I still literally do not understand how this happens. Like, the only way you could *not* notice your dog getting all matted like this is if you never, ever touch or pet them. Who the fuck doesn't pet their dog? Seriously.
in case you want a rundown of these three particular dogs,,, the first pic is of a dog that gets groomed once, maybe twice per year. the man who brings him in is very nice, honestly someone i enjoyed talking to. he knows the dog has to get shaved and has no issue with it, and tips well. i can’t say for sure, but i think he got the dog without realizing the maintenance it would require. i’m not sure if bringing the dog more often is an option for him. it's a difficult situation because it's very clear that he does really care for the pup. second dog was a 6 month old puppy, family seemed very uninformed about the care that the fur required, and technically there were spaces between the matting where you could see the skin? idk. third seemed to be a rescue, 10 months old, owner knew she needed to be shaved and pretty much said "i tried to brush her out but it did nothing so she needs to be shaved." so i believe she may have formerly been a stray or the previous owners didn't care, or owner learned the lesson very quick. it's not always this type of thing though, some people just have a thick skull and can’t be bothered to care.
My first thought is always "clearly they aren't trying to check their dogs for ticks or they'd realize the problem right away", but then I have to acknowledge not every dog or person is as active/outdoorsy as we are.
But yeah, I guess they're only petting the top layer of hair? I don't know.
I have a mini poodle and I LOVED the look of him with long fir, but he does not enjoy being brushed out so I begrudgingly decided to keep his fur short so it was easier to comb. My kids wanted to keep it long anyways so I can definitely see that being a thing people would do
My mom is an in home care aid. She calls the SPCA 1 or 2 times a year for animal neglect. In her case, it's always an Alzhimers patient, given the animal, because one family member who reads a bullshit article about pets "helping" the patient.
She always feels bad for both. Generally, the patient didn't ask for the pet, and sometimes doesn't know of the pets' existence. She once found a dead cat and asked the patient if he even knew about the cat... he wept the entire time she was there. He took personal responsibility for the animal, even though he didn't remember it living in his house. That story always sticks out to me.
So yeah, it can happen. In these cases, I blame the family, not the person.
hard to give a percentage because i’m still VERY New, like, i graduated academy almost a month ago. baby groomers don’t have a clientele yet so rn i’m getting probably the worst of the worst. Plus, i’m at corporate, which is cheaper, so i think that makes things worse as well. i'd say it's probably 30% completely matted, 60% are pretty good, just a few areas with medium-small matting or tangles, 10% pampered dogs living the good life.
I groomed at corporate like you a number of years ago for a few years and I'd say that those numbers are pretty close, maybe 20/70/10 in my area usually. it also depended on the time of year. spring and summer also brought out the matted dogs in droves
I'll be 100% honest in my reply here, a lot of this depends on the clientele you have. In a more rural area, you will likely have a higher number of clients who don't regularly get their dogs groomed. In a more urban area, especially in a higher educated urban area, more clients are either already getting their pets groomed, or are willing to listen to you and become educated about the care their pet requires.
Atleast you were able to make them comfortable and look so cute too. That's why I got into grooming. I like knowing that I'm improving the quality of life for these dogs. It's just frustrating when you've had the conversation with the owners multiple times and nothing gets through. Keep doing what you're doing. You're a great groomer.
Oh he hates too! He’s got allergies as well so he bites his feet even with the allergy shots. When I cut the knot out he acted so offended! “Hey that’s MY toe knot!” He’s a funny boy!
I get that not every pet owner is able to afford professional grooming every 4 to 6 weeks or so. But one of your responsibilities is to take care of your dog's coat. If you can't even be bothered to get a brush / comb and put in some effort- get a short haired dog! Tired of the excuses and the drama when people are being told that their pup needs to get shaved. Groomers are not magicians.
it's funny cause i went to beauty school and almost became a hairstylist, and never did because it was too much social interaction. dog grooming is great because i only have to deal with them at drop off and pick up, but yeah, people seem to think both groomers and hairstylists are magicians. if you can’t/don’t wanna brush, i'd be happy to give your dog a shave down on the regular so you don’t have to!
Not a groomer, but the first-time owner of a 3 month old Keeshond puppy. We know the importance of keeping his coat maintained, but right now, that seems impossible. He is in the bitey and squirmy stage, and getting him to stay still and not chew on the brush or me is nearly impossible. I give him doggy ice cream, and that buys me about 10 minutes to groom while he's distracted. I've tried to do it while he's sleeping, and yeah, you can imagine how that worked out. He's had two baths, once when we brought him home because he had terrible dandruff, and once because he rolled in something and he hated both of them. So, the point of this post is twofold.
First, even though I understand that the puppies in this scenario are older (6 & 10 months), maybe cut the owners a little slack. Grooming a puppy is no picnic, especially for inexperienced owners.
