tools and work towards gently touching and then actually brushing. Some other signs that you might see is they might lick their lips a lot, they might puff and pant and their respiration rate can get quite high. That's just general discomfort. And they're like, I'm just going to stay here because you really want me to. But I'm not loving this. Some dogs will vocalize and have a little bit of a whimper. That's also a really good sign that there's something else going on, and that they may have knotting or matting that does need to be addressed. And it's best to speak to somebody if they are uncomfortable with the grooming because of that reason. 

So definitely, if you're noticing those levels of things, talk to your contacts and see how they can help you, whether that be a seeing eye puppy and someone at seeing eye dogs, whether that be a pet dog, your local groomer, or a vet. Other things you might look for are things like shying away, leaning away, shifting away. So sometimes your dog does want to stay with you and wants to interact with you, but they can see you're trying to brush their back legs, so they shift their bottom to the side that you can't reach, just out of reach. All of those are signs that they're probably not enjoying the activity as much as they could. 

So go back, build some fun into it. I find a lot of dogs really respond to being able to have a little play break in between those activities, or a cuddle break or a little snack, so use those things in between. Introducing things. Clippers can be particularly aversive for a lot of dogs, so even start building up with just stroking them with the clippers.

16:53 S1

Is that nail clippers or like shaving clippers.

16:55 S2

Both actually. So for our dogs we do not typically clip them. You're thinking more like your poodle and your hypoallergenic breeds that you will be using clippers on for your nail clippers, though the cold metal of them can be really quite aversive to a lot of dogs. And I know I don't particularly like it when something cold such as me, so I get it so gently rubbing them down the forearms and letting them feel that that cold metal, while a shock, is nothing too concerning. Working up to the nail. Because if you think about little kids when you first cut their nails, they hate it. Dogs and puppies are the same, so building up to getting them used to that cold metal on their nail and then building into clipping. 

If you are not confident with clipping your dog's own nails, that is absolutely fine. There are professionals out there that can help you do that. It's always better to not do it if you're not confident in doing it. For pet dogs, there are other tools. Scratch boards are fantastic. There are also Dremel tools for seeing eye dogs. You have a whole staff member that can do that for you.

17:57 S1

If your dog is potentially too wiggly or excited, like they're one of those ones where like, oh, what are we doing? How exciting. And they won't kind of stand still. What can you do to help them?

18:08 S2

So that's where like Macs come in super handy because it gives them something to focus on, but also practicing in your obedience training, doing a little bit of work on your weights and your stays and building that up. So you might know that your dog can hold a sit for two seconds. So you might ask for a sit or wait quick brush and then give them a chance to get it out in a wiggle. Or you might use a mat with their favourite peanut butter, Vegemite. You can also freeze those to make them a little bit longer lasting, and your dog will work really, really hard on those while you brush. A lot of the time, if they're super interested and wiggly and trying to look at what you're doing, it's because they're not too sure what you're up to. So let them have a look. Take a pause. When they resettle, start again. 

Sometimes our dogs get overinvolved when they're not sure what's going on. So rather than treat it as Oh, my dog's being difficult and won't let me brush them because they get too excited and too silly. Just treat it as they're interested in what I'm doing. They're not sure what I'm doing. I'm going to take it slow with them. And again, as hard as it is, sometimes we have to dip into that patience that we all have and take our time with it.

19:14 S1

If you are having issues with grooming, are there any other things to consider first to work your way up to a comfortable groom?

19:21 S2

Absolutely. So I would always recommend if your dog, particularly if your dog has not previously had big issues with grooming, have they had a negative interaction with one of those tools? Have we brushed too hard in the past? You know, when you're a little kid and your mom used to brush your hair really hard, you never really wanted to have your hair brushed. So that might be a reason that they're a little bit of aversive. Also, just have a general check over. Have they got any existing skin irritations, lesions, or other injuries that may be contributing to the aversion to grooming? Or is it just simply that we've not done it before and they just need you to take your time with it and build up their confidence for a lot of dogs as well? 

Please do make sure you check in between their toes. They often can for our long haired dogs like our Golden retrievers or your particularly fluffy Labradors, they can get some knots, grass, seeds, and things caught in between their toes, and that can be causing pain that will make them averse to grooming. So just take your time with it. Bring along their favourite things, but do check without any tools around for any existing injuries illness irritations that could be contributing to aversion. And if they do have those immediately, obviously talk to your vet and your contacts and start treatment on those and then begin your grooming journey once that issue has been resolved.

20:39 S1

Well, thank you so much for coming on the show and talking about grooming.

20:42 S2

Thanks for having me.

20:48 S1

You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dog show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interview with Abby about grooming. Now I'm going to play an interview with Brooke Anderson, Seeing Eye Dogs instructor, talking about our youth program. You can head to the website if you're interested in applying for the youth program, or keep listening for more information from Brooke. Hi, Brooke, thank you for joining me on the show today. 

S3

No, thanks for having me. 

S1

What is your role at Seeing Eye Dogs? 

