Fired my dog groomer

[AlmostDun]

I finally got fed up enough with my dog groomer to fire them.

The final straw was when the boys came home miserable after their last trim. They were chewing on their legs and scratching their flanks. They also had razor burn on their ears. :mad:

New guy has been showing and grooming for something like 20 years. l got an appointment for two dogs within three days. No whining when the boys arrived with wet hair and dirty feet for their appointment. (“It’s raining. All the dogs are going to be wet today.”) Job looked great at the end. Woot!

[S1969]

Razor burn is not acceptable to me. Of course everyone can get too close on a spot or once, but two dogs both with razor burn and scratchy/itchy? Sounds like they did it on purpose? (Not to make the dogs miserable, but just like to clip them that close?)

Glad you found someone you like. I love my groomer - she’s my breeder and lives very close to me. But when she worked at a kennel and did most of her grooming there, I hated it - all the dogs had to spend the whole day there, and it was so stressful for my guy. Now I bathe and dry at home, and then she grooms. Easy for everyone and she’s the best.

[JanM]

When dogs come back itchy, then I suspect the shampoo wasn’t washed out properly. When that happens I toss puppy in the tub, and start rinsing (that’s one reason I love the hand held showerheads, plus it’s the only way to get decent water pressure these days).

I’m so glad you found someone for your pups.

[Casey09]

[QUOTE=carp;6999028]
I finally got fed up enough with my dog groomer to fire them.

The final straw was when the boys came home miserable after their last trim. They were chewing on their legs and scratching their flanks. They also had razor burn on their ears. :mad:

New guy has been showing and grooming for something like 20 years. l got an appointment for two dogs within three days. No whining when the boys arrived with wet hair and dirty feet for their appointment. (“It’s raining. All the dogs are going to be wet today.”) Job looked great at the end. Woot![/QUOTE]

Did you have a dog groomer complain about your dogs going in wet? That is crazy. My dogs have gone in with wet, muddy feet lots of times. I’d say you made the right decision.

[AlmostDun]

[QUOTE=Casey09;7000080]
Did you have a dog groomer complain about your dogs going in wet? That is crazy. My dogs have gone in with wet, muddy feet lots of times. I’d say you made the right decision.[/QUOTE]

When the boys were still in their adolescent thug stage I used to take them up to the barn for a good run before taking them to the groomer. I thought being a little tired would make them more cooperative for an afternoon of having to stand and behave. One morning it started raining while we were at the barn. So, to be fair, the boys were pretty messy. I figured no big deal; they’re going to get put in the tub anyhow. Apparently it was a big deal, as this particular groomer preferred to clip before bathing. How was I to know? On a side note, I can’t imagine what a curly coat full of dirt did to the clipper blades, even dry.

[JanM]

I asked my favorite groomer about the bath first, then clip vs clip first, then bathe and she said she would do either. Some coats also knot up when wet, so I think clip first is better. Clipping first is the way I did it when I used hand clippers on my Mini Schnauzers. I didn’t see any point in bathing dirty fur, and then having a long time until the dog dried before I clipped.

[candysgirl]

As for the clipping first thing, if the client is going 1/4" or less, I do clip first if the dog is even remotely dry enough to get a blade through. Yes, it’s hard on the blades, but it makes my life easier in the long run to pre shave the dog. It means considerably less bathing and less drying time for both of us and also less finishing work on the other end.

Do I complain if a dog is wet or muddy and I can’t do that? No! I’d rather have a slightly tired (yet dirtier) dog who isn’t fidgety.

[BuddyRoo]

I had a great groomer back home. Still looking for “the one” in our new area. The current place does a “decent” job, but it’s a little frustrating to me that my dog always comes home wet. In theory, he (a poodle) should be bathed, blown out/combed out, then clipped else it ends up uneven when you clip. (curly hair)

Yet, even when I pick up supposedly 2 hours past the groom, my dog is still pretty damp and not as fluffy as he was at the old place.

Glad you found a good one. I keep hitting up clients at the practice with well groomed dogs to learn where they go. Thus far, none of the groomer names they’ve given me are nearish or taking new clients. Le sigh.

[Button]

I’m glad you found a good replacement. I’ve gave up and started doing mine myself after the last one cut my scotties beards off. There’s nothing like a pair of wet scots rolling on the couch :lol:.

[emirae1091]

I do mine myself, but that’s because she’s a mutt from the pound I just take the big blue oster horse clippers to her every month or two. She gets too hot here in GA in the summer.

My cousin is a dog groomer and she laughed at me for clipping my dog like I do my horse. Inverted V above the tail, slants on the hind legs, etc.

[leilatigress]

I fired our groomer when they didn’t follow the direction of MUST BE HAND DRIED DO NOT PUT IN CAGE DRYER! He was an old dog, full coated alaskan malamute and had been basically baked by another groomer years ago. Honestly I was surprised they managed to get him in there as he didn’t like the clear plastic fronts and knew what they were. I had worked there before and the front desk was busy, was waived through to get him and found him in the dryer with it going full blast. Considering how hot he was to the touch he was likely in there for a good hour or so. Insult to injury he was in the one designed for the little dogs, you know the 20 lbs dogs. Pulling a 70lbs dog out of a spot designed for a 20lbs dog did not improve my temper. Groom (former boss) was all apologies but I was truly seeing red at that point. I told her we were done, as I couldn’t trust her with my dog. Never went back there and found another groomer that would hand dry him to semi dry (perfectly fine with me) and absolutely loved him. Having worked for a few groomers I could really tell you some horror stories of what some groomers do and sing the praises of a few.

[oliverreed]

I take my two persian cats to the groomer every 3-4 months - one gets bath, groomed, and belly shaved, the other gets a grooming and belly shave (God help anyone who tries to bathe that cat!). My groomer recently left and started her own business so I’m going to the new place - I’ve been with her at least 15 years and we love her.

[stargzng386]

I used to be a bather at a grooming place and this one guy had a beagle who he would take out to literally roll/play in mud before bringing him in for a bath. I didn’t mind it’s the same amount of work when giving a bath and he always looked soooo happy when he came in b/c he was nose to tail mud.

[Event4Life]

I’ve been thinking taking my dog to the groomer because her coat is really thick despite all the times I’ve brushed her. I’d like to get more of it off for the summer because she is kinda miserable in the heat already and its only May. Threads like these put me off! If I do decide to, what should I look out for?

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=Event4Life;7006727]
I’ve been thinking taking my dog to the groomer because her coat is really thick despite all the times I’ve brushed her. [/QUOTE]

If you send her to a pro, ask for a de-shedding groom.

If you want to try it yourself, a self serve dog wash is very helpful. Some Petco Unleashed locations have em: $10 to use their tubs, towels, shampoo, and HV dryer. I’ve heard Best Shot Ultra and Show Sheen or The Stuff suggested for de-shedding. That is what I use (heavy for my dogs but I want as much hair off since show dog retired). Some shampoos advertise de-shedding. Show Sheen or similar products have silicone and will help the undercoat slip off the guard hairs.

Basically, you need a good shampoo & a great conditioner then HV dryer to blast the condtioned undercoat out. See? :eek:

Is your pooch long haired or short? Different methods. The above is the general outline for both kinds.

[Event4Life]

[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7007618]

Is your pooch long haired or short? Different methods. The above is the general outline for both kinds.[/QUOTE]

Long, I think. She’s apparently a flat coated retriever/lab mix. If that is true, her coat is definitely more along the flat coated retriever lines. Its kinda thick and fluffy, lol. Thanks for the advice on DIY grooming places and the HV dryer - I’ve never seen a self grooming place with one before.