[simplyyorkies]

I am a groomer and when i went to school I was taught some "different" ways to bathe and keep a dog standing on the table. The large pet companies that offer grooming do their own training schools and teach what they want their employees to know. They put all the appointments in a large room in kennels - so your little Yorkie could be above a large Rottie or Chow and the noise in the back room is so loud - the barking, whining and panting is deafening. Then the dogs are taken to a tub and bathed with a sprayer - I've seen some bathers just jet stream dogs face to rear. It's called "Wet and Jet". Then they soap them up and jet them again. The dogs then go to another kennel to have a dryer put on them. If the dryer isn't regulated the little ones get blown to the back of the kennel. Also, most states have laws that prohibt cage drying for more than 15 min but most just keep them on til the dog is dry. This is refered to as microwaving. Once dried they are hauled out, put in a noose and groomed. There are some great groomers working for these larger chains but they have no control over the standards in which the dogs are handled.

When looking for a groomer - ASK questions!! How long has the groomer been grooming? are they certified? by what authority are they certififed. BTW - there are no laws stating a groomer has to be certified but would you go to a hair stylist who had no formal training? Ask if they kennel your dog? for how long? do they kennel dry? how long will your dog be there? if your dog has to stay over 2 hours - find another groomer!! Ask that your dog be table dried. Look around is the place clean, any bad smells? Talk to the person doing the grooming. I could go on and on. But if you get any bad vibes - dont leave your dog!