Need to vent!

[Schooby]

Today we took Chase and Calvin to a new groomer. We had the BEST groomer ever, but recently moved from Michigan to Nebraska so it's too long of a drive for her now. She is the only groomer we have ever had, and we were spoiled. She would come to our house, and was great with the boys. Chase has never been a fan of the blow dryer or clippers, so she always took her time, had TONS or patience and loved on him while she was doing it. Some days she was there for hours, but he gets a bit better every time. She groomed them before we left, but it's been 12 weeks and he is so shaggy and way overdue.
I found a place that seemed nice, so we visited last week. We are super protective, so it's really hard. The groomer answered all our questions, has been doing it for a long time, and we felt they would be in good hands there. Their appointment was for 4 today, but she called at 3 and asked us to come at 4:30 instead because she had a matted poodle. When we got there, I went over everything with her again. How I wanted them cut, and what the difficulties were that the other groomer had. Calvin doesn't like his feet touched, and Chase hates the blow dryer and clippers especially when they get close to his head. She assured us they would be fine, so we watched her bathe Chase and start to blow dry him and we left saying we would be back in about an hour and a half. She called me just over an hour later. She said Calvin was "really wiggly" and he was done but she cut one of the nails too short so it bled for a minute but she put some stuff on it and it was fine. Chase was another story. She said he was "really stressed out and anxious" when she was starting to use the clippers on his back end. He "nailed" her pretty good, so she put a MUZZLE on him! Of course that freaked him out even MORE (he's NEVER been muzzled before, there's NO reason to!) and he was thrashing around so she couldn't finish.
We went there right away (my bf was FLYING down the road) and picked them up. Calvin's hair is okay, at least he got finished, but all Chase got was a bath, his nails done, and very little trimmed by his back legs. I paid (just wanted out of there) and we left. My bf is so mad at the lady for rushing and not having patience with Chase and freaking him out. We told her all his fears, and she said she could handle it. Poor Chase has seemed so sad since we got home, and I am too

[Schooby]

I texted our old groomer when we got home and told her what happened and she is livid! She said Chase is a good boy and just needs someone to love on him and talk to him during it. She said she was going to drive out here and kick her butt!

[Patti]

Sorry your babies had such a bad experience with the groomers.

[MyTrixie143]

Aw, I am sorry your babies had such a horrible experience. I bet they were so glad to be home. Have you considered doing them yourself? It's really not hard and it will save you money and the pain of looking for a good groomer that can meet your satisfaction.

Has Chase been groomed before by a groomer at the groomer's? You mentioned that your old groomer came to you whereas with the new groomer you went to her.

I really hate muzzles and I would be upset that someone put one on my baby but at the same time I would have done the same thing after getting bit. After you are bit once with a dog, you don't want to risk a second time.

[Britster]

I'm so sorry.

I am afraid I traumatized Jackson for life when I took him to Petsmart years ago. I do not even think he was 1 yet and my friend was getting her yorkies nails clipped so I figured I'd get Jackson's done.

Well, he's very timid, you just need to take things slow with him. I brought him in and he wiggled a bit in their arms of course. One person basically held him down, one muzzled him, one cut nails real quick ... I was traumatized and it all happened so fast, I couldn't even stop it really. He even expressed his anal glands he was so scared (ever since, he now does this every time he's at the vet, etc).

I still feel guilty about it, and when we go to petsmart, he still (at 4 1/2) freezes up by the register because he thinks we're going into the grooming room.

Jax is extremely scared at vets, groomers, etc, but he is SO timid and scared, he kind of just shuts down. I can never imagine him biting. The muzzling was completely unnecessary.

Our current groomer has told me his problem areas are also his feet (he gets wiggly) but she says she can cut his nails fine, it's just when she's clipping his legs/feet. I ask every time, she always says he's good for her, just wiggly by feet.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that.

[ladyjane]

Stories like this make me so grateful for my groomer.

