[a2girl]

So Hugo is now 18 weeks old and has recently completed all his shots. I made an appointment for him to get an FFF groom and bath and was very clear that I wanted the face and paws to be shaved and told them he is a mini poo. The bather called this morning and asked me to move up my appointmen. Ok, I said, having some flexibility in my schedule. She said that I would be able to come in and talk to the groomer. Well, I get there and the bather says oh, the groomer is really backed up and can’t do everything you want so what are your priorities? So I say face and sanitary but ask if I can come back later with Hugo and get everything done. She said the groomer had other appointments after Hugo’s. I was frankly nonplussed By this poor customer service. I probably should have walked out then. I return an hour later to find that the groomer only trimmed his face. She also completely cut off the hairs that direct the flow of urine, and didn’t really do the whole sanitary area. He was all fluffy from the bath so nice and clean, but that’s about it. I spoke to the manager about all the miscommunication and how I didn’t get what I asked for. He offered me a 25% discount on my next visit. Uh, no. Long story short, I’m going to another groomer tomorrow who will shave his face and paws and hopefully also do a better job on his tail and fanny. She seemed like a pro on the phone and was recommended by a friend.

Here are before and after pictures. Kind of makes me wonder if the groomer spent more than 2 minutes clipping his face. I think he was cuter before!! I should add that we had a huge rain storm a few hours after we got home and Hugo got the zoomies and raced all around the yard. So much for the fancy bath and blow dry!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Ugh. That really stinks. I’m sorry.

I’d recommend making the next appointment for next week, to give Hugo’s stress hormones a chance to go back down. A first groom can be a lot, especially if the groomer was rushed.

How did they say he did? A happy experience is really your number one priority at this age. Maybe easing him into it more slowly than expected could prove to be a good thing.

 

[a2girl]

Ugh. That really stinks. I’m sorry.

I’d recommend making the next appointment for next week, to give Hugo’s stress hormones a chance to go back down. A first groom can be a lot, especially if the groomer was rushed.

How did they say he did? A happy experience is really your number one priority at this age. Maybe easing him into it more slowly than expected could prove to be a good thing.

i only got to speak to the bather who said he didn’t like the dryer. You make a good point though about the possible stress. Maybe I should reschedule. I still will have to take him again to have his body hair cut down. He’s got way too much coat for the 90-100 degree weather that is coming.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

AKA someone didn't know how to do poodle face or feet. I think it would take me as long to trim a face evenly as to shave it. Actually I know that- I trim Trixie's and it takes forever.

I would be asking for a refund.

Agree with waiting a week, also suggest going over sensitive areas with an electric toothbrush to desensitize before he goes.

 

[Skylar]

Definitely a bust. What a shame.

I would bring photos to show the next groomer exactly what you want. I would have thought what you asked for was clear but a photo is clearer.

 

[94Magna_Tom]

Well I think he looks really cute! All cleaned up and whatnot! My groomer did a free introductory groom; face, feet, nail trim, Sanitary, and a little shaping of the hind quarter angle. No bath/dry. This only took her about 15 minutes. I would want to talk to the groomer and tell her (or him) that you were very disappointed and see what she has to say about what happened.

 

[Phaz23]

So strange to move you around like that and not do something as simple as a FFT. Yeah I would move on and look for a groomer that has poodle's all over there website. He may not stay still for a FFT but that's different than not even attempting it and shaving off the wick is just a no no, most groomers know that.

 

[Misteline]

Wow, I would also move on. As someone who keeps having less than stellar groomer experiences (plan to make my own post tomorrow), you don't deserve to be jerked around. They knew you were coming in with a puppy, they knew that would take longer, and they knowingly overbooked. They just tried to get away with it by doing the bare minimum and the discount offered was more like an attempt to double dip. Smh.

 

[a2girl]

All’s well that ends well. Despite some misgivings, I kept the appointment with another groomer this morning. She has mini poos herself and she said he did great, didn’t mind the face and tail shave and fussed only a little with the feet. She said she couldn’t believe how calm he was for an 18 week old puppy. I am happy to see his beautiful snout again! Thanks, everyone, for your supportive comments. He came home, had his usual morning snooze and seems completely himself this afternoon

 

[94Magna_Tom]

Now that's more like it! Such a handsome young man!

 

[cowpony]

All’s well that ends well. Despite some misgivings, I kept the appointment with another groomer this morning. She has mini poos herself and she said he did great, didn’t mind the face and tail shave and fussed only a little with the feet. She said she couldn’t believe how calm he was for an 18 week old puppy. I am happy to see his beautiful snout again! Thanks, everyone, for your supportive comments. He came home, had his usual morning snooze and seems completely himself this afternoon
View attachment 477438

The second trim looks much better. The first trim looks like a very typical doodle cut. I wonder if the first groomer normally works on doodles instead of poodles. Doodle owners often get very upset when the faces and feet get trimmed. Whatever the reasons, it seems like the second groomer is a much better fit for your needs.

 

[Starla]

Ah much better! I would have them go lower between his eyes next time. I’m glad he did well for her! Good boy Hugo!

 

[Skylar]

You’re lucky to have found a groomer with poodles. Nice clean face. You can see how cute Hugo is now.

Like Starla I clip to between the eyes and not above.

 

[a2girl]

You’re lucky to have found a groomer with poodles. Nice clean face. You can see how cute Hugo is now.

Like Starla I clip to between the eyes and not above.

Thanks, and also to @Starla, as the grooming is all new to me! That’s a detail that I didn’t pick up. His breeder definitely shaved as you described. I might still be looking for the right groomer.

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

Total eye candy. You're guaranteed to hear "what a pretty dog" if you walk down mainstreet.