Front Paws Dog Spa

05/03/2025

I forgot to update January photos but I also forgot to take some before photos.

We had lots of deshed the last couple of months and the pups are definitely shedding at the moment. Then we had lots of wonderful pups in for full grooms and tidy ups. What a wonderful couple of months and lots of pups falling asleep on the table while drying. Love all the pups I have a pleasure to work with.

14/02/2025

Some lovely comments off some of my wonderful customers. I love working with all the sweet angels.

25/12/2024

Few Christmas pups I didnt have a chance to add to the collection of pups yesterday. Feel free to follow gordon_n_eric on Instagram.

24/12/2024

Wishing you all a magical joyful Christmas and a happy new year filled with good fortune.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express a heartfelt thank you to all my customers and giving me your trust to make your pups feel and look amazing.

01/12/2024

I haven't uploaded in a few months so I'm sorry. Everythings been so busy and then I forgot to take photos too. Here's just a photo drop of a few of the different pups I've had the last few months. I truly love all the dogs I work with and Im terrible at taking pics mainly because the pups won't stop wagging thier tails. Especially Meg and Bear.

After sweet little Obie went through the puppy package of desensitisation to the grooming process he did amazingly for his first big boy groom and couldn't be prouder of him.

06/09/2024

So August was a fun one and can't believe we are in September already.

Pups of August.

Lovely Troy came in for a tidy up. Couldn't help but take a sweet pic of him sitting on my lap after his groom but the after photo I took was blurry as he kept wagging his tail bless him.

Teddy and his sister Frankie needed a cool down for the summer heat we had and they are both such sweet pups and felt and smelt so much better afterwards. Frankies photos were blurry too. I will get better at taking photos one day.

Coco and Bella came in for thier regular deshed. They can both be a little nervous but they both enjoyed the massage and a few treats. Its so hard to take good before and after photos of regular deshed dogs but thier coats were looking nice and shiny after and they smelled amazing.

Sweet Teddy or Ted Ted is such a sweet boy. He needed a lighter coat for the summer too and is such a happy go lucky boy. He was lying down while I was drying him when to begin with he would always try and bite the dryer so massive improvement from this sweet boy.

Bobby came in for a relaxing spa session and a little scissor tidy. Now his ears won't be hanging in his food bless him. First time desheding Bobby and he wasn't fan of the dryer but we worked on him being comfy and he almost gobbled all the treats as he knocked them out my hand. Clever boy.

Beautiful Bear came in for her regular groom day and she's such a sweet girl. She wasn't her normal self this time so we took it slow with her and gave her some breaks in between. Summer holidays tire the dog out as much as the kids sometimes so maybe this could of been why she wasn't her normal happy self.

Sweet Sue had her spa day and needed a nice tidy and face clean bless her. Such a sweet girl and we took her beard a little shorter then last time so it makes it easier to prevent dripping water every where after she's had a drink.

Toby needed a neaten up bless him. He's not a fan of much of the grooming process. Absolute fine for the bath and drying but not a fan of anyone touching his legs or feet. That's where we take it slow with him and spend some time desensitising him to his feet being touched. He doesn't fully trust me yet but something to work on with him. He's such a anxious boy bless him.

Meg and Ollie came in for thier regular groom. Such lovely pups. Both fall asleep throughout the drying now and Ollies started taking a few treats. Meg would gobble all the treats if given the chance so making sure they are out of her reach is a must bless her. Honestly I think I take a really nice photo and then go back to it and doggo is blurry or won't stop wagging thier tail (Meg). Ohh well.

Guinness needed a haircut tidy up . He's a very sweet senior pup and he took the whole process like a little champ tho. He was a bit nervous about the dryer so we used the baby dryer on him after drying him as much as we could with a towel. He did fantastic tho all together and let me make him more comfortable.

Then I needed to deshed my own muppet of a pup. Mainly as she rolled in something the other day and stunk. Before and after photos for a deshed is always hard to show when they are regularly desheded but this beautiful girls coats goes a bright silky black after and smells amazing. It only lasts 24 hrs as my pups back in the muddy puddle the next day but ohhh well. It is what it is and she's happy and spoiled.

She just wanted the Frisbee after the groom which she left outside herself.

05/08/2024

What a busy month of June and July I've had. I forgot to post end of July and so here's my photo drop of some of the pups I remembered to photograph.

Such a wonderful bunch of pups.

