Oh No - Bad Day At The Groomers
 

Hi everyone!

We adopted Zeus on New Year's Eve from a local rescue. He was extremely underweight and covered in dirt, urine, and who knows what else. A week later, he has settled in wonderfully, and even sleeps with our cat (who thinks he's a dog) at night if he's not sleeping in between me and Daddy. He's gained a couple of ounces so far and filling in. :)

Yesterday he was taken to the groomers. My last dog was short haired and did not require any special grooming that I could not do myself, so I haven't had a groomer before. I called around based on Yelp reviews and only 1 called me back (out of 6!). So I made an appointment yesterday morning and picked him up in the afternoon.

The first picture shows him how he was on Day 1. The second is what he looks now. These were taken on my phone so I'm sorry they're not the utmost quality.

I asked for a trim. What I got was uneven sides and a chopped beard, uneven face, and too-short ears (which are also really uneven!). I wasn't happy she chopped off his beard (and left the rest of his body longer) and left. It wasn't until I was back at work with Zeus that I noticed how uneven he was.

Now, in the groomer's defense, Zeus does NOT like his face combed, so I can imagine how he was being cut. But, she still cut it off.

So my question now is...am I the only one who thinks this is horrible? Having a puppy face and a longer cut body? I think he looks ridiculous and I'll probably end up going somewhere else to get a puppy cut so everything will grow together.

What would you all do? Suck it up and wait for it to grow back? Or cut off everything to make him even?

I just don't want the cat laughing at him. :rolleyes:

Thanks!
Heather

Oh looove his heart. In my honest opinion, I think he looked great before he went. Obviously needed a little trim up, but I think leaving a yorkie scruffy looking but well kempt shows their personality up even more. He beautiful though..

I dont think its a good cut for a yorkie. It is good if you can find a groomer that has experience with yorkie cuts because mine get the body cut shorter but the hair on the face is left longer and the ear hair is longer it just looks more like a yorkie look even though they are groomed

I don't think he looks bad! I would not cut the body hair at all. My Sophia's face hair grows quicker than the body hair, so maybe his will too.

He is a cutie no matter what! :)

Thanks everyone. He is a little cutie. :)

He was supposed to only get trimmed...not hacked. :( This was yesterday, but I'm still really upset over it.

Bitsy, how fast would you say Sophia's facial hair grow in comparison to her body? If that's typical, then I think I can hold out a few weeks...maybe. :(

Oh I don't know....maybe 25% faster? I'd hold out for a few weeks at least...his body hair looks so nice, and since it is winter, it helps him to have it. :)

It will grow out really quick. I get mine groomed and 3 months later they are ready for a new groom. And it always seems to me the facial hair grows out the fastest. I would just let it grow out. I agree he is a cutie

I recently got a new groomer (mine left her position at the store and had to be replaced) and she misunderstood me and chopped his show coat off into a puppy cut, I could have killed her, and cried. So I know exactly how you feel.

Personally it's winter he's not going to be out in public too much without a coat, I'd let it grow before you straighten it out. Wait a few weeks and if you can't stand the unevenness do some more research and find a new groomer. Also what about a local breeder who shows? My breeder after seeing Harley's hair cut called and offered to teach me how to maintain his show coat once I get it back. I'm sure if you asked a breeder they could teach you exactly how to manage his hair in whatever manner you want.

Another good thing to do is print out a picture of a yorkie with the cut you want.

He is such a handsome boy. I would let his hair grow and just snip a little here and there yourself. He has a nice coat. You could definitely groom him at home.

It could be worse, that's for sure. Let it grow for a few weeks and then go somewhere different.

Love the final cut! Looks great!

After hearing everyone's horror stories, I can't feel as bad... Yes, it's just hair and it'll grow back...but I'm a very impatient mama. ;)

"Winter"? What's that? It's 69 degrees out right now! But he does have really thin hair and bald spots, so I think it would actually be bad to trim him. He'd constantly need his sweaters on, even inside. And because he's so *ahem* well endowed, I have to take his sweaters off before he goes outside to pee. He'd probably refuse to go outside at all if he only had 1 inch hair.

Thanks again everyone! You've made me feel a lot better. Zeus doesn't seem to mind so I should take a lesson from him.

I could give you a few horror stories but won't. I get too upset just thinking about them. I would not go back to a groomer that cannot give an even cut. I won't leave Gracie at any groomer's that expect her to sit there for hours at a time. I also won't take her to a chain groomer. If you take him to a groomer again I would take my time and find a professional groomer that has experience grooming Yorkies. Take your time and shop around and visit the place ahead of time for an inspection. References would be helpful as well.
He is an adorable little guy. Looks like you got a wonderful little friend. Great New Year's present!

