Andisa Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hi, yes it's me...I will PM you soon. I'm about to pick up my Pug from the specialist. He had Brachy-related surgery yesterday (he stayed overnight). Seeya Glad I have the right person - How are you, it has been a long time since I saw you last. I went back through some of your posts and your intro thread and no mention of Star, is she no longer with you? Hope Grover recovers well from his surgery, poor little fella. Looking forward to catching up with you again :D . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I had a dog who was a terrier X come in for grooming. His owner said he was fine to groom. I wasn't 100 percent sure about this dog from observing it's body language. He was in a grooming arm, not overtly aggressive but rather stiff and had shifty eye contact. Can't remember what sparked it, but he launched off the table literally at my face/throat. I managed to catch him and juggle him back to the table without getting badly bitten. I grabbed a plastic basket muzzle put it on, firmly placed him where I wanted him and when he went off again I held him firmly and didn't scream st him but stood over him and gave the growliest growl I could. He went quiet, he had two more episodes but each time they lessened. I got him groomed but used a rope muzzle to fo his face muzzle. Next time he came he tried once same reaction and gave up. Basically he pretended I didn't exist he didn't look at me - ever but I could groom him easily with no more attacks, although he was always muzzled. I did ask his owner about him and told them what he had done and how I had reacted. Basically they brushed him at home but on his terms, he walked away when he had had enough and they left him be, same with everything in his life. He tried to get me to back off I didn't he pushed it, still didn't work so he chose avoidence. It worked very happily for us for quite e few years. In this case firm handling and growling - no not yelling or screaming- worked very well as it did on many. I havealso had to hold muzzles and beards firmly so that they wouldn't get their eyes poked out or their faces cut . I would not shake a dog but a gruff growl, firm holding or firmly holding muzzles even if they are squeaking because their pride is being hurt is not abuse. I hope everyone who wants there dog never to have a firm hold or word has spent the time training their dog to be groomed. I had a few that were a complete pleasure to trim, wash and dry and I thoroughly enjoyed doing them. However they unfortunately were out weighed by the ones who bit lunged, jumped, pooped, peed and many other things. I no longer can groom due to ruining my back dealing with the dogs who did all of those things. Many people thing grooming is easy, it isn't it is very physical work. I would love my own coated breed to groom one day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Sounds like a Maltese that I do. The owners brush him on the dogs terms, that being not a lot at all. He hadn't been groomed until he was about 8 months old and he is the most aggressive dog I have ever come across. He's not just a fear biter but a dog that means business and he's so bad that I have to strap his muzzle shut, in order to scissor his head. If he can't bite you, he then gets the claws out and I have some nasty scars from handling that dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moochacha Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Oh, I'd groom them 'on demand' alright.. for a hefty fee. He can learn to book or pay for "expedited grooming". ;) Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Sounds like a Maltese that I do. The owners brush him on the dogs terms, that being not a lot at all. He hadn't been groomed until he was about 8 months old and he is the most aggressive dog I have ever come across. He's not just a fear biter but a dog that means business and he's so bad that I have to strap his muzzle shut, in order to scissor his head. If he can't bite you, he then gets the claws out and I have some nasty scars from handling that dog. Yep this dog most certainly meant business and wasn't scared at all. I do rememebr doing two poodles, one had a lovely coat, the other a fine whispy easily matted coat. They liked them in a Lamb trim. It wasn't too bad with the better coat, but the softer coat matted if they didn't keep the brushing up. They did really well for ages, then started slacking off. I told them you want to scissor them you need to put the effort in, it is not fair on the dogs to have matts removed from the coat. The didn't listen so one day the went home and had been done with a number 7 blade?? I think from memory, not very long anyway. Well they were not happy so I told them once again you bring them in with knots this is how I will clip them, you brush them I will scissor them. After that they were always beautiful. Then there was the poodle who only got groomed when it came to me, no matter how many times I discussed it with them. The only way to clip the Poodle was with a short blade down to the skin. Everytime she voiced her displeasure at him not having any hair left, each time she got told you brush him I can make his fluffy and pretty. With that dog it was pure laziness as he was extremely easy to groom. Then there was Fudge, oh how I adored that little dog. He would lay upside down in the hydro if you were washing his tummy and fall asleep, same as clipping him, he would stand and then when you scratched his tum he would lay down roll over and shut his eyes like he was in total bliss. If they were all like him with a wonderful owner to match I would still be doing it. You get itchy, filthy and stink. removing dags and maggots is not much fun along with dogs trying to give you new piercings. Andisa I would buy tickets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) I don't see what the big deal is about holding the muzzle, seems the safest thing to do to keep the dog from moving. I do the same when brushing I think I'd want to know if my dog is that badly behaved then I could work on fixing it. Though I am not sure how. That is revolting that dogs come in with maggots...surely