Yorkie terrified of groomer! - Page 2 - YorkieTalk.com Forums

cdawnfine · 01-27-2008, 04:25 PM

I used to take Milo to just the groomer, and found myself dragging him inside, than we learned the wonders of doggy day care. At a regular groomer they request that you leave the dog for the day and they are crated all day long. At doggy day care they play all day long and when it is time for the grooming he is all tired and relaxed, he drags me in there every week, he gets groomed about every 2 months I call it his spa day.

SophieRose · 01-27-2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puppylover2

Our Sadie is almost 2. She is between 8-9 lbs. We have been asked not to return to 3 differenr groomers-so far. She is the sweetest girl in the world,but when she gets groomed, she turns into satan (as the groomers call her). She barks, growls, hisses, nips, scratches & literally tries to crawl into your clothes. It takes 4 people to hold her down, & usually 1-2 hrs. for the grooming! When she is done, you can feel her sweating thru her skin! We have tried herbal, vet given relaxers,nothing has helped. We give her a puppy cut, but than we, as well as her, are so tramatized after the grooming, we leave her grow out again. Than we we make another appt., they ask us to look elsewhere. She hates being brushed at home. It takes 3 of us to do this. We have tried at home grooming, but when we were done, it looked so bad, I just cried! Anybody have any other suggestion that we have not tried? We are desperate!!!

I want to share something that I witnessed earlier this afternoon at Petco in Seattle. A miniature schnauzer was being groomed, the groomer told the pup to shut up, grabbed her front legs together to restrain her, poured ear cleaner and it seemed like 1/4, then began to yank out her ear hairs. The dog resisted, the groomer grabbed at towel to muzzle her. At that point, I went to find the manager who wasn't in but found an older worker. She went into the grooming area and the stupid girl said "she was trying to bite me". This is a little dog who was at that point frightened and clawed to the older women to hold her.

I plan on writing a letter to Petco and talking with the manager. The abuse was clear and the woman had the most cruel look on her face.

I don't know about your groomers, but both of my dogs have only gone to quality groomers who really do love dogs. However, there were a few times that Sophie was taken to someone else and she shook when I picked her up.

It is not necessarily the dogs behavior but believe it is the demeanor of the groomer.

What I witnessed today has upset me greatly. Warmly, Deborah

yoyo27 · 01-27-2008, 04:49 PM

When you get a young dog even though they don't require much grooming you have to get them use to it. You need to touch there ears, nails and feet so they get use to all of it. Even you should be brushing your baby each day so they get use to this and know its a relaxing nice time. I understand sometimes that groomers don't get along with the groomers and you have to find a really good one. But you said it took several of you to hold her at home. So sounds like if she doesn't allow you to do it then its hard to expect a groomer to hand the dog. Maybe you need to take her to a trainer and learn to work with your dog so you are able to retain the dog. See if that helps you can get private lessons that the trainers will assist you in what to do to get the dogs behavior turned around.

mojo · 01-27-2008, 10:33 PM

My little boy is so afraid of everybody, I have never even bothered taking him to the groomers; it would be hell for him.
I groom him myself. Does it look the best in the world? No, not really, but that's ok.
He also freaks out when I do try to groom him, my vet just told me to try benadryl, so we will see what happens.

Plus, per that previous petco story, I will NOT entrust my babies to anybody else.

Mayas Mommy · 01-27-2008, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puppylover2

Our Sadie is almost 2. She is between 8-9 lbs. We have been asked not to return to 3 differenr groomers-so far. She is the sweetest girl in the world,but when she gets groomed, she turns into satan (as the groomers call her). She barks, growls, hisses, nips, scratches & literally tries to crawl into your clothes. It takes 4 people to hold her down, & usually 1-2 hrs. for the grooming! When she is done, you can feel her sweating thru her skin! We have tried herbal, vet given relaxers,nothing has helped. We give her a puppy cut, but than we, as well as her, are so tramatized after the grooming, we leave her grow out again. Than we we make another appt., they ask us to look elsewhere. She hates being brushed at home. It takes 3 of us to do this. We have tried at home grooming, but when we were done, it looked so bad, I just cried! Anybody have any other suggestion that we have not tried? We are desperate!!!

