# Disasterous visit to the groomer



## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

After a great deal of thought I have decided to try a puppy cut on Ty. I have kept him long and it is pretty clear that his cottony coat is never going to be long and flowing and that the weekly grooming and daily brushing sessions are nothing but a source of stress and trauma for both of us. 

Yesterday we paid a vist to our local Pet smart grooming center. We have been to Pet Smart DOZENS of times to shop. He loves going there, we always wander around the store, buy treats and toys and visits with the other dogs. I didn't have an appointment, we were just stopping to "chat" with the groomers about how they would handle my "tazmainian devil" if I decided to have him groomed.

Ty is not well behaved while grooming and I want to make sure that who ever grooms him understands that and will handle him with care and understanding. 
I would like to also mention that Ty is not normally a fearful dog, he is generally a very outgoing friendly and adventurous pup.

The moment we stepped into the grooming area he started to shake and cower in my arms. He was a mess. I have NEVER seen him shake that that!!!!!! The groomer was VERY NICE...... she told me that he was sensing my nervousness ( I was very nervous about the whole thing).

My questions is, do you think he really knew how upset I was or do you think he was sensing something I wasn't?????? Now I don't know what to do. She answered all my questions appropriately. She said they would not force him but would take extra time and care and go slowly and if they couldn't groom him would stop and call me. She also said that dogs tend to behave better for others than for their owners. The grooming area is a large glassed in area open to the store for anyone to watch, which means (to me) that they have to treat the animals every minute in a way they would want to be "watched" doing. 

One concern I have about "private" shops is that they want you to leave your pup and go, and there is no ne there to watch.

Sorry this is so long but I have never seen Ty shake like that...... so now I don't know what to do.


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## Deanna (Jan 14, 2005)

Does he go to a groomer's now? Does he shake when you take him in there? Why isn't he going to the same one?

The grooming Wilson had in January, was horrible. I still don't know what they did to him, but he was upset for over a week! He would shake as soon as I picked up a hairbrush or comb!

I found a groomer in town that is wonderful. She gave him lots of breaks, didn't put him in a cage (which he is terrified of), and for most of the grooming she held him on her lap instead of putting him up on the table. 

If he is going from a long cut to a puppy cut, it's going to take a long time- I would start calling around and let them know that he is really scared, some groomer's will charge you a bit more so they can spend extra time with them. 


Good luck!


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

Awwww poor Ty, I am wondering if he could smell the grooming items in the area and it reminds him of his least favrorite time and that could be why he was trembling, he probably thought he was going to have a bath and brush there and then. 
Scooby adores his groomer and gets all excited when we tell him he is going to see Myrna, yet when he gets there and I hand him over he grumbles at first, just his attitude showing through, but he always behaves, so I am told, once I am gone. I am sure if he had a bad experience he would not want to go back. He remembers everything, especially his vet visits, he growls at his vet constantly the whole time she is near him, yet once his check up and shots are done he gives her a kiss on the way out the door.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

No, he's never been to a groomer. I groom him myself. He hates being brushed and wiggles and squirms but bathing has never been a problem. We bath and blow dry every Sat which usually turns into a spinning match on the counter with him turning into the Tasmanian devil and hating every minute of it but he has never been hurt. I trim his nails myself by wrapping him in a towel and trimming one foot at a time, which is fairly easy. So other than getting mad at me from time to time grooming has never been "traumatic"


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## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

Well... I do think its possible your pup senses your fear but I also think they sense other people... maybe your pup senses something from those people there...









I just know that I had it with groomers... I do everything myself.. and it might not be done like an expert or anything but kodie rather I do this grooming than someone else. As for a pup not behaving for the owner as well as for a stranger... umm... i think that depends. I know that my sisters dog does NOT behave for her... kodie does behave for me... he tried to bite the last groomer! lol

I have read that you groom your pup by yourself... soo why not learn how to cut sooooo you can do everything yourself. It's not too hard.. especially for a puppy cut. You can get all your grooming stuff at petedge.com... its cheeper there.


