About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Top 10 Murphy's Law's of Dog Grooming

10~ The customer who shows up 10 to 30 minutes late for their appointment will always need the dog back out ASAP because of a family, or personal emergency.

9~  When you have all your dogs done and are running on time, no one is in any hurry to pick up their dog.... When you are running behind, everyone wants their dog back at the same time.

8~  All pet owners with matted dogs want long cuts... most pet owners with dogs with great, mat free coats want them shaved.

7~  On rainy days every dog WILL poop and pee 5 minutes after they arrive at your shop.

6~  The pet owner of the dog that you did a drastic makeover on has nothing to say about the great job that you did...The pet owners whose Beagle you just bathed and brushed out can't stop praising you for the wonderful job you did on their dog.

5~  Whenever you have plans for after work, you are guaranteed that at least one pet owner will be late picking their dog up.

4~ You have a couple of no-shows, and have a chance to get out of work early, only to have your 8am appointment unable to pick up their dog till your normal closing time.

3~  You have a pet owner beg you to have their dog ready and back out ASAP, because they MUST be someplace at a certain time. You move dogs around and have their dog all ready to go at the agreed upon time. Then that time comes and goes...no owner...an hour later they show up. "oh, we changed our plans."

2~ Whenever you take a same day appointment, they are almost always guaranteed to be a crazy pet owner, a crazy pet, or a matted mess.


AND THE #1 Murphy's Law of grooming.....


1~  Pet owners that tell you to call their cell phones when the dog is done NEVER answer their phone, the phone is off, or the voice mail box is full!

Happy Grooming, MFF

20 comments:

  1. I stumbled onto your blog while I was researching caring for my dog. I was wondering if you could offer some advice. She is a shitzu mix. I took her to a groomer when she was three months old. The groomer called me after 15 minutes and told me to come get her, said she could not be groomed and couldn't imagine any groomer who would take her. So for the past year I have done my best to keep her in check. Now she needs professional help. Her coat has mats. She needs to be clipped short. What can I look for or ask a groomer? Do I need to get my dog meds from the vet first? I am willing to pay any price to find a good caring groomer who will be patient. Any and all advice is appreciated.

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    1. Hi,
      I am sorry that the groomer was unable to groom your dog. Some puppies can be difficult to groom at first. They need a groomer who knows how to work with young puppies to get them to accept the grooming. You did the right thing when you took your puppy in for its first grooming at 3 months. What a horrible thing for that groomer to say to you. She should have told you that she didn't know how to groom puppies. Then she should have told you to call around and find a groomer that would be willing to work WITH your puppy to get it used to being groomed.
      I have groomed many dogs that have been thrown out of other shops and had no problem with them. Others I have had to slowly work with, and over time I have gotten them to accept the grooming.
      That groomer has caused you to do the wrong thing....Wait too long to try to have her groomed again. BUT it is not too late.
      First of all you MUST be very honest with the groomers that you call. You must tell them what happened and be truthful about the fact that your dog is now a year old and has never been professionally groomed. It is harder to get a dog that is over a year old and never been professionally groomed to accept the grooming process, BUT not impossible with the right groomer.
      You may have to call a number of groomers before you find one that is willing to try. I would try to find a groomer that is willing to meet your dog and see if he/she could work with your dog before I would medicate her. I personally hate working on a dog that has been given meds before I groom it. She may surprise everyone and do well with the grooming. Try before using meds.
      You also want to be prepared that she will most likely have to be shaved for her first groom. If she is matted, it is just best to make the grooming as simple as possible and start over. Pulling on mats will not help her to accept the grooming process.
      Go with your gut when picking a groomer. Find one that will listen to you and take the time to talk to you and meet your dog. If you have friends that have dogs, ask them who grooms their dog. Good luck. I hope that you find a good groomer who will work WITH your dog. They are out there, you just have to find them.
      Lisa, MFF

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    2. I think it's in poor taste for a groomer to make the assumption that another groomer doesn't know how to groom puppies because she sent one home. Some pups have severe temperament issues at birth, the behavior could have been a medical issue or temperament concern that the groomer wasn't comfortable dealing with. In my opinion the groomer did the right thing by sending the misbehaving pup home. It could have caused long term damage had the groomer pushed through to complete the groom.
      Think about this: Grooming salons need to book appointments in order to make money and pay the bills. When a groomer sends a dog home 15 minutes into the appointment, there is no money to be made. So most often if the dog is sent home, there is a legit reason for it.
      I'm really disappoint to see groomer throwing another under the bus like this. We work a physical and emotionally demanding job and at any time a groomer doesn't feel they are up to a job, the owner should be grateful for that. It's better to send a dog home than push through it and cause long term issues. Just a thought.

