Upset with keoki's groom today- question
 

O.k. I may be paranoid but I take my baby to the same groomer and today she was busy and had a new assistant. When I got Keoki back his eyes were all watery and he was snorting more than normal- I know my dog and it dawned on me that I think they got soap in his eyes- they were running for almost 2 hours after:mad: Is that what it could be?? Should I say something? The more I think about it I want to get a clipper and do his in between grooms myself - especially in the winter when I leave him longer. Advice anyone? I'm annoyed because I pay a pretty penny for his groom and the last thing I need is soap in my babies eyes.:mad:

Think I'd ask the groomer who did the grooming. Then I'd make it clear that she is to do the grooming & not the assistant. Unless you are notified first. That way you could opt out of the grooming.
Don't know about the soap. I'd think groomers would use a tearless shampoo.
Hows the eyes now?

His eyes got better a few hours later but it was very bothersome becasue it actually looked like he was crying- not the normal tear in the corner of his eyes. I opted out last week when there was a man groomer and not my normal lady only because Keoki is shy and not so comfortable with men. I will definitely ask her next time and make sure she uses a tear free shampoo and tell her what I noticed. It was a weird vibe there like they were too busy- my bad- I need to make an appointment when they don't have many dogs to do and learn how to clean him up in between on my own. I do love my groomer but definitely think something was off today :( and that Keokis eyes were running for a reason. Thanks so much for your advice.

I would talk with the groomed on the side. If you are normally happy with her, make sure to let her know this as I am sure she would really appreciate the compliment and vote of confidence. People are often quick to bring up problems but hardly ever give praise when warranted. Not to say that you have done this but if you let her know how much you appreciate how she takes care of your little one, she will go the extra mile all the time with him. Best of luck to you.

I generally bath my own two (Gracie, weekly; Carly, EOW). Gracie has a proportional nose and there's rarely a problem as she'll hold still for bathing. Carly on the other hand has a very short nose and is a wiggle worm, as a result she often gets water up her nose and will snort for a bit after her bath.
(no wonder she hates her bath!) So the snorting was probably due to the inexperience of the assistant who got water up his nose. (maybe??). The tearing sounds like shampoo in his eyes or maybe too much water??? I'd stick to the regular groomer, of course many groomers utilize assistants for the bathing part, whereas they stick to the cutting, so she wouldn't be lying if you asked her to do the grooming and she said she would...so you might ask that she do it all (bathing and grooming(cutting). I just learned to do it myself. Got clippers when they first came home and "trimmed" them regularly with them until they got used to them, now I say, "who wants their butts shaved?" or "Who wants their ears shaved?" and they come running and wait in line (I know weird, but it works).
Kendra

That's exactly what I thought about the water/ soap - I am going to buy clippers- my mom got me osters? but I need to look into what exactly the right clippers would be for butts, ears and belly/ pee pee area- it would save me money and worry. I tried to use them once and turned them on and Keoki looked at me like " ARE YOU CRAZY?!" lol and i thought- maybe he's right-lol but I am going to watch some videos and read and do the in betweens . I have been going to this groomer for a while but think I may try someone that allows me to be there or I will bring him back to my lady and make sure it's just her and no assistants. I'm sure she had no idea what this assistant was doing. I can't believe your babies line up for a shave!!!! How?!! :D I am very impressed.

How to get them to line up? I don't know they just do...if they were kids and I was still a mental health counselor I'd say they were starved for attention (LOL - trust me they get plenty of attention/spoiled babies!!) I do think it helped that a few days before I got my first Yorkie I got clippers (they are the Osters/Walmart - but there are two kinds: one with power and one that's so wimpy it couldn't cut thread, so don't buy the one that's "low vibration/won't scare animals", and with the clipper guard on from day one, every day, I would turn it on and run the vibrating clippers (the handle part) all over them, so they'd get use to the noise and feeling. No, they didn't like it in the beginning but after a couple weeks I started with actually "trimming" them, just a bit for a few minutes (treat afterward and kept telling them "pretty" in a soft baby voice while doing it) I also got "trimmers" (ok, I stole my husband's and got him a new one) and shaved their ears from day one (the breeder told me to do it, so I did) and now they like it. In fact, Gracie gets jealous if I trim Carly first and she backs up and tries to body push Carly out of the way so I can "shave her butt" - I keep her long (as she has the nice silky coat) so other than her butt and ears she doesn't get the works like Carly, the cotton coat) Anyway, Gracie doesn't need the "shave" but I do it or "pretend" to do and then she's happy. If I say "come get pretty" they both come running and (this is weird) they back up to me and hold still and wait for me to put clothes on them...once dressed they immediately go back to whatever they were doing. They are funny that's for sure. So I would suggest you just introduce to them to the clippers (daily) without cutting until they will hold still for you. As long as it's pleasant for them they will eventually look forward to it. Kendra

Thank you, thank you, thank you Kendra for the great clipper advice. I am in awe of your two. I am seriously going to start everyday with the clippers near Keoki- thank you so much! I ill let you know how it goes. Your girls sound so adorable- way too cute :D Kristy

For what you are using them for, these are the clippers you need:

PetEdge: Wahl Arco SE Platinum Cordless Clipper Kit

The adjustable blade of the Wahl will be more useful to you than the fixed blade of the Oster. BE VERY CAREFUL. It is extremely easy to cut them. Hold the clippers parallel to the skin and DO NOT dig in.

Also, shampoo in the eyes would cause much more of a reaction than just weeping for a few hours.

At the shop were i groom @, they only use a tearless shampoo on the face. And it is very easy for a dog to take his/her paw and rub his/her face with it covered in shampoo that isnt tearless... in turn getting shampoo in the eye. Did that make any sense?