Pet Grooming

[chasingbella]

So I'm going to totally use this forum to vent today! Sometimes it seems not everyone understands the love you absolutely have for your pets. I have 2 Bella 2 yrs old & Chase 1.5 yrs old. I'm always so sketchy when it comes to taking my littles to get groomed. I feel like I drop them off to be abused and pay for it to boot! Please do not misunderstand, I 100% know that this does not pertain to all groomers, just seems to be the ones I've given business to. I am 100% a creature of habit with my own personal needs...Hair, nails etc. When I find someone that is professional, good at what they do & I like them I keep coming back for years to come until they disappear at which point the hunt is on. I feel like I have been pet groomer hopping for my little ones entire life. Always a bad experience...Always! Do you not have to have a passion for what you do anymore? Previous experience has left my Bella traumatized....It took a week to get her back to her old self, with Chase the groomer had him for 6 hrs... I finally just showed up out of pure worry...6 hours is a long time. I walked in to find the groomer yelling and man-handling my 4 lb yorkie... when she saw me standing there she shut the door in my face .... then opened it handing me my pup saying just leave, he's too hard to handle going on and on about what a bad dog I had...ummmm what about, what about ... what a bad groomer, human being you are. If you cannot handle this job call me and I will gladly pick my pup up...instead of walking into you pretty much abusing him.... forward to yesterday I drop off Bella at one place and I call an entirely new place for my boy... he's a handful, he hardly lets me brush him! I say brush whenever he is misbehaving because he runs straight in his little house! It's quite funny and when I brush him he shows me all his little teeth but he don't bite... he is 200% aware of his very small 4lb size. So I call the groomer and explain to them previous situations, I let her know he's hard to handle, he's no walk in the park and if you cannot handle this kind of client I completely understand and my search will continue. She takes on the task and when I arrive to pick him up she tells me he needs a choke chain and she sells them for $7.00 He looks good but when we get home he's coughing and coughing, licking and licking??? This is new... he is stuck on his privates for a good 30 minutes which he NEVER EVER does when I decide to investigate... the tip of he boy parts is cut, is bloody & swollen... today it seems worse like its open... he's not in pain, he's all over the place but really?!!! I understand accidents happen but whats protocol In a situation like this???!!!?Do you just send them home and not mention it???!!! His coughing... was he out on a choke chain while he was there.... I'm sooooo livid, I cannot even express it at the moment. I pick up my Bella... I had ONE request!!! Teddy bear face and leave her top knot... I brought her in with her little dress and now and picked her up completely butchered almost bald One request... leave her top knot
I don't even know what to think... I'm seriously thinking about taking some classes to groom my own babies.... anyone else out there experience this? My Chase has an appt tomorrow jic.... its a wet area, infections etc.... LIVID

[Bamboo15]

Have you tried a mobile groomer? I've had better experiences with them than I've had when dropping them off for some reason. If nothing else, it definitely won't take 6 hours. I'm sorry you've had such bad experiences. I had one groomer cut my first yorkie years and years ago and they didn't say anything. It wasn't a terrible cut but it was bleeding a little.

With the two yorkies I have now, their hair sometimes ends up too short but other than that I've been pretty lucky with my
mobile groomer. I can tell she really loves dogs.

[chasingbella]

