Groomers! Are You Sick Of Clueless Clients

[~*Shell*~]

I thankfully only groom for my friends! I don't think I could handle the pressure of grooming in a shop! A friend has a labrador and a mini-poodle X cocker spaniel (they got it before i could inform them of the DD issue and since then they have got the lab from a registered breeder for about $500 less than the "spoodle" cost) and they don't mind me clippng it in all kinds of crazy clips - my personal favourite is what Toby has now, a clip i like to call "ugg boots". His feet are so fluffy they look like ugg boots while the rest of him is shaved so he doesn't get his fur matted under his winter coats.

[FGM]

I am only starting in the grooming business and have seen some shocking things.Not as bad as what other people on here have seen but I'm sure there will be a time that I will.It is frustrating when clients blame you for things they should be doing.

i hate it when the dogs come in with fleas then as your washing them they start jumping onto you(the fleas).Totally matted dogs and the owner says"I don't want to go to short".

"I want the schnauzer cut so don't touch the feathers and moustache"(which is totally matted).

I guess you just have to keep trying to inform people about what they are suppose to be doing and encourage them to come back more often.I can totally see how frustrating it can be though.At least you can come on here and vent.

[GoldiesRgr8Poodles2]

Has everyone else been getting the salon hoppers that say "I've been away" abnd you know damn well that these knotts are longer than a week or two to get there... Last person that started saying it i spoke over the top of anf said ive been away, yes dear i know the storey jut show me how bad the dog is... every new client with a matted dog seems to like this storey... I know a lot of my clients are well off money wise and do travel but i also know the ones that dont go away and lie to me. that grates my cheese!

Im lucky though becasue most of my clientel are very regular and dont get bad but I hvae at least 6 sets of dogs that i get once or twice a year.. the last lot i made the owner cry.... last winter as it was starting the owner brought his maltese shitzu pomeranian whatever crosses they want to say in for their 6 monthly groom.... 4HOURS LATER AND A #15!!!!!!!!!!!! nothing else got under it it was incredible... The owner came back and yelled at me and id had enough of this woman her attitude towards me and the obvious neglect of his dogs and i let fly at her. Told he she couldnt love these dogs or they wouldnt get like this they will now face serious problems through winter because they are 24hrs outside and one dogs hair had scratched the eye so badly i didnt think she could see through the clouding in it.... She argued back with some sob storey and my response was that if she couldnt look after them and give them a home they diserved she should give them to someone who can! She now comes in every month cause it works out cheeper for her in the long run adn they look better. Despite monthly washes and tidys they STILL get knotts!!!! i just dont get how some people cannot take more pride in their dogs appearance, i enjoy brushing my dogs and them looking good not cause im a groomer but i was brought up that way....

luckily its getting better t my salon and not worse so my worst days of anguish over rude people telling me Im a groomer now groom dont lecture of shave my response is simply

You pay me to groom not torture go elsewhere Im sure they'll be happy to for the money!

[cashew]

I had a 10-hr job before and what I can say is nothing soothes me more than grooming my dog at night after a tough day at work. Something about holding the comb and giving my boy a good groom. Happiness is spending that 10-minutes touching and holding my little boy alone. I think that bonded us tremendously. Sometimes I try my best to teach owners of obviously neglected dogs the joys of doing basic grooming. It is really sad to find people giving all sorts of lame excuses for not taking care of their animal Some owners even laugh at me when I told them dogs really really appreciate a good massage

[Silverblue]

I hope I have got everyone, if you pm'd me for a copy of the form & haven't got it please let me know.

[qashmir]

I feel so so so sad for little dogs who are obviously not used to being picked up or cuddled. I find it heartbreaking. It's unfathomable to me why people buy a little lap dog, throw it in the back yard and feed it and that constitutes pet care! What about it's mental stimulation, socialisation and it's HAPPINESS!?!?

[qashmir]

Sorry, last post a bit off topic! But largely i enjoy dog grooming or i wouldn't have spent my whole life doing it. I just enjoy the people less and less. There are some sensational clients out there too and at xmas time i'm up to my neck in presents. A groomer is a skillful, rewarding and demanding job and unless i win the lottery, i'll always be one.

[schnauzer]

I don't clip neglected dogs any more. (unless they are rescue dogs)

I get too upset and stressed. Why do people buy a high maintenance breed and not care for it properly?

Pictured is a bitch that was surrendered to my club this year and had not ever been clipped. Under that coat she was matted to the skin and had to be shaved off.

Edited May 14, 2008 by schnauzer

[Gomez the Norfolk]

This is slighty off topic, and if you want, gashmir, I'll start another thread...

Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? Is it obnoxious? Helpful?

[Dogsfevr]

"Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? "

We have many clients that do this & generally speaking we can find a happy medium,in other cases its impossible due to the dog having the incorrect coat texture to do the trim asked for.

Some have no idea that what they would like & there dog arent on the same page BUT if explained to them why you cant most are very happy,some still insist & we will do that groom BUT again only after it has been throughly explained that the dog cannot look like that or the other obvious factor there showdog photos & there hairsprayed to get that final look.

In some breeds its such specialized grooming that they also want the look without paying the price for it.

The only ones that really annoy us are those that are convinced they now it all & tell you what blades to use.

The worse was aperson who wanted the body done with a #40 well there was no way in gods earth we would use that blade for there .They had it all back to front & after a small demo they learnt a quick lesson but the scary part is there are so many clueless groomers out there who would actually take that advice seriously

[qashmir]

This is slighty off topic, and if you want, gashmir, I'll start another thread...

Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? Is it obnoxious? Helpful?

Personally, i hate it. I then write a note for them asking not to write me anymore notes. I don't need a note to remind me to do his nails and to instruct me to leave him long coz it's winter now. I tell them if they want the haircut to meet specific requirements then go somewhere where they let you stay with the dog so they can oversee every snip. Sorry, i'm really touchy about this. I basically think it inferr i'm an idiot.

[Tosca]

This is slighty off topic, and if you want, gashmir, I'll start another thread...

Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? Is it obnoxious? Helpful?

Personally, i hate it. I then write a note for them asking not to write me anymore notes. I don't need a note to remind me to do his nails and to instruct me to leave him long coz it's winter now. I tell them if they want the haircut to meet specific requirements then go somewhere where they let you stay with the dog so they can oversee every snip. Sorry, i'm really touchy about this. I basically think it inferr i'm an idiot.

The last groomer I took my dog to must totally hate me as I made sure he followed the instructions given to me adding

' Please I would like you to follow these instructions and for her to look like this'. I had photos to show him as well.

[Swizzlestick]

I knew that the dog was in the car from 8.30am until after 6.30pm. because he saw it. The window was down a bit but we all know it would have been an oven. I do not if the dog was walked within that time but I do know that the RSPCA did not check it out - they told me that.

I'm sorry to go off topic.

But OMG!! I wouldn't have been able to stand by and watch this. I'd have smashed the window, or called the cops. They will come straight away and smash a window, I've seen them do it a few times.

Some people have nfi do they. (not you Lisa M, the owner) :rolleyes:

[Andisa]

I knew that the dog was in the car from 8.30am until after 6.30pm. because he saw it. The window was down a bit but we all know it would have been an oven. I do not if the dog was walked within that time but I do know that the RSPCA did not check it out - they told me that.

I'm sorry to go off topic.

But OMG!! I wouldn't have been able to stand by and watch this. I'd have smashed the window, or called the cops. They will come straight away and smash a window, I've seen them do it a few times.

Some people have nfi do they. (not you Lisa M, the owner)

We have talked about this many times since and we should have got the cops involved. Since the RSPCA was called we thought they were going to handle the situation.

My OH did keep an eye on the dog, (as best he could, he was working in an office in the city) had it seemed stressed then he was going to get the cops involved. We assumed that the dog must have been checked in between the times that OH saw it since it was not stressed.

On a legal side though, if he had broke the window and the dog attacked him or escaped he would then be liable for the damage and the dog escaping. He never had anything to restrain the dog.

[qashmir]

This is slighty off topic, and if you want, gashmir, I'll start another thread...

Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? Is it obnoxious? Helpful?

Personally, i hate it. I then write a note for them asking not to write me anymore notes. I don't need a note to remind me to do his nails and to instruct me to leave him long coz it's winter now. I tell them if they want the haircut to meet specific requirements then go somewhere where they let you stay with the dog so they can oversee every snip. Sorry, i'm really touchy about this. I basically think it inferr i'm an idiot.

The last groomer I took my dog to must totally hate me as I made sure he followed the instructions given to me adding

' Please I would like you to follow these instructions and for her to look like this'. I had photos to show him as well.

Hi tosca, for me your case would be understandable. An afghan isn't something a lot of groomers would do everyday. I'm more referring to being presented with lists like "face rounded about 1cm shorter graduating to 2cm around the ears, nails done but not dewclaws, don't make him look like a poodle" , (well he's a bloody schnauzer for starters!) THAT sort of thing. Or they come with a picture of a show bichon and want their westie cross to look like it!!

