1st Grooming, very sad.

[Chewiesdad]

We took out handsome Yorkie this morning to his first grooming session. When we went to pick Chewbacca up it was a pretty decent shock.

Chewbacca is 6 months old and after a few home clip grooming we wanted to give him an official and professional grooming. Sadly he came out SHAVED.. and by shaved, sure there is a little hair but it seems as though #1 clippers were used or even shorter.

The groomer said she had to do that because on his rear end was matted. Now... I love my little guy more than my ol lady probably( just kidding ) and I really just cant believe he was in any kind of condition that required shaving instead of GROOMING.

I guess I'm writing this to vent a little bit but to kind of get opinions and answers...

I feel as though I made a huge mistake going to this groomer and expecting anything more than what we got. I was not there when my other half picked up our boy so I called when they got home and the groomer was beyond rude and borderline just awful.. I was told over the phone I don't take care of my dog and that's why he was shaved.. and like I said before that is just very VERY untrue. Heck, when we moved into our new place last month I ripped up and had new carpet laid down in the basement just because the potential of fleas from the last tenant.. After I mentioned about how I have done my research and feel that shaving a Yorkie due to any kind of matting is the VERY LAST RESORT under any condition and so forth she changed her story and said she shaved him so his adult coat can come in??

If that's common to shave on the first grooming then I suppose I have to accept it.

To conclude my story and for Professional Groomers that will read this: What is the average price to charge / pay for a grooming session? Before I was hung up on the 2nd time the lady said I should be happy with paying what I paid as she makes 1k's of dollors on just one dog all the time and to never question her expertise again.... Really? ;/

[Yorkiedaze]

Shaving down a dog is quick and easy and not as expensive as a special type of cut. Hope they didn't charge you the price of a special cut. Change groomers or better yet, do your own grooming. It isn't difficult at all. Mine have never had their hair cut by a groomer.

[Buster Brown]

My groomer says that matting aside many groomers shave because they do have the skill to do a scissor cut. I pay $60.00 she comes to my home bathes, scissor cuts, and clips Buster's toenails. It sound like she is not a good groomer and not very professional given her manners. If your puppy was matted she may have had to use the clippers but it sounds like your puppy was not so she just is lazy and incompetent and rude. I pity her thousand dollar dog. I would not question her "expertise" any more and find a new groomer. Why pay for a bad cut and a bad attitude. Best wishes to you and Chewie!

[AlicetheYorkie]

That stinks I'd be really mad, especially after getting hung up on and her being rude on the phone. A good professional would have appologized profusely for the "misunderstanding?" and offered you your money back or something. I hate when people are in business and behave that way, it's like, do you actually want to have loyal customers or not?!? Sounds like she took the easy way out with your little baby. Idk, I've never used a groomer and I plan on grooming my puppy myself when the time comes for her first trim. There are alot of people on here that groom their Yorkies themselves and they are adorable check out the grooming section, you'll get some great tips and advise It's really hard to find a good groomer and I don't know about Maryland, but here in my area of PA seems like there's one on every corner lol. Don't worry, it'll grow back

[AlicetheYorkie]

Oh, LOVE the name Chewbacca by the way, so cute Our Akita (Miya) makes this noise when she's excited and it sounds exactly like Chewbacca so I call her Chewie all the time

[YorkieRose]

When I groomed, I would go over the Yorkie with the owner present and point out what needed to be done.
The type of grooming was agreed upon before and there were no surprised owners who came back to find their Yorkie hairless...some had to be shaved if there were serious mats...but that almost 100% was a soft coat that mats easily...never remember having to shave a silk coat...just brush out the tangles..
Your groomer was and is rude...where in MD are you...I was might be able to refer you to someone who knows what they are doing...sounds like this groomer took a short cut and shaved your Yorkie...but I did not see the coat so I could be wrong...

[Sammy Mommy]

Poor Chewbacca! Thank goodness the hair will grow back. Instead of apologizing to you and acting like a professional, the groomer blamed you saying you didn't take care of the dog. The only reason some groomers shave the dogs, is pure laziness on their part!!! I understand that if the hair is badly matted they have to shave it but I think some groomers don't want to take the time or they don't know how to do it the right way. My neighbor had her Yorkie groomed (her Yorkie was always well taken care of) and the groomer shaved her down to nothing. My neighbor was livid! Good luck with your future grooming experiences!!