I know what you are talking about .... Maya and I had the same Experience not to long ago ....

Sweetums · 01-27-2008, 11:41 PM

I had a colleague who works for a pet rescue tell me that she would never bring a dog in for grooming at Petco or Petsmart. She spent all day there photographing pets with Santa and said the things she saw she would not do to a pet.

We found a wonderful groomer through suggestions from other Yorkie owners at the local Yorkie Meetup group (www.meetup.com/yorkies). This groomer works out of a veterinarian office, so we figure she can't be abusive or too harsh. Our little Pookie hated grooming until we brought her to this one. She's young and Pookie loves her. They both act like long lost friends when we bring her into the office. Pookie gets so excited and dances around and licks her, so we guess the experience isn't too bad for her.

So you might try going to a meetup or two and ask the other members where they go to get groomed. If it's a bigger place, make sure you get a specific name of the groomer.

saphire · 01-28-2008, 12:29 AM

My two love their grooming... my secret .. treats!! I keep a bottle of different treats on the grooming table, and I must admit they are only good because I bribe them

CoCo has never been too bad, but Coffee, he's another story. Anyway those days are gone thanks to the treats. When grooming Coffee, CoCo actually tries to push him aside so she can have her turn

Try doing just a little patch at a time and give a treat as you begin, and one as you put her down. Try spraying diluted conditioner on the area you want to brush, it brushes easier and does not hurt so much. Hopefully she will learn that brush time is treat time.

I wish you lots of luck. It must be awful to see her so upset.

Sheilagh

Ellie May · 01-28-2008, 07:02 AM

I groom Ellie myself. I feel safer that way. One thing that she will not tolerate is anything that vibrates (no clippers or sonicare toothbrush). I scissor cut her only and she lays in my lap while I do it. When things vibrates she tries her hardest to escape.

Cinq1964 · 01-28-2008, 07:37 AM

I have Nolee going to the same groomer for months now. He always seems to be nervous and shaking when I hand him over. I was told this is normal until he gets use to grooming. I don't think he gives any trouble. I will try another groomer, after several people said this is not normal. I have tried clipping his nails. My what a nightmare! Besides him not liking it, I'm scared I will clip too much! If I find this new groomer is not different, I will give it a try again to do it myself! Good Luck, we may have to try grooming them ourselves!

Bizzymammabee · 01-28-2008, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puppylover2

Our Sadie is almost 2. She is between 8-9 lbs. We have been asked not to return to 3 differenr groomers-so far. She is the sweetest girl in the world,but when she gets groomed, she turns into satan (as the groomers call her). She barks, growls, hisses, nips, scratches & literally tries to crawl into your clothes. It takes 4 people to hold her down, & usually 1-2 hrs. for the grooming! When she is done, you can feel her sweating thru her skin! We have tried herbal, vet given relaxers,nothing has helped. We give her a puppy cut, but than we, as well as her, are so tramatized after the grooming, we leave her grow out again. Than we we make another appt., they ask us to look elsewhere. She hates being brushed at home. It takes 3 of us to do this. We have tried at home grooming, but when we were done, it looked so bad, I just cried! Anybody have any other suggestion that we have not tried? We are desperate!!!

You can learn to groom yourself and save the stress and headache. There are lots of DVD's out there and clippers are fairly inexpensive. I groomed Lulu myself because she hated the groomer and was a wreck when I would pick her up. So I decided to err on the side of caution that she wouldn't get hurt and do it myself.

PunkinPie · 01-28-2008, 08:32 AM

Poor thing, how scary for her. She may also pick up on your feelings as you drop her off for grooming and it may cause her to fear even more. Punkin picks up even the most subtle changes in my moods and it does effect how she responds to situations.

