Groomin Disaster

[Kirty]

But there are also a lot of demanding clients who expect groomers to do unrealistic things or work miracles on dogs that have not been brushed in months (years even), never been clipped in their life, have the wrong coats, etc.

[Rysup]

Sometimes you can only do your best. This groomer clearly did their best, but if that does not suit you, find another one with higher standards.

I try my best to please the customer, but at the end of the day, I wont leave matts on if I can help it. Yesterday I did a Mini Poodle who they like long, and his body coat was in good condition, and I had to groom out a bit of light matting on his shoulders, but the matts behind the ears and on the neck were not salvageable, so I did the neck a bit shorter where the collar sits. Looked fine and they didn't mind, as they still had a fluffy body and legs.

[Everythings Shiny]

I'm a groomer part time. I am the only person to admit the dogs so I can talk to the owner about what they are after and what I am to do. I have been asked on occassion to not clip the legs and brush them instead when they are severely matted and I always say to them, it will cost X amount extra per 15 mins. Most people will then give permission to clip if the brushing is unsuccessful.

[Crisovar]

Finding good grooming clients is not easy either, just because you pay someone it doesn't make it ok to rock up with filthy dogs, infested with fleas and/or ticks, ears that are almost rotting off the dogs head, dogs matted to the extent that they cannot freely move limbs, have ears so matted that they audibly thud onto the table when shaved off. They do this and expect to take home a film star. This is the life of a Groomer.

We have invented breeds who are now apparently meant to have "breed clips" spoilt, bad tempered, untrained dogs, dogs who are not toileted before arriving, dog so untrained to accept any grooming, handling of feet, ears etc that they are overly nervous sometimes almost unmanageable. Dogs that hate baths, hate dryers, hate scissors, hate brushes, hate other dogs and dogs that bark and cry constantly. Dogs with overgrown uncared for coats with skin conditions, untreated hotspots which when uncovered by the necessity to clip off are then the fault of the Groomer.

Owners who throw tantrums because they cannot get an appointment now, and it is of course the Groomers fault because the dog is overgrown, matted and stinks when it does get one. Owners who try every Groomer in the district and bad mouth them all to each new one they try, because no one can perform that miracle or do it cheap enough, or fast enough on demand.

Then we have the owners who simply cannot understand that their dog cannot be turned into something it isn't or has a coat that cannot carry whatever clip they find in a book. Owners who do simply expect you to perform miracles.

I try every day to send home happy clients with well groomed, happy dogs that are comfortable and smart looking, I want the dogs to look good when they leave me, I want the owners to be happy and be proud to have a well groomed dog on the end of their lead. I am happy when I have achieved this a the end of the day, and most days succeed, so I suppose I am like many other Groomers who get a tad defensive about the often unwarranted vents about our profession.

[TessiesTracey]

Finding good grooming clients is not easy either, just because you pay someone it doesn't make it ok to rock up with filthy dogs, infested with fleas and/or ticks, ears that are almost rotting off the dogs head, dogs matted to the extent that they cannot freely move limbs, have ears so matted that they audibly thud onto the table when shaved off. They do this and expect to take home a film star. This is the life of a Groomer.

We have invented breeds who are now apparently meant to have "breed clips" spoilt, bad tempered, untrained dogs, dogs who are not toileted before arriving, dog so untrained to accept any grooming, handling of feet, ears etc that they are overly nervous sometimes almost unmanageable. Dogs that hate baths, hate dryers, hate scissors, hate brushes, hate other dogs and dogs that bark and cry constantly. Dogs with overgrown uncared for coats with skin conditions, untreated hotspots which when uncovered by the necessity to clip off are then the fault of the Groomer.

Owners who throw tantrums because they cannot get an appointment now, and it is of course the Groomers fault because the dog is overgrown, matted and stinks when it does get one. Owners who try every Groomer in the district and bad mouth them all to each new one they try, because no one can perform that miracle or do it cheap enough, or fast enough on demand.

Then we have the owners who simply cannot understand that their dog cannot be turned into something it isn't or has a coat that cannot carry whatever clip they find in a book. Owners who do simply expect you to perform miracles.