Originally Posted by chasingbella

So I'm going to totally use this forum to vent today! Sometimes it seems not everyone understands the love you absolutely have for your pets. I have 2 Bella 2 yrs old & Chase 1.5 yrs old. I'm always so sketchy when it comes to taking my littles to get groomed. I feel like I drop them off to be abused and pay for it to boot! Please do not misunderstand, I 100% know that this does not pertain to all groomers, just seems to be the ones I've given business to. I am 100% a creature of habit with my own personal needs...Hair, nails etc. When I find someone that is professional, good at what they do & I like them I keep coming back for years to come until they disappear at which point the hunt is on. I feel like I have been pet groomer hopping for my little ones entire life. Always a bad experience...Always! Do you not have to have a passion for what you do anymore? Previous experience has left my Bella traumatized....It took a week to get her back to her old self, with Chase the groomer had him for 6 hrs... I finally just showed up out of pure worry...6 hours is a long time. I walked in to find the groomer yelling and man-handling my 4 lb yorkie... when she saw me standing there she shut the door in my face .... then opened it handing me my pup saying just leave, he's too hard to handle going on and on about what a bad dog I had...ummmm what about, what about ... what a bad groomer, human being you are. If you cannot handle this job call me and I will gladly pick my pup up...instead of walking into you pretty much abusing him.... forward to yesterday I drop off Bella at one place and I call an entirely new place for my boy... he's a handful, he hardly lets me brush him! I say brush whenever he is misbehaving because he runs straight in his little house! It's quite funny and when I brush him he shows me all his little teeth but he don't bite... he is 200% aware of his very small 4lb size. So I call the groomer and explain to them previous situations, I let her know he's hard to handle, he's no walk in the park and if you cannot handle this kind of client I completely understand and my search will continue. She takes on the task and when I arrive to pick him up she tells me he needs a choke chain and she sells them for $7.00 He looks good but when we get home he's coughing and coughing, licking and licking??? This is new... he is stuck on his privates for a good 30 minutes which he NEVER EVER does when I decide to investigate... the tip of he boy parts is cut, is bloody & swollen... today it seems worse like its open... he's not in pain, he's all over the place but really?!!! I understand accidents happen but whats protocol In a situation like this???!!!?Do you just send them home and not mention it???!!! His coughing... was he out on a choke chain while he was there.... I'm sooooo livid, I cannot even express it at the moment. I pick up my Bella... I had ONE request!!! Teddy bear face and leave her top knot... I brought her in with her little dress and now and picked her up completely butchered almost bald One request... leave her top knot
I don't even know what to think... I'm seriously thinking about taking some classes to groom my own babies.... anyone else out there experience this? My Chase has an appt tomorrow jic.... its a wet area, infections etc.... LIVID

Originally Posted by Bamboo15

Have you tried a mobile groomer? I've had better experiences with them than I've had when dropping them off for some reason. If nothing else, it definitely won't take 6 hours. I'm sorry you've had such bad experiences. I had one groomer cut my first yorkie years and years ago and they didn't say anything. It wasn't a terrible cut but it was bleeding a little.

With the two yorkies I have now, their hair sometimes ends up too short but other than that I've been pretty lucky with my
mobile groomer. I can tell she really loves dogs.

Hi there Bamboo15.... Thank you! I found a Mobile pet groomer a few mos ago and got an answering service that said they were no longer accepting new clients... after my experience yesterday I called again today with a message saying to leave my name, number and breed of dog. Thank you, that's good to hear, this shall be my last resort the next time around...if not I'm going to have to learn something new! I'm looking for that very groomer!!! The one that loves dogs!
Thank you for your response ��

[Wylie's Mom]

Let me just ask you this, first: with *all* of these bad experiences with groomers, why are you still taking them to one...???

I don't trust leaving my babies for grooming. My Wylie was traumatized by a groomer as well, and that was all I needed to know that the safest, most compassionate grooming was going to take place in one place: my hands. Ya know?

If your babies aren't safe in their hands, don't put them there...do the grooming yourself.

[canana]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Let me just ask you this, first: with *all* of these bad experiences with groomers, why are you still taking them to one...???

I don't trust leaving my babies for grooming. My Wylie was traumatized by a groomer as well, and that was all I needed to know that the safest, most compassionate grooming was going to take place in one place: my hands. Ya know?

If your babies aren't safe in their hands, don't put them there...do the grooming yourself.

I am also not trusting of others to care for my babies.

I've always groomed my own dogs. When I first started on my previous dog who has now passed, it wasn't easy and the cuts weren't pretty. But that's okay - hair grows back. I learned what works and doesn't work. And best way to start if you're doing it yourself and to do it slowly. It's an incredibly nice bonding experience with your babies and you know exactly they won't be hurt or anything under the care of your own hands. I'm all for grooming your babies yourself!!

[Tay65]

I groom myself. Sometimes one side is longer than the other! Who cares! She's happy and safe. She's not a show dog so I really don't care. I take my time, take breaks and it gets done. I do it myself because she bites the groomer who only cuts her nails. And I don't want to leave her in a crate til she can get to her. She's busy and she does a good job. I've had other dogs I took there and I trust her, just don't want her getting bitten.

