imported_Cassie Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Why can't people exercise their dogs before bringing them in to be groomed???? so far today I had 2 dogs poop in the bath tub and 2 poop on the table...the dogs which pooped on the table just happened to step back into it before I got a chance to grab a cloth to clean it...this resulted in the dog having to go back in the tub to have it's feet rinsed off... I mean really...its not the groomer or the other employee's responsibility to get the dogs out for their pee & poop in the morning before being groomed...it's a completely different story if the dog were there for over 3 hours...then we will take the dogs out for a quick pee/poop...but, when they only have a 2 1/2 hour appointment?? and they poop as soon as you put them in the tub...that is a dog that hadn't been taken out before coming in... it would be very nice if the owner just took their little darling for a little stroll before coming in... Sorry to rant...just had to get this off my chest...we would never say this to a customer... :wink: to the customer we just tell them what an angel their little dog is... :angel: It's funny, but, it seems to be only the small dogs which do this...we have alot of Golden's, Newf's, husky's, malamutes and pyr's coming in...we never have the big dogs having accidents as the owners are probably more consious of taking them for a little walk before coming in. Just had to rant a little.... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Let me tell you about my dog.Well I can say for me I made sure that I took Caeser out to do his business before I put him in the car. Then I took him out when we got to the boarding kennel. And he did business both times. When we took him inside the kennel he promptly pooped all over the floor. I think it was stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I must be very lucky, or have the most conscientious clients in the world. I very seldom ever have a pooper... probably not even once a month, and most of the dogs here are with me all day as most owners drop off before work and pick up after. I do provide afternoon potty breaks, but I still almost never get poopers. I do have a few piddlers, but since they are on towels, it's almost never a problem as long as I change it out immediately. I know some dogs do poop as a reaction to stress, but I've seen too many people who rush in with their dog and virtually throw it out of the car as they whiz off to where ever else it is they're late for. Now, THESE guys I'll walk first, but it doesn't happen often. Geez, Cassie, I feel for you. I can just imagine how irate I'd be if I had to face that all the time. I believe if it were a chronic thing (same dogs every time), I'd be tacking a little somfin onto that bill for the cleanup every time that dog comes in. This may sound cold to some people, but even the stress poopers would face an extra charge. Time=$$ and if I have to spend a lot of time cleaning up behind a dog that has finger painted its kennel after a bath, therefore needing to be rebathed in addition to the cleanup, well, I'm going to charge for it. I agree that it shouldn't be considered part of the job when the owners could just walk their dogs before coming in. It's amazing the things some people expect you to put up with as "part of the job," aye (biting, chronic poopers, picking off ticks, playing vet and diagnosing conditions... NONE of these are part of my job!)? Come to think of it, that may be why my clients are so diligent about making sure Fluffy took her morning constitution before coming in. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 Oh, HF...if only we could charge the extra amount for clean up...that would be wonderful. These dogs are not suffering any stress...they have been coming to us for years and years...most since they were pups...when a dog is stressed or its the dogs first time we take that into consideration and would not be upset at the owner with such a mistake...but, most of these little dogs are just thrown in the car first thing in the morning and brought directly to us...and it is only our first appointment dogs which do this...so we can conclude that it is in fact the dogs are not exercised...we can book the same dogs for a later appointment in the day and there are no problems at all. :wink: We would love to be able to take all of these dogs out for a walk before the groom...but, we really expect the owner should do this....and it doesnt happen to us all the time either...but, when it does....boy, its maddening...and when the weather is bad...such as it was today...it's very cold...the owners don't want to walk their little angels before coming in...it makes it uncomfortable for us...if we had to walk each of our morning dogs when it comes in..and we are wet from bathing another dog...I would first have to change back into my regular clothes...cause even the best smocks don't have enough protection from a Newfoundland dog shaking all over you...I get wet from head to toe...then to have to get changed and still have wet hair and walk out side freezing to death just doesnt sound