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Nervous about trying a pro groomer

2K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  N2Mischief 
#1 ·
I have our first grooming appointment scheduled for Monday and I'm considering canceling. I am capable of doing a pet groom on our girl. I have been cleaning up her face and feet and want her body to grow longer. But I also know I won’t always have time/want to deal with it and I want to have a groomer I trust available when I just need her “done”. I want her to comfortable with the groomer and I want to be comfortable leaving her there. So if not now, eventually at some point in her life, I will need to drop her at a groomers.

This groomer as pretty good reviews, and is close to me (5 min), but I haven't really found any standard poodle owners in my area in order to quiz on grooming and recommendations. The two I have talked to both use someone across town (30 min or so), and were just so-so about them.

I’m just nervous about it. I don’t really need it right now. And we have only had her 6-weeks and she is just coming out of her shell. Oh and I’m afraid they will butcher her.
 
#2 ·
Why dont you try just a bath/shave feet/face the first time. She wouldnt have to be there long for that and you can see how she reacts.

As a pro groomer myself, I understand how pet parents worry. We all hear horror stories but they arent really common when you consider how many thousands of shops are doing millions of dogs everyday. Some tips

1-You should visit the shop before your appointment day and check it out. You should be allowed access to all area of the shop, there should be no hidden areas they wont let you see. Expect to be supervised and told not to touch any animal.

2- The shop should be reasonably clean and smell good.

3-There should be no chemicals, cleansers, bleaches etc left laying about.

4-The animals in the shop should be relaxed and comfortable. A little jumping etc is normal when people are around but a shop full of dogs that are growling or hiding or seem fearful is a red flag.

These are the top 4 things to look out for when choosing a grooming shop safetywise. The only other concern are cosmetic preferences which are fairly hard to know in advance. Check out the other finished dogs in the shop and see their work and ask them if they have picture albums of their clients. Most groomers do. May also have a website. The most important thing is pet safety and comfort, hair always grows back if they mess it up. Good luck!
 
#3 ·
All the above advice is very good. You could also look up by contacting your local Kennel Club if you have one. Track down Poodle breeders in your area & where they send their puppy buyers. If those don't pan out then look into your local training clubs & see if they have suggestions. Also look into groomers that are certified through IPG, NDGAA etc... What state are you in? I have tons of FB groomers that I compete with & they are spread throughout the US.
 
#4 ·
I'm a pro groomer too and I highly, highly, highly recommend visiting first before making a decision. I've gotten a lot of life-long clients just from people watching me groom. I actually prefer that people come visit first because it gives me a chance to get to know someone before they bring their dogs in. First time people who don't visit first typically are very distracted with their dogs and don't feel very comfortable in new places, so it's very hard to get a good read off of them.

When someone comes in after visiting, it is a lot easier just to get to know the dog because you are already somewhat familiar with the pet parent, and vice versa.

I do agree with the above. You never want to see anything that is questionable going on. Numerous tools left haphazardly laying on a table are a red flag for me. I don't want a dog to step on some shears or sharp brushes, of for them to knock off an expensive pair of clippers. The dogs should also look happy. Keep in mind a whiny and fearful puppy are two different dogs. Adult dogs too should look like they feel very comfortable in the surroundings. A groomer may tell you anything that you want to hear, but a dog will never lie to you.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for all the input! I did a drive by and poked my head on on Saturday. It wasn't the cleanest place in the world ( a bit of a wet dog smell/musty). The crates (4-5 wire, a variety of sizes) where out front near the grooming tables and they seemed clean and the dogs were lounging. I didn't have the nerve to ask to see the bathing area. They only had two in and they were wash and wear types. They are a small shop and don't stockpile dogs.

She had her actual appointment today. I'm so-so on the groom. I made it clear when I dropped her off that my primary goal was for it to be a good experience for her, and I do think that was the case :)adore:).