I try every day to send home happy clients with well groomed, happy dogs that are comfortable and smart looking, I want the dogs to look good when they leave me, I want the owners to be happy and be proud to have a well groomed dog on the end of their lead. I am happy when I have achieved this a the end of the day, and most days succeed, so I suppose I am like many other Groomers who get a tad defensive about the often unwarranted vents about our profession.

Bloomin' good post crisovar. If I had a buck for every flea ridden, matted and wet dog that came in I'd be a rich woman! And when customers ask how long the dog is going to be and you say perhaps a couple of hours (for the wet, muckiest ones) they seem surprised!! lol I obviously try and explain the grooming process to them, but it tends to fall on deaf ears.. we're miracle workers dontcha know!?!

[Greytmate]

Is telling somebody their dog's coat is in bad condition like telling them their dog is overweight? 9 out of ten people will argue with that one. In general, people do not accept being told that their dog is in less than excellent condition. They are used to seeing their dog like it is and will take it personally if you find fault.

I think that maybe groomers have to accept this part of human nature and develop procedures that work for them. Love the magic and miracles sign. I also like Everything's Shiny's procedure of getting the dog on the table before discussion.

[Clyde]

I charge people extra for fat dogs now. I've had a few buck up about it but it's a lot of extra work - heavy lifting, product and extra time so I got sick of doing it the same price as lighter well cared for dogs.

[casowner]

Finding good grooming clients is not easy either, just because you pay someone it doesn't make it ok to rock up with filthy dogs, infested with fleas and/or ticks, ears that are almost rotting off the dogs head, dogs matted to the extent that they cannot freely move limbs, have ears so matted that they audibly thud onto the table when shaved off. They do this and expect to take home a film star. This is the life of a Groomer.

We have invented breeds who are now apparently meant to have "breed clips" spoilt, bad tempered, untrained dogs, dogs who are not toileted before arriving, dog so untrained to accept any grooming, handling of feet, ears etc that they are overly nervous sometimes almost unmanageable. Dogs that hate baths, hate dryers, hate scissors, hate brushes, hate other dogs and dogs that bark and cry constantly. Dogs with overgrown uncared for coats with skin conditions, untreated hotspots which when uncovered by the necessity to clip off are then the fault of the Groomer.

Owners who throw tantrums because they cannot get an appointment now, and it is of course the Groomers fault because the dog is overgrown, matted and stinks when it does get one. Owners who try every Groomer in the district and bad mouth them all to each new one they try, because no one can perform that miracle or do it cheap enough, or fast enough on demand.

Then we have the owners who simply cannot understand that their dog cannot be turned into something it isn't or has a coat that cannot carry whatever clip they find in a book. Owners who do simply expect you to perform miracles.

I try every day to send home happy clients with well groomed, happy dogs that are comfortable and smart looking, I want the dogs to look good when they leave me, I want the owners to be happy and be proud to have a well groomed dog on the end of their lead. I am happy when I have achieved this a the end of the day, and most days succeed, so I suppose I am like many other Groomers who get a tad defensive about the often unwarranted vents about our profession.

This ^

After 20 years I could handle being bitten, being shat on, trying my best to give each and every dog a positive experience it was the owners that finally did me in. Seeing the same dogs come in with the same eye/ear infections, the same matted coats, the same flea infestations etc etc and then listen to them say how much they love them and that they sleep inside when I was trying my best not to throw up becuase of that familiar smell of skin and ear infections not to mention the odour of wetting down dogs with massive flea infestations - that tainted blood smell.

If they only shared half of the expectations on themselves as they do the groomer there wouldn't be half the problems - oops now I am generalising on dog owners. Unfortunately when you are a groomer when you have continuous bad owner experiences it damages the feel of the many many positive ones and I do miss the owners and dogs of the many brilliant customers that I shared over the years

My priority was and will always be the comfort and the experience for the dog as they are the ones on the table getting clippers, scissors and strange hands holding them

Edited December 10, 2011 by millbrooksprings

[Gayle.]

The OP's lovely dog appears to be neither uncared for nor flea-ridden, in fact he looks like a very well cared for dog. The groomer she went to did a shit job, and using the excuse "It will grow back" is a cop out.

