Bonejourmtl

10/29/2025

08/25/2025

Little before and after magic taking from scruffy to fluffy. It was so nice to see her again!
I may be posting mostly poodles, but have been taking on pet trims too (especially previous clients that may not have been able to find a groomer consistently while I wasn’t grooming).
Due to cancellations I have a last minute availability on the 31st of August! Appointment request form in my bio!

05/31/2023

I want to say a really big thank you to everyone that's supported BoneJour over the years ❤️
It's been a wonderful adventure in self employment, and it's been a great career working with animals over the last 12 years.
Unfortunately due to health issues this chapter now comes to a close so I can focus on rest and recovery.
This ended up being quite an immediate change due to a sudden flare up of issues durinh may that I couldn't seem to alleviate.
Safety has always been a really big priority for me, and this health flare was becoming unsafe for both me and potentially your dog's 💔 its been a tough choice, and I don't know what the future holds other than immediately resting and managing symptoms.

Thank you so so much for all the support and love through the years.
I'll miss all of you, and this little salon!

-Shona

02/27/2022

IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT BEHAVIOUR

One of the most common questions we as dog training professionals get asked is ‘Can you give me a few tips on [insert behaviour here] and whilst I can give you a few tips, I want to explain to you why I probably won’t and the reasons behind it.

Recently on a FB live I did in my Romanian Rescue Community Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheDogsPointofView)
I shared a slide I had quickly put together to help me get this point across, and I want to share that again with you here, although I’m glad to say I have since made the slide look a whole lot better! (You can see the shockingly bad original one on my FB live recording in the group, when I also shared a few general tips for Romanian Rescue Adopters)

As you can see from this picture, the observable behaviour you actually see your dog ‘DOING’ can be underpinned, driven by and be a result of a large number of OTHER things. These could be major contributing factors or minor contributing factors, it doesn’t really matter, but what it means is, if none of these POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS to your dog’s behaviour are taken into account and considered from the DOG’s Point of View, then any ‘tips’ I give you are unlikely to be the best advice I can give that would help.

Not only that, but I could give you tips or recommendations that might be wrong for your dog and your particular circumstances. I could give you tips that make the behaviour worse. I could give you tips that may upset your dog, or cause them to feel threatened in some way, because I’m missing important pieces of the puzzle.

This could result in them changing their behaviours in a less positive way and/or doing something unexpected. This is why giving a ‘few tips’ or ‘bit of advice’ can actually be dangerous in some cases.

People seem to forget we are living with an animal that has 42 teeth that were designed to rip into flesh and crush bone! Thankfully, for the most part, our dogs avoid using them in a confrontational way, but that doesn't mean they won't if pushed.

This is why I am often horrified to see some of the advice given on Facebook posts where someone has asked for some ‘tips’

Often it is advice that is incorrect, given by the general public, but even if it is advice that is suitable and worked for that person and their dog, it doesn’t mean it will work for someone else and their dog, who will be experiencing the world in a completely different way.

To give an example...

A question I see asked often in Facebook posts is around excessive barking, a common issue for adopters of Romanian or Foreign rescue dogs because of their GENETICS (that’s one contributing factor there)

Even if I gave one BEST piece of advice I could, if that dog had just ONE thing from that list of possible contributing factors, let’s say elevated baseline stress levels, then my advice is likely to be ineffective.

Not only that, but it’s likely to create frustration and discord for both the human and canine halves of the partnership in trying to apply it because the underlying cause of the behaviour is not being addressed.

In fact, let me just say, relative to the seemingly simple problem of excessive barking (most pet parents perceive a dog barking is simple to resolve, which it isn’t necessarily), it is entirely possible that all of those contributing factors could be impacting on or driving the behaviour and they NEED to be taken into consideration for progress to be seen, that not only reduces the degree and intensity of the barking behaviour, but that also supports that dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing whilst doing so.

Can you see how it really isn’t as simple as ‘just giving some tips or advice?’

Even something as simple as how long a dog has been in the home or how old they are can make the progress plan for that dog look very different.

It is SO IMPORTANT to remember your dog is A THINKING, FEELING, EMOTIONAL BEING, JUST LIKE YOU, BUT DIFFERENT.

They can be affected by not only life and the world around them as much as we are, but also by how they are experiencing the world at any given moment, in the same way that we are. They are as individual and unique in both their perspective of the world and how they respond to it, as much as we are.

I hope this article has helped provide you with a bit of a deeper understanding of your dog and of why it simply isn’t possible or appropriate to ‘give you a few tips.’

#

01/25/2022

Let's talk decompression and why it's important for your dogs!
I've recently been incorporating decompression activities into your dog's grooming services and seeing huge benefits.
Whether your dog arrives in a hyperactive excited frenzy, an anxious scared ball of nerves, or reacts to something along the walk (or drive) to the salon it's really important to the dogs to decompress that energy before we start.
Hyperactivity, anxiety and reactivity are all states of increased cortisol and adrenaline and can increase your dog's chances of being startled and becoming even more anxious or reactive during the grooming.
I'm sure any groomer can tell you about a super over excited hyperactive puppy they've groomed that startled quick and then started using their teeth to communicate... This is because that extreme excitement is very similar in the body to anxiety and reactivity!
Getting your dog's calm and relaxed before starting gets them to think clearer, learn better, startle and react less during the process.
Being mindful of what's happening inside their bodies is extremely important for reducing their stress for salon visits!