[Tosca]

I know you understand qashmir but thinking back to it now I must have come

across as a very demanding owner.

[Danielle]

This is what I hate,

People who bring in their Bichon and ask me to make it look like a poodle!

Or they bring in their Poodle and ask for a Bichon cut! Grrrrr! If u want a poodle, get a poodle, if you want a bichon, get a bichon!

I also hate how they ring up and say "Can you please groom my purebred Spoodle?"! WTF? Purebred what? LMAO! You cant tell em either! LOL!

Or the ones that demand to be there when little Fifi is getting groomed and then stand there squealing "Fifi! you look so cute girl! Good Fifi!" while you are trying to groom this little dog that is doing backflips on the grooming table!

Oh here's one for you all.....the other week I had a girl bring in her severely overgrown and matted Maltese X Shih tzu. I groomed it and made it look great, but the next day she rings me and asks me what is wrong with her dogs "vagina"! I was like "What?!" She then proceeds to tell me that the dog is licking at itself furiously and is red and irritated.

I had to explain to this girl that the dog was so matted "down there", that the hair had soaked up its "wee wees" and burnt its skin and then with me using a 10 blade on the sanatary area that would've irritated it some more, so now that that area is hair free, the dog is licking and making itself red raw!

How is this my fault??? What could I have done differently? Nothing.

Some people have no clue.

[Gomez the Norfolk]

This is slighty off topic, and if you want, gashmir, I'll start another thread...

Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? Is it obnoxious? Helpful?

Personally, i hate it. I then write a note for them asking not to write me anymore notes. I don't need a note to remind me to do his nails and to instruct me to leave him long coz it's winter now. I tell them if they want the haircut to meet specific requirements then go somewhere where they let you stay with the dog so they can oversee every snip. Sorry, i'm really touchy about this. I basically think it inferr i'm an idiot.

The last groomer I took my dog to must totally hate me as I made sure he followed the instructions given to me adding

' Please I would like you to follow these instructions and for her to look like this'. I had photos to show him as well.

Hi tosca, for me your case would be understandable. An afghan isn't something a lot of groomers would do everyday. I'm more referring to being presented with lists like "face rounded about 1cm shorter graduating to 2cm around the ears, nails done but not dewclaws, don't make him look like a poodle" , (well he's a bloody schnauzer for starters!) THAT sort of thing. Or they come with a picture of a show bichon and want their westie cross to look like it!!

Yeah, that's it, that's what I meant - most people have neer even seen a Norfolk, let alone groomed one - that's the kind of list I meant, i.e. no clippping or cutting the coat, etc...

When I do find a good groomer, and they don't know how to do one, would it be obnoxious to print out the grooming guidelines for Norfolks from the club website and take them in?

[qashmir]

That's why a report card is great. You can write everything you want on it, threats and all ! I have found they don't listen when i speak, so now i write, never get any "next day" phone calls. At first i thought it was a big effort to do report cards but they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to any discrepancies.

[Andisa]

This is slighty off topic, and if you want, gashmir, I'll start another thread...

Assuming the dog is in good condition, how do groomers feel about customers coming in with a written spec sheet of what they would like done to their dog? Is it obnoxious? Helpful?

Personally, i hate it. I then write a note for them asking not to write me anymore notes. I don't need a note to remind me to do his nails and to instruct me to leave him long coz it's winter now. I tell them if they want the haircut to meet specific requirements then go somewhere where they let you stay with the dog so they can oversee every snip. Sorry, i'm really touchy about this. I basically think it inferr i'm an idiot.

The last groomer I took my dog to must totally hate me as I made sure he followed the instructions given to me adding

' Please I would like you to follow these instructions and for her to look like this'. I had photos to show him as well.

Hi tosca, for me your case would be understandable. An afghan isn't something a lot of groomers would do everyday. I'm more referring to being presented with lists like "face rounded about 1cm shorter graduating to 2cm around the ears, nails done but not dewclaws, don't make him look like a poodle" , (well he's a bloody schnauzer for starters!) THAT sort of thing. Or they come with a picture of a show bichon and want their westie cross to look like it!!

Yeah, that's it, that's what I meant - most people have neer even seen a Norfolk, let alone groomed one - that's the kind of list I meant, i.e. no clippping or cutting the coat, etc...

When I do find a good groomer, and they don't know how to do one, would it be obnoxious to print out the grooming guidelines for Norfolks from the club website and take them in?

If it is a breed that the groomer is not familiar with then it is a good idea to give them as much info on how you want it done. After all if they don't know then how do they know what it should look like. If I get one I don't know I make it clear that I don't know and will show them a couple of grooming books and we go from there.