Terrible Petsmart encounter. I need advice...an encouraging word..something

[Apache]

Yesterday I took Prince to get his first trim. Before I dropped him off I specifically asked the lady how much came off the face with a puppy trim and told her I didn't want a lot taken off his face, only a tiny tiny bit. Well, when I picked him up, she had taken so much off the sides of his face and all of his little eyebrows. To make it worse, when I walked in there, I was peeking in the window, and I could hear Prince crying as she clipped his nails! He's had them clipped 3 times before and never has cried. I just know she nicked him When I commented on the cut, she said that she didn't take a lot, it just maybe looked that way because his ears were shaved. I just paid for the service and left the salon. I was too upset.

I went back into Petsmart to get something else, and one of the trainers was talking to me about Prince. She asked me if I was sure that he was a purebred Yorkie because he looked like he had Schnauzer in him. She told me that his long muzzle was a Schnauzer trait. She also told me that she thought he was too big to be a purebred Yorkie. I've seen his parents, both are AKC registered, and so is he.

So now I'm worried, really stressed and on the verge of tears. My baby is 4 months and 6 pounds. Is it really that abnormal for a Yorkie to be that big? This trainer tells me that by 1 year they double the 4 month weight which means he'll be about 12 lbs full grown if that is true. This is my first Yorkie and i'm not sure what to believe. My vet has never said to me that she thought he was anything but a yorkie, and she's always told me that she's happy with his weight.

Any advice on what i could/should do would be appreciated. Thanks for listening

[margaritaville]

Not meaning to sound like a b*tch BUT the people in Petsmart are NOT authorities on anything. Petsmart gets what they pay for. Alot of their groomers lack training and skill. As for his size-so he is going to be a little bigger (so much more to love). Yorkies are like people-they are not all the same size. I have two larger ones 10lbs and 13lbs and yes they are yorkies. Some have longer faces but yours probably looks more schnazer like due to the way he was cut. Alot of people here have had bad Petsmart experiences-you can probably find it in search. I'msure your baby is just beautiful.

[omega]

I agree - ignore those folks at the store. One of my Yorkies is 8+ lbs. Not all Yorkies are teeny tiny things! I've been asked the same questions as you - I'm till trying to think of a good comeback when they ask....

[FlDebra]

Although the standard is to be under 7 pounds for Yorkies there are definately pure Yorkies that get bigger. Some Yorkies have a little longer muzzle too. I have two AKC (great pedigree) Yorkies and they look a world apart (See my avatar)! One is tiny, shorter in the leg and just has that little cutesy face, the other is longer legged, and more of the schnauzer look to her face. She has an excellent background -- the breeder only has Yorkies and I am sure she is ALL yorkie. Do not get discouraged! I have heard to triple the 8 week weight and double the 12 week weight -- but I had not heard to double the 4 month (16 week) weight. Do you remember what yours weighed at 12 weeks? Try doubling that for an estimate.

I think the Petsmart person is off the mark (and out of line too!). I think your Yorkie is going to be on the larger side, over 7 pounds. But if it is a pet, you will love them just the same. Weight alone is not all there is to a look anyway. My little male looks only half the size of the female -- in reality there is only about a 1 pound difference in their weight.

[Sherryabear]

It sounds like the trainer doesn't know anything about Yorkies.

I am no authority by any means, but I know that Yorkies can be different sizes. Gordon is 5 months old and weighs 4.3 lbs.......his sister is 5.7 lbs. I personally know their breeder, and the only dogs she has is their parents, which weigh less than 6 lbs each....I have seen their perdigree and know that both are purebred Yorkies.
Gordon sister (Kasey) is going to end up being bigger than Gordon. But she fits in great with my son and daugher-in-laws household. We love her for her personality and don't even notice her size.....she is perfect.
Gordon on the other hand , even tho, he isn't the teacup size is smaller and we have to be more careful with.

I wouldn't let anyone from Petsmart worry me about my baby......I take Gordon there for his training and training only. I wouldn't ask any of them about their choice of feed , breed , etc.

Our Petsmart is 30 minute drive from home, I go once a week. I noticed they have a lot of turn over in employees and most of them are real young.
I have never taken Gordon to a Petsmart groomer, I have always had Shih Tzu's and took one of mine there and left crying with him.

I bet your baby is just perfect, and I would not let anything they said bother me.

[mairin]

Aww!! Don't be upset!! I think I had the same exact experience as you.. I took Duncan to get groomed at PetSmart once, and NEVER again.. I don't know, I just didn't like the feeling I got from the people who worked in my specific PetSmarts grooming dept (although I'm sure it's different everywhere).. I couldn't wait to go pick him up from there..
I could be wrong, but I think it's like really really obvi if their nails get cut too low.. I've heard they bleed like crazy (at least that happened with my cat) but I don't know..
AND I also had a trainer tell me they thought Duncan was part chihuahua, I was sooo upset as well! It's like I had my own identity crisis on his behalf... lol... Then I realized that he was soo young at the time (like your puppy is) and all yorkies are different.. which is what makes them so great in my opinion Everyone here is right, they aren't specialists on every breed there so I wouldn't take what the trainer said to heart

[lilstar63100]

Originally Posted by margaritaville

Not meaning to sound like a b*tch BUT the people in Petsmart are NOT authorities on anything. Petsmart gets what they pay for. Alot of their groomers lack training and skill. As for his size-so he is going to be a little bigger (so much more to love). Yorkies are like people-they are not all the same size. I have two larger ones 10lbs and 13lbs and yes they are yorkies. Some have longer faces but yours probably looks more schnazer like due to the way he was cut. Alot of people here have had bad Petsmart experiences-you can probably find it in search. I'msure your baby is just beautiful.