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    3. Dear fellow groomer,

      I think you need to go back and read my reply to the puppy pet owner again.

      I had absolutely NO problem with the groomer sending the puppy home if she felt that she could not groom it. Every groomer out there should be taught, or told to refuse to groom a dog that they are not comfortable grooming, or may be a danger to itself.

      I took issue with the fact that this particular groomer felt the need to make a rude remark to this puppy owner by teller her that she "couldn't imagine any groomer who would take her." Causing this pet owner to not even bother trying to take her puppy to another groomer until the dog is in such bad shape that the owner must now try to find a groomer that will take a dog that is over a year old and never been professionally groomed.

      The groomer who sent the puppy home SHOULD have told the puppy owner that the puppy was too dangerous for HER to handle, but that the puppy owner should call around to find a groomer that specialized in working with new puppies, OR find a Vet with a groomer in case the puppy needed to be sedated for grooming. (or had a medical issue)

      I sorry that you misunderstood my reply. I make a point of NOT 'throwing my fellow groomers under the bus' (and believe me, I have worked with some that should have been thrown under the bus) When a new customer comes in with a bad story from another shop, I just listen to them, tell them that I was not there and can not really comment on the situation. Then I tell them that I will do the best that (I) can to groom their dog the way they want it.

      You make a very good point in saying that the groomer did the right thing by sending the dog home when she realized she could not groom it. No groomer should force themselves or a dog (especially a puppy) through a grooming. It defiantly could cause long term damage.

      I really hope that the Shih-tzu owner was able to find a groomer willing to work WITH her dog, and that the dog will learn to accept to grooming process in time.

      Lisa, MFF

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  2. I will always be grateful to our groomers, after reading all of this, I will even be more gracious! I never realized how much MORE extra work you guys do until I read your posts here! Keep up the amazing job!

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  3. OMG, #1. Number 1!! And then they call and asked why you called. Or you leave messages twice and they show up way late and claim no one ever called them.

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    1. They are everywhere Michele. We all have the same customers. :/

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  4. In the last month every single one of my same day appointments have no-showed. Argh!

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    1. Hi Starre,
      If at all possible, I try really hard not to take any same day appointments. Why even call if you don't plan on showing up.

      I did find out once, years ago, that another groomer close to me was calling to see if I was busy. If I had an opening for the same day, she would book and not show. Unfortunately, I could never prove that she was doing that.

      Lisa, MFF

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    2. oh i hate to hear that. It's a shame the bad apples make it bad for all of us. I would never make an appt and do a no show, EVER, especially if it was a same day appt.

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  5. or their mailbox isn't set up yet....what is that?

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    1. Hi Paisely,
      That one really bugs my husband. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  6. So totally true! I normally close at 5 pm during the week. I had an owner show up at 6:45pm to pick up their golden doodle-very late when I did have plans after work! I had tried numerous times to reach them, but they never answered their phone. When they arrived finally, they were very apologetic-apparently a work meeting ran late. I did get a twenty five dollar tip too!(That rarely ever happens for such things)I should have known better than try and be somewhere after working all day!

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    1. Hi Kristin,
      The same thing seems to happen EVERY TIME we have somewhere to be after work.

      It happened just last Thursday. We were leaving for Groom Expo right after work. We had a dinner date with a fellow groomer in PA. The last dog was picked up an hour and a half AFTER we closed. Needless to say, we were late for our dinner date. It was a very long time customer that picked up so late this time. I was really hurt that she did that to us. She knew we had to be somewhere.
      Lisa, MFF

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  7. This is funny and i'm happy to say that I have never done any of these!!! I try to be the best customer possible since my dog is such a wigglebutt on the table, lol :)

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  8. Hahahahahaha! Oh dear, at least it's not just our clients who do this!

    :D

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  9. Oh I am so posting this to my Facebook page. It's nothing but the truth. I can't tell if it makes me feel better or worse that Mom and Pop groomers get disrespected as much as us Big-Box drones. Here's to all you other subhuman grooming machines :)

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  10. This IS my grooming life to a tee.... ive been grooming 6 years and this all happens all the time!

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