Not liking the groomers....
 

So the first grooming Lola got was from a girlfriend of mine who has 2 yorkies. She was able to brush her, buzz her a little, trim her face, wash her and dry her.

A month later I took her to petsmart to get groomed. Her report card said she did "ok but needs to work on the face and didnt like the sciccors at all" and that they didnt buzz her or blow dry her directly but put her in teh cage and had the dryer on her.

So i worked on her face alot, with me she has no problems. I took her this weekend and they called and said they could only wash her and trim her face, but that once the buzzer came out she went nuts and went after it and them. she didnt bite but they didnt want to chance it.

i think alot of it has to do with the fact that i am not there with her, she feels scared and insecure. i dont mind grooming her myself. do you groom your own pups?

or is 5 months still too young for going to a groomer? these are before and after pics, as you can tell not much difference.

Pink coat : after shot (less black on the face)
Harness shot : before, more black on the sides of her face

Hi, so sorry to hear you baby does not like the groomer. Romeo had a great stylist (she was so GOOD with him and vice versa) at PetSmart for almost 2 years and then she left for another job. I have since taken him to Best Friends and he's adjusted well. In between the groomer, I give him a weekly bath and use a hair blower so he won't be scared of noises at the groomer.

Good luck with your baby.

i think i need to go to a diff groomer next time instead. one that will spend the right time with her and get her comfortable. right now her puppy hair is still in and gets notty so i have to ocnstnatly brush her. the black hair... her face i can do myself and she trusts me. bath she hates, however if i am in the shower, she will jump in andi just seize the opportunity to wash her lol

I'm having grooming delimas myself. I need one but can't find a good one. Chloe is 5 months old and this will be her 2nd grooming. I only take her where I can stay and watch!! The first groomer shaved her ear so deep that it is still scared. She almost left a see through hole in it! That was with me there!!! Honestly I'm just about to the point that I will get a video and learn to groom her myself and do it slowly until she trusts the instruments. She hates the buzzing sound that the clippers make and bites at the hair dryer, but is doing better. I do this every week just to get her used to the sounds even if I have no plans on using the clippers I turn them on and run them across her back as if I'm trimming her.

I wished I had a better answer to this problem, as I need to learn myself.

She does look gorgeous, in both pictures! :)

Personally, I think 5 months is fine to take her to the groomers - best to start them young and get them used to it!

The first one we took Harry to, we could hardly tell any difference and basically I think the lady had no control whatsoever - he ended up on her head! :D The second one I will now always use, just one hour later he came out with 'everything' done and totally loving her (and still loving me, thank goodness! ;)). I was actually invited to stay and watch, if I wanted to. Perfect. However she does Agility at Crufts and her expertise is really apparent, she just knows how to handle everything.

Is your friend unable to continue grooming your little girl? :aimeeyork It seems such a shame if she can't, as you were happy all round. I actually trim round his eyes (very carefully, when he's sleepy-ish!) and round his bottom and winkie :eek:. I think people are very brave, that manage to do the whole thing on their own!! Good luck! Sally + Harry x

I have bought Ziva to the groomers a few times( shave down in the spring). I haven't found anyone who does a really great job yet. I mostly trim her up every week before her bath and that keeps her looking nice. I was trying to get rid of her crazy puppy hair when she was little- that's when I started the weekly trims. I have already trimmed Abby's ears and paws and I only got her last week!

my fiance has a buzzer for his own hair, i may start having that running while she is in the bathroom with us. just to see. she was fine when my gf did it, i may just start to pay her to do it lol

I was actually wondering the same thing. Brutus doesn't really liked to be brushed unless he is very sleepy. He has his first appt at the Groomer in 2 weeks and I am concerned that he isnt going to do very well. He is 4 months old and at least need a trim. Glad to hear I am not the only one.

I don't like most of those Petsmart-type places. I've seen them with some dogs and most have NO idea what they are doing (you can watch thru the window). Plus, those cage dryers are DANGEROUS. Lots of dogs get burned badly by them because people are idiots who do not know how to use them. Most also do not know how to properly handle dogs. I took Jackson to Petsmart once to get his nails cut and it RUINED him from nail cuts -- he expressed his anal glands (which he now does every time he's in a scary situation, and he never used to do this until that incident), they MUZZLED him, grabbed him up in the air. Some dogs may need this but all Jackson needs is a gentle touch and patient hand... I am so mad at myself for allowing them to continue. It really set us back in our training of trusting strangers/people, too. And to this day, when we go up by the register at Petsmart, he puts on the brakes and I have to drag him (because it's close to the groomers section). This was over a year ago!

Anyways, long story, I know. But I know how sensitive my dog is and what he can/cannot handle and I am going to make things as easy as possible for him. So I found a mobile groomer. He is done in less than an hour in my own driveway, treated very nicely, no cages, no cage dryers. And I'm only paying $10 more than I would be dropping him off at a place for 5-6 hours.

Oh, and Jackson was 4 1/2 months old the first time he went to a groomer. I did find a little boutique-type place but I still had to leave him for 5 hours and was not happy with it... sooo glad I found a mobile groomer. We've been using one for over a year now.

i need to find maybe a more personalized groomer, not a petsmart. with less dogs and more attention to the pups. i know of another one but they wont take her until she is six months old.

