ChocosMum Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Oh stumpy she is beautiful....... i will say tho is when ive taken my other dog to the X-groomers i was never satisfy with the outcome....i did expect more....my SWF is NOT a handful at all just they never did what i asked.....NOW im happy with the new groomer.... Good luck Stumpy i know how you feel..my boy is 7 months..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winterpaws Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Go and see K9 Force up at Kurrajong He loves black labs His website is www.k9force.net and I personally think you will get more out of one session with him than you would with months of obedience training Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Stumpy said he/she paid the groomer $60 (not $35) being that they normal pay $25 to us a DIY hydrobath. The difference was $35 not the cost of the groom. Some are not reading the post properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad about Oscar Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Bathing for us is stell a bit hit and miss - good one time - escape puppy the next - and brushing is still a game. Come join the lab thread!! The guys there are great with tips on managing our wonderful spirited and often naughty dogs!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Stumpy said he/she paid the groomer $60 (not $35) being that they normal pay $25 to us a DIY hydrobath. The difference was $35 not the cost of the groom.Some are not reading the post properly. OP has been edited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Go and see K9 Force up at KurrajongHe loves black labs His website is www.k9force.net and I personally think you will get more out of one session with him than you would with months of obedience training Good luck! I 2nd that I have achieved more with my dog in 1 month of a distance learning program with Steve than I did in 6 months of puppy and obedience classes In terms of the daily brushing, we've tried it, the problem is that she can be pooped one minute, laying down panting, and then crazy again the next... Like all labs, she's very food orientated, but for some reason, even a nice liver treat or 10 won't get her to behave while being brushed... She's ok for the first couple of mins, but after that, off like the energizer bunny! What about giving her a stuffed Kong or a big meaty bone to chew on while you groom her? Another option (or you could do this as well as giving a bone) Put her in the bath to groom her. Less room to move and easy to clean when your done I think you can also get special tethers to use in the bath to stop your dog from turning around? I'm sure I've seen them somewhere before. Maybe invest in a FURminator too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 For $60 the dog should have been brushed out properly, and the groomer is being lazy when they say the drying will get rid of the hair. It will help, but brushing the dog is what get rids of the hair in Labs. After hearing that, I would try somewhere else. I honestly don't think there is a need to rush off to a behaviorist, the dog sounds delightful and just needs a bit of work in the grooming department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 (edited) I haven't thoroughly read all the replies but I know that some Labs shed like sheep - literally the hair is in tufts sticking out all over. Stress also causes dogs to instantly drop tonnes of hair so she may have looked great when the groomer finished but continued to stress whilst waiting to be picked up. Shedding in double coated breeds also lasts right through the warm season, I have done several coat strips of my Retriever and x 2 baths and blow dries and about 70% of it is gone. Get yourself a furminator or a fur buster and continue to do this yourself at home in small sessions. You will probably need to teach a stand first and have someone at the head end continuously reinforcing her for holding position whilst you groom. It's great that she can hold positions at home but that generally goes out the window once you step out the front door and that's why weekly obedience lessons are good because it gives you an opportunity to work on the basics in a highly distracting environment. Private lessons first at home, then heading out to the local park/s will also get the same results (but potentially faster). Teaching grooming routines is dead easy using high reinforcement and a verbal marker for correct behaviours. In puppy school classes I suggest to ALL participants with dogs who need to go to the groomers it will be cheaper and your groomer will love you if you can take them BEFORE 6mths of age and 2-3 times BEFORE 12mths of age so they can work with the dog and do some teaching at the same time. So you may see now how waiting until your dog is 2yrs old and has her own agenda would be very difficult. Spend a day bending over a hydrobath for little dogs and I guarantee you will feel your back is breaking - that's why groomers have little patience for huge bouncy dogs who will not do as they are told - and nor they should! I can't afford pro groomers and I get much more enjoyment out of grooming my dogs myself. They jump in and out of the hydrobath on command and stand still, they shake off the water on command, and brushing/stripping/feet trimming is a very regular occurance (3 x weekly) so it's short and sweet for them and easy for me to maintain. Edited November 21, 2009 by Staff'n'Toller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowchenlove Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I am a groomer and really think that you should probably find a different groomer. To suggest that a bath and blow dry will get rid of all of the dead/moulting coat is ridiculous. Also cutting off the whiskers is a bit of a no no to me. I think that a lot of groomers actually do not have great animal handling skills and a lot that I speak to are not very comfortable grooming large or powerful dogs. Of course the dog picks up on this and behaviour that is manageable becomes worse. At the salon I work at we would have invited you to stay with your dog for at least the first 15-20 minutes especially if it was his first time at the grooming salon. I agree that perhaps a mobile groomer would be a good idea but also remember to ask questions before booking ie, do you hand strip, use a coat king, how do you handle difficult dogs etc, etc. Don`t be disheartened as it can be very easy to turn around disruptive behaviour and I honestly think that in this particular case that the groomer was probably not as experienced as he/she should have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Probably a good idea to teach her to sit still for 5 minutes a day while you brush her. Look at what motivates her, and use this as a training tool. Like a treat for sitting still while you do some firm brush strokes.It would be good to do this after your daily exercise, so she is a bit tuckered out physically and mentally. Brush her daily, slowly increasing the time. Get her used to being calm while being groomed. I doubt that taking her to obedience training will help with staying calm whilst being groomed. Agreed. I have six Labs, ranging from 4 months to 9 years. All love being brushed. But it's part of daily routines and general pattern of hands on living with a dog. We spend ~15 minutes a day on the bed, first thing in the morning, doing touchy things. They compete for what they see as affection. Grooming needs to be worked into a pattern of living with a dog . . . not treated as 'obedience'. We also do daily walkies . . . and they have a couple acres to run on so they can work off steam. I think a lot of naughty Labbies are pressure cookers who have no way to vent excess energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 (edited) My female lab will push her head against a brush if I hold it out for her. In fact, when I lived at my last house and the dogs were allowed in the bathroom, part of our morning routine when I was getting ready for work was that the two labs would put their front paws on the bathroom vanity to have the hair on their head brushed (yes I'm an idiot ) Start by patting her but don't show her the brush. Once she is relaxed and enjoying the scratch then introduce the brush on her back where she can't see it. Gradually work up the amount of time you spend doing this and make it pleasurable for her (don't use a slicker as they can scratch the skin). In my experience the best brush to strip dead hair out is the one that looks like a fish scaler (its called a shedding blade) I wouldn't start with that brush but introduce it once she is happy being brushed. If you do a google image search on shedding blade you will see what I mean. Edited November 22, 2009 by Pointeeblab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koemi Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 (edited) I'm a bit shocked that you paid $60 to have a lab groomed and had her come back with hair hanging off her! If the groomer was having troubles with her, they should have let you know before they handed her back and took your money. In my humble opinion, you have every right to complain. Some dogs can have the best obedience training in the world and still be awful to groom. If it was her first groom without you, I'm not surprised if she was a bit scared ;) I agree with the conditioning her to be brushed a little, it can't hurt! But to be honest, your groomer sounds half-assed (sorry) and you should shop around. Don't automatically go for one that does mobile grooming, I've had a lot of clients that have come to me after having a mobile do a woeful job (and I'm coming from a mobile background, there are good ones out there but they are few and far between), groomers are always going to be a bit of a hit and miss, unfortunately. There are a lot of people out there calling themselves groomers that have had neither the training or the experience to be doing so (I consider myself somewhat of a newbie and I've been grooming professionally for 3 years). Next time you go to a groomer don't be afraid to ask questions! Any groomer that doesn't answer your questions in full doesn't deserve your business, and you deserve to get what you paid for. I'm sorry Mackenzie had such a horrible experience. I also can't believe they cut off her whiskers! Edited November 22, 2009 by Koemi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 A rubber mitt that you can buy for a few dollars from a cheapie shop could be good. Most dogs seem to love being groomed with them as they get a bit of a massage and they are great for getting loose hair off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravyk Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 A rubber mitt that you can buy for a few dollars from a cheapie shop could be good. Most dogs seem to love being groomed with them as they get a bit of a massage and they are great for getting loose hair off. Ordinary rubber gloves for washing dishes work well too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanne76 Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I take my dogs out to 'Splish Splash" in Penrith. Its behind the Pet Barn on Coreen Ave. They always do a good job on my big dogs but my girls are pretty calm. They also have a DIY hydrobath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Yes you were. From your dog & the groomer. Your dog would have been very stressed. New environment, lots of dogs, owner absent, with a stranger doing things to it that it is not used to at all. Groomers may be lucky & the suprise/shock of all this & dog being unsure may make your dog more docile or it could go the other way, panic stricken. So what do you expect the groomer to do then ? The dog whisperer is a fantasy. They can only do so much & in a way be glad the dog came back the way it did. Think about this. Restraining & handling to the best of their ability is as much as they should do. If the dog behaved like an idiot & came back perfect one would have to wonder at the methods used to achieve this miracle. Training your dog to accept bathing/grooming etc is your responsibility the same as you would teach your children to accept bathing/ haircuts etc. Sorry for unsympathetic reply but its as I see it. You have work to do with your dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverHaze Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Teach your dog to stand up on a table - this is where you should do all your grooming. This also indicates to the dog that it is "grooming time" and will help let the dog know what behaviour is expected of it. Most dogs are less inclined to want to play when they are up high (as mentioned by previous posters). Use two people if needs be, and reward and brush. Reinforce with the stand command. If the dog wants to play, a firm no, then stand, should be used. Once the dog settles - rewards! The dog will enventually get used to being up on the table and being groomed up there. And it's also much better for you your back, and will help when you need to put a bit of elbow grease into getting all that coat out!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my_sibe_owns_me Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Sounds like you got screwed. They didnt do a darn thing but add water and clip some toe nails. I have easily washed and dried a million dogs by now. I have done a TON of crazy lab puppies( which in reality almost ALL lab puppies are crazy)and I would have NEVER EVER sent one home like that. The high powered dryer should have blown out most of the tuffs and for that matter they could have used a glove while washing! Just because she doesnt have 'obedience skills' doesnt mean they should have half ***ed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labsrule Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Teach your dog to stand up on a table - this is where you should do all your grooming. This also indicates to the dog that it is "grooming time" and will help let the dog know what behaviour is expected of it. Most dogs are less inclined to want to play when they are up high (as mentioned by previous posters). Use two people if needs be, and reward and brush. Reinforce with the stand command. If the dog wants to play, a firm no, then stand, should be used. Once the dog settles - rewards! The dog will enventually get used to being up on the table and being groomed up there. And it's also much better for you your back, and will help when you need to put a bit of elbow grease into getting all that coat out!!! Labradors are big dogs and I wouldn't have thought that groomers would be lifting them up on tables to groom them ;) - correct me if I am wrong groomers Also in re-reading the OP post, I am shocked that the groomer clipped this dog's whiskers Why on earth would they do that , I would be very upset if any of my Lab's whiskers were clipped during a grooming session . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokezu Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 buy a pair of the green rubber gardening gloves from the super market and just start gently rubbing her down with it, my dogs are very wiggly but they will line up to stand there and be groomed with this glove, it is fantastic at removing the loose hair and the feel is very gentle and relaxing for them I wouldn't expect a groomer to do something with my dog if my dog won't let me do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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