Groomin Disaster

[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.

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.

He is either a tiny (badly bred) pure maltese or else a maltese cross

[mumof4girls]

a dog with one shaved leg looks bloody ridiculous and no groomer wants something like that leaving the premises.

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So, does this mean that a groomer can decide the end result, if it is what they want walking out their door?

Yep, I won't let a dog leave with something that I am unhappy with full stop.

An example of this was a Newfie with quite a matted rear end , chest and belly, the owner didn't want the whole dog clipped, just the matted bits ( which took a #10 ) , there was no way on earth I was letting a dog leave my salon looking like that and let that be an advertisement for my work.

I use my judgement and skills to make a dog look good and send home work I'm proud of

And I imagine you told the client this after they told you what they wanted? I am intrigued by this as it seems that in a lot of cases it doesn't matter what the person "paying the fee" wants ..

Can I ask groomers do clients ever refuse to pay if the

opposite of what they asked for is done? Or do they accept

and whinge when they get home? I guess it is bad

publicity if the latter happens as word of mouth is a

Powerful thing :-)

Edit cause my iPhone wasn't co-operating ..

Edited December 10, 2011 by mumof4girls

[Dogsfevr]

Can I ask groomers do clients ever refuse to pay if the

opposite of what they asked for is done? Or do they accept

and whinge when they get home? I guess it is bad

publicity if the latter happens as word of mouth is a

Powerful thing :-)

We are very careful to explain everything BUT many people don;t listen no matter how much you explain or they come with what they have "researched" & what it done that way which is great providing it can be or better still it actually matches the breed.

For example we have had a few clients who wanted there dogs clipped all over with a #40 blade,we refused to do it & explained why.

One was totally pissed we wouldn't do what asked & sent them on there way .They could not understand #40 is a surgical blade but they didn't care & alot of those people exist.

All dogs are felt for matts & we will say then whether we can brush out without causing any distress or harm to the dog again some think its simple to remove matts & as long as there not inflicting the pain don't see what the issue is nor the fact it comes to each groom in the same condition ,these people are generally the higher percentage of whingers

Nearly all good groomers reconize the serial salon whinger ,they go from one to another bitching about the previous one because they didn't get what they wanted & its obvious why .

Yes we do see the crap jobs done which i wouldn't pay for ,my breed is totally butchered by most groomers & it isn't that hard to educate yourself .Many training schools teach poor breed clips,infact in my state you can tell by the groom where some trained .

I am so glad we can pick/choice our clients,we are present nearly booked for the next 6 months & 80% of our clients book 12 months advance

[Austerra]

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.

And don't forgot the ones that come in so matted and neglected that they are infested with MAGGOTS!!!

[mumof4girls]

Thank you showdog I was getting the impression it didn't matter what the client wanted but what you said made sense..

[mumof4girls]

Austerra, omg that is disgusting :-(

[WreckitWhippet]

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.

Me too. I'm sick of seeing dogs so fat they can't stand on the table, for the reasonable amount of time it takes to clip them off and scissor.

I do a Poodle that is so fat, I can no longer get the foot blade between it's toes, it's now just clipped straight off and scissored around the feet.

[frufru]

Fat grooming clients - there I was thinking it was a crazy idea to have a surcharge - threatened one of mine with a price rise - it kills my back - "oh, but he eats hardly anything." (We have spoken weightloss on many occassions) Me "well, then its time to get a blood test because if he is eating sensibly and exercising he should drop some weight."

Mumof4girls

I think that if you read what we groomers have actually posted you will see that we generally take the upmost care to discuss what clients would like and what we think is possible.

My fav's are the poodle owners who go "I don't want it to look like a show dog" when the only way that would be possible would be to swap dogs :rofl:

[LizT]

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.

AS with all service industries word of mouth is the best form of recommendation.

Also while his first few visits might be a bit scary, if the groomer is consistently patient and kind it will only get easier and better for all.

[frufru]

Tiger Jack - sounds like you have done a good job. You need to find someone who is kind and has time for this little guy to increase his confidence and build trust. Alternativley you could look for someone who will improve your grooming skills. Either way I would also look at a behaviourist to do some desensitisation with him.