that constitutes animal cruelty? Edited September 7, 2011 by Cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I don't see what the big deal is about holding the muzzle, seems the safest thing to do to keep the dog from moving. I do the same when brushing I think I'd want to know if my dog is that badly behaved then I could work on fixing it. Though I am not sure how. That is revolting that dogs come in with maggots...surely that constitutes animal cruelty? Some are riddled with fleas to the point you can smell the blood. Grass seeds is worse still,you can also smell the infected sores yet the owners can't. Some have enough poo hanging off there butt its & they get out of the car sitting on there owners lap. Eyes weeping & the list goes on. The number of dogs we have told the owners to take to the vets due to massive lumps,this stage we have picked up 10 with terminal cancer due to lumps the owners don't seem to feel/touch/see is amazing. We had one piddling kidney stones on the table whilst being groomed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 I would like to see groomers get together to write a book - it would be a big bugger. Some of the things I have seen so far have been pretty nasty - when I was mobile I got all those dogs who were so bad that the owners would never put them in the car - so they told me. After 9pm - so most would have had dinner by now :D . Several years ago when I was mobile, I was filling the tub up when I looked out the door to see the most filthy matted dog that you could imagine. Well nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to get up close and personal with. I had only been working on the dog for a few mins when I knocked on the door and asked who owns the dog, a girl about 16 said she did. Right - you can come with me. She didn't want to, but I told her she has to. The dog was nasty when I was trying to do his backside and with good reason - his rear was red, blistered, bleeding and very sore. The dog had a shitty bum, it was wet. There was no way I could cut it out so I had to get it's rear wet to wash it out, it was well and truly stuck there, so I had to pick it off with towels and my hands (rubber gloves)- I changed the water 3 times and that was just cleaning it's arse so I could start. I do not have a strong stomach - I kept putting my head out the back of the trailer for fresh air, I was on the verge of vomiting from the sight and smell of shit. I was lucky though - no maggots. The girl told me she can't stay, she was feeling sick and was leaving - I told her if you go now - so do I. You will be staying here while your dog is being groomed so you can see what you have done to him. I have no idea how she never vomited - but she was not game enough to leave. I had to call the other appts for the day to cancel and rebook, I explained why and the dog was crawling with fleas. There was no way I would wash my own dog in the trailer until I had a chance to clean it out properly so I would not wash a clients dog in it either. That dog took over 3 hours to finish, he was one of the worst matted dogs I have ever seen. Once I got the coat off, he had a bath - the water was changed a couple more times to get him clean. You can't explain how it feels when there are thousands of fleas crawling over your body, all over the dog and the trailer, the girl was horrified and I wanted her to see what it took to sort that mess out. I expected her parents to call me later to complain but I was ready for them by the time I finished that dog. He had Conjunctivitis in both eyes and the worst ear infections, I assume he would have been riddled with worms too. Once I cleaned up his bottom he behaved pretty good, if I was that dog I would have needed more than a muzzle to stop me from attacking, he had reason to be pissed off, the poor bloody dog. His backside was red raw and his coat was done with a #7 blade - I can't bring myself to do a #10 no matter how bad they are. I told them to make sure the house and yard is treated for fleas as well as the dog or they will always have a flea infestation - I do get pleasure in reminding them to make sure they worm themselves too when their dogs are so bad. The next day I was another dog in similar condition - not quite as bad. The warm weather after winter is not my favorite time of year ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrinaJ Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I've not read past the 1st page but I would suggest putting up a sign that say Strictly By Appointment Only, have 2 separate phone lines, one personal, one business which has an answering machine linked to it so they can leave a message. Running a business from home is not easy, you need to 'try' and keep them separate. Have business hours and try to stick to them. I personally think the client was rude to assume you would drop everything and come home and groom his dog! FFS you have a life to! Imagine you were a hairdresser working from home and someone just rocked up expecting to get their haircut, you could have had another client who made an appointment and another following that one and then he'd have had to go home. I would have said NO you need to make an appointment, but I'm fond of that word lately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 The strangest thing I have removed from a dog was a fine acupuncture needle, at first I had no idea what it was or how big it was. I could only feel the part that was sticking out, I thought it was a stick or a thorn, I couldn't see through the matted coat, just feel it. As I was pulling it out it just kept coming, by the time I got it out I almost fainted, the dog coped better than I did. I showed the owner and he called me later on when he found out what it was. There was another one still in the leg that I could feel but not get hold of it so they took him to the vet the next to have it removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdie Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I would like to see groomers get together to write a book - it would be a big bugger. Some of the things I have seen so far have been pretty nasty - when I was mobile I got all those dogs