like a good idea. If the dog has been there for a little while then...yes, we will take the poor little thing out to go to the bathroom...it's just when you are working on appointments...and then if you had to walk each dog before putting it in the tub...and you have 10 -15 dogs booked...that takes about an hour out of your day. We do not have people drop off their dogs first thing in the morning and pick them up after work...each dog has their own appointment...for example today we had a Newfoundland booked for 7:00 am (we like to get them started early as they can take up to 4 hours to finish) then we had 2 small dogs come in at 8am..then at 9am we had a Golden..then at 10am we had 2 small dogs, at 11 we had an Irish setter....the owners are called as soon as their dogs are done and they pick them up...we usually have about 10 -15 dogs to groom a day and we do not have the space to keep them at the shop all day... This is mainly a winter problem...its rare we have dogs pooping during a groom in milder weather. [quote]It's amazing the things some people expect you to put up with as "part of the job," aye (biting, chronic poopers, picking off ticks, playing vet and diagnosing conditions... NONE of these are part of my job!)? Come to think of it, that may be why my clients are so diligent about making sure Fluffy took her morning constitution before coming in. [/quote] [b]Quote by HF[/b] I just love the part of diagnosing different conditions on a dog...isnt that wild...we have actually had people stop in with their dog to have my boss take a look at some thing before making an expensive trip to the vet...just to make sure its worth spending the money... :roll: and the ticks...in the summer we have had some dogs polluted with ticks...and picking poop off dogs bottoms...this is some thing that makes me wonder :o I find this is mainly with the Shelties and Pom's...big globs of poop hanging from their bottoms...and most of these dogs sleep in bed with the owner...yuk! :o Oh, and the one thing we hate the most....is when an owner comes to pick up their dog (new cleint) and they laugh and say..."oh, I see you still have all your limbs still attached...?) WTF... :-? Any way...thanks for being a sounding board....I do enjoy working with the dogs...and I wouldn't trade my jobs for the world...and at the shop we are always very considerate of our dogs which come in for grooming...its just we get mad at the owners every once in awhile :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MajiesMom Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 It Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 you're gonna laugh at me, but I have avoided taking Laurel to the vet because of that. I took her once, she pooped out of fear...I am taking her again Saturday, but she is more socialized then she was the first time. If it helps, I walked her both before the drive and after. and she still pooped. Sometimes fear is more than training can overcome... :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MajiesMom Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 [quote name='courtnek']you're gonna laugh at me, but I have avoided taking Laurel to the vet because of that. I took her once, she pooped out of fear...I am taking her again Saturday, but she is more socialized then she was the first time. If it helps, I walked her both before the drive and after. and she still pooped. Sometimes fear is more than training can overcome... :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:[/quote] Don't worry! Do you know how many times people turn red and are sooo embarassed when their dog pees/poops in the office? It happens all the time, several times a day. I couldn't care less these are dogs, dogs don't get embarrassed, though they do have a weird sense of humor! LOL I know that even the cleanest dogs get stressed and poop. Don't worry about it because it doesn't mean that your dog isn't housebroken or dirty or disobedient or even that you didn't bother to take him out first - it happens. Especially the Vet will understand totally - most people who work with dogs don't even blink an eye at that stuff, it's so normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 [quote name='MajiesMom'] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendalyn Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 We always made sure Kody had done his business before taking him to the groomers. They had a sign up and DID charge extra if the dog consistently made messes. I would have done it anyway, but there is a little more incentive if you know you're going to be charged extra. I think nerves work the same way on dogs that they do on people. I know I'm always in the bathroom before a big test! :lol: :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Chaos Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 [quote name='courtnek']you're gonna laugh at me, but I have avoided taking Laurel to the vet because of that. I took her once, she pooped out of fear...I am taking her again Saturday, but she is more socialized then she was the first time. If it helps, I walked her both before the