The good:
- They are fast; she was in and out in a 1.5 hours. They really do tend to have 2 groomers working and only two dogs in at a time (small shop). They call as soon as the dog is done.
- She got adorable bows.
- They did a good job of filing her nails and left them a tiny bit long (just enough that I could tell they were being careful not to quick her, which was my primarily concern for this visit).
- they were friendly and seem to have openings frequently.
- no razor burn.
- followed directions, I probably could have left more but I didn't want to micromanage and wanted to see what they would do. I asked for face, feet, sanitary, shape the topknot a bit, and even her up a tiny bit all over if she is cooperating but I want her to grow out for now.
- they are cheap ($55)

The just OK:
- It didn’t really seem to be a professional groom. I do a better job on her face/feet. She looks a bit ragged and they didn't shave along the bottom of her feet/between the pads. I did warn them that she has sensitive skin and to please not do a backward shave at this time, but feel they could have gotten her cleaner with the 10 blade with the grain. I'm not really sure how much they are supposed to shave for a sanitary, but once again she was a bit ragged down there.
- She really wasn't very clean. She still had dried rawhide goop on her front legs (a light amount, but some none the less). When I wash her I soak and wash at least twice. She comes out clean. Her last real bath was 3 weeks ago, and she had a quick scrub down about 1.5 weeks ago. She is a poodle, she was dirty, but not so much that they shouldn't have been able to get her clean. This is a pretty big deal for me, since when I take her in for a bath I want her come home clean.

In short, it was successful because she was happy, not hurt, and got exposure to most of the processes and being handled by others. I will probably use them for a quick touch up in the future, and ask them to double bath her. I think I will continue to do her myself for regular grooms since she ends up cleaner (both general cleanliness and touchups/trim). I do need to purchase some good shears though….
 
#6 ·
thoughts from a groomer

Hi, I'm another grooming chiming in... a few things stood out about your review...
1.) It wasn't the cleanest place in the world ( a bit of a wet dog smell/musty). If they have 2 groomers and only 2 dogs at a time... it should be spotless. And it shouldn't smell like wet dog. Wet dogs at a grooming shop smell clean, not like wet dog... and if they are doing straight-through appointments, dogs would be dried immediately after the bath. Wet dog smell means they aren't washing towels effectively (or using towels on multiple dogs), or not cleaning the tubs out well.


The good:
2.) - They are fast; she was in and out in a 1.5 hours. They really do tend to have 2 groomers working and only two dogs in at a time (small shop). They call as soon as the dog is done. I do lots of standards, and am a really fast groomer, and I can't get a standard super clean and properly dried in 1.5 hours... it sounds like corners were cut.
3.) She got adorable bows. Meh, you can buy awesome bows, or learn to make your own.
4.) They did a good job of filing her nails and left them a tiny bit long (just enough that I could tell they were being careful not to quick her, which was my primarily concern for this visit). I'm ok with this especially on her first visit.

5.) they are cheap ($55) I don't know the typical prices in your area, but I would not even give a Lab a bath and brush for that. With as many open appointments as you noticed, and the low prices, they may be undercutting other shops or being below market just to bring bodies in the door.

The just OK:
6.) - It didn’t really seem to be a professional groom. I do a better job on her face/feet. She looks a bit ragged and they didn't shave along the bottom of her feet/between the pads. I did warn them that she has sensitive skin and to please not do a backward shave at this time, but feel they could have gotten her cleaner with the 10 blade with the grain. I'm not really sure how much they are supposed to shave for a sanitary, but once again she was a bit ragged down there. Sounds like they did the clipping before the bath... not on clean, fluffed hair... this is just lazy. If you are a groomer, you know you will be asked to do poodle feet/face/sani often... it is part of life, you need to do it well!
7.) - She really wasn't very clean. She still had dried rawhide goop on her front legs (a light amount, but some none the less). When I wash her I soak and wash at least twice. She comes out clean. Her last real bath was 3 weeks ago, and she had a quick scrub down about 1.5 weeks ago. She is a poodle, she was dirty, but not so much that they shouldn't have been able to get her clean. This is a pretty big deal for me, since when I take her in for a bath I want her come home clean. Ugh, you paid money to get your dog CLEAN. She should feel clean, smell good, and be properly straightened. I can forgive some of the rawhide goop, as it is like cement, and REALLY hard to remove.

Though she had a 'successful' experience, you really didn't have a successful groom. I would continue to look for a better groomer. Go to a local show (obedience, rally, agility, or conformation) and ask other poodle peeps where they get their grooms. If you have a local training club, go to some training nights and meet people and see where they get groomed.
 
#7 ·
I agree for the most part of doggroomer812 comments. Unless its raining outside you shouldnt have a wet dog smell in the shop. Should smell like shampoo actually. They are cutting corners on bathing and not getting the dog clean.