Blue and Sasha had thier first ever Professional Grooming session after a Meet and Treat. They were fantastic to groom and looked sooo white afterwards. Blues owner said she likes to dig in the garden so who knows how long the whiteness lasted but the amount of undercoat out of them both was huge as shown by the photo a the end.

I didnt have a banana for scale so a 6.2 inch screen sized mobile phone would have to do.

Lovely Ollie is a regular and such a good boy. Nervous boy but this was the first time he accepted a treat off me. Meg his sister I couldn't take any good photos of this time round as she wouldn't stop wagging her tail bless her.

Beautiful Bear is such a sweet girl. She was falling asleep on the table as I was drying her. She so chilled throughout the whole groom and really enjoys a bit of Reiki down her back. That wagging tail says it all.

Winnie is one of my senior girls. I've known Winnie since she was a pup and she a nervous little girl and so we quick groom her with no bath or messing around and just shave her down so she's in and out quickly and doesn't become stressed. She loves to carry her support teddy with her everywhere the sweetie.

Sue is a Portuguese Water Dog and as it says in the name she loves water and mud baths and sooo we keep her short to keep clean and comfortable. Easier for Mum and Dad to tidy after a walk too.

Bumble is a sweet boy and needed a nice tidy up for summer. He's hates his nails being done but with slowing everything down and working with Bumble to desensitise him to touch we managed to do all his nails without too much stress. His faviourate thing is tennis balls and he even wanted me to play fetch with him after bless him. I forgot to take photos of his sister Winnie this time round.

Disney does sometimes think she's a princess and feisty at times but she's truly such a wonderful girl as well. She loves the pampering as long as you don't hold her paws for too long. (we are working on it) Disneys wonderful otherwise.

Troy is such a good boy. He likes a good scratch behind the ears and is such a chilled out relaxed happy boy. He needed a summer cut as well for all this heat we've been having. He felt so much better after bless him. Even snuck in some cuddles on my lap after when I sat on the table to help him down he just wanted to be on my lap.

Teddy is a nervous lad but with this being his 3rd visit in the spa he did fantastically and you can see how his confidence has blossomed and he's much happier with the whole process. He was lying down and head resting on his paws while drying him. Always a great feeling when the pup feels more happier in the grooming environment. His sister Frankie I completely forgot to take photos of but next time I'll try and remember.

03/08/2024

When you have a Saturday afternoon to fully groom and deshed your own pup.

You can figure out which ones are the before photos 🤣🤣

Will she smell fresh for long ?? No, knowing my pup and the way puddles are her happy place highly doubtful.

Will this stop her shedding?? No, it will greatly reduce shedding after a couple of days but won't stop her shedding completely.

Will she have a healthier skin and coat ?? Yes, it will remove dirt and odour build up. The coconut oil based shampoo I use will help revitalise the coat and soaks into the skin. Bathing her has also allowed me to check her skin for any sores, wounds, fleas/ticks or anything else abnormal.

Will she be upset with me for forcing her to have a bath?? No, she's always happy to have a bath and enjoy's all the love and attention she recieves as well as the full body massage.

Will she sleep well tonight ?? Yes and so will I after this week's wonderful pups.

Pics coming soon of some of my wonderful clients pups.

22/06/2024

I missed National Dachshund day yesterday but here's some cute pics of my uncles two daschunds who have come on a few adventures with me when I've looked after them.

11/06/2024

I'm a couple days late as my one year anniversary of business was the 8th June.

What a amazing year it's truly been. Thank you to all my wonderful customers for trusting me with your beautiful pups and I'm sorry I may have forgotten a few of you but I truly appreciate you all and all your beautiful pups.

I'm also heartbroken to say a few pups have crossed the rainbow bridge and it's one of the worse feelings in the world. Dogs truly leave paw prints on our hearts so I didn't want to exclude them. May they be running free and chasing all the balls and sticks they could ever dream of.

04/06/2024

Woww so May came and went too quickly.

I also realised I didn't add any photos from April so this will be a long one.

What a wonderful bunch of pups we had the last couple of months.

There's too many to discuss and love on but I'll try keep it short.

The wonderful Bernard came for his pamper session. Makes him look sharp and helps keep him cool during this hot weather when we receive it.

Then we had Hugo who wouldn't let me take a nice after photo as he was too excited to see mum out the door bless him.

Lovely little Meg was falling asleep on the table during the drying process and giving lots of lovely kisses. She moves sooo much wagging her tail it's hard to take a after photo of her as well.

