Another fine example as to why the only Groomer Andy has is me.

Another thing to be very careful about is cage dryers. Always make sure your groomer hand dries your dog. The industry is not regulated so it's buyers beware when selecting a groomer.

Dog?s death highlights grooming hazard - TODAY Pets & Animals - TODAYshow.com

Wow !!!! sorry to hear all these sad stories... I only send one of my babies to the groomers and the other I groom myself...... Timba gives me a hard time to groom him especially cutting his nails, so him I send off to the groomers, but Maggie, I groom her myself she lets me cut her hair, nails and do everything, she whimpers a tiny bit but I sing toher and make funny faces and put her mind at ease.... but now hearing all this makes me not want to send my lil guy to the groomers....

I used to have just one groomer work on my dogs, as Buttons is skittish with new folks, and she had been doing her hair since her first puppy cut. I took Yogi to her as well, and she would have them both done in about an hour & a half.

Last couple times tho, a new girl did Yogi, & she said he "developed a fear of the dryer, actually attacking it, so the 1 & a half hour trip to the groomers turns into a 7 hour thing. She stated he has to air dry now....I can't stand the 7 hours that he is there & recently purchased grooming tools off ebay. They have yet to arrive, but I'm an intelligent person, & figure I can figure it out. I have also been eye-balling that How to groom your Yorkie dvd on ebay as well. I plan on grooming them myself from here on out, and that was before I read the OP's thread this morning. Call me a worry-wart if you want, but that 7 hours is stressful on both me & the dogs!

I'm concerned about my groomer. I have tried several here in this area; we just moved about 6 months ago.

The facility I used the last time is not the greatest; however, my dogs seem to love the individual (female) who does their grooming. They get the same one every time; and she is young and vivacious and they just like her. She does a good job too. I love the way she does Lucy's face and little 'spray' topknot.

Last time, Ringo jumped up and put his paw on her leg and wagged his tail and Lucy licked her face. Normally they do not react to groomers this way.

However, this place also boards dogs and I would NEVER, EVER board my dog there. It's old; I can see cages stacked on top of one another back in the boarding room. Ugh. I don't mind leaving them there for 2 hours to get groomed; but never, ever, ever would I leave them there overnight or anything like that.

So my dilemma is . . should I continue to take them to a groomer that they like, but one who works in an overall facility that I am not that thrilled with??

Also, I specifically asked, and they DO have cage driers. I requested that neither Lucy or Ringo be put in one - but how do I know?

Well, I think I've answered my own question. I need to look around for another groomer.

Such a sad story - I guess I need to learn how to cut my Kody's hair

Thats a tough situation- because it is hard to find a groomer that the dogs like and that does a good job on the cut. However, I always worry that no matter how nice the person is and how well meaning- they may think "oh I have to run to the bathroom let me just throw them in the cage dryer for a second, it won't be a big deal". Thats why I prefer to use a place that doesn't have them- this way they never have the option of using them.

So, so terrible! I cannot even imagine this happening to my baby....my little girl got a torn ACL while she was at the groomer's and even that is making me sick. I know accidents happen but goodness! Be more careful! I cannot send my babies back there again.

I bought the How to groom your Yorkie DVD and it is good. I bought from the seller who has a different DVD for each small breed and there aer about 3 different covers for the Yorkie one, but they are all the same. I emailed and asked. It shows how to pull the hair from their ears and clip their nails without quicking and espress their anal glands and how to look for anything that might be wrong or disease starting in any areas. It is well worth the money. They have a support website, too, and answer emails almost immediately. Oh, and I am not affiliated with them in any way, just a happy customer so far.

So very sorry to hear this, how awful and sooooo completely avoidable.

I do have Remy groomed but he is never left there and is never out of my sight. It was a requirement when I interviewed groomers and this firm was the only one that agreed to my conditions. When he has an appointment, we show up, I hold him until they are ready (no crating) and as he is groomed I stand there and chat with the groomer. They only do one dog at a time, so I get to see exactly what is being done. She is really quite nice and I've enjoyed getting to know her. She also has given me some good tips to use at home. And, when she is not sure how short I may want something she can just ask and the cut is done as per my specifications. It may take awhile to find the proper vendor, but it is worth it to find someone agreeable to your conditions and who does good work.

This is pretty much what I do except I stay out of sight Gatsby when he is being cut Because he wants me to hold him if he can see me However I stand right there when he is bathed and dried by hand and the groomer will sit on her knees on the floor to groom him because she will not use a groomer lead. I actually feel comfortable enough to leave him there if i need to. My groomer also does boarding and rescue, so i know that she is very careful with all animals and loves everything That walks through her door.

And as an added bonus once a year she has sheltie puppies and I get to play with them.

A question for those who groom their own yorkies: do you also release the anal glands yourself? I have yet to take my 7 month old yorkie to the groomers because of all these horror stories I've read. Currently I groom her myself at home but I also know she needs to have her anal glands released. How are your experiences with that?

That is actually what I did when I first started using a groomer again. Found one that let me stay. She was not the best, but as long as I was there, I felt safer. I tried grooming them myself, and that didn't work well. But I have a really good groomer to take them to now that I don't worry about. Just took a few years before I could get to that point again.

I have been told by the vet that my dogs should take care of this themselves unless they get older or something is wrong. You will know if they are having a problem. You may smell a foul odor, see them dragging their butts on the carpet or even biting at their hind end. Routine expressing is NOT recommended. You can actually cause them problems from doing this when they do not need it.

It is not difficult to do, but easiest if you have the vet tech show you how to do it the first time.

Such a sad story.

I have heard so many horror stories about groomers that I was always afraid of taking them in. The one I have finally chosen isn't the most talented, but she's inside my Vet's office. I feel better knowing the vet is in the same room if something were to happen.