[maddiek]

Well, I will be looking for another groomer.

Rufus had an appointment with his groomer on Saturday. My daughter had to take him for me because I had to leave town for a funeral.

A little history...Rufus has been going here from the beginning. I never liked the way that they cut his head. Rufus has a narrow head and they would cut his hair straight up from his ears. He really looked like a dork when I brought him home. So I printed pictures of dogs that I liked the shape of their head. Gunther was one of them. The groomer did pretty good the first time, but I got there to pick him up just as she was doing his head and I had to stop her. She was about to cut too much off again.

Well this weekend, when my daughter went in to pick him up at the time they told her to be there, he was still on the table. She watched for a minute and noticed his head was not cut like I like it. She said that she asked very nicely if that was the cut that her Mom requested. The groomer SLAMMED her scissors on the counter and went to get the pictures. My daughter told her that she didn't need to get mad, that she wasn't questioning her ability as a groomer, that she just wanted to be sure that I was happy with the way Rufus looked. The groomer told her that she was doing it like the pictures and that she needed 15 more minutes!

My daughter went to wait in the car. A little later the woman came dragging Rufus out by his leash, stopped at the car with her hand on her hips just daring my daughter to say something.

Well, I didn't care for the cut and even if I did, I would not go back after her attitude.

What do you groomers think? Don't I have a right to have my dog groomed the way I want him to look?

I sure wish I knew how to groom him. Then I could only blame myself if I didn't like it.

 

[Mandycasey'smom]

you know what. Just do it. Yes I made many mistakes but I think I can get them pretty good now. I first of all could not afford both of them at over a hundred bucks each since I refuse to get a shave down and second enjoy thinking I did it myself.

I deffinatly would not go back to that bit**

 

[passion4poodles]

you know what. Just do it. Yes I made many mistakes but I think I can get them pretty good now. I first of all could not afford both of them at over a hundred bucks each since I refuse to get a shave down and second enjoy thinking I did it myself.

I deffinatly would not go back to that bit**

I agree....I have been learning for about a year now and doing my own dogs for about 6-7 months, and I have made mistakes, but like you said, the only one I can get upset at is me and its just hair, if they are not showing, don't fret, it will grow back, faster then you think lol! I would go for it, learn to groom yourself. Also, ya I would not only never go back to "her" but I would also have never paid her.....think about it, if you went to the salon and they had butchered YOUR hair, and you were not happy, would you pay them???? Would you go back to the same stylist???? NO! Grooming is a little hard to learn but once you get started....it is satisfying and fun!

 

[spoospirit]

I would definitely not go back to that groomer. Her attitued is completely unprofessional. Being a photographer, I know that customer service is number 1, and attitude is definitely a no-no; instant lost customer as well as negative talk about you that will hurt your business.

Groom your own. I have been grooming mine since I got them; six months now. I picked the brains of groomers here on the forum, read books, and did internet research. Pick your favorite cut, print out some pictures of it and just start doing it. You will make some mistakes at first and it will grow back in if you take too much off but eventually you will get it and it will become easy.

It is a great opportunity for bonding with your dog as well. My dogs and I love the time spent together every week grooming. They lay on the table, close their eyes, and sometimes fall asleep while being blown out.

Good luck and take advantage of the many good groomers on the forum to help you out. My sister and I posted many pics of our grooming attempts for feedback and it was incredibly helpful.

 

[thestars]

I too am a self taught groomer. I have been grooming my poodle kids for over 20 years. They saw only a groomer once when I had to go off to the dessert when I was in the military but she was a Poodle owner/breeder/handler/groomer. Consider them an art project. Finding pictures and videos on the web is great. I have a great series of DVDs from The Styling Academy; Philip does a good job in describing the cut and all the details like clipper blade sizes, bathing techniques, drying techniques. A good clipper and a few blades will get you started.

 

[mercymoon]

What a b****! If you are paying for her services she should be giving you the cut you want! I don't blame you, I wouldn't go back to her again!

I completely agree with Spoospirit, very unprofessional and she may wind up losing
more than one customer with that attitude!

 

[cuddleparty]

Wow Maddiek... I'm so sorry for you and Rufus. I had to chuckle when you said he "looked like a dork"... hahah.. because that's exactly how I felt after Snoops' last groom. We were both so embarrassed!

Anyway.. I've had some poor experiences with groomers myself. I got some great advice here on PF about it. Last groom, I nearly lost my mind, it was so bad.

I think I will try soon, to do some grooming on my own. I'm going to look into a few classes or something... so I don't totally f**k up Snoops' do. But at least, yes - I would be the only one to blame...

 

[maddiek]

Great advice from everyone. You all agree that I should learn to groom him myself. I think so too. I know what I want and that is probably the only way to get it. I do groom my Shih Tzu's. They look alright. It is the face (shaving it) that scares me on the poodle.