You're not the first and you won't be the last of us to have bad hair-do's. He is quite a cutie. I like the first pic, too. It's very hard to find a really great yorkie groomer. If you can learn to do it yourself, you'll be much happier.:)

He is so cute! I would leave his hair and let it grow out more before cutting more. I had one of mine cut in to a shorter puppy like cut a few months ago. I took pictures to the groomer and she did exactly what I showed her. I was nervous since all of mine have always been in long coats. But Cali's facial hair definitley grew in faster than her body hair. Her facial hair is almost back to what it was before while her body hair is still aways from the ground. I am so glad you saved him!

Well, the good thing about hair is that it WILL grow:D
He is so cute and he will be again !

He's so cute that even a bad hair cut doesn't take away any of his cuteness. :D I can see that maybe the groomer was new and practicing. :( I would not have paid her at all if it were me.
I agree about learning to do these cuts yourself. It isn't difficult at all and there are plenty of video's to show you how. The initial cost for good scissors and clippers isn't cheap, but do invest in the best ones as they will last a lifetime. Doing the grooming yourself will save you a fortune!

Let it grow. I love your before picture. He just needs a little touch up there. If you like it long take a look at what I do. I'm not great but I don't like the new haircut look. I scissor trim his body, shave is personal parts and ears. Scissor clip and use blending shears for the legs and body. I'm currently trying to grow out the clipped eye and nose hair. My current problem is that the vet shaved half his moustache due to a dental abscess that has been finally resolved. It will grow back too!!! He is always a work in progress.

I think I would let it grow a little also and maybe find a new groomer.

Your little guy is adorable, before and after the grooming.

We got Smokie at 5 months and he had never had a trim. I made an appointment with one of the two groomers close by but I didnt like the vibe I got from the receptionist, the fact that she didnt listen to a thing I said, nor her insistance that I leave him all day. I would imagine that the shop owner would have handled me, the nervous new father better, but too bad, and I cancelled the appointment the next day.

My vet recommended the other groomer in town and she is terrific. His first trip was kind of disappointing, mainly because he struggled like crazy, but the groomer adjusted his cut as best she could and made notes on Smokey's card as to what my preferences were. Second trip was better still and I expect even more satisfying results on visit #3, two weeks from now. I noticed about a week after visit 2 that she forgot to cut his dew claws, so I took him back and she corrected that on the spot.

Not really all that different than when you start up with a new hairdresser. They need to get to know you and your head and you need to start accepting that every cut you see doesnt necessarily work for your particular hair. It takes time to establish a relationship and a bad cut really isnt such a catastropy because you get another chance about every 8 weeks.

The trick is to tell the groomer what you want and have her/him make adjustments before you leave instead of going home and brooding about it. If after a couple of visits you cant get through to the groomer, then it's time to look for someone else. In my particular case, I'm going to be as patient as possible because my options are severely limited.

Smokey's Avatar was taken the day of his first cut. All things considered, I think he looked pretty adorable.

UGH sorry this happened to you :-/ When I first started getting Parker groomed I had the same thing happened..except when I went to pick him up I barely recognized him I was sooo upset! The lady had taken off his beard and cut all the hair on his nose he looked like a sad little dog. lol.. luckily it is only hair and it grows quickly... I would definitely call around and find a groomer who has lots of experience with yorkies.. I found a great place that is just down the road from me and they do such an amazing job...I actually took Parker there a few days after his first grooming nightmare and they were able to clean him up a bit and make him look more like a yorkie. It definitely makes a huge difference when the groomer knows what a yorkie is supposed to look like! Good luck. and BTW your baby is soo precious :) what a cutie

His hair will grow out. I think Zeus is adorable!

Honestly, I think he looks adorable in both pics!

You couldn't do much to make that little face look bad but you do want a groomer that knows what they are doing. If you explain to the groomer what you want and they do something opposite of what you said then you know you have problems. It is unfortunate but some people only take their dog to the groomer when their fur is matted and in bad shape so many groomers have grown accustomed to just shaving the fur off. It takes no talent to shave the fur off a dog. It does take some talent to make a moderately long haired dog look good.
I now do a lot of the grooming for Gracie. Trimming her eyes, feet and butt between groomings means I don't I have to take her as often. I bathe her once a week. She has a long coat and I prefer the groomer even off her length and shape her face. Maybe you can find other long haired dog owners in your area and find out where they take their dogs. I'll tell you there are all kinds out there. Be really careful who you leave your little one with. Just because someone works with animals does not mean they have your same values about how they should be treated.