How to find a good groomer?..
 

Help!!.. lol

Okay, so summer time is here and Stella is in need of a good grooming.. She refuses to let me cut her nails and the past 4 places I have taken her in my area... They goof up her hair :( Cut her topknot off when I tell them not to.. :(( Ugh.. Just super unhappy.. Is their a chain location that may be worth a drive to get her groomed?

Or should I try to watch some vids on how to cut her hair?:confused:

Is there anyone who can do home grooming? Call your vet and ask them. That way you can be there, watch her and help out. I do that for my boys and they love the attention and the fact that I do not have to drive them somewhere, leave them in a cage with a hot dryer, and be gone 4-6 hours.

Oh this is a great idea!!! I will def check into this! :)) Thank you!!

This is why I groom my baby myself, I'm too chicken to leave it up to someone else. Here are some great videos to get you started! http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...cerella02.html. Our grooming won't win any awards :rolleyes:, but we get better every time.

We groom at home. You could have a vet or groomer just do the nails for you.

There are great groomers out there and my family was really lucky in the past with our previous dogs, but it seems hard to find a great Yorkie groomer. The only other thing I can suggest is trying to find a Yorkie show breeder in your area who does a little grooming on the side.

Thanks for sharing!!! :)) I'll go watch now and save to my favorites :)
I don't put Stella in any shows.. But I wont her to have a nice cute for Summer as I'm sure it will be a hot one.

My two gets home haircuts too. LOL I'm just glad they don't care about their looks as much as ppl do. :p

As others mentioned, I prefer doing it at home so they won't be overly stressed. The only thing I don't do are the nails. Paranoid about hurting them. Besides, even if you mess up, their hair grows back quickly~! And you know what they say, practice makes perfect!

One thing I would suggest is that you buy some first aid materials for the pup.. Like styptic powder if you don't already have it. By accident, I clipped Zoey's ear once and... Poor thing didn't even yelp and I didn't notice till I saw the blood oozing down.

I have a wonderful groomer who does it out of her home. I have been so blessed to find her. Please be careful finding one. I heard three horrible stories about local groomers just this week. One about Petco grooming, one about a shop and one about a home groomer. I hate to say this, but I would get some references before using one!

My vet does grooming but you have to leave your pup

Another thing, my groomer allows me to stay if I want to. Some groomers don't allow this. I usually don't because my girls act terrible when I'm there. However, I know that I can stay if I want to. To me, she has nothing to hide if I can see her grooming them.

Oh, horror stories!! :((
I think I will stick to doing it myself I guess, and connect my laptop to my TV to watch these Tuts this weekend. :))

I attempted to cut her nails.. And she was calm for once.. But I have to ask.. Those who cut their babies nails on your own.. With them being black.. How do we know how far to go? I barely cut them bc I was scared to get into the quick :-/

My Bella's nails are all black too. You should cut only the curved tips off. The front paws have longer tips than the back paws, so you have to be more careful on the back. When in doubt, just cut off the sharp points about a millimeter and clip them again when they get sharp. And have styptic powder available to stop the bleeding in case you make a mistake. My vet says that cutting the quick is not the end of the world for the dog, but you should still try to avoid it as much as possible.

Before I found a groomer close to home (I was driving to Chattanooga to the Petsmart because I could stand there and watch through the window and let them know quickly if I had an issue with anything), I would take Huey to the vet to get his nails clipped. It was kinda high at $13 just for toenail clipping, but it was worth it to not have to fight him. With that immediate issue out of the way, it gave me the time to shop around until I found a close to home groomer that I liked. My vet doesn't groom, but I think every vet cuts nails, and if I had them cut them during a regular visit, they didn't charge me.

Ahh... I cut the quick one time.. I cried.. I felt soooo horrible. I guess that's why I've been so scared :( I'll just cut a little at a time until we get better at it.

Ahh, thanks for the tip! I don't know why I didn't think of the vet! Thanks ladies for all the options and advice :))

That's why I don't even try...:embarasse

My vet not only clipped Bella's nails for free, but he also gave her a free "sanitary cut" (shaved her backside). She was there for vaccinations and heartworm medicine, so I guess the vet didn't mind throwing in a couple of freebies.

I have had long haired dogs for many years and usually do most of their grooming but I always have a groomer that I use every few months. I have found the very best groomers have been people who work on show dogs and have done so for many years. They know how to deal with breed specific issues and are not the kind you find today that only know how to shave a dog and then call it "grooming."

Sadly, many people have dogs but do not want to be bothered with the grooming. They let the dog get matted and nasty and then take it to the "groomer" for another shave down. In most states there are no requirements to be a "groomer." Anyone can pick up a set of clippers and start up a business. No training required. Most chain stores train people right off the street to "groom" the dogs according to their own requirements.

With the popularity of long haired dogs there has been a huge increase in "grooming" establishments. You might want to visit the places. Ask if you can tour their grooming area. Ask questions about their training and experience. If you do not get clear cut answers and if you do not like the way they treat the dogs you better keep looking. There are some good groomers out there but they usually are not as visible as the newer "bathe and shave" establishments.