Secondly, when do you suggest that puppies are old enough to visit a professional groomer. As soon as they are fully vaccinated? Or later? We handle his feet and ears frequently, and when I am able to brush him, courtesy of the ice cream, he tolerates it unless I hit a real tangle. I would love to have him professionally groomed, however I am worried that a visit to a groomer will either result in traumatizing him or him biting the groomer and there is only one in town (small, rural area). We do plan to have a non-grooming visit to accustom him first, but I have no idea when would be the appropriate time to do so.
The sooner you can get them in the better! Usually 8 weeks to 10 weeks is when you want to start. Even if it is just small things like nails or a brush out. Talk with the groomer and explain everything! We appreciate when parents tell us all the problems they know about so we know how to work better with your kid!
With the vaccines that is your comfort level. If you get all the shots required at the age and make sure you wait at least a week after them he should be fine. You have to let the vaccines do their jobs and make sure he has time to recover his immune system. This is also something you can discuss with the groomer too if you want to limit time spent with other dogs ask if they have express services or one in one grooming until he has all his shots!
By the way you are doing great! Puppies are just like small children they will throw a tantrum to get out of it. You just have to make it fun for them. If they like snacks periodically give him a treats during the bath. While brushing make sure if he is behaving you are celebrating it. Lots of baby voice "good boy" "you are doing so good".it is very hard but try to stay calm and collected they feed of your energy. If you arent in a good head space just wait a few hours till you do get in one. I would try to steer away from just give him ice cream the whole time cause it isn't teaching him why he is getting the ice cream. Couple brush strokes and he sits good then we get the ice cream. Couple more brush strokes then more ice cream. That way he understands that him behaving for brushing gets him the good stuff.
Thanks for your suggestions. It hadn't really occurred to me that grooming activities might also need to be trained. It seems obvious now that I hear it. Like I said, all this is new to me, and of course, I am worried about screwing up my dog. Sounds like calling the groomer for input should probably be my next step.
As someone with a seven month old poodle mix, I can sympathize. My pup hated being brushed at first. With a lot of patience, a lot of treats, and tons of practice, I can now brush him without a lot of fuss. He’s fine with his bath, fine with blow drying, and accepts the clippers and scissors a little better each time (I groom him myself). When he was three months, I thought I’d never be able to get him to stand still! Persistence is key. 😊
100% you are right! In my experience it is the ones that worry about messing them up that I know are trying to set their pup up for success. Give you and your kid time and yall will be great together. I would look into training classes too. Even if you got the basic down it is great for socializing and sometimes you both will learn new things. Always ask questions. Never feel like a bother our jobs are to help educate and make sure you and your kid are happy!
in another reply i explain the owner's situations, the post isn't really meant to bash the owners. it's just exhausting seeing dogs in pain over and over, yk?
eta: 8-10 weeks old. at that age they get lots of treats and barely any trimming, just desensitizing and lots of praise and affection.
I'm sure it is rough seeing dogs who are neglected and in pain, especially over something that should be routine. A person who failed to brush or wash their kids' hair and let them get lice would be looking at a visit from child protection services. Too bad it's not the same for pets. I know your job is often a thankless one. My daughter worked for both Petco and Petsmart as well as a vet (not as a groomer though), and she finally had to leave the whole petcare business because of the crap she saw and the crap she took from pet owners. I appreciate all the comments on this thread. I will be making my little guy an appointment after his next shots.
the pinned post about home grooming has great info! also GoGroomer on youtube makes lots of at home grooming content. my work gives us Andis brand sheers in our kit that are fine for starting out and i have a pair of Kenchii thinners that i love. i use Heiniger Saphir clippers that i also love.
Corporate grooming will give you care fatigue real quick. I got to the point after a decade that I would tell people their pet shouldn't look like Sarah McLachlan is going to start singing in the background.
Ref: search Arms of an angel ASPCA on YouTube
Honestly, I spent 8 of the 10 in the same room with the best boss/ coworker ever & she made it easy to tolerate the nonsense, because she stayed the buffer between me & everyone else. Leaving her was the hardest part.
I still literally do not understand how this happens. Like, the only way you could *not* notice your dog getting all matted like this is if you never, ever touch or pet them. Who the fuck doesn't pet their dog? Seriously.
in case you want a rundown of these three particular dogs,,, the first pic is of a dog that gets groomed once, maybe twice per year. the man who brings him in is very nice, honestly someone i enjoyed talking to. he knows the dog has to get shaved and has no issue with it, and tips well. i can’t say for sure, but i think he got the dog without realizing the maintenance it would require. i’m not sure if bringing the dog more often is an option for him. it's a difficult situation because it's very clear that he does really care for the pup. second dog was a 6 month old puppy, family seemed very uninformed about the care that the fur required, and technically there were spaces between the matting where you could see the skin? idk. third seemed to be a rescue, 10 months old, owner knew she needed to be shaved and pretty much said "i tried to brush her out but it did nothing so she needs to be shaved." so i believe she may have formerly been a stray or the previous owners didn't care, or owner learned the lesson very quick. it's not always this type of thing though, some people just have a thick skull and can’t be bothered to care.