Honestly, you may need to learn to groom Chase yourself. Finding a groomer who will spend hours with him, loving on him, is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. They are in the business to make money and unless you are paying hourly rates I don't think it is something you should expect from a good groomer. While your previous groomer may have been wonderful, on the other hand she did not really do him any favors. These pups need to learn to behave for a groomer....now saying that I will tell you that all of mine do have their quirks and their little fits....but my groomer controls them without loving on them and without being harsh. She gives them lots of attention before and after the grooming, but it is expected that they will sit still for grooming. If they don't they can be hurt. If they are going to put her at risk and bite her, I have no issue with a muzzle. I have a biter in my home that I used to put a muzzle on until he realized I was not going to kill him...I can now do so much with him without a muzzle...just took a lot of time. He still cannot be groomed by another person though.

What I do strongly suggest is that you look for a groomer who will allow you to stay as long as you promise not to interfere with their job. A good groomer will not have a problem with that.

[MandiesMom]

I am so sorry Chase had such a traumatizing experience at that groomer.

I agree with maybe grooming Chase yourself. There are so many youtube videos that can help and it's a great bonding time for the 2 of you. Best still - it doesn't have to all be done at one sitting. You can gradually work on Chase in little sessions until he's done

[yorkiemini]

You guys scare me
I try to do all of the grooming that I can, but I am a wimp when it comes to nails and the ears. I take him to a lady who shows he Yorkies, has small boarding service and is. Member of the local Yorkie club. I stay while she is groomed - takes about 45 minutes for the whole thing. Soooo, I can't fathom the stories I hear!

When I was looking I contacted good breeders in my area and got their input and that was how I found this great lady.

[chestermama]

thats not good, yorkies liked to be talked to and loved on chester is that way

[KazzyK810]

Sounds like you need to make regularly scheduled trips back to the Mitten

[Schooby]

Originally Posted by Patti

Sorry your babies had such a bad experience with the groomers.

Thank you. I still feel bad about it and just hope she didn't make his fear worse.

Originally Posted by MyTrixie143

Aw, I am sorry your babies had such a horrible experience. I bet they were so glad to be home. Have you considered doing them yourself? It's really not hard and it will save you money and the pain of looking for a good groomer that can meet your satisfaction.

Has Chase been groomed before by a groomer at the groomer's? You mentioned that your old groomer came to you whereas with the new groomer you went to her.

I really hate muzzles and I would be upset that someone put one on my baby but at the same time I would have done the same thing after getting bit. After you are bit once with a dog, you don't want to risk a second time.

I think I will try to groom him myself. That way I can take the time he needs and I can make sure he's safe. No, he had never been to a groomer before, our old one always came to our house.

Originally Posted by Britster

I'm so sorry.

I am afraid I traumatized Jackson for life when I took him to Petsmart years ago. I do not even think he was 1 yet and my friend was getting her yorkies nails clipped so I figured I'd get Jackson's done.

Well, he's very timid, you just need to take things slow with him. I brought him in and he wiggled a bit in their arms of course. One person basically held him down, one muzzled him, one cut nails real quick ... I was traumatized and it all happened so fast, I couldn't even stop it really. He even expressed his anal glands he was so scared (ever since, he now does this every time he's at the vet, etc).

I still feel guilty about it, and when we go to petsmart, he still (at 4 1/2) freezes up by the register because he thinks we're going into the grooming room.

Jax is extremely scared at vets, groomers, etc, but he is SO timid and scared, he kind of just shuts down. I can never imagine him biting. The muzzling was completely unnecessary.

Our current groomer has told me his problem areas are also his feet (he gets wiggly) but she says she can cut his nails fine, it's just when she's clipping his legs/feet. I ask every time, she always says he's good for her, just wiggly by feet.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that.

Poor Jackson Chase and Calvin have had so many changes over the last 3 months, and I'm sure they are still confused. Calvin is really wiggly with his feet too, but he's really good for everything else. She shaved the tips of his ears (which I don't like, but it's my fault for not telling her beforehand), and they don't match. One is shaved closer than the other. His body length is different on each side too. She was obviously in a big hurry with him too, and I would expect it to look a lot better for $50.

[Schooby]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Stories like this make me so grateful for my groomer.