There is a chance that they were overly warned about the sensitive skin/going backward shaving thing and erred on the side of caution to see how sensitive she really is. When owners tell us these things its hard to judge exactly how sensitive a dog can be.

Its pre holiday-many shops are slow before the holiday rush so theres no way to tell if thats usual or not.

Dont know about price...depends on the area...in my old city a standard full groom was $40 to $60 average(not super long hair) here in Vegas I can get that easily for a lab bath.

The smell and dog not being clean concerns me more than the other things. I think you could do better, but if your just needing an emergency groomer from time to time and shes well treated and happy then its probably okay.
 
#8 ·
One comment I have about the wet dog smell everyone keeps bringing a point too. The shop I work in, we strive on being clean. The number one compliment we hear all the time is how fresh we smell and how clean we are. We have not only had clients remark on this, but we have also had a couple of our distributors and out sharpening remark on how clean we are especially compared to other shops.

BUT, at the same time, we have had people comment on our shop smelling like "wet dog" at times too. Usually that's because we may have a big hairy dog in the shop that day who is an outdoor 2x a year groom dog. Sometimes I swear grooming them applifies that smell, even though we use our deepest cleaning products and give multiple bathes if necessary. So, it's possible that a really smelly dog had been in there being worked on earlier and depending on the shop ventilation, smells can get trapped in the warm wet environment. So, if you are concerned, then I would drop in a couple different times and see if you notice a difference. The other thing, if you notice a ton of hair all over the floor, it could be a busy day, and sometimes out shop looks disastrous, especially on a Saturday. But what you really want to look for is embedded hair in the nooks and crannies. Old hair that obviously has been sitting an settling. There should be none of that.

Also, the poor quality groom. 2 feelings I have on that are, 1. You get what you pay for

2. If you were a very picky owner and depending on how you came off, an depending on the groomers experience, you may have made her nervous and overly cautious. I say this because of your overly stress about Not wanting to have a nail cut too short. The thing is, nails get quicked. Most of the time a dog doesn't even notice it happening, and generally it doesn't cause them to freak out and get traumatized. Don't let a vet trim your dogs nails because most times they will purposely cut into the quicks to speed up the shortening process, I think that's cruel, but it's common.

And most importantly, I think you should go to a show or get on to a poodle club in your area and get references for a good groomer. We do exist and you and your dog deserve to have a good quality groomer who will meet all of your expectations.

Don't be afraid of offending a groomer if your not satisfied, just be kind when you criticize, because it may not be a lazy groomer, it may be just inexperience, and constructive criticism could help her improve.

Don't settle with an ok job. It's great your dog was in good kind hands, and you may be able to develop a good relationship with them if you feel there was enough stuff to work with. Just be honest. You might just need to mold the groomer a bit to get exactly what you want.


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#10 ·
I think you should go to many shops & interview them. Also look at photo albums or pictures of dogs on the wall. Look or ask for certificates of grooming continual education , competition, showing their dogs etc.... I have photos, certificates & all my ribbons up so my clients can see them. My own dogs are with me in various styles to show owners about clean faces, clean feet, Asian style face & feet. Go & look, ask, & see. Also what state are you in? Here in NC we have a large support group.
 
#11 ·
One of my pet peeves in dog grooming is a dog that is not completely clean. When I was a bather brusher, then office manager of a groom shop/kennel (a very long time ago), the groomer knew which bather got the dogs clean and which didn't. I had no problem making a bather re-bathe a dog.
 
#12 ·
Mine too! That's why I always bathe my own dogs, because I don't have time to have a bather re-bathe my dogs and I'm really anal about washing my dogs especially their faces. I can't stand finding food particles along their lip line. In fact, when I bathe a dog, I always lather their face first let it sit while washing the rest of the dog, then rinse and get the gunk out and then reapply shampoo and scrub some more just to make sure to get the smell completely out


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#13 ·
I've mentioned this in another "grooming" post, but finding a great groomer for your fur baby is like finding a great hair stylist for yourself.

Keep looking until you're happy and trust the groomer to care for your baby in your absence.

Good luck!
 
#15 ·
Most won't quick on purpose, but I was so upset when twice, with two different clients they asked us to quick their dogs. We explained this would cause incredible pain and they said they didnt care! They just wanted the nails short. We of course sent them packing, there was NO WAY we would even consider it. They claimed they had gotten it done before!
 
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