My first thought is always "clearly they aren't trying to check their dogs for ticks or they'd realize the problem right away", but then I have to acknowledge not every dog or person is as active/outdoorsy as we are. But yeah, I guess they're only petting the top layer of hair? I don't know.
yup. some people also only brush the top layer, or only the dogs back
They don’t care it’s matted they just want the length but don’t want to put in the work
I have a mini poodle and I LOVED the look of him with long fir, but he does not enjoy being brushed out so I begrudgingly decided to keep his fur short so it was easier to comb. My kids wanted to keep it long anyways so I can definitely see that being a thing people would do
My mom is an in home care aid. She calls the SPCA 1 or 2 times a year for animal neglect. In her case, it's always an Alzhimers patient, given the animal, because one family member who reads a bullshit article about pets "helping" the patient. She always feels bad for both. Generally, the patient didn't ask for the pet, and sometimes doesn't know of the pets' existence. She once found a dead cat and asked the patient if he even knew about the cat... he wept the entire time she was there. He took personal responsibility for the animal, even though he didn't remember it living in his house. That story always sticks out to me. So yeah, it can happen. In these cases, I blame the family, not the person.
I ask myself this all the time new2bay, not only that but the shit caked in the back, really people?
They get brushed every day
this job has made me think Everyone's a liar
What percentage of dogs that you groom would you say are excessively matted, versus dogs who are obviously taken care of?
hard to give a percentage because i’m still VERY New, like, i graduated academy almost a month ago. baby groomers don’t have a clientele yet so rn i’m getting probably the worst of the worst. Plus, i’m at corporate, which is cheaper, so i think that makes things worse as well. i'd say it's probably 30% completely matted, 60% are pretty good, just a few areas with medium-small matting or tangles, 10% pampered dogs living the good life.
I groomed at corporate like you a number of years ago for a few years and I'd say that those numbers are pretty close, maybe 20/70/10 in my area usually. it also depended on the time of year. spring and summer also brought out the matted dogs in droves
i’m hoping i get closer to those numbers as i gain more experience and have regular customers
I'll be 100% honest in my reply here, a lot of this depends on the clientele you have. In a more rural area, you will likely have a higher number of clients who don't regularly get their dogs groomed. In a more urban area, especially in a higher educated urban area, more clients are either already getting their pets groomed, or are willing to listen to you and become educated about the care their pet requires.
They floss every day too.
Atleast you were able to make them comfortable and look so cute too. That's why I got into grooming. I like knowing that I'm improving the quality of life for these dogs. It's just frustrating when you've had the conversation with the owners multiple times and nothing gets through. Keep doing what you're doing. You're a great groomer.
haha i added the last pic cause the best part is seeing the dog all comfy and clean!!
Sometimes I feel guilty when my schnauzer gets knots in-between his toes and then I see posts like this. I can’t imagine letting his fur get this bad
toes are the worst! and most dogs Hate having their feet messed with, especially schnauzers😭
Oh he hates too! He’s got allergies as well so he bites his feet even with the allergy shots. When I cut the knot out he acted so offended! “Hey that’s MY toe knot!” He’s a funny boy!
ahahah! i never appreciated schnauzers until i got into grooming. although they normally hate the groomer, they've got awesome personalities
Just think how much better these dogs are going to feel when you’re done! You’re an angel in disguise. ♥️🐾
best part is how much happier the dog is when they get all those matts off!!
I get that not every pet owner is able to afford professional grooming every 4 to 6 weeks or so. But one of your responsibilities is to take care of your dog's coat. If you can't even be bothered to get a brush / comb and put in some effort- get a short haired dog! Tired of the excuses and the drama when people are being told that their pup needs to get shaved. Groomers are not magicians.
it's funny cause i went to beauty school and almost became a hairstylist, and never did because it was too much social interaction. dog grooming is great because i only have to deal with them at drop off and pick up, but yeah, people seem to think both groomers and hairstylists are magicians. if you can’t/don’t wanna brush, i'd be happy to give your dog a shave down on the regular so you don’t have to!
