[k2p1e]

'Lots of groomers take the easy way out and shave dogs...less time on each dog means more time for more dogs = more money. Not too many groomers want to take the time to brush through tangles but tangles and mats can usually be brushed out if you shake a little corn starch on the matted area and brush with a pin brush. I don't use soft bristled brushed because they don't get all the way through the coat. My Biewer girls have a ton of hair and they're losing their puppy fuzz so that tends to tangle easily but I used the corn starch and pin brush and they came right out.

Lots of groomers call the cut you got a 'puppy' cut but if they shave them I think they just took the easy way out. To me a puppy cut should be fluffy and cute...not shaved to the skin'

Sorry I took a bit of offense to this. I am a groomer, I am also the most expensive salon in our area.

The others are right, if you are using a brush, often the brush will skim over the matts, whereas using a fine tooth metal come (preferably teflon coated) you can catch all those little tiny matts.

When a pup comes in matted there are THREE option...

1. take the dog home and brush and comb and demat it and then bring it back.

2. We shave it down, get underneath the matts, and start with a fresh coat. Often dematting will result in damaged hair cuticles and will be more supseptible to matting in the future.

3. We demat very carefully...we also charge for our time. 15 mins is included in the regular cost of the groom (we start around $45 for a yorkie who is well bahaved for groomng and in good coat condition) it costs $60/hour to demat. I have dematted a few yorkie pups and the most expensive was $120 for over 2 hour dematting (which can be done safely with proper equipment, supplies and tools but it can also be VERY slow)

I don't mind taking the time to demat and avoid shaving BUT time is money to me,. You are right more dogs=more money. I love my job but I am not working for free, I cannot be expected to take a paycut that day because someone does not want to pay me for the time to brush out their matted pup. Grooming is my career not my hobby.
Majority of people are shocked when they hear the cost of dematting their severly tangled little dog.

I also HATE the term 'puppy cut', it is generic and means something different to every groomer...some mean 6 week old puppies...smooth hair!, And others mean 1" all over. When people ask for a puppy cut I ask HOW long/short and I want it in a a term that is measurable (1" or less then 1/2")

Shaving a dog is not the easy way out, it is what owners have decided. Either they want it short for convenience sake or they have not brushed at home and do not want to do it at home (or were unable to) and do not want to pay the extra fee for dematting.