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## bklynlatina (Nov 16, 2005)

First I want to say that I have been taking Chulita a bath at home and grooming her literally since the day I brought her home to get her use to it. I take her to the Groomer about once a month and have been doing that as well since I got her. I felt the SOONER I started to get her use to both the better for the both of us. Now it's no biggie weather I take her a bath at home which is every other week or drop her off to her groomer which is once a month. In my opinion it's better to start this at an early age so they get use to it.







She is now 8 months old.


I have gone to Petsmart a number of times myself with Chulita from the time I got her at 2 months. Everytime I went I paid CLOSE attention to what was going on in the grooming area because as you said it is a closed off area but it is also glass and everyone and anyone can stand there and look. I also noticed that EVERYTIME I went they were pretty busy. I went inside the grooming area with Chulita to ask questions, explain what I wanted and set an appt. Chulita was in my arms and she too started shaking. But I took nothing more than nerves. There are other dogs in there, some barking, the machines. It was not her normal surrounding so of course she was nervous. Now on the DAY OF her appointment I bring her in about 15 mins early for a 12:00 appt. I fill out some quick paper work and after that they tell me "ok you can come back to pick her up around 3:00pm







" I was like WHAT???????? Why so long she has a 12:00 appt? and it should not take no more than an hour. Mind you she was just 3 months old maybe and I was NOT getting her hair cut. Just a bath, nails, ears, and sanitary cut so I was like how long can THAT take. She tells me because there are other dogs ahead of her. I said then why do you guys give me a 12:00 appt if you not ready for her???? Then she proceeds to tell me that if I wanted her back faster I had to pay for the "express" service. I told you NONE OF THIS was exolained to me. Not the express service and not how long you guys would have to keep her here. So now I'm all upset..only because I was NOT made aware of this prior to coming to my appt. If they would of expalined all of this to me I would of had time to rethink what I wanted to do and not be suprised with this new information the day OF the appt. I tell her well I have no food for her. She says OH NO we don't give them food just water. SO NOW I REALLY WANNA DIE!! I'm thinking no food for my baby. *LOL * Well at the end of it all I left her beacuse she was WELL over due for a bath. When I picked her up she was fine and they did a great job. I took her twice to that same location and both times they did a great job. The seocnd time they were done alot faster and called me to get her early. So I personally had no problems with them at *MY LOCATION*. Just be aware (you may already know this) that you will have to leave him there a good 2-3 hours. When I asked around ALOT of people told me this was the norm at most groomers Petsmart or other wise.

Since then.......I found someone else. It just so happens that a Tech at my Vets office who is just CRAZY about Chulita also grooms. I didn't know this until she got spayed at my Vet's office. Everytime I called to check up on her the receptionist would tell me how one of the tech's is giving Chulita all the attention and TLC.







So when I went to pick her up I wanted to met her. She came out introduced herself and told me that she is also a groomer. She just adores Chulita and always tells me how one day she is going to "sneak off" with her. LOL









I ask the Tech if it would be o.k. to bring all my CC products with her when I brought her in for her first grooming appt with her and she said sure no problem. She gets her back to me within the hour, uses all of my CC products and gives Chulita the treats that I bring along for her. So it really works out GREAT for both me and Chulita. She has also offered to watch Chulita for me whenever we go on Vacation. 


OH and I can tell you that they DO tend to behave better with the groomers for whatever reason. I think partly because it's all new surroundings, noises, and smells.









*SORRY FOR THE BOOK I WROTE.*


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## triste (Aug 30, 2004)

I am thinking Ty picked up on your nervousness too. I stopped bringing Oliver to the groomer here (who works in my vet office nonetheless) because they were sedating him and I didn't realize it..until an animal died because of it. Long story short...I do his grooming now. It's not as good as he would get at the groomer but I'll take it over sedating him unnecessarily anyday.