01/24/2022

Building positive associations is important!
Paul had a great successful nail trim where we worked on pairing handling and the sight of tiny nail clippers with treats he found reinforcing.
By conditioning positive associations to all of these things together we were able to decrease his anxiety for the process and have him willing to engage in his nail care because he found it enjoyable and rewarding instead of threatening.
Before starting, and once finished he decompressed with something called a snuffle mat, by using a mat like this for anxious dogs they're able to decrease their stress levels by doing something they find enjoyable and rewarding (sniffing and foraging for treats), instead of starting with a high level of stress.
By working with our dogs natural instincts and incorporating associative learning to the process we're able to build care that's enjoyable for the dogs that they want to engage with rather than run away from!
The dogs feel safe, they feel secure, and if they find the process threatening we know we haven't fully trained a positive association to the process and need to step back for them to enjoy it and be willing to engage in their care.

01/19/2022

Too long to be a reel 😭 but important!
Behavior modification for decreasing fear, stress, and anxiety to experiences your dog needs in their life doesn't happen in the same way it happened or by a process that stresses your dog more.

If we continue in the same old way for dogs that exhibit these signs the problem 98% of the time will just get worse.

Exposure to similar experiences allows for the fear to be decreased over time as positive experiences are built up and trust is gained back.

Desensitization and creating positive experiences after bad ones is possible, but you have to go slow and steady for progress.

12/17/2021

Last post of 2021! I know the year isn’t over yet, but I’m closing out the year of posting a little early to talk about an important subject.
In 2022 I’m no longer going to be posting after photos of your dogs!
I’ve done a lot of reevaluation this year, and I no longer think it's beneficial to your pets or myself to be prioritizing posts that focus on simply the aesthetic factor of the services I provide.
As social media has grown and changed many industries it's impacted dogs in so many ways, and grooming is no longer seen as a preventative health care service, and instead a service simply for aesthetics.
Pet care has changed significantly and the aesthetic aspect of animals is consistently being valued more than their comfort, training, overall wellness, and other basic needs.
I know many will end up disagreeing with me, but I don't think promoting a preventative health care service by its aesthetic value is serving the animals properly anymore.
In 2022 instead my posts will be focused more on showing your dog's as a participant within their care, highlighting their comfort, their willingness to learn new behaviors, and really giving a different perspective on what grooming visits are.
In the past I've used "low stress environment" to try to describe what I work towards, but after reflecting I think a term that more people can understand is "Dog centered care".
Underneath the aesthetic you want is; your dog!
Their needs within the service need to be prioritized in all interactions before a perfect end result is ever considered.
Going into my 11th (😳) year working with dogs I feel like there's been a lot of changes within the way the industry works, and I think more of us need to promote compassionate care, our understanding of behavior, and fully advocate for the dogs needs inside and outside the salon because the social media algorithms are doing the opposite.

Thank you so much to all my clients for understanding my position on this, please definitely feel free to tag me still, I'll still repost your photos! 💕 Your support has always meant the world to me, and with your support I can continue creating a safe mindful environment for your pets.

11/28/2021

Nothing like a gorgeous poodle! 🐩✨
Everybody loves aesthetically pleasing trims! The poodle trims, Teddy bear cuts and Asian fusion cuts are in such demand, and so cute!
However there's lots to keep in mind if you enjoy your pet in an aesthetically pleasing trim.
1. Can you commit to the daily maintainance of brushing and combing your pup to keep them gorgeous and tangle free? If your schedule doesn't quite allow for this, or your dog is uncomfortable with the process you may need to find an alternative that works for you both!
2. Frequent salon appointments. For all breeds, but especially curly coated breeds there is damage to the hair that comes with daily brushing. To grow the hair longer, and keep it tangle free frequent salon appointments can't be skipped. Deep conditioning treatments and cutting off damaged ends helps to keep the skin healthy and prevents matting and tangles and protects the hairs integrity.
3. Fear, stress and anxiety. If your dog is fearful for parts of the groom that are essential to these trims, these trims won't be ethical to accomplish without reducing the fear through positive experiences and training.
A trim that has less of what your dog is fearful for can help increase confidence in the process and help your dog to enjoy grooming.
Being open to changing hair goals and expectations depending on your dog's comfort is important!
4. Your lifestyle! If you enjoy hiking, swimming, park trips, puddle jumping and letting your dog live their best outdoor dog life you're going to have a lot more daily upkeep. A shorter trim can really help your dog to enjoy all these things without an hour of brushing every night. Let your dog have fun!
💖

10/27/2021

I've been waiting and watching so patiently and finally need to share this coat progress!
This is and I've been working on trying to get his coat back since March and it's finally showing some great results! (Swipe through!!!)
So much thicker, fuller, and there's a noticeable (inch long!) layer of black guard coat finally regrown, his undercoat is also looking much healthier, silkier and less wispy.

Can't wait to see how he'll look with a full body of hair again.