# fun for the groomers



## dane&cockermom (Oct 16, 2007)

how about a list of the terms/things people ask for that are frustrating 

and that way others can avoid asking those things when they go to a groomer.

as was stated in another thread, we all get irritated with asking for a "trim"

another thing i hate is when an owner asks for the pet not to be shaved, but wants it...like a #3 blade length.

and when people tell me "he doesn't need his nails trimmed, he just had it done a month ago at the vet" even though the nail trim is included in groom price

and a funny store to finish with--i did a westie yesterday who's mom didn't know what she wanted. she said "short on the back and longer on the legs" so i reponded with "so you want a standard westie cut?" and she said "no" and continues on with trying to describe what she wanted. so i did a standard cut, cause it was exactly what she was describing, and she love it! lol


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

dane&cockermom said:


> how about a list of the terms/things people ask for that are frustrating and that way others can avoid asking those things when they go to a groomer.as was stated in another thread, we all get irritated with asking for a "trim"another thing i hate is when an owner asks for the pet not to be shaved, but wants it...like a #3 blade length.
> and when people tell me "he doesn't need his nails trimmed, he just had it done a month ago at the vet" even though the nail trim is included in groom priceand a funny store to finish with--i did a westie yesterday who's mom didn't know what she wanted. she said "short on the back and longer on the legs" so i reponded with "so you want a standard westie cut?" and she said "no" and continues on with trying to describe what she wanted. so i did a standard cut, cause it was exactly what she was describing, and she love it! lol


Great topic...Whew..where do I start...

My all time most frustrating pet (no pun intended)peeve is what we were talking about in another thread on here....Someone with a poodle mix, that doesn't want it to look like a poodle...Well, unless I shave the feet and face...I don't think any cut looks like a poodle...And I have yet to have any of those people actually know what a poodle looks like..they just have an idea in their head of a look they don't like, and name it "poodle"..Argh..lol 

"Just a trim"- agreed....a trim to me is not a trim to them...To some people a trim is take an inch or more off, to others a trim is leave the body length and neaten feet and face, etc. 

"Puppy cut" The only real puppy cut is on a poodle, and its a show trim...with TONS of hair...I know that is NOT what they are wanting...


"Short but not shaved"-agreed too....To one person, that is a 7F, which is very short, and to me, thats shaved...To another person, an inch long all over is shaved. 

Mixed breed grooms..."make him look like a schnoodle, a cockapoo, a yorkipoo, a doodle, etc..There are no standards for mixes...so no breed cuts, and all the mixes can be VERY different in body structure, coat type, etc. What client A gets done on their schnoodle may not work on Client B's schnoodle because of differences in coats and type. I always spend alot of time with owners that ask for these "cuts" explaining the above, and asking very specific questions to try to understand what they are wanting, exactly. I love pictures....If everyone brought in a picture....a GOOD picture.(that shows the dog from the side, and a face shot.)..it would be much easier. 

I hear that about the nails too....many people don't realize that nails should ideally be trimmed/filed every 2 weeks or so, and that after a month, there is PLENTY to take off...Its included in my price too..so that usually ends that conversation. 

"This is his first time to the groomers, cause he is "only" a year old"....argh....this sets the dog up for a lifetime of stress and unmanageability at the groomers...This is something they will have to do for the rest of their lives...regularly...Please do not wait until the are in dire need for a cut...get them used to the process while they are young puppies. 

I know I can think of more....give me time.  I hope that pet owners reading this thread aren't offended..its not always the clients fault that they aren't educated on many things about grooming. Its the breeder or (unfortunately) puppy store that sold you your pet that didn't take the time to educated/explain things to you...and its also the groomers faults for not taking the time to explain things to owners, after all, it is our field of expertise, and our jobs to educate clients on brushing, combing, nails, how often grooming should be done, etc. 

Oh, one more....

"He's not matted..."  I have SO many clients that just have no idea what a matt is, or what it feels like. They truly believe the dog is not matted, and its pelted. I feel terrible when I explain to them and show them the matts, because I know its a letdown for them. Education for owners is SO very important for the health of their dog, and the relationship with their groomers.


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## dane&cockermom (Oct 16, 2007)

ugh i hate the "puppy cut" too! i tell people "all puppy cut means is the same lenght all over" and that gets them to explain a little better for me. i also often ask people to show me with their fingers how long they want the dog left.

"he's not matted" is a good one too. i hate when the top of the coat looks great, but underneath and down to the skin is awful. cause the owner is trying by using a slicker...but doesn't understand you need to get all the way to the skin to prevent matting. it's sad to shave those ones down. 

the poodle thing! ugh i hate the "i don't want him to look like a poodle." to me, that means the person doesn't want the dog puffed out by the blow dryer...at least that's what i get from it most of the time. and i just want to yell "if you don't want your dog to look like a poodle, don't get a dog mixed with a poodle!"

ETA: oh, and i hate when people get all mad at me cause they're vaccines are over due and we didn't let them know. (like it's my job to inform all clients regulars or not when they're vaccines are due) or "no one told them they needed vaccines" or that people don't know vaccines are yearly. i ask if they've had a vaccine updated after pulling up their file, and i get "well she's been there before you should have it on file" um, yes, i do have it on file, but i haven't seen you since your vaccine expired and your dog needs to get it again...


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

This might be one of the biggest ones for our shop.. I think when a costomer brings a dog and says they don't want it to look like that said breed... Say it's a Schnauzer. We've had several owners come in and tell us they want his/her hair cut, but they don't want it to look like the breed of dog it really is. 

Costomer: Hi. I have a schnauzer and would like to get him groomed
Us: Sure, what type of hair cut would you like?
Comstomer: Well He's a schnauzer, but I don't want you to make him look like a Schnauzer.