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## ourdonbi (Feb 25, 2006)

> Since then.......I found someone else. It just so happens that a Tech at my Vets office who is just CRAZY about Chulita also grooms. I didn't know this until she got spayed at my Vet's office. Everytime I called to check up on her the receptionist would tell me how one of the tech's is giving Chulita all the attention and TLC.
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awww i wish i can find someone like you... i would love to have the groomers give some TLC while they are taking care of my pup. I too bath danbi at home but once a month i take her to get a cut and other things at the groomers... but i honestly dont like how the system works 1st come 1st serve... so tomorrow is her 2nd appointment at a local groomers... im going to wake up @ 6:30am camp out in front of their store until they are open at 7am and wait until my baby is done


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

I've been taking Boo to a groomer since he was 5 mths old.He got his first haircut when he was 7 mths old.Boo hates to be bathed & groomed & it's pretty much a wrestling match.Nothing bad has ever happened to him at the groomers except getting the haircut too short.Yet everytime I take him to the groomer,he shakes really bad,his heart races & he pants.The groomer says he is the perfect angel for her & behaves very well.I think Boo just knows that I am going to leave him there & gets upset,plus he has a fear of dogs & can smell & hear them.When I pick him up,he is fine,but in an awful hurry to get out.I know how bad you must feel though about Ty shaking & being scared.I feel bad each time I leave Boo at the groomers because he is so scared.If he wouldn't give me such a hard time,I would try to do it all myself & never take him back.Unfortunately I would never be able to get Boo to stop misbehaving long enough to cut his hair & it be even halfway decent.


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

I have been taking Valletta to Petsmart ever since she was a puppy. The same person has been her groomer almost the entire time. We started out with another person at PS, however, she left to take another position as a health care aide. So we started again from square one at Petsmart. We love our groomer...she has a malt herself. I always request an express appointment. In PS language that means that one person will handle your dog, start to finish. She takes about an hour and a half at most to shampoo, dry and clip Valletta. I usually drop her off on the way to take the kids to school, grab a big gulp of Diet Coke at 7-11, and then head back to PS and she's done. They are supposed to charge an extra $10 for the express, but she never does...I give her $10 for a tip each time, so it comes to $58 total w/tip. I always bring her a little something special too...like cookies, a bow from Marj, or a doughnut. Believe me my dog loves going there. She starts out a bit nervous but as soon as she gets into the groomer's arms she calms right down. I usually get there a few minutes before they are done and I watch her from the window. We have had a wonderful experience thus far. Just be sure to be very specific as to what you like. Make it clear what is acceptable or unacceptable. Make sure you speak directly with the person doing the grooming and not just the check in person. Bring photos, books, etc. to show what you want. When you make the appointment ask who does the best job with small breeds. Good luck.


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## bklynlatina (Nov 16, 2005)

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I don't blame you. I would be there FIRST to get her in and out of there as soon as possible. 

Yeah.. I got really lucky with that Vet's Office in general and now with the Tech who also grooms Chulita...and even better is what she charges me.







2 weeks ago she charged me just $20.00 since I wasn't getting her hair cut. Just a wash, nails, ears paw pads and sanitary cut. When I get EVERYTHING DONE..she charges about $30.00 

But if anything were ever to happen with my current situation...I wouldnt' have a problem taking her back to Petsmart but ONLY for the Express service.


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## Gemma (Jan 19, 2006)

I take Sparkey to a local groomer. we go at 9am and I pick him up at 2pm. they do everything behind the wall and I can't see. He never shakes and loves them. I think they take their time and do it right. petshops are always in a hurry and pull the hair and hurt them. Sparkey is one of those impossible one to groom and I can't do anything with him but when I go and pick him up they always say he was so sweet and they actually enjoyed working on him. 

If you really want to go to petshop I say take him there a few more times and let them take him and put him on the table and give him a treat and don't do anything else or some minor things and take him back home. do it a few times if they let you. like when you go shopping there have them look after him while you shop so he gets used to there.

Grooming is not that bad of a thing. don't get nervous. they really like having short hair. and it grows so fast. I have to go this week.


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## Terri (Jan 26, 2005)

> I've been taking Boo to a groomer since he was 5 mths old.He got his first haircut when he was 7 mths old.Boo hates to be bathed & groomed & it's pretty much a wrestling match.Nothing bad has ever happened to him at the groomers except getting the haircut too short.Yet everytime I take him to the groomer,he shakes really bad,his heart races & he pants.The groomer says he is the perfect angel for her & behaves very well.I think Boo just knows that I am going to leave him there & gets upset,plus he has a fear of dogs & can smell & hear them.When I pick him up,he is fine,but in an awful hurry to get out.I know how bad you must feel though about Ty shaking & being scared.I feel bad each time I leave Boo at the groomers because he is so scared.If he wouldn't give me such a hard time,I would try to do it all myself & never take him back.Unfortunately I would never be able to get Boo to stop misbehaving long enough to cut his hair & it be even halfway decent.[/B]


The above is a description of Puddy to a T! He shakes until the minute I hand him over to the groomer and then he's fine. When I pick him up he shakes the whole ride home but the minute he gets one foot in the door he's back to his usaul jerky self beating the crap out of the cats!