[Desavirsire]

Ugh, how terrible! I'm sorry your baby had to go through that! I use the groomer that is actually located at my vets office. With my Zoe I had for 11 years I never had a problem, once or twice I wasn't 100% happy with how she looked but nothing serious, just a little too short or something minor. With my new baby Navi, I brought her in about a month after I got her for her first groom. Terrible. I had just asked for a "bath and tidy" where they bathe her and trim up nails, paws, face, etc. She came back looking ridiculous, the groomer trimmed her whole head to the point she looked like she'd been scalped. The top knot I had been expecting will be impossible for awhile. Because they didn't trim her body so she looked like her head was too small for her body. Her head was so short she looked like a schnauzer. A friend and I trimmed her body to even it out a bit but I was still SO upset. I called the groomer the next day and asked what happened. I was in such shock when I picked her up that I didn't know what to say. I've been using this groomer for 11 years so I was dumbfounded. She offered to groom her at no cost next time and made a notation on my file to top knot etc. but I'm still feeling hesitant and scared to go back. I wouldn't even consider it if I hadn't used her successfully for so long with Zoe.

[chasingbella]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Let me just ask you this, first: with *all* of these bad experiences with groomers, why are you still taking them to one...???

I don't trust leaving my babies for grooming. My Wylie was traumatized by a groomer as well, and that was all I needed to know that the safest, most compassionate grooming was going to take place in one place: my hands. Ya know?

If your babies aren't safe in their hands, don't put them there...do the grooming yourself.

From now on I most likely will groom myself, I'm not a professional groomer so we will see how that goes! Why I keep going...I know how to brush.... that's it! Anal glands, ears etc.... clueless. I'd like to think there is someone out there...a professional who actually loves what they do... I did not want to let one bad experience interfere with necessary grooming... NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think history would repeat itself with a new groomer....I think it's a terrible thing that you cannot trust a professional in their field to whom you pay money to! To simply do a job....bath a teddy bear haircut please!

[chasingbella]

Originally Posted by canana

I am also not trusting of others to care for my babies.

I've always groomed my own dogs. When I first started on my previous dog who has now passed, it wasn't easy and the cuts weren't pretty. But that's okay - hair grows back. I learned what works and doesn't work. And best way to start if you're doing it yourself and to do it slowly. It's an incredibly nice bonding experience with your babies and you know exactly they won't be hurt or anything under the care of your own hands. I'm all for grooming your babies yourself!!

Thank you! I'm quickly heading down this same path!!

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by chasingbella

From now on I most likely will groom myself, I'm not a professional groomer so we will see how that goes! Why I keep going...I know how to brush.... that's it! Anal glands, ears etc.... clueless. I'd like to think there is someone out there...a professional who actually loves what they do... I did not want to let one bad experience interfere with necessary grooming... NEVER in my wildest dreams did I think history would repeat itself with a new groomer....I think it's a terrible thing that you cannot trust a professional in their field to whom you pay money to! To simply do a job....bath a teddy bear haircut please!

It's really not hard to do the grooming, honestly. I'm sure my kiddos don't look as nice, by far, as those done by professionals...but what's important to me is that they are safe and not vulnerable in a grooming salon.

Btw, as far as anal glands -- those should never, ever be done unless there is something wrong with the glands; dogs' anal glands do empty themselves and messing with them is really not good or beneficial for their natural functioning. I would ask your groomers to *not* mess w/ the anal glands at all unless there is something structurally wrong w/ them where they do not function.

[Bear2day]

Went thru the same situation, Groomer left Roxy on the table by herself for over 15 mins. Unacceptable. Now we drive 60 miles to a outstanding Groomer, we do not leave her, we pay extra, but it`s worth it.

[canana]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

It's really not hard to do the grooming, honestly. I'm sure my kiddos don't look as nice, by far, as those done by professionals...but what's important to me is that they are safe and not vulnerable in a grooming salon.

Btw, as far as anal glands -- those should never, ever be done unless there is something wrong with the glands; dogs' anal glands do empty themselves and messing with them is really not good or beneficial for their natural functioning. I would ask your groomers to *not* mess w/ the anal glands at all unless there is something structurally wrong w/ them where they do not function.