[casowner]

I agree about the OP's dog and as a pet owner she did a decent job herself, I am generalising to speaking about the OP. I can not see in the pics where the head was trimmed, cut like a ball, but I do think she has done a good job herself

[Greytmate]

The OP's lovely dog appears to be neither uncared for nor flea-ridden, in fact he looks like a very well cared for dog. The groomer she went to did a shit job, and using the excuse "It will grow back" is a cop out.

The photos only show the "after', they do not show the condition of the dog's coat before the clip. We don't know how matted the legs were. Dog looks very well and happy, but we just don't have all the information.

[minimiss]

The OP's lovely dog appears to be neither uncared for nor flea-ridden, in fact he looks like a very well cared for dog. The groomer she went to did a shit job, and using the excuse "It will grow back" is a cop out.

The photos only show the "after', they do not show the condition of the dog's coat before the clip. We don't know how matted the legs were. Dog looks very well and happy, but we just don't have all the information.

The 1st of the 3 photos was the 'before' shot

[Gayle.]

The OP's lovely dog appears to be neither uncared for nor flea-ridden, in fact he looks like a very well cared for dog. The groomer she went to did a shit job, and using the excuse "It will grow back" is a cop out.

The photos only show the "after', they do not show the condition of the dog's coat before the clip. We don't know how matted the legs were. Dog looks very well and happy, but we just don't have all the information.

There is a before photo. The dog is not unkempt, uncared for or flea-ridden. I stand by what I say, that groomer did a shit job and shouldn't be let near any dog with scissors or clippers.

[Dogsfevr]

What i find interesting is if the groomer phoned & said the knots where bad the OP would have said leave it & they would try to get them out surely if that was going to be one of there options then why not brush the knots out in the first place ??

I am so glad we can pick & choice our clients but i love my job as a groomer even though many people think its an easy job,many people are full of opinions yet never dealt with this career & quite frankly its a Thankless job where if you consider the dogs best interests you get post like this(again without knowing both sides & the actual dog ) & if you brushed the bad knots out your then cruel & should have considered the dog first .

You can never tell the true condition of a Poodle coat or many others by photo's ,most groomers will have groomed the felted messes where the owners have brushed the top layer but not the bottom.

I find it amazing how people are happy to point blame at the groomer without knowing there side as well .

We take photo's & video of badly matted dogs because like many we learnt the first time about people who deny there dogs had knots & then whinge to one & all,we also keep the coat & even then some still wont accept it.

I did a dog yesterday that had knots on its back leg ,had so for a few weeks but the owner decided it was going to the groomer so we can get them out & apparently put the dog through the trauma because it made them cry when it screamed

That very big knot turned out to be a very infected grass seed where the pus had set like concrete

[Greytmate]

The OP's lovely dog appears to be neither uncared for nor flea-ridden, in fact he looks like a very well cared for dog. The groomer she went to did a shit job, and using the excuse "It will grow back" is a cop out.

The photos only show the "after', they do not show the condition of the dog's coat before the clip. We don't know how matted the legs were. Dog looks very well and happy, but we just don't have all the information.

The 1st of the 3 photos was the 'before' shot

The OP's lovely dog appears to be neither uncared for nor flea-ridden, in fact he looks like a very well cared for dog. The groomer she went to did a shit job, and using the excuse "It will grow back" is a cop out.

The photos only show the "after', they do not show the condition of the dog's coat before the clip. We don't know how matted the legs were. Dog looks very well and happy, but we just don't have all the information.

There is a before photo. The dog is not unkempt, uncared for or flea-ridden. I stand by what I say, that groomer did a shit job and shouldn't be let near any dog with scissors or clippers.

No, there is no before shot.

The first photo was taken after a grooming session six weeks ago. The OP admits that the dog was matted since then because of bandaging. We have no photos to see the extent of the matting.

[Trishm]

Finding good grooming clients is not easy either, just because you pay someone it doesn't make it ok to rock up with filthy dogs, infested with fleas and/or ticks, ears that are almost rotting off the dogs head, dogs matted to the extent that they cannot freely move limbs, have ears so matted that they audibly thud onto the table when shaved off. They do this and expect to take home a film star. This is the life of a Groomer.

