The other day we clipped our Cocker Spaniel. We had never tried it ourselves, but had watched my Aunt do it many times. With a professional clipper it took us about 1 hour to get the job done.

We were careful not to get too close to the skin or his eyes. I held him while my mom used the clippers. It went pretty well, although by the end we were hot and tired.

When dog owners attempt pet grooming at home, there are several common mistakes that are made. Pet grooming is a skill, but with the right equipment and patience it can become a household duty that will save both time and money.

My mom and aunt bought a professional clipper together to share. It cost about $200, which isn't cheap, but they wanted a good clipper that would last for years.

You have to be careful. A slip of the clippers can cause injury to your animal. This is not only physical injury, but emotional. Trust is loss once pain is inflicted and your pet may not treat you the same afterward.

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Giving your dog's nails a clipping is not nearly as difficult or scary as it seems.

Nail trimming is part of grooming your dog and can be done very easily if you know how. It's always a good idea to watch someone else first (vet, groomer or friend) who is experienced in nail trimming.

Some dogs never need to have their nails trimmed. Many will naturally wear the nails down or the dried ends of the nails will simply flake away without you even knowing. But some breeds, especially Basset Hounds and Dachshunds will likely need your help in keeping the toe nails reasonably short.

There will be times when you accidentally cut a nail too short. It just happens sometimes, even with experienced groomers. The nail will bleed if you cut it too short, so just be prepared for that.

Get a good nail trimmer. Ask your vet or the clerk in the pet store which kind they recommend. Place the main part of the trimmer in the palm of your hand and the moveable part so that it is controlled by your fingers. You want to be able to see the small cutting blade that slides when you squeeze the handle.

Make sure you’re not cutting from the top downward; but rather from underneath. Slide the opening over the end of the nail while staying in the whitish part of the nail. The pink area of the nail is the live part and has blood vessels throughout. Hopefully you’ll be able to see where the pink part starts.

If your pooch has dark nails you won’t be able to see any pink to know where the live part of the nail starts. Just do a little bit at a time with the dark nails. Check the end of the nail. The dead area usually is whitish and as you cut deeper into the end of the nail you will begin to see a dark area. That dark area is where the live part starts.

When you are ready to cut, make a smooth, quick squeeze on the handle while holding the trimmer steady. Don't try to "pop" the end of the nail off; it will fall away on its own. You can file the edges or just let the dog wear the nail smooth. Taking your dog for a walk on the sidewalk or street can help them file down.

Remember that at some point you will cut too short. When this happens, place a tiny piece of tissue paper tightly against the end of the nail and hold it for a few minutes. Better yet, have some cornstarch or flour available and put a small amount against the bleeding end of the nail, hold it there with your finger. This works right away. Or you can do nothing and the bleeding should stop in about five minutes. If it continues to bleed much more than that, give your vet a call.

Always remember, you can do this. Play with your canine’s feet first to get them used to the idea. If you do it once a week, it won’t seem like such a tragic event. If you can only do one paw a day, that’s ok too. Relax and enjoy your dog!

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Isn't that little face so sweet. Can you imagine making him suffer one minute with fleas?

The minute any of our dogs start scratching I assume it is probably fleas and give them each a dose of flea drops. We have found that Frontline or Advantage work the best, although they are more expensive. Prices on the internet are about the best you will find.

If our dogs need it, I give them another dose after 30 days. Even though we live in an area of the world with lots of fleas, in the last 18 years I have seen perhaps 5 fleas. I don't give them a chance to take over our home.

Before we bring any stray or new dog into our home we put a dose of flea drops on the animal and keep it separate from the others for 24 hours. That's all it takes for the flea drops to kill any fleas the dog might have.

Fleas are a tiny almost invisible insect and something that most people never even think about, until they, or their pets become infected. People then realize that fleas are a major problem to many of households and will take whatever measures are available to eliminate them.

Fleas are an irritation at best and a major problem at worst. Not just to our pets but to us as well. The most common symptom of a flea infestation is itching. This comes from several sources. Firstly, fleas just itch when they crawl around on skin because this is very irritating. But worse than this is that fleas bite their host…and this can include you! They bite to feed on the blood of the host, and the bite causes irritation, itching and scratching.

However, the health effects of fleas can be worse than just the associated itching. Fleas can cause and transmit a range of medical conditions in animals and humans.

Dermatitis caused by fleas is responsible for more than half of all pet skin complaints treated by vets. This can result from excessive scratching or from an allergy to the flea bites, and can be caused by as little as one bite in a particularly sensitive individual. And the dermatitis can become more serious leading in some cases to secondary infection.

Fleas can carry worms from one host to another. Cat fleas, for example can carry and transmit dog tapeworms. This is generally not a problem for people, but can certainly be a problem for our pets.

And because fleas feed on blood they can transmit diseases from one host to another whenever there are blood borne diseases. Many years ago, it was fleas, not rats, that carried the plague which decimated much of Europe. The fleas were responsible for transmitting the disease from host to host. Even today fleas can transmit the plague in some remote villages in Africa, although this does not generally occur elsewhere.

Fleas therefore, are not something to be ignored if your pet is infected. In the warm months it is particularly easy for a wandering pet to pick up fleas very quickly and it is important to be aware of this possibility.

So what do you do if your pet is scratching and appears unusually irritated? Firstly, suspect fleas and then inspect your pet.

How do you determine if there are fleas present? They can be seen on your pet if you comb through the fur. Fleas are fast moving so make sure to look closely.

Check where you animal sleeps. Pets with fleas usually infest their bedding (or yours if this is where they sleep).

Be vigilant and keep note of any places where fleas are found as these are the places which will need to be treated to remove the fleas.

And how do you find out if you have fleas in the house? You'll see or feel them. If you find a flea on your person, chances are you've probably got fleas in the house.

A simple trick for detecting fleas is to walk around any suspect areas in your house with white socks over your shoes. Then check the socks for fleas.

Alternatively you can put a shallow dish of water in the suspect area on the floor. Suspend a light bulb (taking proper safety precautions) about 6 inches above the water and leave the light on at night. Try putting a few drops of dishwashing detergent in the water to break the surface tension. Fleas are attracted to the light and some will fall in the water and drown. So, if you find fleas in the water next morning you've got fleas!

Moral of this story - If you have fleas don't ignore them. The problem isn't likely to go away. Do something about it soon. I highly recommend Advantage or Frontline, or something else that your vet says is just as good. Whatever you do, don't wait. With these products and others like them there is no longer any reason for you or your pet to suffer from fleas.