drive and after. and she still pooped. Sometimes fear is more than training can overcome... :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:[/quote] Don't worry your definately not the only one :oops: :lol: At Riley's first vet appt. he barfed (probably from car sickness) then pooped, even though I had seen him go (and cleaned it up) moments earlier outside. Talk about embarassing. :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogPaddle Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Ummm, for those of you who work at groomers or vet clinics, so I know how you feel about nervouse poopers - what about barkers. Everytime I take Zaphod to the vet he barks 80% of the time were there, he gets himself so worked up his hackles go up, he pulls on the lead to see other dogs . . . its so embarrassing! (Strangely he is an angel at the after hours emergancy vet clinic - maybe he knows he better behave because whatever we are there for at 2 in the morning is going to cost me an arm and a leg.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black GSD Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 All of these stories really make me glad I'm not grooming anymore. :D I was the one that got all of the ones that were BTD. (Bad To Do.) (Luckily we charged more for the biters.) And also luckily, the ones that were so bad that they had been kicked out of other shops had owners that were so happy to find someone that could and would do their dog, they were good tippers too. I did one nasty, crazy, biting, Schnauzer that had been kicked out of every other shop in town. (And there were SEVERAL.) But after coming to me a few times, she was a whole different girl. (For ME.) What used to REALLY dirve me nuts were the ones that came in SO matted that it came off in one solid chunk. And these were usually the nicest dogs. The ones that you could tell were in pain from the matts beind SO heavy and tight, yet all they wanted to do was kiss you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted February 19, 2004 Author Share Posted February 19, 2004 HF, the groomer I work for also attends seminars...and years ago she used to compete. She also strives to create a nice relaxed atmosphere for the dogs coming in for grooming...and we are able to achieve this...most of our regular dogs are very happy and excited when they come in to our shop...barging through the doors as if they own the shop :lol: and the groomer I work for is a stylist...not just a shave down groomer :lol: the other groomers in our area will shave down any thing that comes in their door...we would be alot busier, but, my boss is turning down some new clients...she is getting picky. :lol: she will not take any new Yorkies, or toy poodles...she chooses not to do any American Eskimo dogs either. The groomer I work for also teaches obedience classes, has taken alot of behaviour courses, animal care tech course etc. and is a certified National Master Groomer. All the other groomers in our area either took correspondence courses :o or attended a local grooming school which still has prehistoric grooming techniques, and the students are not taught to use the high velocity dryers, they are taught to put the dog under a stand dryer...now, try getting a standard poodle straight this way! :o HF, do you have a bather/blow dryer...or are you alone...? Regarding biters; for any one who thinks this is a part of a groomers job...it isn't...and being an obedience traininer for your dog is not one of our jobs either..and there is a big difference to a dog which is a little snappy out of fear, and a biter who will nail you when you do some thing it doesnt like...and as for the dogs which are matted solid...how uncomfortable for that poor dog...and here is one last thing we hate to hear...we can't groom him at home...he won 't let us touch him...we then know we have a spoiled rotten dog which has never had to do any thing and rules the roost at home and will try to do the same at the shop. As for bitersl..one local groomer had her finger bitten off by a minature poodle...this women had worked with dogs for over 30 years and had never been bitten...let your gaurd down for one minute and this can happen. The most scary ones are the breeds like alaskan malamutes, chow chow's etc. they can cause a groomer alot of harm if they are biters....we had an alaskan malamute in a couple of months ago which tore the whole rail inside the tub off (we have a noose in the tub to keep dogs from climbing over the side) the dog went balistic as soon as the water was turned on and he scratched the groomer and the other girl up pretty bad as once her tore the railing off in the bathtub he tried to climb on top of the girls..they could not groom this dog and called the owner of the dog...this dog wrecked the shop and it cost the groomer money to restore the ruined items....the owner of the dog was mad that his dog did not get done! he still has not been able to get any one to go near this dog. One last thing...people do not appreciate how much time we spend on their dogs...we have one standard poodle which comes in every 3 months for a groom....the owner ALWAYS dickered about the price saying the price was outlandish etc. the owner of the poodle ended up bed bound at home and could not bring the dog in...so he asked my boss if she could do the groom from his home...she did and charged extra for gas....when she got there the owner stayed with my boss from start to finish...at the end of the groom he gave my boss an extra $20.00...he stated that he did not realize how much work was put into the upkeep of his dog....he has never aurgued over grooming cost again. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Kat Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 Cassie, I so identify with you. At the surgery where I worked, owners came in all the time with dogs peeing and crapping , because they didn't bother to take them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 [quote name='DogPaddle']Ummm, for those of you who work at groomers or vet clinics, so I know how you feel about nervouse poopers - what about barkers. [/quote] The parrot trick often works nicely. Most times, I can drape a towel or blanket over the front of the kennel (the only part that's open... the rest of it is enclosed) and the dog will usually eventually settle down and go to sleep. Of course, there are always a few who don't. Some will just bark bark bark at nothing their entire stay. For some reason, it really doesn't bother me that bad unless it's one with that shrill, high pitched squeal. Fortunately, I don't have many who do that (except for one of my two weekers coming in tomorrow... love ya, FeFe, but ya make me want to stick my head under a truck tire sometimes). [quote name='Cassie']HF, do you have a bather/blow dryer...or are you alone...? [/quote] I do it totally alone from start to finish. I do all my own bathing, fluffing, phone answering, appointment scheduling, bow making, cleaning, sanitizing, did I mention the bloody phone??, and quality control. I did try hiring another groomer a couple of years ago. She had an impressive resume and over 30 years of experience. She was active on many internet groomers' lists and really gave the impression that she was da bomb. I was beyond honored to have the opportunity to work with such a highly regarded professional and was eager to soak up all the information she had to share. The passion died quickly when I learned that she was a hack and, worse, abusive. She didn't get the dogs clean, her work sucked, but I fired her for mishandling a dog. I will never forget watching in horror as she yanked a first time Cocker puppy up off the table by a leash (off his feet!) and shook the crap out of him because he wouldn't be still and (her justification) she felt bad that day and didn't like the table she was working on and, oh, she didn't have time to coddle every dog and I'd feel differently about it when I'd been doing it as long as SHE has (or so she said... if I EVER find I have to abuse dogs to get them done, I think I'll take an early retirement). I fired her for that. That left a really rotten taste in my mouth for EVER hiring another groomer. I still groom that Cocker now, two years later, and he has finally gotten where he doesn't shake and pee and cower in the corner when he comes in for a groom. It was sooooooo hard to earn this dog's trust and I used to cry every time he came in because he was so frightened and I felt so bad for him just seeing the terror in his eyes. Geez, how could I explain that to those owners who have faithfully had that dog groomed every six weeks his entire life and are generous tippers on top of it?? Every dog I've started from a puppy will actually pull the owners through the door and greet me like I'm their best friend. If I were an owner, I know I'd be really concerned if my dog was obviously unnerved every time he came in for a groom if he'd been coming to the same salon his entire life. I did try hiring an assistant and training her the way I wanted, but I just found I like working alone better. Besides, my favorite part of the groom has to be drying. I hand dry virtually every dog that comes through (no sitting under heat dryers here) and I just go off into my own little personal happy place when fluffing out a nice coat, or faux fluffing a not so great coat. It would almost be worth it to me if I could find a really good groomer and *I* did the baths and blowdrying. I think I'd be perfectly happy fluffing dogs all day. Weird, huh? :D [quote]All the other groomers in our area either took correspondence courses or attended a local grooming school which still has prehistoric grooming techniques, and the students are not taught to use the high velocity dryers, they are taught to put the dog under a stand dryer...now, try getting a standard poodle straight this way![/quote] Schools are teaching this??? Ack!! Someone is sure getting ripped off, students AND the poor clients whose dogs they are doing. A Standard Poodle just sitting under a stand dryer... *shudder* I have to admit that the staff at the clinic I work in cage dries every bath dog that comes through. It's hard sometimes telling people that a kennel bath is NOT the same as a bath by