I give a treat after any kind of grooming or dreaded activity and make a big deal about it. I call it the treat parade*. She only gets if she cooperates. If she is having a hard time I will keep it short and always end with her doing what she is supposed to do so I can praise and do the treat parade.

*involves lots of excitement from me, jumping up and down and running to the treat cupboard. It's lots of fun

Lexi Rae · 01-29-2008, 09:39 AM

i too learned how to groom lexi myself,, she is also terrified of grommer and
i dont like to put her through that unless i have to.. once a year we take her
and i feel terrible.. but the more you groom the better you will get..
after every couple of snips, she gets 3 cheerios and she knows to stay still.

kezza · 01-29-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcerella02

your poor pup... i feel bad for her.. it must be hard to be that anxious and not have any other way to tell them that she is upset... Layla used to go to the groomer and came home just a mess... she was shaking.. it was horrible.. i realized the problem wasn't her... but the people grooming... so i do it myself now... at first the cost is high for a clipper and combs and scissor but when you think about it.. the one time cost is better than the 50 dollars each time and having her come back so upset. good luck.. if you need help with grooming yourself... msg me and i'll be happy to help

I agree with you on that one! Pixie got groomed for the first time a few weeks back, I wanted her first time to be a good experience for her..but unfortunatley it was not!!! The groomer bathed her with no conditioner (bad news with a long coat!) roughly towel dried her matting the hair of course!

then tried to brush her with a metal toothed brush pulling on her hair! she was screeching and jumping all over the place! she was just shaking

I think i went and picked the worst groomer around here..i'm so mad with myself and HER too

I think I will just try having a go myself, she's very good when I bath her, dry her and groom her, I just haven't tried the trimming myself yet!

TiniTime · 01-31-2008, 04:09 PM

It is so important to work with them while they are still very young, with daily brushing and touching. It took a week before Tini stopped biting her comb. But with that said, I've had terrible experiences with groomers. When we moved I had to find a new one and when I picked her up there was something terribly wrong. I had never seen her act the way she did, it was almost like she was in shock. I didn't have her trimmed for almost a year. I finally found a new groomer thru my vet's office, and she's been fine ever since. Get recommedations from people you trust.

01-27-2008, 04:49 PM	#18
yoyo27 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,741	When you get a young dog even though they don't require much grooming you have to get them use to it. You need to touch there ears, nails and feet so they get use to all of it. Even you should be brushing your baby each day so they get use to this and know its a relaxing nice time. I understand sometimes that groomers don't get along with the groomers and you have to find a really good one. But you said it took several of you to hold her at home. So sounds like if she doesn't allow you to do it then its hard to expect a groomer to hand the dog. Maybe you need to take her to a trainer and learn to work with your dog so you are able to retain the dog. See if that helps you can get private lessons that the trainers will assist you in what to do to get the dogs behavior turned around. __________________ " Santa's on his Way! From: Cali, Cinnamon, and Zoie.

01-27-2008, 10:33 PM	#19
mojo Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Here, there Posts: 2,693	My little boy is so afraid of everybody, I have never even bothered taking him to the groomers; it would be hell for him. I groom him myself. Does it look the best in the world? No, not really, but that's ok. He also freaks out when I do try to groom him, my vet just told me to try benadryl, so we will see what happens. Plus, per that previous petco story, I will NOT entrust my babies to anybody else. __________________ Bella (I miss you) Sachi Emmy

01-28-2008, 12:29 AM	#22
saphire Lil' CoCo, Lotta Coffee. Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: South Africa Posts: 3,115	My two love their grooming... my secret .. treats!! I keep a bottle of different treats on the grooming table, and I must admit they are only good because I bribe them CoCo has never been too bad, but Coffee, he's another story. Anyway those days are gone thanks to the treats. When grooming Coffee, CoCo actually tries to push him aside so she can have her turn Try doing just a little patch at a time and give a treat as you begin, and one as you put her down. Try spraying diluted conditioner on the area you want to brush, it brushes easier and does not hurt so much. Hopefully she will learn that brush time is treat time. I wish you lots of luck. It must be awful to see her so upset. Sheilagh __________________ Sheilagh CoffeeAbigail-Ceana. CoCoMurfee & Winston