Brave boy Ollie once again was eager to come into the spa for his pampering session and even accepted a small number of treats off me which he hasn't before hand so this was a happy moment for both me and Ollie. Duck pate was a winner that day.

While I was grooming sweet Winnie we had a guest appearance from her housemate who explored the spa and I wasn't sure whether he wanted a bath too. Winnie did amazingly for her first full groom with me. She is such a nervous girl when it comes to grooming we went at her pace and the legs she struggles with the most but she still allowed me to shorten all her legs to make her more comfortable for the summer.

Winnie's other housemate Bramble was not happy with his legs being touched either but again we took it at his pace and he was better near the end of the groom as he felt more comfortable with me.

Then we had the wonderful Roxie in for her pamper session. Such a beautiful girl and she almost took a bite of pate from me before spitting it back out. Guess Ostrich pate isn't the one but I will find out what her fave flavour treat is one day bless her.

Little Sox came for his deshed treatment. He's such a good lad. So much hair came out of this little dog bless him and his coat looked fabulously red and shiny afterwards.

Then we had the sweet little Millie in for her full groom. She was such a angel throughout the groom and she liked to lean over my shoulder while being dryed watching the neighbors and felt so comfortable wanted to lie down while I was trying to clip her. Which wasnt helpful sometimes and other times easier to groom her belly as she just moved onto her side for that bit bless her. Such a sweetie.

Then we had the wonderful Troy who receives a nice deshed treatment of his undercoat and then a haircut to remove the bulk of his coat for warmer days. He's such a good lad bless him and just chills out throughout the whole groom.

Lovely Teddy was in for his full groom and has become much braver with the hairdryer. He even lied down while I was drying his side an back. Now we can see those beautiful eyes as well.

We then had the gorgeous Sue in for her pampering groom. She looked smart after her tidy up and smelt amazing afterwards. Such a lovely girl.

Then we had the Jack Russell who needed a little bit of a smarten up and bit of a trim round his face so he could see bless him.

Then we had Frankie in for her full groom. She had a few knots in her face so we took her face short so it be easier to keep clean and food from getting stuck. She's become a lot more confident with the grooming process and allowing me to do her legs but still not happy with her paws being done. We went at her pace and let her relax when needed tho.

We had another Teddy this month for a spa session and bless him he was such a good boy. He chilled out throughout the session and almost fell asleep while I was drying him.

The sweet little black frenchie came in for his first ever proffesional deshed treatment and the little lad did amazingly. He was chilled while being dried and tho he did try and chase the dryer a couple timer after a couple of minutes he was enjoying it more then anything and pushing his butt into it. Such a brave soul.

And then one weekend I had free I ended up desheding my own minx of a dog Roxie roo.

I could of made another dog with the amount of hair that came out of her.

What another fantastic month and looking forward to what June brings.

10/05/2024

So why Front Paws I hear you say. Do you only scissor half the dog??

Dogs may not share our language but that doesn't stop them from being effective communicators. A dog lifting up thier front paw can mean many different things and signalises different emotional states.

Dogs lift thier paws when they are focused and they hear/see/smell something (SQUIRREL)

Sometimes it can mean your pup has a injury.

A paw lift could mean the pup is stressed and is trying to find a way to make a little space.

It can be a way of expressing curiosity or anticipation.

My own pup has been the master of giving paw in all sorts of situations.

When she knows I have her faviourate ham slices out the fridge.

When she wants some attention because I havent played tug of war for 40 seconds.

When she's frightened at the vets she takes comfort from me holding her paw and massaging it.

When she's excited to go on walks and anticipating I'm about to throw the frisbee or toy.

When she senses a squirrel in a nearby tree.

Roxies front paw has told so many stories for how she feels and why she does the things she does. Obviously other body language comes into it but if anything the one things she's always offered first is a front paw.

I see it as her way of saying I need you and I trust you that your going to help me (except when it comes to chasing squirrels. No pup your on your own there.)

How does this relate to grooming??

If a dogs not happy being groomed they will lift thier front paw and paw you away so you dont scissor thier face or touch thier ears. Sometimes they will give you a paw to distract you from something your doing that is worrying them. Other times they won't give a paw at all as they are anxious about anyone touching thier paws.

This is where desensitisation comes into grooming. Making that negative fear into a positive experience. I want them to be coming into the spa front paws first excited for the groom even if this takes time building up that trust and comfort.

Despite all the negative things a front paw can also show a strong positive meaning and its my pups signature move to tell me how she feels and what she needs. Alas Front Paws Dog Spa became the foundation and goal of my grooming business.