[TigerJack]

Tiger Jack - sounds like you have done a good job. You need to find someone who is kind and has time for this little guy to increase his confidence and build trust. Alternativley you could look for someone who will improve your grooming skills. Either way I would also look at a behaviourist to do some desensitisation with him.

thanks FruFru, he's coming along. A year ago when he came to me he just sort of latched onto me as if I was the only one he could trust. He panicked if anyone else tried to hold him. Its also why I tend to chop out matts rather than try and tease them apart as I don't want to damage the trust by causing him pain. In a year he has finally gotten to the point where he is comfortable wandering around between me and friends he sees alot. At trials, he will sit on my lap and then march off over the arm rest to another friends chair if they look like they might have food. He wouldn't have done that a year ago so he is a lot more confident. It was only people he was shy of, not dogs so that says alot for what he might have been through in the past. We are doing fine with desensitisation. I couldn't touch his feet a year ago but now he lets me play with them, same with his ears. He's getting there. Anyone know a good groomer in the St George area of Sydney. Or Eastern Suburbs I guess as I work over there.

[Trisven13]

Fat grooming clients - there I was thinking it was a crazy idea to have a surcharge - threatened one of mine with a price rise - it kills my back - "oh, but he eats hardly anything." (We have spoken weightloss on many occassions) Me "well, then its time to get a blood test because if he is eating sensibly and exercising he should drop some weight."

Mumof4girls

I think that if you read what we groomers have actually posted you will see that we generally take the upmost care to discuss what clients would like and what we think is possible.

My fav's are the poodle owners who go "I don't want it to look like a show dog" when the only way that would be possible would be to swap dogs :rofl:

My parents have miniature poodles and they most definitely do not want them clipped in a show style - they would say "I don't want it to look like a show dog". What on earth is wrong with saying that? Their poodles are clipped in puppy clip - I've spoken with their groomer who says that they are actually good dogs to clip because of the care that is taken of them, though the bitch is, well, a bitch

[Clyde]

Usually Trish, because none of the dogs would even be able to be clipped like a show dog anyway, I never mock clients for not knowing something, but I do have a quiet inner giggle that people have no grasp of how much work a show coat Poodle would be, or even look like (and why would they when it's not their thing).

[mumof4girls]

Fat grooming clients - there I was thinking it was a crazy idea to have a surcharge - threatened one of mine with a price rise - it kills my back - "oh, but he eats hardly anything." (We have spoken weightloss on many occassions) Me "well, then its time to get a blood test because if he is eating sensibly and exercising he should drop some weight."

Mumof4girls

I think that if you read what we groomers have actually posted you will see that we generally take the upmost care to discuss what clients would like and what we think is possible.

My fav's are the poodle owners who go "I don't want it to look like a show dog" when the only way that would be possible would be to swap dogs :rofl:

I have read all posts and I agree things are discussed but for some reason the outcome isn't what was discussed in a lot of cases. Clients are not called when what was discussed is not able to be done for whatever reason. That's the bit I wasn't understanding as I would have thought the dog would be checked whilst the discussion takes place.. I also thought that if you ring up then the dog would also be looked at and what the client wants discussed again as if you can't see the dog then how can you accept 1. What the client says and 2 if what they want can be indeed done.. That's all.Just my curiosity of the procedure, my job is all about procedures and policies and follow through :-)

. I am going to learn to hand strip my boy because I like the look and I want to :-)

[frufru]

Don't get me wrong - I am very polite to my customers (that's why my clients are long termers) but it does give me a giggle as no amount of hairdressing skills could turn A into B. It takes years to grow a poodle into an adult show trim.

This is a pet clip

and this is a show dog

Edited December 11, 2011 by frufru

[Austerra]

Austerra, omg that is disgusting :-(

Unfortunately you do get them. We had one that I threatened with reporting to RSPCA if we didn't see it at least 4 times a year.