i beg to differ.... most of us are actually experts... we DO have to go through extensive training... BUT... even though i work as a trainer at petsmart... i wouldnt trust my own dogs there for grooming :-/. its not that theyh arent good... IF they take the time. its the fact that they get payed off of comissions... so the more dogs they groom.. the more money.... the quicker they groom... the more dogs. as for the trainer... i would have said "well... hes AKC.... so i KNOW hes purebred..." and just walked away... sometimes some people think they know more then they do.... Not every dog is the perfect akc standard of their breed, but that doesnt mean anythings wrong with them at all. if i were you i would either go in and talk to or call and talk to the store manager. the store manager at my store will do ANYTHING to make a customer happy.... and trust me she has. most of the time if someone isnt happy with their dogs hair cuts shell give them their money back... PLUS give them their next groom free... but thats just my store... i dont know about everywhere else.

i guess not every petsmart is the same... my manager holds alot higher standards for her employees than most of them...

[Nikki+2]

I agree with everything already said and from looking at you avatar, Prince looks like 100% adorable yorkie. I have two little yorkies and a 9 pounder and believe me, I've heard every stupid comment in the book. There was a member (sorry forget who) who had a lady practically stalk her around PetSmart telling her her yorkie was too big and couldn't be a purebred and her yorkie was something like 4 or 5 pounds and full grown. Unfortunately some people are ignorant and mean and it seems like those people love to comment about our babies. Yorkies can look schnauzery (he he Yeah I made that word up) if cut that way so if your baby looks like he has schnauzer in him its because the groomer messed up. Just remind yourself that it will grow back quickly and you never have to let that stupid woman touch him again. If you don't have anyone to ask for a groomer reccomendation, I would call your vet. They can usually steer you towards a good one. There are some members who have had good luck at PetSmart but most people don't. Good luck!

[chachi]

Go to a private groomer rather than Petsmart for grooming you willbe happy you did. As far as what the trainer said I would ignore it. Chachi is a bigger yorkie and he has a longer face and I have had someone tell me he looks like hes a silky but he is all yorkie

[natalienicole]

They try to give me bs advice everytime i go into those kinda petco petsmart stores. They are not trained in anyway to know what certain breeds of dogs look like or their standards etc. In fact this may not be every store but in the store i go to its mainly young people prolly straight out of high school. No schooling or anything any joe schmo could go in their and get a job. I dont listen to anything they say. the day i got anna i went in their with her to get her some food i wanted to get the brand the breeder was using atleast for starting out. and they tried telling me to get this other kind they were pushing and this lady who didnt know nothing tried giving me all this advice and kept trying to pick anna up out of the cart and i kept trying to get away from her and she jsut wouldnt stop.

[natalienicole]

and i agree with everyone on the hair cut prolly making the muzzle look larger. when you shave all the hair off its bound to look longer then it did covered in hair. i wouldnt worry about it all all. im sure if everyone here shaved their yorkies noses they would all look a bit longer they they did before.

[simplyyorkies]

Your baby is darling - why would you allow anyone to tell you he is something other than the beautiful baby Yorkie you know him to be?

The next time anyone tells you he "looks like" or "acts like" something - just politely tell them that YOU are his parent, you love him and will protect him no matter what so they should tread lightly with their comments.

[Lexi Rae]

you know what??? dont listen to anyone who is negative ok????
who cares about the size.. look at lexi to the left, shes 10 lbs, does she
not look like a yorkie.... yeah she does..... the weight has nothing to do
with it...... some people are just plain old morons.... and you dont have
to take that crap.... what the hell do they know at petsmart.. you probably know more now then they will ever know in their lifetime....

[lolabella]

It is not the trainer's place to comment on your dog's ancestry. Behaviour, yes. Breed, no. That's ridiculous. Some yorkies are bigger, and some are smaller. It really is not a big deal. Your yorkie is the best yorkie in the world for you, and that is what is important.

[Rhapsody]

Originally Posted by Apache

Yesterday I took Prince to get his first trim. Before I dropped him off I specifically asked the lady how much came off the face with a puppy trim and told her I didn't want a lot taken off his face, only a tiny tiny bit. Well, when I picked him up, she had taken so much off the sides of his face and all of his little eyebrows. To make it worse, when I walked in there, I was peeking in the window, and I could hear Prince crying as she clipped his nails! He's had them clipped 3 times before and never has cried. I just know she nicked him When I commented on the cut, she said that she didn't take a lot, it just maybe looked that way because his ears were shaved. I just paid for the service and left the salon. I was too upset.

I went back into Petsmart to get something else, and one of the trainers was talking to me about Prince. She asked me if I was sure that he was a purebred Yorkie because he looked like he had Schnauzer in him. She told me that his long muzzle was a Schnauzer trait. She also told me that she thought he was too big to be a purebred Yorkie. I've seen his parents, both are AKC registered, and so is he.

So now I'm worried, really stressed and on the verge of tears. My baby is 4 months and 6 pounds. Is it really that abnormal for a Yorkie to be that big? This trainer tells me that by 1 year they double the 4 month weight which means he'll be about 12 lbs full grown if that is true. This is my first Yorkie and i'm not sure what to believe. My vet has never said to me that she thought he was anything but a yorkie, and she's always told me that she's happy with his weight.

Any advice on what i could/should do would be appreciated. Thanks for listening

I had a bad experience with Petsmart the 1st time Rhapsody went in to be groomed. After it bothering me for a couple days; I called the store and talked to the manager. He refunded my money, but I will never have my dog groomed there again. I do still shop there though, if he hadn't done something to offset I was seriously considering never stepping in there again -- but he refunded and sincerly apologized.

Also, don't listen to that trainer. He's all Yorkie, and some Yorkies are bigger than standard. It happens. . . but really don't worry about it -- weight can be hard to predict. Sorry, about your experience.