Honestly, you may need to learn to groom Chase yourself. Finding a groomer who will spend hours with him, loving on him, is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. They are in the business to make money and unless you are paying hourly rates I don't think it is something you should expect from a good groomer. While your previous groomer may have been wonderful, on the other hand she did not really do him any favors. These pups need to learn to behave for a groomer....now saying that I will tell you that all of mine do have their quirks and their little fits....but my groomer controls them without loving on them and without being harsh. She gives them lots of attention before and after the grooming, but it is expected that they will sit still for grooming. If they don't they can be hurt. If they are going to put her at risk and bite her, I have no issue with a muzzle. I have a biter in my home that I used to put a muzzle on until he realized I was not going to kill him...I can now do so much with him without a muzzle...just took a lot of time. He still cannot be groomed by another person though.

What I do strongly suggest is that you look for a groomer who will allow you to stay as long as you promise not to interfere with their job. A good groomer will not have a problem with that.

Thanks. I am looking into clippers so I can do it myself. Even if I only do it a couple minutes a day, maybe I can help make him less scared. The only thing I worry about is his face. I'm not sure how to do it at all, and would have to watch videos first. He's good with scissors I think though, so he should be fine for that.

Originally Posted by MandiesMom

I am so sorry Chase had such a traumatizing experience at that groomer.

I agree with maybe grooming Chase yourself. There are so many youtube videos that can help and it's a great bonding time for the 2 of you. Best still - it doesn't have to all be done at one sitting. You can gradually work on Chase in little sessions until he's done

Thanks! This is what I think I will do I'm researching the tools now since I don't own anything but a couple brushes and a blow dryer

Originally Posted by yorkiemini

You guys scare me
I try to do all of the grooming that I can, but I am a wimp when it comes to nails and the ears. I take him to a lady who shows he Yorkies, has small boarding service and is. Member of the local Yorkie club. I stay while she is groomed - takes about 45 minutes for the whole thing. Soooo, I can't fathom the stories I hear!

When I was looking I contacted good breeders in my area and got their input and that was how I found this great lady.

That's a really good idea for finding a groomer! I'm going to give it a shot myself I think, but it would be nice to have someone that can do it in case I can't. I would take them in for nail trims though! I'm not good at that!

[Schooby]

Originally Posted by chestermama

thats not good, yorkies liked to be talked to and loved on chester is that way

Yeah, we won't be going back there. If I can't do it myself, we will find someone patient that won't hurry with him.

Originally Posted by KazzyK810

Sounds like you need to make regularly scheduled trips back to the Mitten

Lol, we talked about it! If either of us had a car that got better than 20mpg, we probably would! Hopefully I can replace my Jeep in a year or two and get something more fuel efficient. We are trying to come for a visit in July, but he can't wait that long lol. If his hair wasn't so cottony it wouldn't be so bad!

[rubymoon2072]

sorry you had this bad experience......if you find you cannot do maybe put an add in your paper to see if you can find a groomer to come to the house. i bet they were more comfortable in their own environment. best wishes.

[DQ408]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Stories like this make me so grateful for my groomer.

Honestly, you may need to learn to groom Chase yourself. Finding a groomer who will spend hours with him, loving on him, is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. They are in the business to make money and unless you are paying hourly rates I don't think it is something you should expect from a good groomer. While your previous groomer may have been wonderful, on the other hand she did not really do him any favors. These pups need to learn to behave for a groomer....now saying that I will tell you that all of mine do have their quirks and their little fits....but my groomer controls them without loving on them and without being harsh. She gives them lots of attention before and after the grooming, but it is expected that they will sit still for grooming. If they don't they can be hurt. If they are going to put her at risk and bite her, I have no issue with a muzzle. I have a biter in my home that I used to put a muzzle on until he realized I was not going to kill him...I can now do so much with him without a muzzle...just took a lot of time. He still cannot be groomed by another person though.

What I do strongly suggest is that you look for a groomer who will allow you to stay as long as you promise not to interfere with their job. A good groomer will not have a problem with that.

I agree with ladyjane

But I too have to look for a new groomer for my babies next visit.My old groomer sent me a text message last week that she will be going back to school and will not be able to groom anymore I loved her she was great.