We have invented breeds who are now apparently meant to have "breed clips" spoilt, bad tempered, untrained dogs, dogs who are not toileted before arriving, dog so untrained to accept any grooming, handling of feet, ears etc that they are overly nervous sometimes almost unmanageable. Dogs that hate baths, hate dryers, hate scissors, hate brushes, hate other dogs and dogs that bark and cry constantly. Dogs with overgrown uncared for coats with skin conditions, untreated hotspots which when uncovered by the necessity to clip off are then the fault of the Groomer.

Owners who throw tantrums because they cannot get an appointment now, and it is of course the Groomers fault because the dog is overgrown, matted and stinks when it does get one. Owners who try every Groomer in the district and bad mouth them all to each new one they try, because no one can perform that miracle or do it cheap enough, or fast enough on demand.

Then we have the owners who simply cannot understand that their dog cannot be turned into something it isn't or has a coat that cannot carry whatever clip they find in a book. Owners who do simply expect you to perform miracles.

I try every day to send home happy clients with well groomed, happy dogs that are comfortable and smart looking, I want the dogs to look good when they leave me, I want the owners to be happy and be proud to have a well groomed dog on the end of their lead. I am happy when I have achieved this a the end of the day, and most days succeed, so I suppose I am like many other Groomers who get a tad defensive about the often unwarranted vents about our profession.

This ^

After 20 years I could handle being bitten, being shat on, trying my best to give each and every dog a positive experience it was the owners that finally did me in. Seeing the same dogs come in with the same eye/ear infections, the same matted coats, the same flea infestations etc etc and then listen to them say how much they love them and that they sleep inside when I was trying my best not to throw up becuase of that familiar smell of skin and ear infections not to mention the odour of wetting down dogs with massive flea infestations - that tainted blood smell.

If they only shared half of the expectations on themselves as they do the groomer there wouldn't be half the problems - oops now I am generalising on dog owners. Unfortunately when you are a groomer when you have continuous bad owner experiences it damages the feel of the many many positive ones and I do miss the owners and dogs of the many brilliant customers that I shared over the years

My priority was and will always be the comfort and the experience for the dog as they are the ones on the table getting clippers, scissors and strange hands holding them

Amen to the above, I have been clipping for 30 years and seen it all, but last week I was presented with a dog for clipping, the owner conveniently forgot to tell me when she made the booking that the dogs leg had been injured and was bandaged by the Vet very securely.

She thought it would be "OK for me to take the bandage off" to groom it......not only Vet Wrap, but adhesive bandage covering the whole leg and foot, apart from the time that it would have taken, I was not prepared to remove a bandage without sayso from the Vet.

They didn't want to do it themselves, so Ok, just get the good ole groomer to do it.

Needless to say the dog went home with the leg still bandaged and with advice to take it back to the Vet if they couldn't get the bandage off.

[frufru]

Gayle

The groom is a pretty typical 7 blade clip - seen better and seen worse :shrug: I only do this length for dogs who are heavily matted. Although, I also have poodle customers who request this length because they live in a heavy paralysis tick area. Personally I think the dog would look much better with a scissored topknot but the owner doesn't like them apparently - this leaves the dog looking very unbalanced. A better choice for this owner would be to grow the dog into a very tight show puppy clip since she likes the topknot long.

Edited December 10, 2011 by frufru

[LizT]

I guess a builder isn't going to do a crap job and tarnish their reputation so why should a groomer? Especially seeing as the end result is often walked around town. Sometimes I'm asked to do things which I think look silly and that's fine, I oblige - however I always tell the owner not to tell anyone I did it as I think it looks silly and don't want people to think it is the way I work.

A couple of weeks ago I had someone book in three Maremmas. She wanted them all clipped right off which in itself was grooming blasphemy, she then wanted one of them in a lion clip including the tail shaved with a pom on the end I just about died, but she knew what she wanted and was ecstatic with the result. Really lovely person who even phoned the next day to say how much she loved what I had done. Meanwhile I'm hoping no other groomers hear about what I did

How embarrassing for the Maremmas!