[RONLYNN]

I've had some really bad experiences with groomers.....it's kind of like hair dressers....they like to do what they like to do and don't really listen to the customer. This is why I haven't taken Teddi to the groomer in 3 years. It doesn't matter how much you tell them they don't listen. The last time I took her in 3 years ago to get a bath (I specifically told them DO NOT CUT ANYTHING) only give her a bath. I picked her up and saw right away they had cut around her eyes!!! It's so so frustrating! I am planning on taking her to get her nails cut and the hair around her paws cut soon but I will stand there while they do it because I don't trust them.

[Sbyork]

Sorry to say this but groomers are a dime a dozen and Very few if any have the true experience to do a yorkies correctly.
No cutting it down is NOT the way to go on a first grooming! At six months a bath and blow dry and brush, trim to neaten the feet and shave top 1/3 of ears and trim his little bottom!
If I were you I would not have PAID but I'm sure you did. I see it all the time when people come up to me at shows and ask why their dog doesn't look like mine.
You can learn to groom him and it will grow back. I think grooming is very relaxing!
sparklingbluyorkies.com

[SamanthaKim]

I heard that they just shave your dog whenever you take them in to places like Petco/Petsmart (of course, I'm not saying that ALL of Petcos/Petsmarts are bad!!!!) where the "groomers" aren't really good groomers ): Next time you can try www.yelp.com to find a good groomer by you!

Oh yeah..I thought you weren't supposed to shave a puppy's coat? Idk how true that is but my groomer won't do it..Biggie's over 1 and has never had a "REAL" hair cut..just trims to keep him looking cute!

[Saeka]

I would consider leaving that groomer an appropriate review online and not returning. Shaving the dog because of mats on just one area seems so..wrong. I have only had a groomer shave my yorkie ONCE and it was my fault because I did not specify the length and what I wanted done. I'll admit that. This last time I asked them to keep her body hair longer and trim up her face, feet, and rear end and they did it perfectly. I also get my dog groomed at PetSmart. Sure there are some that don't do a great job, but if you talk to them about what you want you're usually okay. I can't believe that groomer would act that way. What a jerk.

[Presto]

Ugh! that can be so so frustrating. I am surprised the groomer didn't call you to ask before trimming him that short. i always tell them to use scissors and not clippers on presto. Also i brush him every 2 days and put some coat oil on him to prevent matting. Next time def use a different groomer!

[gidget529]

I had a couple of bad grooming experiences and I just started grooming mine myself years ago. After years of practice, I actually had someone come up to me in a store parking lot and asked who my groomer was so she could take her dog there!! (now that would not have happened when I first started clipping myself!) I think the groomers just aren't as patient as we are with our own babies.

[cally930]

I, too have had bad experiences in the past, but I have learned that you have to be specific as to what you want. I have found a terrific groomer. Her place is like a doggie spa. She does not cage the dogs, but instead she has a bunch of little rooms with half doors. The rooms have little sofas and TVs for the doggies. Her clipping station is right in the front, just in case you want to stay and watch. I tell her that I just want the ears, paws and butt area trimmed, their teeth brushed and their nails clipped. If there are knots - she will brush them out - never has she shaved them. She charges me $45.00 and my dogs honestly love going.

Find another groomer - and be specific next time.

Good luck

[ArmaniMan]

Yorkies do not need to be shaved so that their adult coats come in. Neither of mine have ever been shaved, one is 4 and the other is 2.

What I did was find a groomer who would let me stay during the grooming, this way I could watch and make sure she was not shaving or doing anything else I didnt want. Once she had groomed my babies a few times and I trusted her, i started leaving them. Now I never have to worry, I know when I come back they will be just as I asked them to be. She actually refuses to shave mine, once after Chloe was seriously matted following a surgery and long recovery, I took her in and said just shave her, I know she is matted bad. I came back to her nicely brushed and fluffed and only a tiny bit shorter then normal.