me. The kennel staff soaps 'em up, hoses 'em down and sticks 'em in a kennel to dry. A little pat with a brush and a LOT of cologne later, they are done. Oh well, at least my regular clients know to book their between groom baths with me. The techs at that clinic are GREAT techs, but they suck as bathers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 [quote]Don't worry! Do you know how many times people turn red and are sooo embarassed when their dog pees/poops in the office? It happens all the time, several times a day. I couldn't care less these are dogs, dogs don't get embarrassed, though they do have a weird sense of humor! LOL [/quote] It IS embarassing!!! But what's funny (to me) is that I am not embarassed for ME (I am a hard headed stubborn individual, but you all knew that anyway) but I feel bad for my dog. I know she didnt want to do that, she always looks guilty when she has an accident (and usually it';s because she ate something she shouldnt have) but I know this is fear and not lack of walks or bad training. I feel bad because she is so afraid, and the other people dont realize this and think she is a bad dog...I always feel like asking them if nothing in their life ever scared them so much it caused them to "soil their pantaloons"...I dont though... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drjeffrock Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 This is an interesting thread. I have never taken my dogs to groomers, as they are pretty low maintenance, hehe. It makes me wonder how they would act if someone else was trying to bath them. They behave like angels for me, but I am just too darn paranoid to leave them w/ someone else. In fact, I could probably send you guys into a rant about people like my girlfriend and I, LOL. We are the type who dont want our dogs out of our sight at the vet. In fact, my girlfriend and I insist on being with my dogs under ANY circumstances UNLESS we believe that our presence would be too stressful for the dog. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted February 20, 2004 Author Share Posted February 20, 2004 [quote]In fact, I could probably send you guys into a rant about people like my girlfriend and I, LOL. We are the type who dont want our dogs out of our sight at the vet. In fact, my girlfriend and I insist on being with my dogs under ANY circumstances UNLESS we believe that our presence would be too stressful for the dog[/quote] drjeffrock, in most cases I would have to say...no, we don't like the owner to stay with the dog...in alot of cases the dog will act badly and hyper and goof off... :lol: it just takes longer to do...but, we do have a few people who will stay with their dogs and the dogs are as good as gold...the owners are really nice and have a great chat with us :wink: In some cases the groomer I work for insists the owner come in...it may be due to behaviour problems (this is when the local behaviorist refers clients to us as she will not let these dogs go to any other groomer) or if its a Chow Chow and its the dogs first time...the groomer I work for will not let myself or the other bather/blow dryer touch a chow...she states they can be unpredictable as they are hard to read...they do not lay their ears back or put their tail down etc....she will do the groom on a chow from start to finish herself as she can read them where we can't...I don't know if I should be insulted or relieved. [quote]for those of you who work at groomers or vet clinics, so I know how you feel about nervouse poopers - what about barkers. [/quote] As for the grooming facility...where we have appointments only we don't have to deal with alot of barking dogs...but, you really get used to it after awhile. Oh, this is one of the reasons my boss will not take American eskimo dogs...they have the shrillest, ear shattering bark of all the dog breeds...we do not do any spitz breeds... :lol: At the boarding facility...I have barking dogs all day long while I am working...I will give them a few quite times during the day where I close up their runs and shut off the lights. Courtnek, as for your dog laurel...she is fearful...with a fearful dog you can forgive them any thing... :angel: [quote]The passion died quickly when I learned that she was a hack and, worse, abusive. She didn't get the dogs clean, her work sucked, but I fired her for mishandling a dog. I will never forget watching in horror as she yanked a first time Cocker puppy up off the table by a leash (off his feet!) and shook the crap out of him because he wouldn't be still and (her justification) she felt bad that day and didn't like the table she was working on and, oh, she didn't have time to coddle every dog and I'd feel differently about it when I'd been doing it as long as SHE has (or so she said... if I EVER find I have to abuse dogs to get them done, I think I'll take an early retirement)[/quote] HF, it is sad when a groomer gets to this point in their career. The groomer I work for has been grooming for over 20 years...she still has the patience of a saint...if a dog is behaving badly, she will put it away and give it a time out before putting