Shih-Tzu Faces

I groom a lot of Shih-Tzu's.

So many owners come in not really knowing what they want.

Or, they know how they want their Shih-Tzu to look, but they just do not know how to describe what they want.

Whoever said mind reading was not real, has never seen a groomer in action.

How many times over the years have I had to put on that Mind Reading hat.

So, after years of Mind Reading, I had a light bulb moment.

Yes, it took years.

The old brain just doesn't work like it used to.

I have no idea why I did not think of it sooner.

What is it you ask?

My Grooming Book for my customers.

It has helped check-in go a little faster.

Mainly for those customers that just don't know what they want or how to describe it.

My Groom Book is full of grooms I have done over the years.

I tried to take as many pictures of as many different breeds and styles that I could.

All the different faces of Shih-Tzu's are just some of the pages in my book.

Here are some of them.

Note to groomers out there:

It is amazing how much you find wrong with some of your grooms when you look back at the pictures.

Long Beard, Long Ears.

#C1 on the top of the head an scissor, blend into the back of the neck.

This is the same Shih-Tzu as above.

He now has a new owner, and she likes him bald.

It makes me so sad every time my daughter grooms him.

It could just be me, but I think he looks sad now.

I think he liked his long hair.

Anyway, he gets a #7F all off.

We do use a #4F on top of his head and scissor to shape.

I hate the way the #7F looks on the top of his head.

#7F on the outside of the ears, #10 on the inside.

This little guy gets a #5F on the face and scissor.

A #4F on the top of the head and scissor to shape.

Scissor the ears up to just below the leather.

Face scissored round and tight, but not clean face tight, around the muzzle.

#C3 on top of the head and scissor.

#C3 on the ears and scissor to shape.

Scissor beard to a medium length.

#C1 on top of the head and scissor.

Scissor ears to lip line, out of food.

#4F on the face and top of the head.

Leave ears long, neaten the ends.

Same dog as above.

The owner wanted the same on the head and face.

But, she wanted the ears very short.

Ears, #4F and scissor to shape.

#C3F on the top of the head and scissor.

Beard off with a #5F.

Scissor mustache up to the lip line.

Leave ears long, neaten.

My customers love being able to pick a face from these pictures.

Some will pick a face they like, others will picks different things from different pictures.

So, if you get a chance to take pictures, do it.

It is great to have something for the owner to point at and say, "I want my dog to look like that."

Oh, if you would like to  make your own book, go to http://www.winkflash.com/photo-books/

Maybe that is what is wrong with my brain now a days.

I don't get to Mind Read as much anymore.

Lack of exercise.

Nope.
Just getting old.

Happy Grooming, MFF

Cats

I do not groom a lot of cats.

I have not done a full body clip on a cat in about 19 years.

Why?

I am just not crazy about shaving cats.

Don't get me wrong, I love cats.
 I have owned them all of my life.

I understand some cats need to be shaved because of matting or medical reasons, but I would get calls from people who wanted short hair cats shaved because of shedding, or long hair cats shaved because the owner wanted a short hair cat, not because they were matted.

I just did not agree, and at the time I was not charging enough for grooming cats.

So, I decided not to do full grooms on cats.

I do clip nails and do comb outs while the owner waits.

I will also clip out mats on the belly and sanitary clips.

I have been reconsidering doing full grooms on cats.

I have been bathing a few cats over the years.

This guy is a sweet heart.

I worked at a few places that would put cats under a milk crate to bathe them.

I could not believe it even when I saw it.

If I can not bathe a cat free hand, then it will not get bathed.

This cat even accepts the HV dryer.

He does not mind the hand dryer either.

If every cat was like this to groom, I think I would start grooming more cats.

I will admit that most of the cats I do right now are great.

I only do his nails.

I love him.

I get an amazing amount of hair out of this guy.

He just LOVES the Furminator.

He hides his face when I clip his nails.

I Love him too.

This big guy is always a little matted, but he is great about being combed out.

He usually only takes me about 20 minutes.

That is one great cat.

He would chill on my table all day.

I have thought about setting aside one day a month just to groom a day full of cats, but whenever I do, I think back to one of the worst cat bites I ever got.