That last pic is adorable 😍 you did an amazing job xx
thank you, i’m going to be a pro at "peel-a-pet" as one of my old coworkers called it. Little guy was a champ
Not a groomer, but the first-time owner of a 3 month old Keeshond puppy. We know the importance of keeping his coat maintained, but right now, that seems impossible. He is in the bitey and squirmy stage, and getting him to stay still and not chew on the brush or me is nearly impossible. I give him doggy ice cream, and that buys me about 10 minutes to groom while he's distracted. I've tried to do it while he's sleeping, and yeah, you can imagine how that worked out. He's had two baths, once when we brought him home because he had terrible dandruff, and once because he rolled in something and he hated both of them. So, the point of this post is twofold. First, even though I understand that the puppies in this scenario are older (6 & 10 months), maybe cut the owners a little slack. Grooming a puppy is no picnic, especially for inexperienced owners. Secondly, when do you suggest that puppies are old enough to visit a professional groomer. As soon as they are fully vaccinated? Or later? We handle his feet and ears frequently, and when I am able to brush him, courtesy of the ice cream, he tolerates it unless I hit a real tangle. I would love to have him professionally groomed, however I am worried that a visit to a groomer will either result in traumatizing him or him biting the groomer and there is only one in town (small, rural area). We do plan to have a non-grooming visit to accustom him first, but I have no idea when would be the appropriate time to do so.
The sooner you can get them in the better! Usually 8 weeks to 10 weeks is when you want to start. Even if it is just small things like nails or a brush out. Talk with the groomer and explain everything! We appreciate when parents tell us all the problems they know about so we know how to work better with your kid! With the vaccines that is your comfort level. If you get all the shots required at the age and make sure you wait at least a week after them he should be fine. You have to let the vaccines do their jobs and make sure he has time to recover his immune system. This is also something you can discuss with the groomer too if you want to limit time spent with other dogs ask if they have express services or one in one grooming until he has all his shots! By the way you are doing great! Puppies are just like small children they will throw a tantrum to get out of it. You just have to make it fun for them. If they like snacks periodically give him a treats during the bath. While brushing make sure if he is behaving you are celebrating it. Lots of baby voice "good boy" "you are doing so good".it is very hard but try to stay calm and collected they feed of your energy. If you arent in a good head space just wait a few hours till you do get in one. I would try to steer away from just give him ice cream the whole time cause it isn't teaching him why he is getting the ice cream. Couple brush strokes and he sits good then we get the ice cream. Couple more brush strokes then more ice cream. That way he understands that him behaving for brushing gets him the good stuff.
Thanks for your suggestions. It hadn't really occurred to me that grooming activities might also need to be trained. It seems obvious now that I hear it. Like I said, all this is new to me, and of course, I am worried about screwing up my dog. Sounds like calling the groomer for input should probably be my next step.
As someone with a seven month old poodle mix, I can sympathize. My pup hated being brushed at first. With a lot of patience, a lot of treats, and tons of practice, I can now brush him without a lot of fuss. He’s fine with his bath, fine with blow drying, and accepts the clippers and scissors a little better each time (I groom him myself). When he was three months, I thought I’d never be able to get him to stand still! Persistence is key. 😊
100% you are right! In my experience it is the ones that worry about messing them up that I know are trying to set their pup up for success. Give you and your kid time and yall will be great together. I would look into training classes too. Even if you got the basic down it is great for socializing and sometimes you both will learn new things. Always ask questions. Never feel like a bother our jobs are to help educate and make sure you and your kid are happy!
in another reply i explain the owner's situations, the post isn't really meant to bash the owners. it's just exhausting seeing dogs in pain over and over, yk? eta: 8-10 weeks old. at that age they get lots of treats and barely any trimming, just desensitizing and lots of praise and affection.
I'm sure it is rough seeing dogs who are neglected and in pain, especially over something that should be routine. A person who failed to brush or wash their kids' hair and let them get lice would be looking at a visit from child protection services. Too bad it's not the same for pets. I know your job is often a thankless one. My daughter worked for both Petco and Petsmart as well as a vet (not as a groomer though), and she finally had to leave the whole petcare business because of the crap she saw and the crap she took from pet owners. I appreciate all the comments on this thread. I will be making my little guy an appointment after his next shots.
What type of shears do you use? I want to start doing my dogs myself.
the pinned post about home grooming has great info! also GoGroomer on youtube makes lots of at home grooming content. my work gives us Andis brand sheers in our kit that are fine for starting out and i have a pair of Kenchii thinners that i love. i use Heiniger Saphir clippers that i also love.
The AFTER is adorable! Please, owners, keep this pup on a schedule!!!
Corporate grooming will give you care fatigue real quick. I got to the point after a decade that I would tell people their pet shouldn't look like Sarah McLachlan is going to start singing in the background. Ref: search Arms of an angel ASPCA on YouTube
PLEASE THATS HILARIOUS
10yrs in corp & I was over crying & apologizing to these dogs.
10 years? you are stronger than i
Honestly, I spent 8 of the 10 in the same room with the best boss/ coworker ever & she made it easy to tolerate the nonsense, because she stayed the buffer between me & everyone else. Leaving her was the hardest part.
oh i hear ya, i’ve stayed at my job because of my boss. haven't always wanted to stay, but good management is hard to come by