it back on the table. There are quite a few "bad" groomers in our area as well...one groomer took a small Lhasa and submerged its head under water while she was bathing it....not only did she do this..but, she told the owner of the dog!!!! she explained the dog was unruly and needed to be calmed down...the dog now has mental problems including uncordinated movements, tongue lolling out the side of its mouth...very very fearful. This is one dog that the groomer I work for has the owner stay with it....If I were the owner I would have sued the groomer who did this to my dog!!!!! we have alot of nasty mean groomers in our area....but, they can sell themselves to the customers. My boss mentioned to me that groomers can get burnt out after a decade or two... [quote]my favorite part of the groom has to be drying[/quote] :lol: this is what I do...all day long... :wink: I enjoy it as well...I love getting those curly coats straight....and I even enjoy getting all of that dead undercoat out...I have walked out of the shop covered in hair...especially when drying a husky!!!! now, the Newfoundland dogs...they seem to take forever to dry...but, you can go over your grocery list, things you need to pick up... :wink: we do alot of Newfoundland dogs...we keep 3 kennels in show condition....you should see the day before a show!!!! :roll: one day we had 9 Newfoundland dogs to groom!!! we bathed all of them first then put a few under a big dryer which only blows room temp. air, and then we each (3 of us) had a Newf on the table drying them. One thing about the Newf's...you never had to worry about them in the shop...we only put them in the kennels when they were drying...other than that they all were loose in the shop...they are great dogs...actually we specialize in Newfoundland dogs...and many large breeds... what breed do you specialize in HF??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 [quote name='Cassie']what breed do you specialize in HF???[/quote] Poodles, hands down. I've been practically stalking some of the top Poodle people in the country and studying profiles and even a little Poodle genetics (mostly in reference to color). I am hoping to eventually get into showing Standards (well, maybe) and I can't learn enough! I intend to begin competitive grooming later this year. I keep saying, "not ready yet!" but then I attend the competitions and feel confident that I could do what they are doing. Not only do I love taking a nicely built Poodle (really prefer Standards, but any Poodle) and turning it into a head turning masterpiece, but I also LOVE taking a not so well built Poodle and doing the corrective grooming required to make it LOOK correct. It's just my "thing." My Toy has the worst conformation in the world, but boy does she "correct" well. She's been my guinea pig as my Standards really don't need a whole lot of corrective grooming except that one of them is cowhocked. Easy to fix and not as much of a challenge as fixing a roach backed, short legged, cowhocked, straight reared, etc., etc., etc., dog like my beloved little Toy. I am very interested in terriers as well, though. I've done some handstripping, but not nearly enough to show groom. I would like terriers to be my second specialty. I am considering eventually getting an Airedale. I dunno... I just love terriers in general, but with me, the bigger the better, I suppose (Standard Poodles over Toys and Airedales over smaller terriers). :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 [quote name='Cassie']one groomer took a small Lhasa and submerged its head under water while she was bathing it....not only did she do this..but, she told the owner of the dog!!!! she explained the dog was unruly and needed to be calmed down...the dog now has mental problems including uncordinated movements, tongue lolling out the side of its mouth...very very fearful. [/quote] This was the first thing on my mind when I woke up this morning. It's so haunting. Someone needs to hold that person's head under water... just until they stop moving. It's just unreal to me what people can do to those entrusted with other lives. The fact that someone could do something so cruel and THEN be so nonchalant as to flippantly admit it as if saying, "oh, your dog got a little nick... oops, gosh, sorry 'bout that... what a wiggleworm she is..." I don't know. There's just something seriously wrong with someone who doesn't see a problem with this type of "discipline." I can't imagine the owner of this dog didn't coldcock that groomer. I don't know this one competitor of mine personally (she's the only one around here not interested in networking with other groomers), so never say anything about her to clients when they call and tell me they saw "xxx" hitting dogs. Apparently, she just doesn't care who sees her smack, choke and terrorize dogs. She also passes out sedatives to these dogs like candy. She grooms from her home and constantly pops acepromazine to these dogs and all but advertises it. Some dogs have seizure disorders and ace is NOT the thing for them to have! Some of the owners who end up coming to me just assume that ALL dogs have sedatives for grooming. Unreal. I know that sometimes her clients end up coming to me and almost all dogs that come from there are absolute bundles of nerves. What really p*sses me off is how many people call me to bitch and moan about how this gal handles their dog and how they've SEEN it, but when they find out my price is almost twice as much, they decide it's not worth it. I just can't wrap my brain around the idea of an owner who is willing to sacrifice their dog's health and safety to save a few bucks. I'll probably think about this all day at work. Extra hugs for the dogs coming through today. I never want them to have to fear me just for the sake of a haircut. Geez, that makes me want to cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