A few years ago the local cat hospital, Chat, called me and asked if I groomed cats, and would it be okay if they referred cats needing grooming over to us.

They had lost their cat groomer and needed to send cats somewhere.

I thought about it and said yes.

I was not prepared for the number of calls we received.

I had so many people calling for cat grooming, I think I could have booked a cat day every week.

I saw so many cats in various stages of matting.

This sweet guy was some of the worst matting I have seen on a cat.

The owner said that he got this way because he went under their car and got oil on his coat.

His coat had NO oil on it.

Sometimes I feel like looking at the owner and asking them if I really look THAT stupid.

The mats were hanging on to the very ends of the good hair.

I used the last  few teeth on my comb to get under the mat.

I was able to slowly and easily comb him out, no clipping.

He was GREAT.

He was also starved for attention.

Sometimes you just don't want to give them back.

I told the owner to come back in an hour, I did not want them to know how easily I was able to comb out their cat.

I was mad that they let this happen, it did not happen over night like they would like me to believe.

PLEASE.

I keep checking to see if I have STUPID written on my forehead when owners try to tell me excuses like this.

Anyway, the reason why I keep rethinking grooming cats...

One day I had someone bring in a black and white medium length cat that had a few mats.

I took him from the owner to my table.

He was very good, even purring a little.

There was no tail twitching, no flat ears, no hissing, no growling, he was a very calm cat.

When I finished, I gave him a rub down.

I do this with all of the cats I do.

He loved his face being rubbed.

Then I picked him up and started walking to the grooming room door.

Half way there he just calmly reached down between his legs and sunk his teeth into my arm.

I stood there in shock waiting for him to let go.

He let go and sunk his teeth in a second time before I could move my arm.

When he let go the second time I got him up to his owner.

I went right to the tub and started squeezing the bites to make them bleed and flush them out.

They did not bleed at all.

I flushed them with alcohol.

 That night the bites were a little red.

By the next morning the red had spread a little, but I had a full day of grooming.

By the time I finished the last dog, the red had moved half way up my arm.

Time to go to the ER.

The doctor was angry.

I got a lecture about losing my arm.

I told him I had a full day of work with no place to move anyone.

He said if I had waited much longer, I would not have had an arm to groom with.

Sooo, is it worth it to groom cats?

Their mouths are so dirty and full of germs.

This cat gave absolutely no sign that it was mad or going to bite.

The doctor did not want me to work for a week.

I said sure and was back to work the next day.

I am just not sure it is worth taking the chance that one cat bite could put me out of work.

But...

I do love cats.

They can be easy money.

Is it worth it?

I just don't know.

Happy grooming, MFF

Funny

I think it is so funny to watch the dogs after I take them out of the tub and put them on the drying table.

Some just sit and shake.

Some look for an escape.

Some try to jump back into the tub.

Then there are the ones who LOVE to rub,

and roll,

and scoot,

and rub again.

I just let them go to town.

 Back and forth.

They enjoy it so much.

So do I.

This little girl can't wait till she gets on the drying table.

She just rubs and...

Rubs and Rubs!

Finished?

NOPE!!

Just a little more please.

Are you done now?

Okay...ready to dry.

One more.

I even like watching them in the pictures.

This little guy always looks like he is going to hurt himself.

I am bad, I like encouraging them.

They are having so much fun.

Ready to get dry?

Almost....

Not yet.....

Okay...

Go ahead and turn on that darn dryer, but I am not coming out of this corner.

Happy Drying!! ;)

Happy Grooming, MFF

No, No, No...

I DO NOT AGREE.

 The customer is NOT always right!

Okay, let me explain this rant.

I just finished reading the October issue of Groomer to Groomer.

http://www.groomertogroomer.com/oct2010/frames/oct_2010.html#/1/ 

Sally Liddick had a very small article, 'Sally's Success Tips', about how the customer is always right.

No. No, No.

Can I say again that I DO NOT agree.

** Was the customer right when they came in 2 hours late for their appointment and still wanted me to groom their dog AND have it out their usual time?

** Was the customer right that brought in an OES matted to the skin and insisted that we only bathe it, and refused to have it clipped because it was the middle of the winter?

