Groomin Disaster

[WreckitWhippet]

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.

That pretty much sums it up for me too.

[Dogsfevr]

The other problem you get husband drops off & says all off .wife picks up & has a mental breakdown or vice versa.Communication between the owners is just as bad.

You can ask all the questions to the person delivering the dog & what they say goes so people make sure EVERYONE knows what is wanted .

We get many grandparents who drop off & again have no idea what is wanted & again people rarely answer there phones ,would be great if they did but when the dog is booked for a time slot you dont have the luxury to wait for them to return call.

Dog is a mess so owner does the drop & run because there embarrassed & won't answer phone .

Grass seeds we had one that had 7 in her Vulva & was oozing pus & yes it was a

The dog had surgery to remove the others we found & in total had over 20 in her,she had such a severe infection in her chest they at first that it was a fatty tissue lump.

Most infested grass seed dogs you ca smell walking in that smell is one of a kind .

My personal favourite the fluffies that have enough shit caked to there bum that can't toilet & said dog is there proud house pet & sleeps on there bed yet they can't smell it or remove it because its gross but apparently fine for the groomer to do it .

For the people we can't contact or even the ones we discuss prior to bad dogs get video or photo's taken to save our rep because sadly these are the worse people for bitching about previous groomers without telling the truth

[PuddleDuck]

I remember dropping riff raff of to the groomers as a kid and asking for a trim, came back and he was nearly bald. Dad and I had to excuse ourselves and walk outside so we could fall about laughing, he looked ridiculous and clearly knew it. BUT, hair grows back, and we honestly couldn't have cared less. He was still our best boy.

The only time I remember sending him back was when he got clipped at the vet and they left his leg, head and tail long. Absolutely stupid looking and quite pointless with the number of ticks in our area.

[Clyde]

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.

In my opinion, that's just overkill and silly. Waste of time. The dog is there to be groomed, the matt could not be brushed out - for the dog to be groomed/finished the matt would have to be removed and I would remove it. If I phoned clients for permission to remove every matt I came across I wouldn't get ay work done and my phone calls would cost more than my earnings.

[redial]

It was a very large matt ina very obvious area.

[Clyde]

One would assume then, that this would be discussed at drop off. But only reinforces my point that the matt could not be left on, could not be brushed out, so only leaves the last option of clipping or cutting it out.

[mumof4girls]

The other problem you get husband drops off & says all off .wife picks up & has a mental breakdown or vice versa.Communication between the owners is just as bad.

You can ask all the questions to the person delivering the dog & what they say goes so people make sure EVERYONE knows what is wanted .

We get many grandparents who drop off & again have no idea what is wanted & again people rarely answer there phones ,would be great if they did but when the dog is booked for a time slot you dont have the luxury to wait for them to return call.

Dog is a mess so owner does the drop & run because there embarrassed & won't answer phone .

Grass seeds we had one that had 7 in her Vulva & was oozing pus & yes it was a

The dog had surgery to remove the others we found & in total had over 20 in her,she had such a severe infection in her chest they at first that it was a fatty tissue lump.

Most infested grass seed dogs you ca smell walking in that smell is one of a kind .

My personal favourite the fluffies that have enough shit caked to there bum that can't toilet & said dog is there proud house pet & sleeps on there bed yet they can't smell it or remove it because its gross but apparently fine for the groomer to do it .

For the people we can't contact or even the ones we discuss prior to bad dogs get video or photo's taken to save our rep because sadly these are the worse people for bitching about previous groomers without telling the truth

Wow I am shocked that people let their dogs get that bad, even for matting to occur let alone the disgusting things you guys have mentioned.. I take my hat off to you all... I am shocked and quite sad....

[LizT]

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).

It's akin to people wanting their hair cut "long" at the hairdressers when it's on the short side now!

[Simply Grand]

Do you know, it never even occurred to me that you could comb matts out! Not that I'm an expert by any stretch but being new to it all when I got Saxon I just assumed that if he got a matt I would trim it out as doing anything else would hurt him. I certainly wouldn't have had a problem with a groomer cutting out matts, especially bad ones.

Do you find that the majority generally do expect you to brush them out rather than cut or is it just a few... erm...less realistic clients expecting that?

[frufru]

I am able to brush/comb matts out of my own dogs as they have all been show dogs and used to hours of grooming - they are very cooperative which means that you can work on the matt with a comb and gently tease it out as they lie on their side or whatever position you have placed them in. This would not work on a dog that was felted all over. Most pets are not cooperative to this degree and will struggle which means that you would hurt them so yes cutting or clipping the matt is kinder.