science_doc Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I have some really basic questions about dog grooming. We have a Dog-o-mat here where I live, this is just a do it yourself dog wash. I like it mostly because it keeps the mess out of my tiny apartment. They have tubs and a drying room, lots of cool brushes, etc. pretty neat idea! I hope you guys don't mind me asking, but I like cleaning up Hailey myself, just more time for us to bond. #1 - How often is too often to bathe a dog? I find that Hailey get's a bit smelly after 2 weeks, but this seems a bit frequent for washes. I don't understand why, but most of the odor seems to come from her head? I have been trying the "no water" disposable dog towel things they sell in pet stores and that helps. #2 - Hailey HATES the blow drying part, but the shop only provides 2 towels, so she is pretty wet following the bath. This was no big deal in the summer, but in the winter I have had to sort of just work with her to dry her off. She absolutely under no circumstances will allow me to dry her feet. She also howls like the devil when I trim her nails, so much so that one person has to feed treats while the other rapidly tries like heck to trim her nails. I was wondering how common this is with dogs? I know that many cats HATE people touching their feet. I didn't own her as a puppy so I don't know her history, but I do know that the shape of her nails bugs me. Instead of comming to points, they are very flat and wide at the bottom and so this makes them tough to clip. To make matters worse they are black! So at nail clipping time I am way cautious about taking off too much and getting the quick. Anyway I was wondering if dog nails are a wide variety of shapes or if her nails were poorly trimmed or worse not trimmed at all leading to this funky shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted February 21, 2004 Author Share Posted February 21, 2004 HF, it is very upsetting when you think of how other groomers treat dogs...I as an owner would be horrified if I thought for a second that I left my beloved dog with an abusive groomer. The worst thing about this groomer who submerged the little dogs head is that she really comes across as being sweet, she is also a small lady... :-? its scary really. We also have the same problem here...the groomer I work for charges alot more than the other groomers in town and people are cheap..they have left our shop to go to another one which is cheaper...then they find their dog is acting abnormally after the groom (fearful) and the grooming job is not what they wanted...they always come back to us :wink: some times it has taken us quite awhile to bring a dog back around which has been through a bad groom...also, we are the only groomers who will take on big dogs. My boss explained to me that if she did all little dogs she would certainly make a whole lot more money as you can fit more in...but, she perfers the big dogs :lol: some of the other groomers in our area are booking alot more dogs than we could ever imagine...they have an assembly line...I know one groomer who duct tapes the dogs muzzles closed as well...he is an abusive person...the groomer I work for had set up with him for awhile, until she found out how rough he was with the dogs...she left and set up on her own. We tried to have get togethers with the other groomers in our area...there are only about 4 that actually are very nice and are in it for the love of dogs...not just trying to make as much money as possible. My boss has started the other groomers atttending grooming seminars...we missed the seminar in...was it Hershy, PA?...the brochure sounded wonderful. HF, you sound like you have a wonderful facility and I think you will go far with your business and competing. It's nice to be proud of the work that you do..and from seeing the pictures of you Poodles...you have a natural talent for grooming. Regarding the classes you mentioned about shampoo chemistry courses, that sounds very interesting...as we go along we have learned from trial and error about some shampoo's :oops: we use top performance and groomers edge...some times A1 all systems...what shampoos are you currently using?...living in Canada it cost us a fortune to get shampoo up here from the states...your so lucky you live down there as they have the best in grooming supplies. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drjeffrock Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 [quote name='science_doc']I have some really basic questions about dog grooming. We have a Dog-o-mat here where I live, this is just a do it yourself dog wash. I like it mostly because it keeps the mess out of my tiny apartment. They have tubs and a drying room, lots of cool brushes, etc. pretty neat idea! I hope you guys don't mind me asking, but I like cleaning up Hailey myself, just more time for us to bond. #1 - How often is too often to bathe a dog? I find that Hailey get's a bit smelly after 2 weeks, but this seems a bit frequent for washes. I don't understand why, but most of the odor seems to come from her head? I have been trying the "no water" disposable dog towel things they sell in pet stores and that helps. #2 - Hailey HATES the blow drying part, but the shop only provides 2 towels, so she is pretty wet following the bath. This was no big deal in the summer, but in the winter I have had to sort of just work with her to dry her off. She absolutely under no circumstances will allow me to dry her feet. She also howls like the devil when I trim her nails, so much so that one person has to feed treats while the other rapidly tries like heck to trim her nails. I was wondering how common this is with dogs? I know that many cats HATE people touching their feet. I didn't own her as a puppy so I don't know her history, but I do know that the shape of her nails bugs me. Instead of comming to points, they are very flat and wide at the bottom and so this makes them tough to clip. To make matters worse they are black! So at nail clipping time I am way cautious about taking off too much and getting the quick. Anyway I was wondering if dog nails are a wide variety of shapes or if her nails were poorly trimmed or worse not trimmed at all leading to this funky shape.[/quote] Regarding how often to bathe, I have found that indoor dogs tend to get a bit smellier than outside dogs. I could be wrong, but this is my personal experience. I bathe my Akita once every month and a half to every two months. My APBT is the same as Hailey. He starts to get quite smelly after a couple weeks. I bathe him once every 3 weeks to a month. The majority of his stench also comes from his head. Every 3 weeks is probably a bit too often, but I think as long as you are using a decent shampoo you should be ok. I believe that one of the drawbacks of bathing your dog often is that the oils in the skin/coat get removed. However, my dogs coats look fine from bathing. With regards to trimming nails, I found that the best way to make it go smoothly is to take my dogs on a strenuous hike and tire them out. When they get home and are pooped, I let them practically fall asleep b4 trimming. Kira's nails are also black, save 1 or two partially clear ones. I have found that as long as they are relatively the same size nails, I use the clearer ones to gauge. I recently bought a Dremel for their nails, and it is amazing. My pit has not gotten used to it yet, but my Aktia does not mind. In fact, the more you dremel the nails, the more the quick recedes and falls back. This allows us to get the nail, shorter and shorter. Are all of Hailey's nails completely black? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendalyn Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 We have a do it yourself dog wash here too. It's called Shampooches. I love it! It's great beause the tubs are at your height and they have the blow driers. And the water is always at the right temp. I blow dry Buck by kind of flicking the dryer head against the direction that the hair is growing. The air knocks the water off. I think it's faster than waiting for the air to actually evaporate the water. I don't know though, that's just the way I do it! Maybe there is a better way. It takes about a half hour to 45 minutes to get him all the way dry. It's worth it though. His hair is so much softer after it's been blow dried. What kind of nail clippers do you use Science_doc? I've never had good results with the guillotine style ones. I bought some from the vet that kind of look like gardening shears. They have this thing that flips up though, and it guards the nail so that you can't cut too much off at a time. Buck struggled when I used the guillotine style ones, but he sits still just fine for the gardening shear type ones. I don't know why but he likes them better too. And I've never cut the quick with them either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 Holy cow, HF!! You are one busy lady!!! About the smelly dogs.... I have both indoor and outdoor dogs but I havent ever really had a problem with any of them smelling bad (with the exception of one who used to poop then roll around in it :stupid:). But, my indoor dogs get bathed about once every month-month and a half. The outdoor dogs get them once every two months. I rarely ahve to trim nails as I allow, and want, all my dogs to pull when they walk and that pretty much files em down enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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