** Was the owner right when she kept insisting that I clip her dogs nails all of the way back to the toe because he was messing up her wood floors?

** Was the Shih-Tzu's customer right when he called back after the grooming because he wanted me to pay for him taking his dog to the vet to do the anal glads that I could not do because the dog was so obese that I could not find the anal glands?

** Was the customer right when they showed up 3 hours AFTER our closing time to pick up their two Airedales that had been at the shop since 8am? They thought it was funny that they forgot.

** Was the customer right when they did not pick up their two Bichons the day I gave birth to my first son? My husband stayed open till 7pm calling them every half hour, till he finally bedded them down for the night. (we are not a kennel) My husband called me to say he was on his way, I said, "You have a son." I had my son at 7:20pm. My husband called them at 8am the next day, they said that  they forgot about the dogs and would be there after they ate breakfast. Those Bichons were not picked up until noon. No apology. Was that customer right?

** Is the customer right when they insist that you demat their dog to the point of torture? All because, 'he's ugly when he is shaved'.

** Is the customer right when they walk in an hour ahead of the agreed pick up time and get pissed because their dog is not finished?

** Is the customer right when they tell you that they think you charge too much 'just to cut a dogs hair?'

NO, NO, NO!

The customer is not always right.

Can you tell that I am passionate about this.

I also do not believe in talking down to a customer.

I like to educate them in a polite manner, that does not make the customer feel stupid.

I will not be used, walked all over, disrespected, or go against my principals just to please a customer.

Okay....stepping off of my soap box now. ;)

Happy Grooming, MFF

Mohawk

I have had a few owners over the years ask me to give their dogs a mo-hawk.

Sometimes it looks good, sometimes the hair is just not right for a good mo-hawk.

This is 'Kipley'.

I have been giving him a mo-hawk for years.

Then last year his owner saw me at a Pet Expo here in Maryland, with my Standard Poodle, 'Hanna'.

I had cut a flower design into 'Hanna's' hip and colored it to draw attention to my booth.

I used childrens Blow Pens to put the color on 'Hanna'.

(These pictures were 3 days after I had colored her.)

When 'Kipley's' owner saw 'Hanna', she got all excited and wanted to know if I would color her dog.

 I don't really offer this service in my shop because of all of the controversy surrounding coloring

dogs.

Coloring my own dog is one thing, coloring a customers dog is a whole nother bag of worms that I was not sure I wanted to get involved with.

'Kipley's' owner wanted his mo-hawk colored the next time he came in.

'Kipley's owners have been wonderful customers for years.

I decided to go ahead and color the mo-hawk for them.

He has been green for St. Patrick's Day.

He has been blue for the New York Yankees.

I used Blow Pens for both the blue and green.

The Blow Pens work really well on his hair color and hair texture.

The last time they came in, they wanted purple for the Baltimore Ravens.

I did not have any purple Blow Pens, I don't think they make purple Blow Pens.

I decided to try sidewalk chalk.

Sidewalk chalk works great on white dogs.

It looks really nice on ears and tails.

I was not sure how it was going to work on 'Kipleys' color and texture of hair.

When using chalk to color hair, I usually let the stick of chalk soak in a cup of warm water for 5 or 10 minutes, then rub it into the dogs hair.

This did not work on 'Kipley'.

His hair texture just would not grab the chalk.

So I tried a different way.

I soaked the chalk as usual.

Then I took an old pair of scissors and scraped off a fair amount of wet chalk.

I added a little water, trying to make a thick paste.

I then took a pinch of the paste and worked it into the hair.

This was much more time consuming then using the Blow Pens, or just using the chalk stick.

I let the wet chalk sit for awhile to help set the color.

I was worried that when I started to blow dry the chalk, it would all blow right off of his texture of hair and leave no color behind.

I dried his mo-hawk on the lowest setting and very carefully.

The color came out very light.

Cocker hair does not hold chalk color very well.

I sprayed the mo-hawk with a little hair spray in hopes that it would help the color to stay awhile.

The owners were tickled 'purple'. :)

I let them know that this color may not stay as long as the Blow Pens.

I will ask them how long the color lasted when they come in for 'Kipley's' next appointment.

Happy Grooming, MFF