Some owners really do make Geeks out of their dogs...but they're their dogs.

[TigerJack]

I am sure there are a lot of people like me who have never used a groomer and who are a bit bemused about where to start looking for a good one. Reason being, that nobody gets on DOL (or any other forum or info place) to say how wonderful the groomer was that just did their dog. All we ever do see is the ones that weren't happy. So for me, I am reluctant to try one. I guess I am lucky in that I have mostly short coated dogs so no groomer type requirements that I can't manage.

I do, however, have two little white fluffies with difficult coats. One, is fine being handled as I've had her since she was a pup. She does let me comb her out and tolerates the knots being pulled and cut out so she never gets matted. She also happily sits still while I clip or scissor her down to a very short maintenance clip. The other is a tiny tiny (2kg) little rescue that had possibly never been groomed in his life before I got him. He was a terrible matted little knot of sticks and burrs and fleas wighing only 1.6kg when I got him. The whole coat came off in one piece. He must have been like that for a long time as he paced, rather than walking with the diagonal legs on opposite sides moving forward at once. (does that make sense?) He still paces now, even though the coat is gone. He has a cotton wool type of coat. Very fine and fluffy but a bit wavy. He looks appalling shaved to the skin but longer than 2cm or so and its hard to keep knot free. Even after a year, with me constantly handling him and combing and doing my best to keep him matt free, he still looks a bit like a muppet haircut cotton ball. He freaks at the sound of a clipper and is scared of implements like scissors and combs. I am sure if he had a decent clip done by a professional then I could maintain it but I wouldn't know where to go to find a good one and I worry for how traumatised he would be. I don't know what went on in his life before he came to me but he hates being groomed by me who he knows, I imagine a strange groomer would be a bit scary for him. All a bit daunting really. All I ever see on DOL is the reports of people unhappy with groomers so I am nervous of trying one. My little man will likely have to keep his geeky haircut done by me as a result.

This is 'Chicken' looking fairly good for him. He does need his legs trimmed but that is a difficult task and he finds it traumatic.

[Guest donatella]

I am sure there are a lot of people like me who have never used a groomer and who are a bit bemused about where to start looking for a good one. Reason being, that nobody gets on DOL (or any other forum or info place) to say how wonderful the groomer was that just did their dog. All we ever do see is the ones that weren't happy. So for me, I am reluctant to try one. I guess I am lucky in that I have mostly short coated dogs so no groomer type requirements that I can't manage.

I do, however, have two little white fluffies with difficult coats. One, is fine being handled as I've had her since she was a pup. She does let me comb her out and tolerates the knots being pulled and cut out so she never gets matted. She also happily sits still while I clip or scissor her down to a very short maintenance clip. The other is a tiny tiny (2kg) little rescue that had possibly never been groomed in his life before I got him. He was a terrible matted little knot of sticks and burrs and fleas wighing only 1.6kg when I got him. The whole coat came off in one piece. He must have been like that for a long time as he paced, rather than walking with the diagonal legs on opposite sides moving forward at once. (does that make sense?) He still paces now, even though the coat is gone. He has a cotton wool type of coat. Very fine and fluffy but a bit wavy. He looks appalling shaved to the skin but longer than 2cm or so and its hard to keep knot free. Even after a year, with me constantly handling him and combing and doing my best to keep him matt free, he still looks a bit like a muppet haircut cotton ball. He freaks at the sound of a clipper and is scared of implements like scissors and combs. I am sure if he had a decent clip done by a professional then I could maintain it but I wouldn't know where to go to find a good one and I worry for how traumatised he would be. I don't know what went on in his life before he came to me but he hates being groomed by me who he knows, I imagine a strange groomer would be a bit scary for him. All a bit daunting really. All I ever see on DOL is the reports of people unhappy with groomers so I am nervous of trying one. My little man will likely have to keep his geeky haircut done by me as a result.

This is 'Chicken' looking fairly good for him. He does need his legs trimmed but that is a difficult task and he finds it traumatic.

I think the trick is recommendations or finding someone with the same breed who has a regular groomer and is very happy with them. What breed is he? He looks like a maltese x which I daresay is one of the most popular little guys to hit the groomers.