[Crisovar]

I think that the majority of owners who bring matted dogs to be groomed really haven't given the process any thought at all. They want to collect a finished product and I am sure most think that groomers achieve this by waving a wand. When you explain that the fluffy style they request is not going to be possible with the degree of matting that their dog has they just blink at you.

Some matting can be removed, it really does depend on the type of coat and the dog itself has to tolerate it. Many dogs will not, and many owners will just return with the dog in the same state repeatedly, so a straight clip off will win there.

I am more inclined to persevere with regular clients who have had a one off coat disaster but again it depends on the coat and the dog.

[mumof4girls]

I think that the majority of owners who bring matted dogs to be groomed really haven't given the process any thought at all. They want to collect a finished product and I am sure most think that groomers achieve this by waving a wand. When you explain that the fluffy style they request is not going to be possible with the degree of matting that their dog has they just blink at you.

Some matting can be removed, it really does depend on the type of coat and the dog itself has to tolerate it. Many dogs will not, and many owners will just return with the dog in the same state repeatedly, so a straight clip off will win there.

I am more inclined to persevere with regular clients who have had a one off coat disaster but again it depends on the coat and the dog.

So Crisovar sorry for my naivety but are dogs that are matted this way because they are being groomed less than once a week or just not being groomed at all? I guess I can understand for some owners not getting to groom their dogs during the working week but on weekends Baffles me that they take the dog to a groomer in this state why let it get to this and then have to pay good money to get it all clipped off...

[Crisovar]

Both mumof4, some dogs do not see a comb or a bath in between visits to the Groomer, this may be monthly or yearly. Some owners do attempt to keep up but fail, often because they do not do it thoroughly or regularly. Generally the wrong choice of breed plays a part.

Some people simply see it is the Groomers job to clean up their dog, treat the fleas etc. The one I despise are the ones that cannot even touch the poor animal, they bring it wrapped in a towel and ask if they can wash their hands after handing it over. It is ok for the Groomer to deal with though, that's what they are paid for.

I have been asked to collect dogs that owners don't want to put in their cars, and have had dogs arrive in the boot of the car.

[mumof4girls]

I just don't understand why they even have a dog

[❤LovesPoodles❤]

Both mumof4, some dogs do not see a comb or a bath in between visits to the Groomer, this may be monthly or yearly. Some owners do attempt to keep up but fail, often because they do not do it thoroughly or regularly. Generally the wrong choice of breed plays a part.

Some people simply see it is the Groomers job to clean up their dog, treat the fleas etc. The one I despise are the ones that cannot even touch the poor animal, they bring it wrapped in a towel and ask if they can wash their hands after handing it over. It is ok for the Groomer to deal with though, that's what they are paid for.

I have been asked to collect dogs that owners don't want to put in their cars, and have had dogs arrive in the boot of the car.

Are you serious people do that? That is just awful how can they treat their pet like that I groom my dog nightly with a steel comb and slicker brush when her hair is long when shorter I do not need to do it as often though she doesn't enjoy being groomed but she sits there because she knows afterwards she gets a reward with her favourite toy that only comes out after a groom.

[Trishm]

Some people say "But I brush it every day" and when you question what sort of brush they have etc, it is quite obvious that they are just brushing over the top of the coat, and not brushing the roots.

Then you get the people who drop off their poodle to be clipped and say 'please don't make it look like a poodle'

You can't win.

[LizT]

Moderate matts can be sliced open and then gently worked out with a matt slicer. They leave a less noticable impact than simply cutting them out.

We are talking about the kind of matts that occur while a dog is shedding, not matts that have been left unattendended and felt up.

I personally would have gently brushed the hair around the remainder of the animals injury site every time the bandage was redone. The hair would probably have come away from the wound sight in any case.

[Dogsfevr]

The groomers worse time of the year is winter when owners put those awful knitted coats or coats that go ounderneath & the owners don't brush,the winter brings the best of matted dogs.

Of course you get the matted odg whose collar & tags are embedded in the knots & because matts add thickness there collars are to tight & you end up with a ring around the dogs neck when groomed

The greater majority of people do try & succeed but you do have another group where simply they can't be bothered brushing the dog,often these households have plenty of people who could brush but apparently finding 10/15 mins is impossible.

You do hear plenty of excuses & some are very creative.

The best one i had was the daughter just got her period & it has been a stressful month (these dogs always came matted & with a varying excuse)

many use final year exams with there children as an excuse too.

Most matts can be worked out but it does come down to the dog many have no pain tolerance & many of the malt crosses have paper like skin where you can easily cut/damage the skin so you have to use your judgement on the damage risks.

Some are simply shaved off like sheep & require scissors to get a starting point ,We have been very lucky this year & only had 3/4 of those .

People are learning & the ones who don't brush but expect the dog to look perfect we have manage to find a happy medium between looking fancy but managable for all parties .