I was just about to say the same. My vet explained the same thing to me. Anal glands don't need to be expressed all the time. The only time it should be is if something's wrong, for example, if you see your Yorkie scratching his bum a lot of the carpet/floor. And if so, you should have the vet do it... I wouldn't trust a groomer to do doing anything besides exterior stuff - and even that, it sounds like they're sometimes not capable of!

As for the ears, I also leave them alone. I used to pull the hair out of the ear canal of my past dog - but this is dated. People now say to leave the hairs inside so you don't disrupt the health of the ear (pulling the hairs can lead to infections). Instead, I trim the hairs down and check (smell) to see if there are any foul-type odours. If none, it's a healthy ear! Also, because Yorkies have ears that stand up, there's enough air circulation so if they're in good health, the ears should be pretty low maintenance.

For the hair trimming, I let my babies' hair grow out a little. I have never shaved them down before, so I've only ever needed a pair of scissors. If you choose to use a shaver, there are steps you can take to get your Yorkie used to it. Slow and steady and make it fun I'm kind of excited for you to try out grooming yourself! Treat your little ones like a bonsai tree - it's really an artform

[mybellababy]

Yes I also do my own grooming after some bad groomers. If your dog does not like being groomed it is going to be a learning curve . Lots of treats and I mean lots, small and lots every little thing give a treat 2 or 3 brushes give a treat and so on. Soon when you say Clean Up Time ( thats what I say ) they will come running soon you will be able to cut down on the treats.

If you start to get angery with them end the session or take a min to refocus maybe a treat for your self LOL It's not the grooming that's hard it getting your dog used to it .

[chasingbella]

Originally Posted by Desavirsire

Ugh, how terrible! I'm sorry your baby had to go through that! I use the groomer that is actually located at my vets office. With my Zoe I had for 11 years I never had a problem, once or twice I wasn't 100% happy with how she looked but nothing serious, just a little too short or something minor. With my new baby Navi, I brought her in about a month after I got her for her first groom. Terrible. I had just asked for a "bath and tidy" where they bathe her and trim up nails, paws, face, etc. She came back looking ridiculous, the groomer trimmed her whole head to the point she looked like she'd been scalped. The top knot I had been expecting will be impossible for awhile. Because they didn't trim her body so she looked like her head was too small for her body. Her head was so short she looked like a schnauzer. A friend and I trimmed her body to even it out a bit but I was still SO upset. I called the groomer the next day and asked what happened. I was in such shock when I picked her up that I didn't know what to say. I've been using this groomer for 11 years so I was dumbfounded. She offered to groom her at no cost next time and made a notation on my file to top knot etc. but I'm still feeling hesitant and scared to go back. I wouldn't even consider it if I hadn't used her successfully for so long with Zoe.

I guess these things are bound to happen but EVERY NOW & THEN!!! The worst luck I tell you!your baby Navi is quite the adorable one!
Once or twice in 11 years.... record now a days!!! My Bella came home looking like a little monkey with big ears... absolutely horrible! Today I look at her and just laugh... its quite funny NOW... her hair will grow back but the day of.... I was fuming!!!

[chasingbella]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

It's really not hard to do the grooming, honestly. I'm sure my kiddos don't look as nice, by far, as those done by professionals...but what's important to me is that they are safe and not vulnerable in a grooming salon.

Btw, as far as anal glands -- those should never, ever be done unless there is something wrong with the glands; dogs' anal glands do empty themselves and messing with them is really not good or beneficial for their natural functioning. I would ask your groomers to *not* mess w/ the anal glands at all unless there is something structurally wrong w/ them where they do not function.

We are going to Try this in a few weeks.... fingers crossed
I have YouTube'd sooo many times in the past on hopes of picking something up! I even looked for a grooming table on Amazon and eBay and found quite a few at a very decent price too! But me and scissors... we are not friends! Wish me luck! About the glands....NEVER KNEW...Thank you so much! Just One of the very many reasons I absolutely love this site and need it in my life! Always learning something new as to how to take better care of my little ones! TY!