Spa as well because every dog deserves that health and beauty relaxtion treatment bubble soaking pampering session.

26/04/2024

15/04/2024

So March was over a little while ago and I have no idea where March went. Whoops so here's a late March photo drop. Please excuse some of the blurry pics. Dogs wouldn't stop wagging thier tail or trying to get to the treats.

So first pup was actually at the end of Feb but I forgot to take any photos of lovely Toby so I have added his owners wonderful before and after pics of Toby. This boy is getting braver each time I go to visit during the grooming process. He doesn't like his feet being touched especially his back legs and feet. With a little bit of encouragement and cuddles to comfort him he soon understood I wasn't doing anything to hurt him and we managed to clip most of his back and scissor his feathers without too much of a panic on Toby's part. He was such a nervous lad but all in all loved all the cuddles and breaks when it was getting too much to then let me finish making him look handsome.

Then we had the wonderful Teddie bear. He's is becoming a lot more relaxed when it comes to drying as this was his anxious behaviour of not liking the dryer on and wanting to bite at the dryer. This being the third session he didn't attempt to bite at the dryer once and was such a good lad. With clipping and sc******ng he's couldn't care less whether you touch that foot or move this leg. He such a sweet sweet boy and I love seeing him each time I groom him.

We had the lovely Roxie. She's such a sweet girl. She came in for her regular pampering session. This pup doesn't like her feet being touched but is getting braver and braver for the grooming session. She almost took a few treats off me this time round but then decided against it as shes a little picky and I duck pate was not up to her standards. I will figure out what this girl loves ones day.

The beautiful Sky who's always a pleasure to groom. She received the full deshed massaging treatment too. Sky is such a wonderful girl. She loves being rubbed all over with the zoom groom rubber brush and ears being cleaned. My spa had red and white hair all over it as she was in need of a good deshed. She tried to paw the whole lot out of my hand as she was trying to tell me she behaved throughout the whole groom and deserved all the treats. Such a lovely girl.

Then we had the wonderful Meg and Ollie.

Meg is down for anything as long as you let her sneak in some sweet kisses and give her treats and lots of ear and butt scratches. Megs top goal is to knock all of the treats out of my hand so she can eat them all before you manage to pick them back up. Thats by whatever means necessary whether that's pawing at the treats or trying to catapult off the table to get the treat or climb up the bath to reach the treats. She's such a beautiful pup bless her I had to spoil her a little.

Ollie bless him can be the more anxious one of the two. Ollie jumped straight into the spa for his second grooming experience with me. Well wasn't he much more less anxious and chilled he again almost fell asleep while I was drying him and he kept resting his head on my shoulder while I was sc******ng his back legs. He even tried one of the duck pate treats and a cocktail sausage. Another brave lad.

Then the lovely Hugo's first groom with me and he was wonderful to groom. He chilled out through the whole process. Mum loves his beard and longer legs so it was nice blending his shorter body into his legs and face to make him look more natural and comfortable as we go into summer and after looked handsome. I also did his wonderful housemate Polar the White German Shepherd who I forgot to take any photos of but hope to get some nice one next time.

Then we had the lovely Rosie in for her full deshed treatment. She's such a beautiful girl and was happy for me to climb into the bath herself as well as climb on the table after. . My spa looked pretty red after with the amount of hair we blasted out of her and then continuous brushing and brushing and more brushing she sheds as bad as a lab or German shepherd. Such a sweet girl and hopefully it reduced the amount of loose hair in the house for a fair few weeks.

Then last but not least we had the wonderful Disney. She couldn't see with that mop of hair on her head bless her so we did the normal routine of massaging bath, blowdry and trim to make her firstly feel and smell great. Secondly be able to see and then thirdly be able to not drag all the mud into the house from outside. Disney is such a beautiful girl and can now run around being able to see where she's going.

That's another month.

Someone I haven't mentioned in a while who's one of my sweet regulars is wonderful Dottie which will have a post all to her self soon. This pup is such a fearful and anxious pup that the work we have done and the amount of things she has become more accepting of and not as fearful about is amazing. She's come on leaps and bounds and yes there's still things this dog is anxious about but boy does she get excited when I drive onto the drive way and can't wait to dive into the spa each and every time I pop over. It's these little things which makes me love my job. Seeing a dog become more trusting and less anxious of the grooming process but also look forward to seeing me makes me feel like I've achieved something great.

Now to see what April brings.