First time it came in so matted that until we actually clipped towards the infected area (besides the filthy coat and the stench!!) you could not tell exactly what was underneath, so straight on to the phone to owner and told him we were taking it over to the vet at his expense, it was cleaned out, irrigated and antibiotics prescribed. Owner didn't even realise the condition his dog was in, too busy with work etc etc blah blah blah, just came home and gave the poor thing some food and that was about it, once a year clip off for summer with no bathing or grooming between visits. He has been consistent in bringing it in now and although it is always matted it isn't much worse than others we see. At least he took on board what we said and is trying to a point, he could of just ignored and never come back.

We could of gone ahead and reported him but RSPCA wouldn't do anything, they would just say he is doing the right thing now as he has brought it to be groomed.

Seen another that was so matted that it couldn't walk properly, turned out it had a length of wire matted into its coat between its hind legs, so it was basically being hobbled.

[WreckitWhippet]

My fav's are the poodle owners who go "I don't want it to look like a show dog" when the only way that would be possible would be to swap dogs :rofl:

I get them all the time " I don't show him or anything, so it doesn't matter how short it is"

I get a laugh out of it every time when it's a cross bred

[frufru]

Mumto4girls

I think in most cases where the outcome is not what the client wanted it is due to miscomunication rather than a lack of communication by either party. What is "short" can be "long" for others. What constitutes "matted"? I happily adjust a clip for a customer on pick up and work with them in subsequent visits to achieve a look they are happy with.

Personall, I only phone clients during a clip if there is a medical issue. I do not charge enough to be off chatting to customers on the phone everytime I hit a matt. A wash, dry groom takes about 1.15 mins so 10 mins on the phone adds to that. I clearly indicate to newbies that I clip off matts - I only groom out small knots as it is not fair to the dog. My customers know that it "Fluffy" comes home with shaved ears or tail then there were matts. Most of my customers have been with me for years and they are happy for me to do whatever.

[redial]

I took the maremma to the groomer last year as i was sick and couldn't brush him or wash him out. I told her I din't want him clipped or scissors anywhere near him and to just brush him out. She called me a few hours later and said that she was brushing through the dog and found a big mat and would it be OK if she cut it out or would I prefer to do it myself, as it was too matted for combing out. I told her to go ahead. When I got there he looked fine except for a patch of shorter hair. He looked so white. I told her thanks for calling, I just appreciated the respect she gave me.

So yes, I think a phone call should have been in order, as it's a professional service and it's rude to assume what a customer wants.

That reminds me I have to brush the maremma tomorrow... That's an all day job

[WreckitWhippet]

Austerra, omg that is disgusting :-(

Unfortunately you do get them. We had one that I threatened with reporting to RSPCA if we didn't see it at least 4 times a year.

First time it came in so matted that until we actually clipped towards the infected area (besides the filthy coat and the stench!!) you could not tell exactly what was underneath, so straight on to the phone to owner and told him we were taking it over to the vet at his expense, it was cleaned out, irrigated and antibiotics prescribed. Owner didn't even realise the condition his dog was in, too busy with work etc etc blah blah blah, just came home and gave the poor thing some food and that was about it, once a year clip off for summer with no bathing or grooming between visits. He has been consistent in bringing it in now and although it is always matted it isn't much worse than others we see. At least he took on board what we said and is trying to a point, he could of just ignored and never come back.

We could of gone ahead and reported him but RSPCA wouldn't do anything, they would just say he is doing the right thing now as he has brought it to be groomed.

Seen another that was so matted that it couldn't walk properly, turned out it had a length of wire matted into its coat between its hind legs, so it was basically being hobbled.

I've half clipped off dogs, found something that required vet treatment and called the owners to collect the dog half done. I tell them to bring the dog back when it's been seen to by a vet.

I've learnt that if you finish the job, many of them will come back next time, having not seen a vet at all.

Grass seeds in a vulva were enough to make me puke this year. I've not puked on the job before but that one was horendous but I guess if you have an owner that doesn't brush you, it's unlikely they get close enough to inspect or smell their dog.

I had one with an eye infection so bad last yesr, I couldn't clip it's face. Let alone remove the massive stinking matts, caused by the discharge.

I'm retiring