[usviteacher]

Geez - to my novice eye - i don't think puppy boy got the greatest of hair cut . We did poodle face, and feet. Well she cut too much of his trying to grow top knot - and his feet i think she shaved too much off - there's like patches of white (skin) :doh:. nothing was done to his tail as he has a chicken nugget - and we are letting the hair grow

anyhow - i didn't notice all of this until we got home. I picked him up with 3 little kids ready to go home and have lunch.

I questioned her well - she was suppose to be the most experienced (shop supervisor) out of all the other groomers

i have another place to interview for next time - i will take winston there w/o kids .

Gheesh

He was nice and fluffy - thats about it.

I will try and take pictures - its hard taking pictures of a black dog

 

[usviteacher]

I'm really get mad about her hacking down his top knot - i can't imagined how long its gonna take to grow out :rolffleyes:

 

[partial2poodles]

I honestly think some groomers HATE doing poodles. They resent the fact that they have to take extra time doing all 4 paws and they consider them froo-froo dogs. I worked with a groomer like that. She only liked sporting breeds...and she would constantly say ignorant comments about my standards...."How can you STAND a dog that looks so ridiculous?" I groom all my poodles to look like poodles unless a client specifically says not to. I give them a nice ledge above their upper eye-lashes so that a growing topknot has a "shelf" to rest on (an it keeps the hair out of their eyes). Its a HUGE darn shame that someone gave your boy a "chicken nugget" tail. It like to take their(the person who docked them) thumbs and dock them so they have these stupid little nubs on their hands that make them look deformed. On a male dog with a tail like that, I like to see them short and trimmed more like a cocker tail. For some reason, the girl dogs look cute with a pom-pom
fluff-puff

 

[Rockporters]

Ask around to see if you can find a groomer who also shows Poodles, or one who does a lot of the grooming for people who show in your area.

It took 10 years of bad grooming for my poor Toy to actually look like a Poodle LOL. Not to mention all the money wasted on bad cuts! These days he looks fabulous thanks to our wonderful groomer.

BTW our groomer charges the same or less than Petsmart and all the local places. A quality cut won't necessarily have to cost you more.

 

[PaddleAddict]

II worked with a groomer like that. She only liked sporting breeds...and she would constantly say ignorant comments about my standards...."How can you STAND a dog that looks so ridiculous?"

Ackkk! How rude. Poodles are so beautiful and elegant!

Rockporters, I will be starting my search for a decent groomer in my area and I am a tiny bit worried since a preliminary search didn't turn up much. I want to groom my poodle myself mostly (and I have a wonderful mentor, my friend breeds and shows toy poodles), but I also want to take him to a professional groomer when he's a pup so he gets used to that experience, too, for the beginning when I am not so great at it and times when I'm too busy.

Can you post some pics?

 

[frostfirestandards]

She probally used a 40 blade on his paws, and the hair is clipped super short now, which is why there are white patches. They will go away in a couple days.

I would look elsewhere, there is no reason she should have cut his topknot without asking.

Regardless if a groomer likes a certain breed, or dislikes a certain breed, if they advertize to be an "all-breed" groomer, then they should do "all breeds" to the best of their ability. If they dont like a certain breed, they shouldnt even attempt it.
I don't like grooming Cocker Spaniels, and will not do them if I don't have to, but if I do, I do my best.

 

[Rockporters]

Ackkk! How rude. Poodles are so beautiful and elegant!

Rockporters, I will be starting my search for a decent groomer in my area and I am a tiny bit worried since a preliminary search didn't turn up much. I want to groom my poodle myself mostly (and I have a wonderful mentor, my friend breeds and shows toy poodles), but I also want to take him to a professional groomer when he's a pup so he gets used to that experience, too, for the beginning when I am not so great at it and times when I'm too busy.

Can you post some pics?

Perhaps your friend can ask around at shows for you? Our groomer was recommended to us by our Vet, dog walker, and pretty much everyone else in town LOL. She has Poodles, grooms, and is also a pro handler. For a while her business was mobile which was incredible but she has a shop now.

 

[Cameo]

To those of you wishing to find a groomer in your area, use findagroomer.com or petstylist.com (there is a section there for pet owners looking for groomers).

Sorry you had a bad experience with your babies first grooming, but please don't give up or think we are all bad Some of us really take pride in what we do and that's why we (the professionals ) are supportive of licensing in the industry.

 

[Spoofer]

Our puppy Murphy (Smurfy) probably had his tail docked too short... I couldn't believe how short it was when we got him, and it annoyed me a little... but when our trainer saw him she said, "Awww... he's got a tater-tot tail! So cute!" I've really loved that about him ever since. He's a real tail-wagger, too, and it really is cute! When he is groomed they trim his rump a little shorter and shave his tail base a couple of inches and shape the rest into a great pom. Kids are totally fascinated watching it bob back and forth. We weren't looking for a showdog, and it now one of my favorite things about him... actually, pretty much everything about him is my favorite thing... he's a great puppy...

 

[Spoofer]

Thought I'd show you our Smurfy's "tater-tot tail." Might be shorter than your puppy's tail. I agree, tails shouldn't be docked too short, and I'd rather his tail hadn't been docked at all. Most breeders, if not all in these parts all dock tails. Smurf's tail was docked by our breeder's vet. This is Smurfy at 7 months. He's a big boy now, 11 months and 70 lbs. No one calls him a sissy!

 

[Mister]

Spoofer- Misters tail looks just like that!!!! I call it his "nub" ha ha!

 

[blueglassspider]

Top Knot

I took Zina to have bath an be combed out. they cut 1/2 inch or more off of her top knot I was so mad. The groomer just stood there and look stupid at me. So I need to learn how to do the grooming myself.

 

[poodleholic]

Not all groomers know what they're doing when grooming a Poodle! So many of them want to screw up the topknot by cutting above the eye (giving the poor thing a perpetual look of surprise), shave feet up too high, go way too far down the tail, leaving a rediculous looking ball, and the list goes on.

Find a picture of a Poodle in a clip that you like/want to show the groomer. I used to write instructions, too, before I started grooming myself. For example, Tail: shave 2 fingerwidths ONLY. Topknot: DO NOT TOUCH. LEAVE AS IS. FEET: Pattern is set, DO NOT shave beyond boundary of pattern. And so on. (I was very, very picky, yes. But that's because I was sick and tired of stupid looking haircuts.)

I would be surprised if that groomer used anything but a #10F or maybe #15 blade to shave FF&T. If she had (used a #40), the feet would be bare skin, no hair at all. That bare patch is an oops.

I fostered a male SPoodle whose tail was docked WAY too short. His owner had this bunny tail thing going, which wasn't exactly attractive by any stretch of the imagination. I talked her into letting me do a German clip on him, to which she agreed, and shaved the nubby tail with a #4F blade. I also shaved his ears with the Wahl Arco, last setting (equivalent to a #40, or at least a #30). Then, I put a faux diamond "stud" on one ear (stick-on). He was very handsome, and that tail looked great.