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## Gregswife (Mar 6, 2006)

PetSmart is the only place I have ever taken Bucky for grooming. The first time, I didn't plan on leaving him then, just stopped in to ask about the costs as I was already there and had him with me. I decided to leave him and as we didn't have an appt. and they were busy, they said I could pick him up in 3-4 hrs. After that, I have always made appts. and he is usually done in less than 2 hours. I have never had any problem with taking him there and he doesn't seem to mind going at all. I am going to check into changing groomers, but not because of them. My neighbor across the street has been using a service that comes to your home in a motorhome and they do all the grooming right there in your driveway, so there are no other dogs around when your pup is being tended to. I got the phone number but lost it so have to go talk to my neighbor again. She has been very happy with their service.

Cheryl


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## Baxter and Wally's Mom (Aug 18, 2005)

Both Baxter and Wally get groomed at PetSmart and I love them. Baxter is just fine with grooming (at least when they do it!) Wally is SCARED TO DEATH! I make appt. for both, but not at the same time. Baxter is usually done in 1 1/2-2 hours. I always get the express for Wally. He gets the same groomer, she does everything right away and never puts him in a cage. We stay there and they even let us come in the grooming area if he seems to need it. He never takes more than 1 hour and he does just fine this way. He does shake a lot at first, but calms right down when she takes him.


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## izzysmom (Nov 6, 2005)

Ginny you should take him to my groomer in Lansing- if you google "Kathryn's Grooming Spa" it pops up. She did such a thorough and amazing job on Izzy that I thought she must have tranquilized him (I had an earlier post about that) but it turns out she is like a Dog Whisperer or something. She actually graduated from Vet school at Cornell but never practiced (I think she had skinbabies instead!) Anyway I snuck in 30 minutes early last time and I could see/hear her and Izzy - she just talked to him in a soft but authoritative voice, and when he got too antsy, she let him have a break. Also she has her own poodles there for playtime b/w brushing/bathing etc. and izzy looooooooooooves them. I can't recommend her enough- only drawback is that you have to book 2 weeks in advance b/c her schedule gets booked up fast!


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## mwend (Dec 27, 2005)

Chloe shakes every time I take her to the groomers, but they never complain about her behavoir -they only say she is very shy - which she is.....


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## Ellas Proud Mommy (Mar 4, 2006)

Poor Ty!!! I get the hibi-jibis when I see some of those people groom to. I've seen some of those people look like they're torturing the poor dogs instead of grooming. If you take him there, make sure you watch for atleast a little bit. I'm so uneasy about them after what I saw one time.


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Have you considered a mobile groomer? Bonnie has someone come to the house, which makes it far less stressful. Start to finish it takes "Uncle Jim" under 2 hours. Some places are set up in the back of a van or something, but others just come into your home. Bonnie used to go to a salon, until one time I picked her up and she was shaking all over and just about jumped into my arms. 

There are a lot of variables to weed out - do they 'plunk' the dog in a cage wet, or are they dried right away? Are they 'really' professional? Do they know how to handle a nervous dog? And more importantly, HOW would they handle a nervous dog? I've heard of places that tranquilize nervous or difficult dogs. That, to me, would be unacceptable.

If a mobile groomer is not in the cards for you, I would ask around to other doggie parents to find out where they take their little ones.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

I will check into a mobile groomer but considering I live in upstate NY in a very rural area I doubt such a thing exits here







, it's a GREAT idea. 

Thanks for everyones suggestions. I'm not really sure what to do. I will call about their express service. I would like very much to do it myself.....I clip my sheepdog myself several times a year without any problem but he is well behaved and stand perfectly still. I don't want to slip and wind up making poor Ty look lioke a hair cut gone wrong









I have the rest of the week to ponder (worry)


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