01-28-2008, 07:02 AM	#23
Ellie May And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI Posts: 17,928	I groom Ellie myself. I feel safer that way. One thing that she will not tolerate is anything that vibrates (no clippers or sonicare toothbrush). I scissor cut her only and she lays in my lap while I do it. When things vibrates she tries her hardest to escape. __________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶

01-28-2008, 07:37 AM	#24
Cinq1964 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Louisiana Posts: 2,255 Blog Entries: 2	I have Nolee going to the same groomer for months now. He always seems to be nervous and shaking when I hand him over. I was told this is normal until he gets use to grooming. I don't think he gives any trouble. I will try another groomer, after several people said this is not normal. I have tried clipping his nails. My what a nightmare! Besides him not liking it, I'm scared I will clip too much! If I find this new groomer is not different, I will give it a try again to do it myself! Good Luck, we may have to try grooming them ourselves! __________________ Doggie Blankets $10 with shipping! cinq1964.webs.com

01-27-2008, 04:25 PM	#16
cdawnfine Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: nj Posts: 1,256	I used to take Milo to just the groomer, and found myself dragging him inside, than we learned the wonders of doggy day care. At a regular groomer they request that you leave the dog for the day and they are crated all day long. At doggy day care they play all day long and when it is time for the grooming he is all tired and relaxed, he drags me in there every week, he gets groomed about every 2 months I call it his spa day.

01-27-2008, 11:41 PM	#21
Sweetums Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Kirkland WA Posts: 431	I had a colleague who works for a pet rescue tell me that she would never bring a dog in for grooming at Petco or Petsmart. She spent all day there photographing pets with Santa and said the things she saw she would not do to a pet. We found a wonderful groomer through suggestions from other Yorkie owners at the local Yorkie Meetup group (www.meetup.com/yorkies). This groomer works out of a veterinarian office, so we figure she can't be abusive or too harsh. Our little Pookie hated grooming until we brought her to this one. She's young and Pookie loves her. They both act like long lost friends when we bring her into the office. Pookie gets so excited and dances around and licks her, so we guess the experience isn't too bad for her. So you might try going to a meetup or two and ask the other members where they go to get groomed. If it's a bigger place, make sure you get a specific name of the groomer.

01-28-2008, 08:32 AM	#26
PunkinPie Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Halifax, NS Posts: 186	Poor thing, how scary for her. She may also pick up on your feelings as you drop her off for grooming and it may cause her to fear even more. Punkin picks up even the most subtle changes in my moods and it does effect how she responds to situations. I give a treat after any kind of grooming or dreaded activity and make a big deal about it. I call it the treat parade. She only gets if she cooperates. If she is having a hard time I will keep it short and always end with her doing what she is supposed to do so I can praise and do the treat parade. involves lots of excitement from me, jumping up and down and running to the treat cupboard. It's lots of fun

01-29-2008, 09:39 AM	#27
Lexi Rae Gina, (Lexi's Mommy) Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: LONG ISLAND,NY Posts: 10,455	i too learned how to groom lexi myself,, she is also terrified of grommer and i dont like to put her through that unless i have to.. once a year we take her and i feel terrible.. but the more you groom the better you will get.. after every couple of snips, she gets 3 cheerios and she knows to stay still. __________________ Gina & Lexi CLICK HERE for our Photo Album ...

01-31-2008, 04:09 PM	#29
TiniTime YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: CA Posts: 8	It is so important to work with them while they are still very young, with daily brushing and touching. It took a week before Tini stopped biting her comb. But with that said, I've had terrible experiences with groomers. When we moved I had to find a new one and when I picked her up there was something terribly wrong. I had never seen her act the way she did, it was almost like she was in shock. I didn't have her trimmed for almost a year. I finally found a new groomer thru my vet's office, and she's been fine ever since. Get recommedations from people you trust.