 

[passion4poodles]

Great advice from everyone. You all agree that I should learn to groom him myself. I think so too. I know what I want and that is probably the only way to get it. I do groom my Shih Tzu's. They look alright. It is the face (shaving it) that scares me on the poodle.

The face is actually the easy part! LMAO!!!! Get the lines which you already have from the other groomer and just follow lol! You will do fine, and if there are any questions, there are groomers that will offer help here!

 

[BFF]

I worry about shaving the face and the feet. It seems like they would get squirmy, and I would cut her. :mmph:

 

[passion4poodles]

I worry about shaving the face and the feet. It seems like they would get squirmy, and I would cut her. :mmph:

You are getting a toy, so my advise since you are just starting, is to get a peanut clipper, they sell them at Sally's Beauty Supply, they call it something else now I can't remember, but the clerks should know. They are small and have snap on blades, feet on toys are more difficult then spoo's as they are TINY! I use an Andis light speed trimmer for my toys feet. I am just now getting used to the full size clipper for the face on them. Ki-ki on the other hand wow snap compared to Tynk and Zoey. The thing on the feet you want to make sure of, not just clipper burn but the webbing between the toes, make sure to place your finger under it to shave between the toes as to not catch it in the blades, even a 40 will get them if you are not careful.

 

[Mister]

If this were me and my dog Mister i would definately go back in there and file a complaint. Whether its a little shop or a corporation. That kind of customer service is unacceptable especially since your daughter wasnt even rude. The groomer jumped right to being defensive and angry. She sounds like she needs to check her attitude. I am a groomer and have had complaints but ive never gotten angry at the customer. I would listen to what they wanted (usually its taking the head shorter or something like that) and i make sure i understand and then take the dog back and fix it no problem. I am never rude and i make sure its what they want.
I would file a complaint for sure. You should not have had to deal with all of that.

Good luck on your search for a new groomer. Where are you located?

 

[maddiek]

I am in Greenville, Texas. There are a lot of groomers here.

The mother has owned this shop for at least 20 years. Now her daughter is grown and now grooms also. It was the daughter that lost her temper. Her mother was grooming a dog and didn't say a thing. I hope that she told her daughter that she was going to lose her business if she didn't learn how to listen to the customer.

They still have the pictures of how I want Rufus to look. I guess I should go in there and request my pictures back so I can take them to another shop.

I was giving them $20 tips. They lost a good paying and tipping customer.

 

[poodlelover]

Wow $20.00 tip, that is very generous. I will groom your poodle. I am too far for you though. I am a groomer and sometimes it takes a couple of groomings to get the cut the owners like. I guess she was having a bad day. Standard poodles take a long time to groom and I find their head the hardest to do. If they move an inch and I am trimming the head I make a mark and I have to start all over again.
Sometimes I have customers that always tell me what they like and they bring pictures , but I can never get it the way they want. I get frustrated and tell them in a nice way that I am doing my best and they can try another groomer if they like. I don't get mad.
Sometimes they do go eleswhere but come right back the next time and realized it was a good grooming.
Good luck with your new groomer and hopefully they will have more patience and the topknot right for you.

 

[BFF]

You are getting a toy, so my advise since you are just starting, is to get a peanut clipper, they sell them at Sally's Beauty Supply, they call it something else now I can't remember, but the clerks should know. They are small and have snap on blades, feet on toys are more difficult then spoo's as they are TINY! I use an Andis light speed trimmer for my toys feet. I am just now getting used to the full size clipper for the face on them. Ki-ki on the other hand wow snap compared to Tynk and Zoey. The thing on the feet you want to make sure of, not just clipper burn but the webbing between the toes, make sure to place your finger under it to shave between the toes as to not catch it in the blades, even a 40 will get them if you are not careful.

Thanks for the suggestions! I would like to be able to keep her fft clean on a more regular basis. I think I will let the breeder and groomer get her accustomed to grooming before I step in to learn too much.

 

[BFF]

Maddie,

I hope you do get your photos and try someone else or trim her yourself. It's too bad you were treated this way. It doesn't sound like you had an unusual request. From reading posts, it sounds like there are several different preferences on how a topknot looks best. Sometimes, it's which style fits your poodle best.

 

[Mister]

There is this lady whos dog i groom named oscar and she has used the other three groomers at my work and finally started requesting me and the last time i groomed him she handed me a $40 tip on an $80 groom. It was way more than generous but she insisted. Just tooting my own horn lol.....she also got to meet mister and just loved him. Standard poodle people seem to stick together. If i ever got mister groomed for some reason i would be a picky customer but i would also top big time and make it worth their while.