Sorry, I meant also to say - we shower him every week and blow-dry him with the hairdryer each time, so that he stays in the swing of things. Good idea about getting him used to the sound of the shaver-thingy, even if you're not really using it! :thumbup: :) We also bought some round-ended baby scissors - just in case! Sally + Harry x

I got this impression as well. I know when I went to pick her up there were 3 oother big dogs there, that acnt be good for her, must be tramautic. she was alseep in her cage when i came and i felt awful. she wsa so happy to see me. i may just take her some where small moving fwd. the money inst an issue but i want her to be happy and ok with getting groomed so i will go elsewhere next time :)

those are the scissors i have, with the circles at the end:):aimeeyork

Why not?!!? Think that's the way to go :D Sally + Harry x

I am in the same situation they wont take her till she has her rabbies shot :( and its horrible even trying to bath her she hates it lol poor baby

Paisley will be 15 weeks old this week and I will be needing to find a trustworthy groomer soon. I've spoke with a couple on the phone, but neither really seemed to care how I felt :confused:
Paisley doesn't even liked to be conbed most of the time. Doing it when she is sleepy is the best time.
I have used the hair dryer to dry her twice. the second time she was better with it. Still a little unsure.
I would like to take her to a groomer where I can stay and watch while she's being groomed. ... at least the first time or two.
I sure don't want someone doing something to hurt her or something that scares her so bad that she'll never want groomed again.
I think I may take Paisley to town one day and just go visit all the groomer's shops. Meet them and see their place and see how things work.

lola already has her rabies shot, she is almost 5 months. i am goign to wait until a month or two to take her to a new groomer.

I started grooming Rizzo after a bad experience with a non experienced groomer. It has been trial and error, but I finally got a hang of things. I've found that I have no idea how to do a puppy cut, lol, but the "Joey" is a very easy cut for me to maintain. Plus he is always rockin' the cute yorkie face that this breed is known for. I just love topknots!
I say if your pup is more comfortable with you handling her, then go for it. It's scary for you the first time, and you'll probably kick yourself a few times when you're starting out. But you'll save a lot of money, and in the end, if your dog is going to have a bad cut wouldn't you rather it be you that does it vs. paying someone big $$ to mess it up for you?
What you'll need are a good pair of clippers specifically for pets, the blades stay cooler longer, but you will still need to constantly check for heat. Too hot and you'll burn their skin. You'll need really, really good brushes/combs, I use the Madan pin brush in lavender for Rizzo, he's got really fine hair, and used to hate being brushed...he still doesn't love it but he tolerates it well enough. You'll also need a comb for her face to get any eye gunk, and because the comb will be smaller and easier for brushing their small head. Be sure to de-tangle your pup really well before clipping her, as any knots that get caught in the blades will likely yank her skin up and you'll cut her with the blade (very painful). Also a pair of rounded siccors will come in handy when trimming the face, and around the feet. Of course you'll need the usual de-tangling spray, good shampoo/conditioner, and a hair dryer for pets, or one that has a cool setting.
I have to take a lot of breaks when clipping Rizz, he hates the noise, and I think the whole feel of the clippers. We're working on it, but usually about every 10 minutes we get a break for treats and playing. When we started it was about every 2 minutes that we needed a break.
You can always check the grooming section for info on how to groom your pup. Good luck either way! I have yet to find any place that I could trust to leave Rizzo at, too many scary stories online about small dogs and groomers.

thank you, and with me she is calm to do her face and brushing. i think i will keep her face nice and neat and feet, and then work to let her puppy hair to grow out. i have yet to cut her nails and that scares me :(

Me too :( I'm a huge wimp when it comes to cutting the nails, so I take him to the vets office to do it. I need to find a local vet because I just moved, and he needs it done.

She is very sweet!

I do not groom Remy myself. I bathe him and comb him, but am not comfortable trimming his hair or nails.

Agree with prior comments regarding PetSmart grooming - it is a place I would avoid at all cost. And Cage dryers are a definite danger.

I only use one groomer and it took quite a while and some due diligence to find the right relationship. My requirements were that I could be with Remy the entire time (during bathing, trimming, etc.) that he is never put in a cage, and that he is hand dried. Our groomer is terrific. She and I chat the entire time she is working on him and as a result his cut is always to my specification. Ironically she used to work at PetSmart and left there because of the conditions. She now works at a small, locally owned grooming facility . Remy is not terribly keen on the experience (he hates getting wet) but tolerates its well and I know he is safe.

It may take you a while to find the right relationship but I'd encourage you to call and speak with a lot of vendors. Be clear about your requirements and if they don't comply, don't pursue them. I found that some groomers that schedule their appointments and require a "drop off" and "pick up" time may give you the flexibility to stay with your pup if you take the first morning appointment. Good luck, finding the right groomer will be a lifesaver!!

Personally, I don't care for the chain stores that groom dogs. They don't have the experience or training that is needed to be a really good groomer. Their only talent is shaving a dog and they have little knowledge of how to handle a dog. Look for a groomer that grooms for people who show dogs. That groomer will have knowledge of how each breed should be properly groomed and should also be familiar with the particular quirks each breed has. They should of course be able to do the particular type of cut you want as well. I avoid new groomers unless they have been working with an experienced groomer that knows their stuff. I guess it's like a person who has graduated from beauty college. They have the basic knowledge of how to do hair but are just beginning to learn the skills needed to be a really good stylist. For that they need a mentor to show them the tricks of the trade.:)