S3

So my role at Seeing Eye Dogs, I'm an instructor and have been with the organisation for eight years. So I work with the clients on how to use their seeing eye. Dogs work on any behavioral concerns that they're having, work on learning new routes that they might have. And just as a general, be there for for any support services they might need. 

S1

And so you've been looking after the youth program, you and parts of your team. Could you just tell us a little bit about what the purpose of the youth program is and what participants learn? 

S3

Yeah. So the Seeing Eye Dog Youth program this year is its third year of running, and in 2025, it will be its fourth year. And the idea of the program is to increase the clients orientation and mobility skills whilst exploring dog guide mobility for those who are blind and have low vision between the ages of 12 and 18. So it's a structured program where we break it down into three components. We do a monthly zoom meeting where we all get together and have a chat around a topic for that month, whether it be road crossings or traveling in different areas. And talk around the differences that we need to consider with the cane and the dog, because the benefits of dog guide mobility are very different for everyone. Some people will want to sort of explore that a little bit further, which then allows them to have that sort of discussion around it as well. 

The second part is the individual O&M sessions that people do every month, and that's with your local O&M of choice. So that way you can practice on the skills that we're talking around in our zoom message as well. And then the third component is we have two camps, one in around the April school holidays and the second around sort of the September October. It really depends each year, depending on how the different states align with their school holidays. And those camps are a great explore for people to come along. They get paired with a dog for three days and two nights to really have a look at what the benefits are, what the things that they need to consider, the differences, and we're there to support the entire time. 

S1

So it's a lot more immersive, I guess, in terms of they actually do get to spend that time looking after the dog itself, not just the abstract of like, that's what it might be like in the future. 

S3

Yeah, exactly. You know, being paired with the dog three days, two nights. It means that you get to really see all aspects of the dog. So the grooming, the toileting, um, not just the dog guide work itself. 

S1

So now you are in about to be kind of the fourth year running... do you have, I guess, feedback or outcomes of previous youth programs? You know, for anyone who's kind of interested in potentially taking part in next year. 

S3

Yeah, I think that everyone that has gone through the program, they enter with different goals. Whether it's that they just want to explore whether it's that they are looking to become dog guide handlers, or whether it's just that they want to increase their O&M skills. And so what's really nice to see throughout the program is them working through that goal and being able to sort of really get down to what differences are between cane and dog, whether it is that they decide to go on or not. The program at the end of... when it concludes, it doesn't guarantee dog guide mobility, but it really sort of explores the skills of dog guide handler needs, and how to get there and who is eligible for the youth program. 

So we look at... people between the ages of 12 and 18, that have are either legally blind or have functional impacts of their vision where they need a primary mobility aid, that they have orientation around their school environment, and then they're either working on or already have 1 to 2 routes outside of the school environment that they're able to navigate to. So they're age appropriate. Some people it might be to the local milk bar and back. Other people it might be that they're heading to school and back. It's just to start to work on some of their... independent mobility skills that will be sort of focusing on the camp as well. We also require that people where they do have medical needs, they're able to self-administer any of what they require as well, and that they're feeling comfortable coming away on a camp which is held in Kensington. 

S1

The camp is held in Kensington, but can anyone from any states apply? 

S3

Yeah. Great question. So we are a national provider. What that means for clients that are in different states is that we'll provide the flights to Melbourne. As long as your parents are happy to get you to the airport and see you on the plane, we'll have a staff member as soon as you exit the plane to help you get to Seeing Eye Dogs, and then on the return as well. So we'll take you to the airport, see you onto the plane, and then your parents will be there at the other end, and we send a text message just to say that where you are at all points so that everyone's comfortable. 

S1

It sounds pretty amazing. And I guess if you know you're you're one of those young people or a family member who's thinking, I should tell my person about this, that, yeah, they should have a look into it for sure. How do people who are interested in their families find out more and apply? 

S3

So, you can either email myself directly, which is Brooke Anderson at Vision Australia dot org. You can head on to our website which is Seeing Eye Dog Youth program. It would be the first one that comes up. And there's a little bit more information as well as an enquire down the bottom. Or you can ring Vision Australia directly if you'd like. So that that way they'll put you in touch with me as well. 

S1

Well thank you so much for jumping on the show to talk about the youth program. 

S3

Thank you so much. 

S1

You've been listening to the Seeing Eye Dogs Show on Vision Australia Radio. I hope you enjoyed my interviews with puppy development trainer Abby Howes about grooming, and with instructor Brooke Anderson about the youth program. If you'd like to find out more about the youth program or apply for 2025, you can head to the website at SED Vision Australia org forward slash Youth Hyphen program. You can email Brooke at Brooke Anderson at Vision Australia dot org, or you can call Seeing Eye Dogs on 1-800-037-773. That number again 1800 037 773. Don't forget to check out our social media at Seeing Eye Dogs on Facebook and Instagram for more stories, news and cute dog content for your week. Thank you for listening and have a lovely week.