who were so bad that the owners would never put them in the car - so they told me. After 9pm - so most would have had dinner by now :D . Several years ago when I was mobile, I was filling the tub up when I looked out the door to see the most filthy matted dog that you could imagine. Well nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to get up close and personal with. I had only been working on the dog for a few mins when I knocked on the door and asked who owns the dog, a girl about 16 said she did. Right - you can come with me. She didn't want to, but I told her she has to. The dog was nasty when I was trying to do his backside and with good reason - his rear was red, blistered, bleeding and very sore. The dog had a shitty bum, it was wet. There was no way I could cut it out so I had to get it's rear wet to wash it out, it was well and truly stuck there, so I had to pick it off with towels and my hands (rubber gloves)- I changed the water 3 times and that was just cleaning it's arse so I could start. I do not have a strong stomach - I kept putting my head out the back of the trailer for fresh air, I was on the verge of vomiting from the sight and smell of shit. I was lucky though - no maggots. The girl told me she can't stay, she was feeling sick and was leaving - I told her if you go now - so do I. You will be staying here while your dog is being groomed so you can see what you have done to him. I have no idea how she never vomited - but she was not game enough to leave. I had to call the other appts for the day to cancel and rebook, I explained why and the dog was crawling with fleas. There was no way I would wash my own dog in the trailer until I had a chance to clean it out properly so I would not wash a clients dog in it either. That dog took over 3 hours to finish, he was one of the worst matted dogs I have ever seen. Once I got the coat off, he had a bath - the water was changed a couple more times to get him clean. You can't explain how it feels when there are thousands of fleas crawling over your body, all over the dog and the trailer, the girl was horrified and I wanted her to see what it took to sort that mess out. I expected her parents to call me later to complain but I was ready for them by the time I finished that dog. He had Conjunctivitis in both eyes and the worst ear infections, I assume he would have been riddled with worms too. Once I cleaned up his bottom he behaved pretty good, if I was that dog I would have needed more than a muzzle to stop me from attacking, he had reason to be pissed off, the poor bloody dog. His backside was red raw and his coat was done with a #7 blade - I can't bring myself to do a #10 no matter how bad they are. I told them to make sure the house and yard is treated for fleas as well as the dog or they will always have a flea infestation - I do get pleasure in reminding them to make sure they worm themselves too when their dogs are so bad. The next day I was another dog in similar condition - not quite as bad. The warm weather after winter is not my favorite time of year ... This is a real shock to me;i always envisaged that people who took their dogs to a groomer looked after their dog.How anyone could let them get to this state. Glad you made the girl stay and watch.All these owners should be made to watch;or better still,put on gloves and help.Have you ever reported a dog that was in a bad way.?Should be a film made and shown on TV.You must be very dedicated to dogs to do this.Hope you charged the owners a lot extra to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Matted stinking dogs (and cats) are not unusual after winter heading into the warmer months. Some people seem to think leaving extra coat on keeps the dog warm, but then they get wet and matted because no-one brushes them, the get infected skin and fly blown if left until the correct time of the year. There is nothing quite like washing a dog totally infested with fleas and seeing the flea bodies falling off like large grains of dirt and coveing the bottom of the bath and seeing the water turn red and looking like it is blood. Usually three or so washes and water changes later they look clean and decent and I have found quite often fall into a very deep sleep while waiting for owners as they are exhausted from all the itching and scratching they have been doing. Grooming is not all clean fluffy poodles groomed to perfection - if only! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I stopped grooming as I was ready to start punching owners, lol. This thread has reminded me why I hated grooming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 AH yep Jules I can fully undestand that feeling. I stopped because I was pregnant and leaving anyway, but if I was able I would have stopped earlier for the same reason. I once had a tourist dog visit and went over exactly what they wanted, did the dog as was requested - well so I thought. Their reaction when I brought him out?? OH my god you have made him ugly, oh he is so ugly now. My response well don't worry if you ahte it that much give it a few weeks and it will have grown out! Maybe it wasn't exactly as they had invisaged, but really to go on like that?? And they ahd young kids with them as well, not a really good role model I would have thought? I had also spent a quite long time going over exactly what they wanted and they were VERY picky and tried my absolute hardest to get it that way and it ahd taken me a longer time than a dog of that size normally took. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atanquin Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I could not be a groomer if I had a dog that bad come to me for grooming I would be calling the RSPCA. My mum had a standard poodle once she went to a groomer and asked for an all over trim showed her what she wanted and said I DO NOT want pom poms I want my dog to look like a dog so not pom poms just an all over trim. And well she came back to pick her dog up and guess what it had pom poms she though they where giving her the wrong dog to start with lol. I have had so much trouble finding someone to groom zorro they all said to shave him and I didn't want him shaved but finally found someone that does points and couldn't understand why the other groomers wanted to shave him ( he is brushed daily and has a super coat) but I think it's the same everywhere you go, you get good groomers and bad ones just got to shop around till you find one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 I knocked back a lady with a Bichon Frise once, she was telling me exactly what she wanted done while she was holding the dog, ok - that's fine, no worries. BUT as I was trying to touch to the dog it was clear he was not comfortable, he was squirmy around her side and she was struggling to hold him. She said he was very nervous, that was an understatement. He had only been done once before, coat looked ok but hard to tell without being able to touch it. When she went to pass him to me he was very frightened, I knew I would not be able to do anything with a dog that I can not even touch so told her to take him to a vet to be sedated. To be really honest - the main reason I said no was because her own hair was puffed up like a poodle and I knew she was going to be very hard to please, easier to say sorry I can't than be abused for not doing what she wants when the dog will not even allow me to touch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I could not be a groomer if I had a dog that bad come to me for grooming I would be calling the RSPCA. My mum had a standard poodle once she went to a groomer and asked for an all over trim showed her what she wanted and said I DO NOT want pom poms I want my dog to look like a dog so not pom poms just an all over trim. And well she came back to pick her dog up and guess what it had pom poms she though they where giving her the wrong dog to start with lol. I have had so much trouble finding someone to groom zorro they all said to shave him and I didn't want him shaved but finally found someone that does points and couldn't understand why the other groomers wanted to shave him ( he is brushed daily and has a super coat) but I think it's the same everywhere you go, you get good groomers and bad ones just got to shop around till you find one I know a few that have taken photos and handed the matter on to the RSPCA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lugeanjaam Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Wow! This thread has turned into a very eye opening insight into the world of groomers! You could only do this job truly for the love of dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DBT Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I have groomed a few maggotty dogs over the years as well as countless filthy flea ridden snotty faced poo packed sweeties in full body casts The worst however was whilst clipping the gigantic matted bells off a Cockers ears one day. I was approx 1/3 -1/2 way down the ear leather chipping away with a 10# WHEN THE WHOLE RUDDY THING FELL OFF! It took a moment for my brain to compute that i wasn't at the end of the ear leather yet, shit did i cut the dogs ear off?? I looked down to see a maggotty ball of matt sitting on the table with fragments off the ear leather amongst it all. YEP, the maggotts were nicely concealed in the matt ball happily munching away on the dead flesh that once was the dogs ear leather. Only about 1/3 of the ear leather remained in tact on the dog I just took the dog immediately to the vet , then called the owner to tell them there is a problem with your dog please go to XYZ vet asap, then called the RSPCA who met them at the vet. i don't know the outcome. Oh so often though, if i have called the RSPCA about severe matting and coat neglect, they say there is nothing they can do as by bringing the dog to the groomer they have taken steps to rectify the problem. They can only act if the dog is in poor physical condition underneath the mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atua Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Only this morning I had a dog to bath that I went to pick up to put into the bath and it went to bite me on the face. Luckily my reaction times have gotten a hell of a lot faster and I managed to pull my head back as it was coming and didnt manage any bite marks but the dog nose hit my cheek. This was a little sausage dog (sorry if i offend anyone but I dont know how to spell their real name properly) Luckily once the dog was in the bath he was ok and wasnt nasty. Some dogs are just plain nasty. Last week I had a dog latch onto my finger and not want to let go when I went to groom her face. I always put a finger over the bridgee of the nose and my thumb under the chin that way I can feel when the dog is about to move and I can stop what I am doing so I dont take an eye out or even cut the tongue. However I do get some lovely dogs that remind me why I do love being a groomer. Dont even get me started on some of the dogs I have done in feral conditions and unfortunately it is that time of the year again and they are going to be plentiful. All dogs react different and some dogs if you get frustrated with them get worse, some however do need to be told a firm NO but not all dogs and most groomers have got dog behaviour worked out and know accordingly. Some just need reassurance that everything is ok and are happy with just that. However there is no place in any grooming salon for a dangerous dog. Biting is dangerous not just to the groomer but the also to the dog as clipping is not only physical work but mental work as well as you need to be always one step ahead. But also when a dog wont co operate it can be dangerous but there is a difference in co operation of say the average dog and a dog that just wont to co operate. Our salon deals with dangerous dogs simple- a phone call to the owner and let them know what is going on. We then show them how the dog is reacting and why we can not do it. To all the groomers out there :hugs: you do a fantastic job and people dont realise just how crap some days can be. With the busy season approaching its scary to think of the states that some of these dogs are going to come in like but I wish you all the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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