I mean really now? lol


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

These are great....I think ya'll pretty much covered it for me...

Now this one happened a couple times when I was a newbie fresh outta school, and I didn't know any better not to except this answer -

Me: How would you like him cut?

Client: Oh, I don't know....I'm not picky... whatever YOU think would look best.

<Groom dog, return to owner>

Client: What the <bleep> did you do to my [email protected]! (He looks like a poodle!)


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

GroovyGroomer777 said:


> These are great....I think ya'll pretty much covered it for me...
> 
> Now this one happened a couple times when I was a newbie fresh outta school, and I didn't know any better not to except this answer -
> 
> ...



LMAO! I have fallen into that trap once or twice too..never again..what I think looks best never happens to be what the owner thinks..lol I have a book of photos to show them, ask them if they are wanting a fluffier cut and have the time to do proper maintenance at home, if they want an easy to maintain cut that requires little brushing and just regular grooming, etc...I sometimes ask so many questions, that the clients get overwhelmed, and flustered...but I still nail down exactly what they want, though I will make suggestions for them.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

I'm not a groomer but I like Gracos idea there of you guys keeping a book of photos. Take pictures of your dogs when done and save them and ask people if that's what they want, so you don't have to rely on them thinking to bring in a photo!


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

jesirose said:


> I'm not a groomer but I like Gracos idea there of you guys keeping a book of photos. Take pictures of your dogs when done and save them and ask people if that's what they want, so you don't have to rely on them thinking to bring in a photo!


That's what our shop has stated doing. That way it gives the owner an idea of what the hair cut is going to look like Every cut isn't the same. So far it has really helped.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

If the owner seems to be describing what a dog on my table looks like, I simply ask them if they want their dog to 'look' like the one on the table; and I show them the length, etc. That works well, too, because if they have too, I can hold the dog while they feel for themselves if the 'length' feels correct. 

I also have pics to show them. 

One thing that drives me nuts is when my fellow groomers can't agree on what correct breed type patterns are supposed to actually look like...I saw a Springer today come out of a different shop that was so incorrect, I wanted to whip out my cordless and finish the pattern myself. 

The groomers I work with frequently do terrier patterns incorrectly...I'm like...uh...get "Notes from the grooming table"...geesh!


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## dane&cockermom (Oct 16, 2007)

Love's_Sophie said:


> If the owner seems to be describing what a dog on my table looks like, I simply ask them if they want their dog to 'look' like the one on the table; and I show them the length, etc. That works well, too, because if they have too, I can hold the dog while they feel for themselves if the 'length' feels correct.
> 
> I also have pics to show them.
> 
> ...


gah i want that book so bad!


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

dane&cockermom said:


> gah i want that book so bad!


Start begging for it for your B-day...tehehe...It's soo worth it! 

Another thing you can do (if you can't get the book) is look for conformation dog shows in your area, and attend one; you can gather alot of breed information on how to groom them, from people who show. Granted, alot of the grooms you'll see there, are hand stripped, but the patterns WILL be up to AKC standards per breed, and you can just apply that to your pet grooms.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Love's_Sophie said:


> If the owner seems to be describing what a dog on my table looks like, I simply ask them if they want their dog to 'look' like the one on the table; and I show them the length, etc. That works well, too, because if they have too, I can hold the dog while they feel for themselves if the 'length' feels correct.
> 
> I also have pics to show them.
> 
> ...


Its not just you Sophie...I am with you on this. Springers, brittanys, cockers, schnauzers, WHFT, Airedales.....Terriers are my specialty, and I just cringe at pantaloons on long legged terriers, schnauzer faces on WHFT and Dales, or worse, wheaton heads on them....Heck, just go to your local breed show and look at the breeds there. Go to a seminar, grooming trade show, watch the competitions, look at the dogs and the correct trims...And there is tons of info online too. Notes is a great book, but its hard to show alot of detail in type...It is a must have for any groomer though.


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## 0hmyd0g (Aug 18, 2008)

One thing I hear a lot is "leave it about an inch long" or "take about an inch off" and when I show them with my fingers how long that will be turns out that inch is actually only a centimeter or even three inches. 

Sometimes I leave it the exact length they wanted and they see the dog when it's done and go "you didn't really take anything off". Or they'll come back for the next appointment and say "He's matted because you didn't make him short enough last time" Even though we clearly went over how long they wanted the cut and I told them they need to come in more often when they have a longer length. 

Another thing is when there is some matting that can be brushed out. I'll say "I can leave it the length you want if you don't mind paying a little extra for de-matting." They agree, and then the other spouse comes to pick up the dog and says "Why am I paying more? We usually just shave him right down."

And my favorite is "He's matted because the kids don't brush him" For a dog that hasn't been in for months. 

This is why I show people how to properly brush their dogs right down to the skin and to use a comb. I even sell brushes and combs. Also I go over the groom with them very specifically. I say "how much do you want left on the body? The legs? The ears? do you want the tail trimmed? Round face or shaved face? etc.."

I like the book full of pictures idea a lot! I need to get a camera though


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## dane&cockermom (Oct 16, 2007)

Love's_Sophie said:


> Start begging for it for your B-day...tehehe...It's soo worth it!
> 
> Another thing you can do (if you can't get the book) is look for conformation dog shows in your area, and attend one; you can gather alot of breed information on how to groom them, from people who show. Granted, alot of the grooms you'll see there, are hand stripped, but the patterns WILL be up to AKC standards per breed, and you can just apply that to your pet grooms.


my birthday was last week. (and i already got a purse) lol.

i told dh last night i'm saving up my tips for it.


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